BOSTON, Mass. – A two-goal third period lifted men's hockey to a crucial New England Hockey Conference win as they defeated Castleton University by the final of 6-3 Saturday afternoon at the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 6, Castleton University 3

UMass Boston (11-9-1, 7-6-1 NEHC)
Castleton University (5-15-2, 3-11-1 NEHC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Led by a Zack Bross (St. Louis, Mo.) who had a four-point afternoon, the Beacons bounced back from yesterday's tough loss to top-ranked Norwich University.

The junior forward registered the Beacons third goal of the contest, and had three assists as UMass Boston completed the regular season sweep of the Spartans.

Jake Adkins (Centennial, Colo.) got the Beacons on the scoreboard in the first period at the 6:36 mark as he scored off of a Bross assist.  Castleton would then tie the score five minutes later, but that goal was countered immediately by Derek Caruso (Port Washington, N.Y.).  Bross completed the scoring for the Beacons in the first to give UMB a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission.

The second period was a tough one for the Beacons as they nearly saw their lead disappear with Castleton scoring a pair of goals.  A Nolan Redler (Winchester, Mass.) goal five minutes in kept the Beacons ahead by one by the end of the second stanza.  The senior forward nearly had a second in the period, but that goal was called off for goaltenders interference.

Refusing to take a tie or even a loss, the Beacons erupted in the third period for a pair of scores.  The first from Redler on the power-play around midway point.  Caruso then sealed the victory with an empty-netter with 1:39 to play in regulation.

Sam Best (Woburn, Mass.) had another strong performance between the pipes as he made 31 saves to earn his third win of the season.  Castleton's Brandon Collett was handed his 10^th loss of the year, despite a 47 save showing.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Bross' four-points marked a season high, while his three assists marked the most since he recorded three helpers in the win over UMass Dartmouth on December 10
• Redler's three-point afternoon was the most since the Beacons win over UMass Dartmouth
• On the day, the Beacons finished 2-for-2 on the power-play, while the Spartans went 1-for-4
• All-time the Beacons are now 17-7-2 against Castleton and have won 13 straight
• During their 13-game win-streak UMB has outscored the Spartans 69-14
• UMass Boston also extended their unbeaten streak against the Spartans to 14-0-1 dating back to February 2, 2013

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will travel to Johnson and Wales University on Friday for a 7 p.m. conference game.