The playoff races are going down to the wire, spring training kicks off today, and of course it’s Beanpot Monday. Here’s a look back at the past weekend on this busy Monday.
The MASCAC standings straightened out a bit, while Johnson and Wales and Curry remain tied atop the ECAC Northeast entering the final week of play.
Check back later in the week for a more detailed breakdown of possible outcomes in the Northeast, which wraps up play on Saturday.
Saturday, Feb. 12
Curry 8, Salve Regina 1: The Colonels needed to take care of business against the last place Seahawks, and they did, ripping off six second period goals to bury Salve Regina. Christopher Atkinson had a hat trick for Curry, which scored all eight goals before Salve Regina could get on the board.
Suffolk 3, Nichols 1: A surprising loss for Nichols, which drops to 5-7 in conference and is almost as close to sixth place Suffolk as fourth place Becker. Certainly not a likely scenario just a few short weeks ago. Freshman Dylan Woodring made 30 saves for Nichols in place of starter Jacob Rinn.
Johnson and Wales 10, Western New England 3: Like Curry, JWU can ill-afford to let two points get past them as the season draws to a close. WNEC trailed 4-2 near the end of the opening period, but the Wildcats were in complete control from there. Jeremiah Ketts had a had trick and three assists for JWU, while linemate Jason Pietrasiak had two goals and four assists.
Sunday, Feb. 13
Wentworth 4, Becker 2: A nice four-point swing for Wentworth, which moved to 8-3-1 in the conference and established some breathing room between them and the Hawks for third place. The Leopards led 3-1 after a scoring frenzy in the first, and then made it 4-2 on an empty-netter after Becker cut it to one late in the third period.
MASCAC
Saturday, Feb. 12
Salem State 3, Fitchburg State 0: Salem State used two second period goals to extend the Falcons’ skid to three and move within one point of Massachusetts-Dartmouth for first in the MASCAC. However, the Vikings lost starting goalie James LaCour to an injury midway through the second period, according to Salem’s athletic website. LaCour was involved in a collision with Fitchburg’s Chris Riggs, and was replaced by freshman Ryan Sutliffe, who turned away all 12 shots he faced.
Framingham State 1, Worcester State 0: Kenneth Koscan’s first goal of the year early in the second period proved to be all the Rams needed to knock off Worcester in a game with implications for the lower portion of the standings. With the win, Framingham moved ahead of Westfield State for the final playoff spot, and is now only two points behind the Lancers for fifth. Had Worcester won, they could have been in position to threaten fourth place Fitchburg, which has been struggling lately.
UMass-Dartmouth 4, Plymouth State 1: In jJust a few short days, the Panthers now find themselves in third, albeit out of the top spot by only two points. The Corsairs are temporarily the new top dog in the MASCAC, using two Mike Owens’ goals and 35 saves from Collin Tracy to topple Plymouth State.
MASCAC Weekly Honors
Player of the Week, Jason Stahl, UMass-Dartmouth. Netted goal and four assists for five points in 2-0 week for Corsairs, including marker in 4-1 victory over Plymouth State to go with four helpers in 7-2 triumph at Westfield State.
Goalie of the Week, Collin Tracy, UMass-Darmouth. Posted pair of wins to go with 1.50 GAA and .957 saves percentage in 2-0 week for Corsairs. Stopped 35 of 36 shots in 4-1 victory over Plymouth State to go with 31 saves in 7-2 triumph at Westfield State.
Check out the full release here, courtesy of the MASCAC.
