Eddens’ records hat trick as East upsets Dimond 3-0 in CIC hockey

The Thunderbirds brought the lighting Wednesday night at Ben Boeke Arena.

Forward Nicholas Eddens scored a hat trick in the second period, goalie Lane Fox recorded a shutout and the East hockey team defeated Dimond 3-0 in a gritty Cook Inlet Conference showdown.

The win halted a three-game skid for East and stopped a three-game winning streak for Dimond. It was also the Thunderbirds' first win against a non-Bartlett conference opponent in four years.

"That's going to give us a lot of momentum, beating a team like Dimond," Eddens said. "They're a really good team. I have a lot of teammates from my comp team on there. It's nice to beat them."

It was a slow start offensively for both teams, with one shot on goal between both teams through the first period.

But in the second period, it was the Eddens and Fox show. Mere seconds after coming out of the penalty box, freshman Chase Solberg found Eddens on a breakaway. The 6-foot-1 junior smacked his first shot off Dimond goalie Blue Hildebrand's pad, but he sunk the rebound through the five-hole.

Later in the period, Solberg again found Eddens, this time on the right side, and Eddens hammered in his second goal of the night from close range.

In the final minute of the period, Eddens completed his hat trick and the T-bird fans roared.

Dimond (4-4-2, 1-4-0 CIC) had chances on the other end — both Ryan Perius and Gavan Hardy got the puck in close late in the second period — but Fox snagged nine of his 16 saves in that frame.

His biggest save came on a Dimond penalty shot from Blake Hausinger. Hausinger, who was awarded the penalty shot on an East tripping call, tried to get around Fox on the left side, but Fox stopped the shot with his right leg.

"I was feeling great," said Fox, a 6-2, 200-pound junior. "Gotta do what you gotta do."

The third period turned back into a defensive battle and it started to get chippy with eight combined penalties in the third period.

In the final four minutes, neither team could keep the same number of players on the ice. Twice East ended up in a 5-on-3 power play and it also played 5-on-4 and 4-on-3. At the final buzzer, it was a 4-on-3 power play for Dimond.

Once final buzzer sounded, the two teams lined up for the postgame handshake, and then East (4-5-1, 1-4-0 CIC) could celebrate its win.

"We definitely have bounced back (in) the last two years, since I've been here," Eddens said. "It's just we've come together as a group and our passing has gotten a lot better. We are just playing better overall — more speed, better passes … and our goaltending is amazing."

Added Fox, "It's gonna get our momentum going. We're gonna keep trying everyday."