Box Score HOOKSETT, N.H. – An even-handed goal by junior Jerry Laakso (Tampere, Finland) just 30 seconds into the final period padded UMass Dartmouth's lead to two goals, and the Corsair defense withheld a seven-skater onslaught in the final minute to claim Southern New Hampshire University's Manchester PAL/Stovepipe Tournament Championship over Johnson & Wales on Sunday, 4-3, at the Ice Den.
The Basics
Score: UMass Dartmouth 4, Johnson & Wales 3
Records: UMass Dartmouth (5-4-0) | Johnson & Wales (3-5-2)
How it Happened
Junior Casey Shea (Woburn, Mass.) bookended the scoring in the first period to give the Corsairs the permanent lead to cap the opening stanza. Shea notched an unassisted score halfway through the frame to open the game's goals. The Wildcats answered in the 15th minute, but Shea responded immediately after the resuming whistle, potting the score off assists from Mike Sones (Waterdown, Ont.) and Connor Cooley (Simi Valley, Calif.).
In the eighth minute of the second period, senior Matt Baldino (Woburn, Mass.) padded the UMass Dartmouth lead to a pair of goals. Shea and junior Joe Echelmeier (Doylestown, Pa.) corralled the rebound off a JWU shot, and found Baldino on the breakaway, who faked out the Wildcat goalkeeper and converted on the right side.
Wildcat Luke Veitch (Lewis Center, Ohio) cut the Corsairs' advantage back to one to cap the second period, but Laakso scored his first goal of the season moments off the opening whistle in the third off a pass from Baldino. Again, Johnson & Wales cut the lead to one after Connor Bates (Laconia, N.H.) buried at goal and start a last-ditch effort for the frame as the Wildcats outshot the Corsairs 20-11 on the frame.
With just over a minute left, JWU pulled goalkeeper Joey Ballmer (Kalamazoo, Mich.) and unleashed a flurry of six shots on the UMass Dartmouth defense, but goalkeeper Drew Michals (Newton, Mass.) posted three saves and Echelmeier a blocked shot to seal victory.
Inside the Numbers
- Shea has now recorded at least two points in the past four games, and tallies three points in a game for the second time this season. His point streak has consisted of at least one goal and one assist in each of the four outings.
- With his team-leading 16 points, Shea ranks tied for ninth nationally in points per game on the season at 1.78 per outing.
- UMass Dartmouth records its first win over Johnson & Wales since Feb. 21, 2009, and its tenth win against the Wildcats since 1999. The Corsairs are now 10-7-1 over JWU since the 1999-2000 season, and head coach Erik Noack gathers his first career win over his former team.
- With 45 saves, Michals records his fourth 40-plus save performance on the season and eighth on his career.
- For the season, the Corsairs are 4-0-0 on the season with a lead at the end of the first period, and 5-1-0 overall when scoring the game's first goal.
Up Next
The Corsairs are back at home for the final two games of the 2016 calendar year, ending their six-game road trip on Thursday, hosting Fitchburg State at Hetland Arena at 7:30 p.m.
