Box Score WESTFIELD, Mass. – Senior captain Matt Baldino (Woburn, Mass.) completed his first collegiate hat-trick on the heels of a two-goal game on Thursday evening, leading UMass Dartmouth to a commanding 6-2 win over Westfield State in MASCAC play on Saturday.
The Basics
Score: UMass Dartmouth 6, Westfield State 2
Records: UMass Dartmouth (2-2-0, 2-1-0 MASCAC) | Westfield State (3-2-0, 1-2-0 MASCAC)
How it Happened
The Corsairs got on the board just over three minutes into the opening period, when sophomore Connor Court (Swansea, Ill.) received the feed from Baldino in the corner, beating the Owls goalie from the right circle. The defense would then step up for UMass Dartmouth as the Corsairs would kill off two five-on-three advantages for the home team, most notably when goalkeeper Drew Michals (Newton, Mass.) made a save by swiping the puck off the goal line and keep the 1-0 lead.
UMass Dartmouth would extend the lead to 2-0 when sophomore Connor Cooley (Simi Valley, Calif.) tallied his first collegiate goal when he put home the pass from Kyle Zacharewicz (Ludlow, Mass.)
In the second period, Nik Passero (Fort Erie, Ont.) would beat Michals top stick side to cut the Corsairs lead in half on the power play, but it would be the closest that the Owls would get for the remainder of play. Mike Sones (Waterdown, Ont.) picked up his team- leading fourth power play goal of the season for the Corsairs on a five-on-three advantage, with the assists going to Jerry Laakso (Tampere, Finland) and Mike Kelly (Stoneham, Mass.). The Corsairs would add more before the end of the man-advantage when Baldino potted his first goal.
The third period was much of the same, as Baldino posted his second goal when ripped a one-timer into the top corner of the net on one knee as the UMass Dartmouth power play ticked down. To complete his hat-trick, Baldino picked off the Owl pass in the neutral zone and scored for the short-handed score.
Inside the Numbers
- Michals turned aside 39 shots en-route to his second win on the season. He's registered 30-plus saves in every game thus far.
- Senior Jonathan LoParco (Vaughan, Ont.) made 25 saves between the pipes for the Owls, despite taking the loss.
- Westfield State outshot the UMass Dartmouth 41-31, and had a slight advantage in the face-off circle winning 31 out of 60 draws.
- The Corsairs went 3-8 on their power play chances, while the Owls went 1-7. Nine of UMass Dartmouth's 15 goals on the season have come on the man-advantage.
Up Next
The Corsairs continue their road trip as they travel to Worcester, Mass. to take on Assumption on Wednesday night with a 5:35 p.m. puck drop.
