Box Score
BOSTON, Mass.—UMass Boston men's hockey struck for three goals in the final period, to earn a 5-2 win over Skidmore College on Senior Day at the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink.
THE BASICS
UMass Boston 5, Skidmore College 2
(UMass Boston 14-10-1, NEHC 10-7-1)
(Skidmore College 11-10-4, NEHC 7-9-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Junior Nick Albano (Beverly, Mass.) scored the go-ahead goal 6:05 into the third and the Beacons added a shorthanded tally and empty-netter to put the Thoroughbreds away.
Sophomore Chris Peters (Fairport, N.Y.) led the Beacons with a goal and two assists. Junior Zack Bross (St. Louis, Mo.) added a goal and an assist and Ethan Nitkin (Miami Beach, Fla.) and Andy Walker (Mason, Mich.) chipped in a goal apiece.
In net, senior Bailey MacBurnie (Beverly, Mass.) made 22 saves on 24 shots to earn his 44th career victory.
Reid Russell and Callahan Johnson each scored for the visitors, who suffered their fifth loss in their past six conference games.
Junior Brian Kowalski made 43 saves on 47 shots to fall to 1-1 on the season.
UMass Boston got off to a promising start to the game, as they scored just 4:13 into the first period. Peters sent a centering feed to the top of the crease and Nitkin roofed a shot over Kowalski for a 1-0 advantage.
The Beacons would continue to control the play in the period, but couldn't add to their lead despite 13 shots and a trio of power-play opportunities.
Skidmore made the Beacons pay 1:59 into the second. With the Beacons on the penalty kill for the first time, Johnson received a pass at the top of the zone and rifled a slapshot just under the bar. William Brochu and Owen Campbell earned assists on the play.
The Thoroughbreds took their first and only lead of the day at 9:30. Nicolas Stuckless found Johnson wide open in front of the net and he flipped a shot just over MacBurnie's pads for a 2-1 advantage
UMass Boston evened the game late in the period. Peters found himself wide open along the near boards and managed to skate in and squeeze the puck through Kowalski's pads for a 4-on-3 power-play goal. Ryan Bogan (Brick, N.J.) and Bross earned assists on the play.
The Beacons regained the lead on their next power-play opportunity. Peters pried the puck off the wall in the neutral zone and fed it to Albano, who weaved his way through traffic before unleashing a cannon that beat the goalie to the far side at 6:05.
Skidmore had plenty of chances to get back into the game, as the Beacons took three penalties over the final 13 minutes. After killing off the first penalty with four blocked shots, UMass Boston gave Skidmore a 5-on-3 late in the period.
The Beacons killed off the initial penalty and then put the game away with a short-handed tally. Bross intercepted a pass at the top of the defensive zone and took off on a breakaway. The junior skated in on Kowalski and roofed a shot over the glove for a shorthanded goal at 16:13.
Skidmore pulled the goalie to try to get back into the game, but Dakota Keene (Poland, Maine) forced a turnover and sent a behind-the-back pass to Walker, who easily deposited the puck into the empty net at 17:30.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Prior to the contest, UMass Boston honored seniors Daniel Nachbaur (Richland, Wash.), Derek Caruso (Port Washington, N.Y.), Tyler Sifferlen (North Andover, Mass.), MacBurnie and Keene.
- UMass Boston doubled up the Thoroughbreds in shots (48-24) and earned a 46-22 advantage in face-offs.
- Nitkin and Peters both head into the postseason red hot. Nitkin has recorded eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) during his five-game point streak, while Peters has added eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) during his current four-game goal streak.
- The Beacons finished 2-7 on the power-play, while Skidmore ended the day 1-5.
- UMass Boston has now four in a row over Skidmore and seven of the past eight. The Beacons lead the all-time series 18-15-4.
- With the win, UMass Boston has won double-digit games in conference play in three-straight seasons. It's the first time in program history the Beacons have accomplished that feat.
- MacBurnie needs one win, to tie Zack Andrews ('16) for the program record for career victories (45).
WHO'S NEXT
#5 UMass Boston will travel to take on #4 New England College on Saturday night at 7 p.m. for the New England Hockey Conference Quarterfinals. The two teams split the regular-season series, with both teams winning at home.
