Box Score NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth buried three third period goals and saw four players pick up multiple points as the Corsairs prevailed 6-4 in the back-and-forth battle with Westfield State at Hetland Arena on Saturday evening.
The Basics
Score: UMass Dartmouth 6, Westfield State 4
Records: UMass Dartmouth (9-5-0, 6-3-0 MASCAC) | Westfield State (8-7-0, 4-5-0 MASCAC)
How it Happened
After Nik Passero (Fort Erie, Ont.) started the scoring for the Owls, Corsair senior Matt Baldino (Woburn, Mass.) tied the game less than a minute later on the power play. Moments later, Westfield State responded with a goal from Francis-Xavier Girard (St. Lazare, Quebec) halfway through the period. Junior Mike Sones (Waterdown, Ont.) then knotted the score again with two minutes remaining in the stanza to keep the margin square.
The Corsairs gathered their first lead of the game early in the second, when Hunter Wilhoite (Brentwood, Tenn.) found Jonathan Ruiz (Williamstown, NJ) in the slot for Ruiz's first goal as a Corsair. Again, the Owls would answer as Jackson Leef (Fort Wayne, Ind.) potted his MASCAC-leading 13th goal.
UMass Dartmouth then fully capitalized on their scoring opportunities in the final period. Wilhoite sprung Ruiz on a breakaway four minutes in, who scored while shorthanded to regain the advantage for the Corsairs. Senior Tanner Zacharewicz (Ludlow, Mass.) then seized the lead back with the fifth goal of the game just two minutes later. Girard cut the deficit to one with plenty of time remaining, but Corsair senior Mike Kelly (Stoneham, Mass.) was able to tap in the empty net goal in the final second to seal the victory.
Inside the Numbers
- Saturday's victory marks the first time that the Corsairs have totaled nine wins since the 2012-13 season, when they went on to win 12 contests and the MASCAC Championship.
- After dropping Thursday night's game at Plymouth State, the Corsairs have won six of their last seven games.
- Drew Michals (Newton, Mass.) stood tall in next, stopping 39 shots on the afternoon and increasing his conference-best win total to nine games.
- Westfield State's Jonathan LoParco (Vaughan, Ont.) made 33 saves, but could only stop six of the nine shots he faced in the final 20 minutes.
- UMass Dartmouth junior Casey Shea (Woburn, Mass.) and Ruiz controlled the face-off circle, winning 33 of 58 (57 percent) of their face-offs.
- With an assist Saturday, Shea sits tied atop the league rankings in MASCAC games in assist scoring (nine) and power-play points (nine).
- The Corsairs have now won four out of the last five to against the Owls with the last loss in that span coming in last season's MASCAC Quarterfinals.
Up Next
The Corsairs will return to action next Thursday night as they travel to meet the Skyhawks of Stonehill College starting at 7 p.m. Westfield State heads home to continue their MASCAC schedule and host Worcester State on Thursday at 7:35 p.m.
