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Kevin Troy's hat trick highlights sweep over Central Penn and Philadelphia

By Anthony Di Paolo, 10/10/17, 3:00PM EDT

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Kevin Troy notched three goals as the New Jersey 87's defeated the Central Penn Panthers 8-0 on Sunday afternoon, following a 6-1 win over the Philadelphia Revolution on Saturday in Middletown.

Troy, who was named an EHLP star of the week, recorded two assists in the win over the Revolution before recording a hat trick on Sunday. It is also the second time in three games that a player on the 87's achieved the feat. 

Head coach Adam Houli liked what he saw from the Glassboro, N.J. native.

"Kevin buried his chances; the puck found his stick all weekend and he was able to find the back of the net. He has great ability to finish and it certainly showed this weekend," Houli said of Troy.

After scoring one goal in the first period, the 87's notched three more in the second and four in the third. The commanding 8-0 win reflected a full 60-minute performance that Houli has been looking for from his players. It was also team effort with 11 different skaters recording at least one point.

Christian McCue (one goal, two assists) and Clayton Thomas (three assists) also had three-point nights on Sunday's win, while Tristen Gillispie recorded 21 saves to earn the first shutout in 87's history.

"Both (goalies) played well and did their job to provide us a chance to win the game. They each had some timely saves that gave our bench a boost in energy," Houli said of Gillispie and Jake Lakatos, who made 21 saves on 22 shots in Saturday's win over the Revolution.

In the 87's three-game winning streak, they have outscored opponents by a combined score of 19-2. Houli gave credit to the team's preparation throughout the week leading up to their home game on Saturday.

"I thought we had a very good week of practice which translated into favorable outcomes for us, Saturday we really pushed the pace and played well," he said. "We had timely execution and we were able to feed of the fan energy throughout the game."

The team will take their three-game winning streak to Brewster, N.Y. for the EHLP showcase starting on Saturday Oct. 14, with a slew of three games in as many days. All of the action will be streamed on hockeytv.com.