Box Score NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – The combination of three unanswered goals and a career-high 41 saves by sophomore Tommy Bay (Duluth, Ga.) enabled the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to rally from a two-goal deficit to defeat Stonehill 3-2 in non-conference action Tuesday night.
The Basics
Score: UMass Dartmouth 3, Stonehill 2
Records: UMass Dartmouth: (13-8-0, 8-6-0 MASCAC) | Stonehill (8-13-4, 5-4-1 NE-10)
How it Happened
After falling behind with two quick goals by the Skyhawks in the first, the Corsairs struck on the man-advantage. Moments before the end of the frame, junior Mike Sones (Waterdown, Ont.) rifled a shot into the back of the cage on the setup from Jerry Laakso (Tampere, Finland) and Mike Kelly (Stoneham, Mass.), cutting the deficit in half.
Thirty seconds into the second stanza, sophomore Jonathan Ruiz (Williamstown, N.J.) forced the neutral zone and broke free from a flock of Skyhawks, sending the puck top-shelf over goalkeeper Billy Palmer (Cranston, R.I.) for his second short-handed goal of the season.
Kelly would then ultimately put the game away for the Corsairs halfway through the period, receiving the pass from Laakso and junior Casey Shea (Woburn, Mass.) at the slot to beat Palmer low glove-side. The margin would hold through the third, as Bay withstood a barrage of Stonehill tries including two with an extra skater in the final minute.
Inside the Numbers
- With Ruiz's goal, UMass Dartmouth has now piled up 11 short-handed goals on the season to lead the nation, followed by Plymouth State with nine.
- With a power-play goal in back-to-back games, Sones is now tied atop the nation's statistical rankings with eight man-up goals on the season.
- Bay stopped a career-high 41 shots in the full 60 minutes. His previous high came last season, when he made 33 stops against Fitchburg State on Jan. 28, 2016.
- Palmer posted 39 saves for the visiting Skyhawks despite falling to 8-12-4 on the year.
- A pair of assists for Laakso on the night bumps the junior to the top of the MASCAC standings for defenseman points with 20.
Up Next:
UMass Dartmouth hits the road as they look for the season-sweep of Westfield State on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. Stonehill returns home as the Skyhawks wrap up the regular season and host Southern New Hampshire on Saturday, starting at 6:10 p.m.
