MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – Junior goalie Shaun Millerick (Hampton, N.H.) tied a career-high as he turned away 48 shots as Becker College and Curry College skated to a 4-4 tie in ECAC Northeast men’s hockey action on Wednesday night. The Ice Hawks of Becker are now 9-8-1 and 0-6-1 in the conference while the Colonels of Curry depart 7-8-2 and 3-2-2 against the ECAC.
After a scoreless first period, the second saw a veritable explosion of goals. The Colonels got on the board just 1:07 into the period on a shot from sophomore forward Jordan Reed (Ajax, Ontario) with an assist to senior forward Ian DeLong (Kutztown, Pa.) and freshman forward Brandon Gilmore (Quincy, Mass.). Then 4:17 into the second, DeLong scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season on a shorthanded strike, assisted by senior defenseman Brett Kaneshiro (Laguna Niguel, Calif.).
The Ice Hawks got on the board just a 1:20 later, as junior forward Korby Anderson (Owantonna, Minn.) scored on the power-play, assisted by senior forward David Graham (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and junior forward Dan Kane (Staten Island, N.Y.).
The Colonels regained their two goal lead at 8:47 into the second when Gilmore found the back of the net, assisted by DeLong and Reed and the score was suddenly 3-1. Becker answered at the 13:02 mark, as Graham found pay dirt to keep the Ice Hawks close, assisted by sophomore forward Cody Edwards (Kansas City, Mo.) and senior forward Branden Parkhouse (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.). Curry went into the second intermission leading 3-2.
Just 3:39 into the third, senior forward James Shea (Broad Channel, N.Y.) scored the equalizer for the Ice Hawks, knotting the game at three goals apiece. Shea was assisted by Edwards and
sophomore forward Chris Fink (Gig Harbor, Wash.). For the first time since the first minute of the second, Becker had drawn even. But at the 8:50 mark, Curry regained the lead when freshman defenseman Ben Bauer (Lancaster, Pa.) took advantage of a rebound and put the Colonels up 4-3, assisted by senior forward Casey Brugman (Winthrop, Mass.).
With 7:41 remaining and the Ice Hawks desperately looking for another chance, Dan Kane deflected a shot home on a power play with assists to Korby Anderson and Kane’s brother, senior defenseman Don Kane (Staten Island, N.Y.). The score was now 4-4 with time winding down. The final minutes of the third saw a flurry of shots as the Colonels held off a late Ice Hawk charge and a Curry shot at an open Becker net went wide, sending the game into overtime.
Both teams had their chances early in the extra bracket, but both goalies proved up to the challenge. The final score stood as 4-4.
Curry sophomore goalie Derek Mohney (Amherst, N.Y.) finished with 29 saves on the night.
The Ice Hawks return to action on Saturday night when Becker plays host to Suffolk University in a 6:10 p.m. matchup. The Colonels of Curry host Johnson and Wales University on Saturday at 4:35 p.m. (Game Recap Courtesy of Becker Sports Information)
