BOSTON, Mass. – The UMass Boston men's ice hockey team (8-4-0, 3-2-0 LEC) turned in a dominant wire-to-wire performance on Friday night, blanking Western Connecticut State University (1-12-0, 0-6-0 LEC), 4-0, behind a balanced offensive attack and a flawless showing between the pipes.
The Beacons wasted no time getting on the board, as Jude Kurtas (Hillsborough, NJ) buried the eventual game-winner just 47 seconds into the opening period off assists from Jacob Roberson (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Kyle Isenberg (Anaheim, Calif.). UMass Boston controlled the pace for much of the first, outshooting the Wolves and killing off an early penalty to preserve the 1-0 edge through 20 minutes.
UMass Boston broke the game open early in the second period with three goals in a span of 11 minutes. Chris Repmann (Middletown, NJ) doubled the lead at 1:50, finishing a feed from Matt Sullivan (Hingham, Mass.) and Michael Lynch (Stoneham, Mass.). Less than a minute later, Chris Merryman (Peabdoy, Mass.) made it 3-0 with help from Jake Lindstrom (Denver, Col.) and Colin Richard (Foxborough, Mass.). Jakob Teply (Stamford, Conn.) capped the surge at 13:10, converting a setup from Repmann and Steven Spetz (Oak Ridge, NJ) to give the Beacons a commanding four-goal cushion.
From there, Alex Koenig (Manhattan, Calif.) took over, turning aside every Western Connecticut chance, including several key stops during third-period penalty kills and a late empty-net push. The Wolves' best opportunity rang off the post midway through the final frame, but Koenig and the Beacons' defense remained composed to secure the shutout.
Koenig finished with a perfect night in net, his first career shutout with UMass Boston, while Repmann recorded a goal and an assist.Teply, Merryman, and Kurtas each found the back of the net, as UMass Boston earned its second shutout of the season. Richard won a team-high eight faceoffs from the circle.
The Beacons will be back in action tomorrow, (Saturday, Jan. 10) as they continue their LEC road-trip against the Keene State Owls in Keene, N.H. at 5:00 pm.
--FIND A WAY--
