BOSTON, Mass. - UMass Boston Men's Ice Hockey found themselves in a 3-1 hole in the second period against nationally-ranked Endicott College on Friday night at the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink. The Beacons stormed back, however, ripping off three straight goals to take the lead and eventually holding on for a 4-4 tie in overtime.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 4, Endicott College 4

UMass Boston (4-7-2)
Endicott College (6-2-3)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Endicott flexed their muscles early, taking a 2-0 lead over the hosts with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first period. The Beacons cut the lead in half courtesy of an unassisted Chris Aarons score late in the period. The score remained 2-1 heading into the first intermission.

Inside of the six-minute mark in the second period, the Gulls took advantage of a power play, knocking in the first player-up score of the evening to push the Endicott lead back to two, 3-1. 

Just over three minutes later, though, the Beacons got their response from an unexpected source. Goalie Antonio Tarantino controlled the puck and caught the Gulls sleeping, feeding a rare goalie assist to Chris Repmann who set up Jack Mortson for his fourth goal of the year. At the second intermission, Endicott's lead was 3-2.

Just shy of the five-minute mark in the third period, Beacons fans were putting a new spin on an old classic, saying "Thank Goodness, It's Foley!" Conor Foley needed no help putting his third goal of the season past the Endicott goaltender to even the score at three apiece. 

Less than a minute later, the UMass Boston faithful cheered even louder as Kolye Bankauskas earned Aarons his second point of the night, taking his pass straight to the goal to give the Beacons their first lead of the game. 

A late score from the Gulls sent the game to overtime, where Tarantino continued to stand tall. The first-year goalie saved the lone shot he saw in the extra period to bring his total up to 34 on the night and ice the momentous draw for the Beacons.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Tarantino is the first UMass Boston goalie to record a point since Same Best against Southern Maine on January 24, 2020
• Foley's goal brought him up to eight points on the season, tied with Jude Kurtas for the most on the team
• Aarons' two points were his first as a Beacon
• Bankauskas' nine goals in the last two seasons are the most on the team
• Friday marked the first-ever meeting between the Beacons and Gulls

WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will take nearly a month away from the ice before returning to Barry Ice Rink on January 5 for the opening game of the 58th annual Codfish Bowl Tournament. They will face Worcester State University for a 1 PM puck drop.