BOSTON, Mass.—Behind a hat trick from forward Anthony Bird, Skidmore handed #2/2 UMass Boston men's hockey their first loss of the season Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS

Skidmore College 4, #2/2 UMass Boston 2

(UMass Boston 3-1, NEHC 1-1)
(Skidmore College 3-2, NEHC 3-1) 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Bird scored a short-handed and empty-net goal as part of a three-goal third period for the Thoroughbreds, who entered the third stanza trailing 2-1.

The senior All-Conference forward tied the game at 1-1 early in the second period and then scored at 15:31 and 19:39 of the third to snap UMass Boston's three-game winning streak to open the season. 

Owen Campbell potted the other goal for Skidmore, who snapped a five-game winless streak (0-4-1) against the Beacons.

Senior Albee Daley (Averill Park, N.Y.) and junior Colin Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) both scored in the second period for the Beacons. In net, Jordan Bustard (Flanders, N.J.) suffered his first collegiate defeat, by allowing three goals on 32 total shots.

Skidmore freshman Brandon Kasel moved to 2-0 on the season by stopping 43 of 45 shots, including 15 stops apiece in the first and third periods.

After a scoreless first stanza, the two teams struck for three goals each in the second and third periods. 

Daley gave the Beacons a brief 1-0 advantage in the second, when he scored on the power-play just 44 seconds into the period. Tyler Bishop (Ramsey, N.J.) and Ryan Cusin (Detroit, Mich.) picked up assists on the play.

Bird answered back 11 seconds later, when the top-line forward scored an unassisted tally.

The Beacons took the lead into the break thanks to a goal scored with just 0.6 seconds left in the second period. Larkin blasted a shot in from the slot just before the horn sounded, to make it 2-1. Daley and freshman defenseman Dante Suffredini (Detroit, Mich.) recorded assists on the play.

Campbell scored a stunning equalizer for the visitors, when his blast from distance fooled Bustard to tie the game at 2-2 just under eight minutes into the third. 

UMass Boston looked like they were going to have a chance to wrestle the lead back at 14:51, when Skidmore's Chris Javens was whistled for interference on Dakota Keene (Poland, Maine). The power-play backfired on the Beacons though, as they got caught pinching in and Bird went down the other way and snuck the puck past Bustard for a 3-2 Skidmore lead at 15:31.

The Beacons had one final power-play with just under two minutes to go, but even after pulling the goalie, they couldn't beat Kasel despite several good looks. Bird put the game to rest with 21 seconds to play when he scored on an empty-net to complete the hat trick.

BY THE NUMBERS

• UMass Boston outshot Skidmore 45-33. Skidmore won 40 of 74 face-offs.
• Both teams finished with one goal on special teams. The Beacons went 1-for-3 on the power-play but gave up a short-handed goal, while the Thoroughbreds ended the night 0-for-3.
• With the loss, the Beacons fell to 11-14-4 all-time against Skidmore.
• UMass Boston celebrated Alumni Day on Saturday and had a huge gathering for their Alumni Game prior to the conference contest.
• Bishop and Larkin have recorded at least one point in all four games thus far this season.

WHO'S NEXT

UMass Boston will look to right the ship next weekend, when they host Daniel Webster College Friday night at 7 p.m. and the University of Southern Maine on Saturday at 4 p.m.