And we are back to chaos following a weekend where multiple ranked teams fell, 15 overtime games were played and things tightened up across several conference races as the second half action across the east heated up as expected. While bonus hockey was in abundance, not all the games were decisive with overtime played. Elmira, Plattsburgh, and Stevenson all lost games this past week while No. 1 Hobart and No.12 Norwich played a playoff style thriller that ended in an overtime tie. Here is this week’s wrap-up for the great action on the ice in the East:
CCC
Curry produced a two-win weekend that included an overtime thriller against Endicott in CCC action and a non-conference victory over Albertus Magnus. On Friday night, Tao Ishizuka gave the Colonels a first period lead, but Jackson Sterrett answered for the gulls and the game was tied at 1-1 entering the third period. Neither team could score in the final 20 minutes of action due to some great goaltending at both ends of the ice. In overtime, Jesse Galassi scored with an assist from Austan Bellefeuille to give the Colonels a big road win over the Gulls, 2-1. Goaltender Shane Soderwall stopped 32 of 33 shots to earn the win. On Saturday, the Colonels picked up another one-goal win on the road with a 4-3 win over the Falcons. The game was tied at 2-2 late in the third period when Matt Connor gave Curry a lead and Eelis Laaksonen padded the advantage with an empty-net goal and still over a minute to play in regulation. Tim Manning responded for the Falcons who couldn’t find the equalizer past goaltender Oscar Wahlgren who picked up his second win of the season.
The University of New England began the week with a 4-1 non-conference win over in-state opponent Colby on Tuesday. Anthony Cinato chipped in with a goal and an assist while Anthony Sciucco added two assists in support of Billy Girard IV who made 27 saves in the win. Returning to CCC action on Friday, the Nor’easters opened a scoreless game with three goals in the second period against Suffolk but needed a late goal from Will Spitzer to skate away with a 4-2 win. Sciucco picked up two goals in the win that extended the Nor’easters streak to six games.
Salve Regina also produced a non-conference win on Tuesday, downing Bowdoin 7-3 on the road. After a scoreless first period the teams combined for 11 goals in the final 40 minutes with Matthew Fawcett leading the Seahawks with a goal and two assists while Richard Davis scored twice for the Polar Bears. On Friday, Salve Regina hosted Western New England and survived a close game with the Golden Bears despite the 6-3 final score. The game was tied at 3-3 entering the third period when Aidan Coupe gave the hosts a one-goal lead for the first time in the game. Empty-net goals from Seth Benson and Matthew Brunton in the final minute gave the Seahawks some breathing room and the win. Hoon Kim scored one goal and added two assists, including a helper on the game-winner.
Independents
Rivier picked up a pair of wins this past week over Potsdam and Nichols. On Tuesday, a scoreless game with the Bears finally saw a goal with Cormac Hayes finding the back of the net on the power play for a 1-0 Raider lead. Liam Hennessy’s empty-net goal with 20 seconds remaining provided the final margin in the 2-0 shutout win as Luke Newell stopped all 29 Potsdam attempts. On Saturday, three power play goals, two shorthanded goals and another 28 saves from Newell propelled the Raiders to a comfortable 6-0 win over the Bison. Damon Kiyawasew provided all the scoring Rivier would need with his two first period goals.
After dropping tow games in a row to open the second half, Anna Maria rebounded with two wins this past week. On the AmCats started quickly with three goals in the first period, including two from Brandon Della Paoler, and skated to a 5-2 win over Framingham State. Matthew Hennessey earned the win in goal making 36 saves. On Saturday, Anna Maria again started quickly with a 2-0 first period lead and extended to 3-0 in the second period before WNE got on the board. The teams exchanged goals in the second period before Max Wennerberg added the final tally in the third period for a 6-3 AmCat win. Six different players scored for AMC with Bryden Sinclair picking up two assists.
After dropping a 4-1 decision to Geneseo on Tuesday, Canton split a weekend series with Fredonia. On Friday, the Kangaroos broke open a 1-1 tie with three unanswered goals in the final five minutes of regulation. Reilly McKinnon, Nic Herringer and Jackson Drysdale to give the Roos a 4-1 win over the Blue Devils. On Saturday, Canton couldn’t get anything past Fredonia netminder Charles-Anthony Barb who picked up a 4-0 shutout win over Canton making 25 saves. Jake Murphy scored a pair of goals for Fredonia in the win.
MASCAC
Massachusetts-Dartmouth picked up three big MASCAC wins over MCLA, Fitchburg State and Worcester State. On Monday in a game re-scheduled due to weather, the Corsairs took advantage of second period goals from Brandon Clark and Collin Patterson to take a hard fought 4-2 win against the Trailblazers. On Thursday, the Corsairs took a 3-1 lead into the third period only to see the Falcons tie the game at 3-3. Michael Perrone and Tyler Stewart answered for UMD only to see Alexandre Bauvais respond late for FSU. Bryce Grennan’s empty-net goal provided the final and more comfortable 6-4 margin. The Corsairs swept the week’s activities with an overtime win against Worcester State on Saturday. Once again UMD held a 3-1 lead only to see the Lancers tie the score with a late second period goal from Shane Pifrel and a power play marker from Brendan Ronan in the third period. Stewart would be the overtime hero for the home team with his power play goal deciding the contest just 1:42 into the extra session. The Corsairs now stand in second place in the conference standings.
League leading Plymouth State continued their unbeaten ways in MASCAC with a pair of wins over MCLA and Fitchburg State. On Thursday, Dante Moretti, and Connor Tait each picked up hat tricks while Will Redick chipped in with a four-point game in the Panthers’ 10-2 romp over the Trailblazers. PSU held a 56-10 shot advantage and scored eight even-strength goals. On Saturday, Tait and Patrick O’Connell gave PSU a 2-0 first period lead and Ethan Stuckless and Redick sealed the 4-1 road win with goals in the third period.
NE-10
Assumption continued their winning ways in the NE-10 with a weekend sweep of Southern New Hampshire by identical 5-1 scores. On Friday, the Greyhounds broke open a 1-1 game with goals from Ryan Decker and Jimmy McDermott just 43 seconds apart for a 3-1 first period lead. Jonathan Surrette and Nathan Palumbo would add goals in the final two periods for the 5-1 final score. On Saturday, a three-goal second period erased a 1-0 SNHU lead. Goals from McDermott, Surrette, and Leo Piandes jumpstarted the offense before Ronny Paragallo scored shorthanded and Palumbo closed out the scoring in the 5-1 win over the Penmen.
St Anselm and Franklin Pierce split their weekend series. On Friday, the visiting Hawks broke open a 1-1 game with a four-goal third period Hunter Brackett opened and closed the scoring in the final period in a 5-1 win for St. Anselm over FPU. On Saturday, the Ravens earned a split with a 3-1 win over the Hawks despite being outshot 30-19. All the scoring came in the third period with Tyson Springer, Jackson Dobek and Devin Rohrich supporting Jeremy Connor in goal for the 3-1 win.
After dropping eight games in a row, St. Michael’s got back to winning hockey games with a weekend sweep of Post that included two 3-2 overtime contests. On Friday, Brenna McFarland gave the Purple Knights a 2-1 lead in the third period only to see Post tie the game on a tally from Patrick Murphy. McFarland became the hero with the overtime winning goal to break SMC’s losing streak. On Saturday, it was McFarland who was the hero again for the home team. After surrendering two shorthanded goals to Post and trailing 2-1, McFarland scored the equalizer with just three seconds remaining in regulation. In the final minute of overtime, McFarland again provided the overtime winner and the second 3-2 decision on the weekend to level St. Michael’s record at 9-9-0.
NEHC
The battles in what may be the deepest conference in D-III hockey showcased teams starting to pick up their game and battle for points to advance in the NEHC standings. Hobart took care of business on Friday night with a 5-0 win over New England College. Five different Statesmen scored goals while Mavrick Goyer stopped 15 shots to earn the shutout win. On Saturday, Hobart was facing a hot Norwich team fresh off the upset of No. 3 Elmira on Friday night. In what felt like a playoff game, neither team could score in the opening period of play. Shane Shell gave the visitors a 1-0 lead after two periods of action and the Cadets tied the game in the third period on a goal by Holden Doggett. The third period and overtime were all Norwich as they peppered Damon Beaver in goal with 25 shots but could not find the game winner as the teams settled for a 1-1 overtime tie.
After dropping three games in a row to ranked teams, Skidmore broke the streak with a 4-3 road win against Cortland on Tuesday afternoon. Returning to NEHC action on the weekend, the Thoroughbreds took a pair of key conference wins over Johnson & Wales and Massachusetts-Boston. On Friday, Jacob Franczak scored two goals in Skidmore’s 4-1 win over the Wildcats. On Saturday, Will Dow-Kenny scored a pair goals and Tate Brandon stopped all 38 shots he faced in a 4-0 shutout win over the Beacons.
In yet another overtime thriller over the weekend, Babson rallied from a 2-0 deficit to Southern Maine with three goals in the third period before winning the conference battle in extra time. Ian Driscoll’s power play goal tied the contest at 2-2 in the third period, but the Huskies responded with a goal by Jeff Pollara for a 3-2 lead. Colby Bailey scored a late power play goal to tie the score at 3-3 and then added Babson’s third goal with the man advantage to win the game in overtime, 4-3. Bailey also added an assist on Driscoll’s goal for a three-point game for the Beavers.
NESCAC
Trinity has taken firm control at the top of the NESCAC standings, as the Bantams remained unbeaten in league play with a win over Colby and an overtime tie with Bowdoin on the road this weekend. On Friday, Trinity surrendered a 2-0 lead to the Mules who tied the score at 2-2 in the third period. With time ticking down, Alexander Mozian slipped the puck past Colby’s Andy Beran for a 3-2 Bantam lead and three minutes remaining in regulation. Casey Rhodes iced the game for Trinity with a shorthanded, empty-net goal and the final score of 4-2. On Saturday, the Bantams faced an excited Bowdoin squad fresh off a thrilling overtime win over Wesleyan where the Polar Bears scored late in the third period to tie the score at 1-1 and won the game in extra time off the stick of Isaac Abbott. The game on Saturday had a similar feel as Trinity’s Richard Boysen scored late in the second period to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Andy Stoneman tied the score for the Polar Bears early in the third period but that is all the scoring that Trinity’s Devon Bobak and Bowdoin’s Alex Kozic would allow in the 1-1 overtime tie.
After extending their win streak to seven games with a 2-0 win over non-conference opponent Fitchburg State on Tuesday, the Tufts Jumbos traveled to Amherst in a big NESCAC league game. On Friday, Ben Kuzma’s goal gave the Mammoths a 1-0 lead after one period of play. Tufts answered in the second period with goals from Tyler Sedlak and John Mulvihill for a 2-1 lead after two periods. In the third period, Peyton Durand stopped all of Amherst’s attempts on goal and the Jumbos skated off with a big 2-1 road win. On Saturday, goals from Sedlak, Sylas Oberting, and Philippe Lamarre helped Tufts to a 3-0 lead over the Continentals with just over a minute played in the third period. Hamilton fought back with three unanswered goals of their own and the teams skated off with a 3-3 overtime tie. Durand was again great in goal making 45 saves including three in overtime to preserve the tie.
SUNYAC
Plattsburgh was idle in SUNYAC play but played a pair of NESCAC opponents over the weekend with mixed results. On Friday, the Cardinals erupted with four first period goals and cruised to a comfortable 5-0 win over Middlebury. Bennett Stockdale and Ryan Hogg each had a goal and an assist while Jacob Hearne picked up the shutout making 26 saves. On Saturday, the Ephs were ready to play against the No. 3 ranked Cardinals and took a 1-0 first period advantage on a goal from Nicholas Rashkovsky. Aaron Catron’s power play goal in the first minute of the second period tied the score until Jamie Cates scored the game-winner with under eight minutes remaining in the third period. Goaltender Cal Sandquist stopped 36 shots to earn toe 2-1 upset win over the Cardinals.
Geneseo returned to the ice with a non-conference game against Canton on Tuesday and took advantage of three unanswered goals by Peter Morgan, Dakota Zarundy and Alex Wilkins to break a 1-1 tie and move on to a 4-1 win.
In similar fashion Oswego returned to competitive games with a non-conference affair against Nazareth on Tuesday and like Geneseo needed a late goal flurry to skate away with a 4-1 win. Trent Grimshaw, Cam Symons, and Shane Bull scored over the final forty minutes to break a 1-1 tie and start the second half with a win for the Lakers.
UCHC
Utica remains unbeaten atop the UCHC standings having swept Manhattanville to open the second half and taking two more wins over Neumann, both by shutout. On Friday, Michael Herrera scored a pair of goals and added an assist while Bryan Landsberger stopped all 21 shots, he faced in a 4-0 win over the Black Knights. On Saturday, Andrew Della Rovere scored one goal and added two assists while Ethan Roberts stopped 17 shots in a 5-0 Pioneer win.
King’s had themselves a week with a pair of upset wins. First, on Monday, the Monarchs came back from a 3-2 deficit to No. 15 ranked Stevenson to earn a stunning 5-3 win over the Mustangs. Third period goals from Ethan Hersant, Brendan Krwaczyk and Kent Lee in just over three minutes of play were decisive for the visitors. Goaltender Matt Bidini stopped 44 of 47 shots to earn the victory. King’s kept the momentum going with yet another upset road win on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Cortland. Hersant got the Monarchs on the board with just 62 seconds remaining in the first period and Mauro D’Alessandro iced the game with a goal in the final second of regulation to support Matt Bindini’s 44-save effort and the shutout win.
Stevenson rebounded from their loss to King’s with a weekend sweep of Lebanon Valley. On Friday, six different goal scorers supported 33 saves from Ty Outen in a 6-2 win over the Flying Dutchmen. On Saturday, Zach Bannister, and Frank Vitucci each scored a goal and added an assist as the Mustangs swept the two-game series with a 4-1 road win.
Wilkes kicked off their second half of the season with a pair of wins over Arcadia in conference play. On Friday, the Colonels came back from a 2-1 third period deficit to tie the game on a goal by Patrick Roginski. Tied at 2-2, the game moved to overtime where Matt Carlson with assists from Roginski and Joe Johnson gave Wilkes the 3-2 win. On Saturday, the Colonels broke open an 1-0 contest with five goals in the second period and cruised to a 7-0 win and weekend sweep over Arcadia. Nick Swain, Cole Jungworth and Billy Berry all recorded three-point games for Wilkes while Jack Perna made 13 saves to earn the shutout.
Three Biscuits
Connor Tait – Plymouth State – scored a hat trick and added an assist in a 10-2 romp for the Panthers over MCLA on Thursday
Luke Newell – Rivier – stopped all 57 shots he faced in the Raider goal picking up a pair of shutout wins over Potsdam and Nichols last week.
Brennan McFarland – St. Michael’s – scored not one but two overtime winning goals for the Purple Knights in a pair of 3-2 OT wins over Post this weekend.
Bonus Biscuits
Matt Bindini – King’s – the Monarchs’ netminder made 44 saves in back-to-back games earning upset wins over Stevenson and Cortland.
Jesse Galassi – Curry – scored the overtime winning goal in the Colonels’ 2-1 upset win over Endicott on Saturday night.
Colby Bailey – Babson – scored the tying goal late in the third period before scoring the overtime winner against Southern Maine on Saturday in a 4-3 Beaver win.
The second half already has had some super-exciting games, last minute and overtime heroics, incredible goaltending and of course, the upset alert is flashing bright red. Hard to believe it is just mid-January, but this should certainly project out to some great conference races and playoffs upcoming on the calendar before the NCAA tournament in March that appears will include a 13th team. To quote NCAA tournament chairperson and NEHC commissioner, Katie Boldvich, “that is GREAT for D-III hockey!”
