Corsairs Edge Owls in 3-2 MASCAC Victory

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - Sophomore winger Tyler Stewart scored the go-ahead goal at 8:33 of the third period and the UMass Dartmouth men's hockey team held on for a 3-2 victory over Westfield State University in MASCAC action on Thursday evening. The Corsairs move to 11-7-0 overall and 9-5-0 in conference play, while the Owls are now 10-7-1 with a 7-6-1 mark in the MASCAC.

The Owls jumped out to the 1-0 lead at 8:13 of the first period. Capitalizing on a turnover off the stick of a UMass Dartmouth defender, Morris corralled the puck and fired a backhanded shot past the reach of Corsairs goalie Marshall McKallip.

UMass Dartmouth answered 35 seconds later as rookie center Collin Patterson caught a pass from sophomore winger Kevin Johnston in front, burying it into the Owls net. Grad student and winger Michael Perrone earned the secondary assist with a nice feed to Johnston.

The Corsairs made it a 2-1 advantage at 11:14 of the second period, taking the lead on the power play. Senior center Michael Mania sent a cross-ice path through the goal mouth to Stewart in the far circle. He chipped a quick pass in front to sophomore wing Vincent Nicosia for the go-ahead score.

Westfield State didn't back down, answering at 16:59 as Julian Boislair knocked in a pass from Cooper Board from the left side. Brett Williams earned the secondary helper on the play.

In the third, Mania connected on a pass into the Owls zone with senior wing Billy McDevitt. Making a heads-up play, he found Stewart in front, who banked it in for the final goal of the contest.

The Owls worked to keep things interesting late as the visitors pulled goalie Valtteri Valtonen at 19:27. Westfield State brought it into the Corsairs zone, firing in several shots, including back-to-back blocks from captain and defender Jake Maynard. Board fired off a final shot in the last second, but McKallip held strong.

In goal, McKallip earned the win, recording 24 stops on the evening. Valtonen posted 19 saves in the contest. In the circle, Westfield's Gianluca Marini led the way with a 12-11 mark, while Patterson was 11-15 for the Corsairs. 

Stewart had a goal and an assist on the night, while Mania had two assists, also going 10-6 in the faceoff circle. 

UMass Dartmouth is right back in action on Saturday, continuing their homestand at Hetland Arena as they welcome Framingham State at 5:30pm. It marks the Corsairs Game of the Week, and will feature on-ice promotions, along with a stand to purchase Corsair gear from the campus store.