Box Score DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Corsairs collected 27 of 30 face-offs on Tuesday evening, dominating time of possession to rattle off their highest goal total of the season and roll past Western Connecticut, 20-6. With the win, UMass Dartmouth rises to 3-3 in the Little East Conference and 6-9 overall, while the Colonials slip to 1-5 in the league and 2-12 on the year.
Senior Bo Prozinski (Ashland, Mass.) powered the Corsairs on the evening, registering six goals and three assists. He now sits at 51 total goals on the season, just nine away from the individual season record of 60 set by Nick Brett in 2011.
Several others added to the score total, as junior Sean Peters (Medway, Mass.) netted a career-high four goals. Senior Joey Bouthillette (Northbridge, Mass.) put away a hat trick, and sophomore DJ Miller (Ashland, Mass.) and senior Steve Merrick (Methuen, Mass.) each registered two scores.
The bright spot for the Colonials was junior goalkeeper Patrick Tynan (Somers, Conn.), who turned aside 17 shots in three quarters of work. Western Connecticut was led offensively by senior Nate Wilson (Norwich, Conn.), who scored three times and added an assist.
The high-paced offense was not immediate for UMass Dartmouth. Miller put in the game's first goal after six minutes of scoreless play, and Prozinski potted his first of the night at 13:29 for the only two goals on the first quarter.
Western Connecticut looked to make a game of it to lead of the second stanza. Dylan Nyborg (Bethel, Conn.) and Wilson each scored within the first five minutes to tie the score at two. The even game wouldn't last long, though, as Prozinski dished to Miller to regain the lead and then scored two in a row of his own to close out the half with a 5-2 advantage.
The goals then came fast and furious for the hosts in the second half after Nyborg opened the scoring for the Colonials. Bouthillette bookended two more Prozinski goals for a four-goal UMass Dartmouth streak spanning from 3:46 to 9:21 before WCSU's Jesse Beatty (Redding, Conn.) halted the run. Starting at 11:05, the Corsairs scored three goals in less than a minute including both of Merrick's goals. Wilson capped the third quarter to cut the lead to 12-5.
UMass Dartmouth then just expanded on its lead in the fourth, continuing to capitalize on Jimmy Hirtle's (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Zach Drolette's (Burlington, Vt.) face-off controls. The Colonials would get on the board just once more on the game, while several Corsairs gathered their first points of the season. Junior Austin Titus (Gloucester, Mass.) put in his first goal on Jordan Torres' (New Bedford, Mass.) first assist, while sophomore Riordan McCole (Peterborough, Mass.) notched an assist on a Peters score.
All three Corsair goalkeepers split time in net, as junior Matt LaFond (Bridgewater, Mass.) earned the win with five saves. Scott Spangenberg (Dover, Mass.) and Kyle Taylor (Raynham, Mass.) each turned aside one shot. WCSU's Zach Craybas (Bethel, Conn.) made three saves in the fourth quarter.
UMass Dartmouth will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, hosting Salem State for a 7 p.m. start time on Friday while honoring its nine seniors. Western Connecticut will travel to Plymouth State on the same day for its regular-season finale at 4 p.m.
