Men's Hockey drops season opener to Northern Illinois

(Mt. Clemons, MI) - The Rochester Christian Warriors men's hockey team opened up its 2025-26 campaign against the Huskies from Northern Illinois. The Huskies took advantage early in the match and were able to go on to claim an 8-2 win. 

Nicholas Spognardi (0-1-0) took the loss in the game, making 39 saves against he 47 shots he faced. 

The Huskies grabbed the lead early in the game, scoring in the fourth minute for their first of three goals in the period. NIU outscored the Warriors 21-12 in the period. 

Northern Illinois kept up the pressure, scoring four more times before Preston Stenzel was able to light up the goal for the first RCU goal of the season. Ryan Long was able to earn an assist on the goal. RCU was once again outshot in the period, 15-11. 

Both teams were once again able to score a goal in the final 20 minutes. Kyle Hauer was the goal scorer for RCU with 11 minutes remaining in regulation. 

UP NEXT

The Warriors will have a chance to rebound tomorrow night as they go up against the Huskies again, starting at 6:30 PM at Mt. Clemons.