VALENCIA, Pa.: For the first time in six years, the Yellowjacket men's hockey team made a trip out of region, traveling to Pennsylvania for a two-game series at Chatham.
 
The trip included a stop in Chicago where the team skated with a youth association and met with alumni, followed by a trip to Detroit to watch an Original Six match-up between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.
 
Following a Thanksgiving feast at the hotel, it was time to get down to business Friday evening against a Chatham team that entered the game 1-7-0.
 
Things were tense through the first 40 minutes, but the Yellowjackets scored twice in the first 2:18 of the third period to blow the game open and go on to a 5-1 win at the Frozen Pond Arena.
 
Troy York (Plano, Texas/West) scored twice for the Yellowjackets, with both goals coming in the four-goal third period. Myles Hektor (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) made his first collegiate start and earned his first win, making 21 saves to help the Yellowjackets improve to 4-1-0 on the year.
 
The Yellowjackets opened the scoring just 2:40 into the game when Liam Blais (Uxbridge, Ontario/Uxbridge Secondary), who scored twice in last Saturday's win over Stevens Point, tried to thread a pass into the slot only to have it go off a defender and into the net to make it a 1-0 Superior lead.

Chatham would come back and tie the game at 12:18 of the opening period when Noah Medalsy put a rebound to the right of the net past Hektor.
 
As the second period unfolded the Yellowjackets began to impose their will on the Cougars, but weren't able to take the lead thanks to the stellar goaltending of Chatham's Ricardo Gonzalez. The 'Jackets outshot Chatham 22-6 in the period, but the score remained tied as Gonzalez stopped every shot, including a couple in spectacular fashion.
 
The Yellowjackets would take the lead for good just 46 seconds into the third as freshman Jonny Pace (Hamilton, Ontario/Cardinal Newman Catholic Secondary School) scored his first collegiate goal on the power play. Pace took the shot from the top of the right circle that went off Gonzalez and into the net to make it 2-1.
 
York scored his first of the game at 2:18 of the third, deflecting an Austin Friesen (Winnipeg, Manitoba /Glenlawn Collegiate School) shot past Gonzalez to make it 3-1. Minutes later at 8:01 York did it again, this time converting a feed from Andrew Durham (Richardson, Texas/Plano East) to make the score 4-1. Then with 1:15 left Coltyn Bates (Brandon, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) closed out the scoring, breaking down the left wing and shooting into the empty net to make the final score 5-1.
 
Jordan Martin (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) had a multi-point game Friday, picking up a pair of assists in the third period.
 
For the game the Yellowjackets outshot Chatham 52-22.