ANNAPOLIS | Navy didn’t secure possession nearly enough to put away pesky Virginia Military Institute in the first half Saturday.
Brendan Hamm ensured it wasn’t a problem after halftime.
Hamm won six of the last seven faceoffs as the No. 11 Midshipmen pulled away for a 13-5 victory at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in the season opener for both teams.
The Keydets’ Stephen Robarge won 11 of the first 14 faceoffs, helping VMI forge a 5-5 tie at halftime. But Hamm was inserted for good on the third draw of the second half, and the Keydets never established their offense again.
“It’s all about matchups,” Hamm said. “We knew what the guy was doing and my move was probably the best to go against that guy.”
Evan Sullivan scored three goals for the Mids, who won their eighth straight season opener. Tim Paul and Brendan Connors both scored twice, as did Bruce Nechanicky in his first game in nearly two years.
The senior tore his ACL on March 31, 2007, an injury that cost him all of last season. But he scored twice in a 62-second span in the third quarter as Navy established a 9-5 lead.
VMI never had a chance to get closer as Hamm continued to win faceoffs. The Keydets committed frequent fouls as they wore down, and Navy converted four extra-man chances in an 11-minute span.
Navy outshot VMI 30-5 in the second half and yielded only one goal is the final 48:38.
“I told the players that we’re going to have to keep our poise and come out and seize control of the game in the third quarter, or it was going to be a very, very tough game,” Navy coach Richie Meade said. “I’m happy we did that.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.