Game Recap: Hokies Sweep Mountaineers Backed By Tullo's Hat Trick Performance

MORGANTOWN, W.V. - After a triumphant performance Friday night, the Virginia Tech Men's Ice Hockey team returned to the ice Saturday afternoon as they looked to complete the road sweep over West Virginia. In what proved to be a gritty performance for the Hokies, Matt Tullo's first-career hat trick propelled Tech to a 5-2 win against the Mountaineers.

Unlike how Friday's game unfolded, the Hokies were slow out of the jump. There were numerous opportunities for Tech to capitalize; however, they were thwarted by Jackson Bernier, who started in net for the Mountaineers. It was not until the final minute of the period that Hokies freshman Jacob Wachtel intercepted a breakout pass and connected on his second goal of the season, coming in back-to-back games against West Virginia.

The second period would see more offensive action from Virginia Tech as Wachtel's linemate Ewan Andrew ripped the puck top shelf past Bernier from the slot, giving the Hokies a 2-0 lead. Senior Matt Tullo would also find the net off a wonderful tic-tac-toe pass from teammates Gavin Nau and Austin Hyrn that extended the lead 3-0 heading into the final period of play.

West Virginia opened the third period with vengeance, scoring two goals in a matter of 11 seconds to bring the Mountaineers within one against the Hokies. However, the momentum would shift back to the Hokies as halfway through the period, Tullo struck on his second goal of the game to lift Tech 4-2. The cherry on top of it all came with three minutes remaining as Tullo once again netted a rebounding shot past Bernier for a hat-trick performance, the first of his career.

In all, for the Hokies, the relief in controlling the pace of both games this past weekend, along with scoring ten goals and dominating the offensive zone, flashed shades of last season, where the team set numerous offensive records and averaged close to six goals per game.

"We have had some trouble scoring as much as we would like this season, given how much offensive pressure we put on, so it was nice to finally bury the puck at will today," said Tullo. "We are starting to connect and find each other in those high-scoring places on the ice, and I think we are going to keep building off of this."

Tucker Forrest, who started in net for Tech, conducted yet another solid performance in the crease as he earned his third win of the season. The Hokies, with their fourth consecutive win, will look to carry their momentum as they face a familiar opponent next weekend with the Liberty Flames for another home-and-home series matchup.