AUBURN, Mass. – The UMass Dartmouth men's hockey team scored a goal in each period and held off a late charge in the third enroute to a 3-2 win over Anna Maria College in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Saturday night. The Corsairs - winners of their last three contests - move to 7-5-0 overall and 4-2-0 in conference play, while the AMCats are now 8-5-0 and 4-2-0 in the MASCAC.
After a nearly scoreless opening period of play, the Corsairs were awarded a power play opportunity in the final minute of the stanza. UMD appeared to score less than 30 seconds into the advantage, but the tally was taken away due to an infraction in the zone. The Corsairs responded quickly, lighting the lamp less than 10 seconds later for the 1-0 lead.
Junior left wing
Tyler Stewart started the play, navigating into the AMCats zone as he fired a shot from the left circle that sailed wide and around the back of the net. Assistant captain and right wing
Kevin Johnston was there at the far boards, collecting the puck as he sent it across to defender and assistant captain
Lane Ruffner in the high slot. The junior's shot sailed down the middle and in for his second goal of the season at 19:58 of the first.
In the second period, the Corsairs answered once again as sophomore right wing
Alex Walker netted his fourth of the season at 5:43. Stewart once again earned an assist, skating through the right circle as he fired a shot in on net. The rebound sailed out to the left circle as it was quickly fired back in by sophomore center
Nolan Wutzke. Positioned in front, Walker deflected the shot in to put UMD up, 2-0.
The Corsairs had a number of solid chances throughout the remainder of the frame, including a strong shot on Anna Maria goalie Matthew Hennessey off the stick of rookie defender
Hunter Scanlon. UMD was anchored by junior netminder
Graham Burke, who posted 31 saves through the opening two periods of play.
Into the third period, the AMCats battled back, cutting the deficit to one (2-1) just 23 seconds into the frame as they took advantage of the remainder of a power play opportunity. Unable to clear the puck from the zone, rookie left wing Liam Wells navigated into the mid-slot, settling into the left circle. His shot caromed toward the goal as grad student center Matthew Gilbert deflected it in for the score.
UMass Dartmouth responded at 5:56, opening a 3-1 lead as Wutzke sent the puck up into the boards behind the net. Walker was there, battling with a defender to squirt the puck out as Stewart picked it up. Coming around the back of the net, the junior roofed a shot in past the reach of Hennessey for the two-goal margin.
Anna Maria made a game of it late in the frame as the teams played 4-on-4 in the final three minutes. Off a long pass from rookie left wing Dylan McElhinny, graduate center Guillaume Coulombe battled past a UMD defender for a one-on-one with Burke. Coulombe beat the junior netminder five-hole to push the score to 3-2 at 17:30. The AMCats continued to pepper the Corsairs netminder, trying to take advantage of more penalties late, but Burke stood up to the task, holding on for the critical MASCAC victory.
Stewart paced the way with a goal and two assists for the Corsairs, while Walker added a goal an assist. The Corsairs pulled even with a 42-42 margin in faceoffs for the night, led by sophomore center
Connor Little, who was 16-31 on the night. Wutzke, who had two assists, posted a 13-22 margin in the circle. UMD recorded 12 blocked shots to the AMCats nine. In goal, Burke earned the victory with 39 saves on the night, including eight in the third period.
For the AMCats, two different players scored, while Hennessey posted 33 saves in the loss.
UMass Dartmouth returns to the ice on Thursday, traveling to North Adams, Mass., for a 6:30pm MASCAC tilt at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
