Box Score
BOSTON, Mass.—Junior Mike Miller's (Wrentham, Mass.) overtime marker ended a thrilling evening of back-and-forth hockey, as #6/7 UMass Boston men's hockey (20-3-1, 15-2-0 ECAC East) overcame Saint Michael's College's (8-14-2, 5-11-1 ECAC East) spirited upset bid with a 6-5 overtime victory Friday night at the Beacons Ice Arena.
Miller's game-winning tally 3:42 into overtime gave UMass Boston their fourth and final lead of the evening and capped a thrilling final 25-minutes. Just as the two teams did in their first meeting at Saint Michael's, the teams traded four goals and had three lead changes in the third period, before UMass Boston pulled out an overtime victory.
With the victory, UMass Boston recorded just their second 20-win season in program history, joining the 1981-82 team that finished 24-3-0. The team's 20 wins and 15 conference wins both rank second in program history and are new program-highs under ninth-year head coach Peter Belisle. UMass Boston also improved to 4-0-1 on the season in overtime contests in the victory.
Despite their victory, the Beacons were eliminated from ECAC East Regular Season Championship contention, after #1 Norwich College defeated #10/11 Babson College 6-1. The Beacons will be the #2 seed in the ECAC East Quarterfinals that start next Saturday.
Matt Lemire (Townsend, Mass.) led the charge for UMass Boston with two goals and an assist. The junior transfer scored the game-tying and go-ahead goals in the third period for the Beacons, to bring his total to 10 goals in just 13 games since joining the team.
Junior Frankie DeAugustine (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added two goals as well for UMass Boston, while sophomore defenseman Tyler Bishop (Ramsey, N.J.) added a single goal and two assists in the victory.
Seniors Stephen Buco (North Providence, R.I.) and Dan Cornell (Abington, Mass.) each picked up two assists for UMass Boston.
In net, junior netminder Billy Faust (Alta Loma, Calif.) made a handful of highlight reel saves en route to his 11th win in 12 decisions (11-0-1). The junior stopped 11 or more shots in all three periods and ended with 15 for the contest.
Josh Dickman (one goal and two assists) and Eric Salzillo (three assists) both finished with three-point games for the visitors, while captain AJ Pieprzak registered his fourth-straight multi-point game against the Beacons with a goal and an assist.
Senior goalie Dave Donzanti took the hard-fought loss, after making 30 saves on 36 shots.
UMass Boston got the scoring started at 9:50 of the first period, when the Beacons' second-line created their first of three goals on the night. Jeremy Finger (Orlando, Fla.) forced a Purple Knights' turnover and left it for DeAugustine, who found Bishop at the point. The sophomore defenseman blasted a slap-shot through traffic that beat Donzanti just inside the near post for a 1-0 edge.
After failing to score on a pair of power-play chances, Saint Michael's netted their first goal of the contest with 11.1 to go in the first stanza. The Purple Knights won an offensive-zone face-off and cycled the puck around behind the net, before Pieprzak fed Shawn Morrow just inside the far circle. The forward turned and sent a low shot that trickled just under Faust's pads for a 1-1 game.
While neither side would score for the first 9:24 of the second period, both teams created numerous chances, with the two teams tagging the post a combined three times.
DeAugustine lit the lamp twice in a two-minute-and-26-second span of the second period, when he tipped home a pair of shots from the point.
On the first goal, UMass Boston capitalized just 22 seconds into their first and only power-play chance of the game, with DeAuugstine tipping home a Cornell shot from straight away. Lemire also picked up an assist on the goal. DeAugstine's second marker was far more impressive, as he redirected a Bishop shot just under the bar from the far circle, to give the Beacons a 3-1 lead at 11:50 of the second period.
Saint Michael's College would strike back with a tipped goal of their own at 14:20 of the second to cut the deficit to 3-2. After the Beacons were whistled for hooking, defenseman Mark Higgins sent a shot off a Beacons' defenseman's stick and past Faust, with Dickman and Salzillo earning assists.
The Purple Knights evened up the game at 3-3 just past the midway mark of the third period, when Nick Potter's bid from behind the net, hit off the back of Faust and trickled in at 10:40 of the period.
Pieprzak gave the visitors their first and only lead of the night at 12:09 on a controversial goal. UMass Boston attempted to clear the puck out of the zone only to have a Purple Knight player keep it in, Salzillo took advantage of the turnover to feed a wide-open Pieprzak, who sent a one-timer home for a 4-3 edge. UMass Boston was claiming for a "hand-pass" on the play to keep the puck in the zone, but the referees ruled it was a good goal.
UMass Boston struck back 23 seconds later on the first of Lemire's two goals. The Beacons' earned a 3-on-2 rush and Bishop dished the puck to his right to a wide-open charging Lemire. The junior skated in on Donzanti and roofed a back-hand shot just under Donzanti's glove to tie the game at 4-4 at the 12:09 mark. Buco started the 3-on-2 rush and earned his 40th point of the season with the second assist.
Lemire gave UMass Boston the lead at 13:47, off of his own offensive face-off win. With the face-off to Donzanti's left, Lemire tried to win it over to Buco, but Buco could only barely tap it back to Lemire. Lemire pounced on the puck and went top-shelf once again, to give the Beacons a 5-4 edge.
Saint Michael's was struggling to generate any kind of opportunities late in the game, until Buco was sent to the box with 1:58 remaining. After calling their timeout, the Purple Knights pulled their goalie for a 6-on-4 advantage. Dickman made sure the chance would pay-off, as he rammed the puck home from just outside the crease at the 18:22 mark.
The Beacons put the game away with their third shot on goal of the extra session. After pinning the Purple Knights in their own end for over 30 seconds, UMass Boston sent the puck to the far point for Cornell. The senior wristed a soft shot from the point that was deflected home by Miller for the final 6-5 advantage.
#6/7 UMass Boston will return to action on Saturday, when the Beacons host the Senior Day contest against #1 Norwich College. The Beacons will honor their five seniors before the game.
