MILTON, Mass.- In an ECAC Northeast Conference match-up in men's ice hockey action on Thursday evening in Milton, Mass, Curry College tied Suffolk University, 4-4 in overtime. The Colonels now hold a 3-3-1 overall record and are 2-1-1 in the conference. The Rams are 3-4-2 overall and 1-2-1 in the ECAC Northeast.
The Rams were the first to get on the board at the 11:00 minute mark. Freshman Mike Pantano (Bridgewater, Mass.) took a slap shot right outside the slot that slid past Curry’s sophomore netminder Derek Mohney (Amherst, N.Y). Junior Charlie McGinnis (Hanover, Mass.) and freshman Zack Capozza (Spotsylvania, Va.) were on the assists. The Colonels outshot the Rams 12-8 in the opening frame but Brandon Smolarek (Chesterfield, Mo.) was solid between the pipes for Suffolk.
The Rams took a 2-0 lead just 13 seconds into the second period. Suffolk won the face off and skated the puck into the Colonels defensive zone. Sophomore Tim Sprague (Plymouth, Mass.) was alone in front of the net and received a pass from sophomore Andrew Ball (Brick, N.J.). Just over four minutes later Curry cut the lead to one when sophomore Jordan Reed (Ajax, Ontario) scored his first of two goals on the night on a power-play goal. Junior Jon Stauffer (Landsdale, Pa.) was called for boarding and the Colonels took advantage of the man-up situation. Senior assistant captains Connor Hendry (Calgary, Alberta) and Ian DeLong (Kutztown, Pa.) were credited with the assists. Hendry tied the game at 8:29 after he tipped the puck behind Smolarek. Reed and DeLong had the assists. It didn’t take long for the Rams to regain the lead as they tallied their third goal less than a minute later. Suffolk’s Capozza won the face-off and sent a pass to freshman Mike Cherpak (Enfield, Conn.) who one-timed it past Mohney. The second stanza scoring frenzy wasn’t finished as the Rams would get one more to take the 4-2 lead heading into the final period. The goal would be the last for Suffolk of the game. McGinnis earned the score off assists by sophomore Andrew Ball (Brick, N.J.) and Pantano.
The final period saw Curry come back from a two goal deficit to once again tie the game at four apiece. Both teams battled throughout regulation as each team fought to net the game-winner but time ran out and the squads went into the five minute sudden death overtime.
Just four minutes into the period, freshman Brandon Gilmore (Quincy, Mass.) scored his first collegiate goal. Gilmore was just outside the right corner of the net and received a pass from Reed. Gilmore was able to maneuver the puck around a Suffolk defender and placed it into the back of the net. Curry’s tying score came off the stick of Reed. The Rams’ had three back-to-back penalties but it was freshman Carmen Mastrangelo (Wellington, Fla.) who was called for a slash at 9:01 that led to the Colonel tally. Thirty seconds into the penalty, DeLong and senior captain Brett Kaneshiro (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) were able to find Reed who was all alone and able to get his second of the night.
Curry outshot Suffolk 5-1 in OT but both team’s goaltenders were able to keep the score at bay and the game ended in a tie.
The Colonels went 2 for 4 on power-plays, while the Rams went 0 for 2. Curry outshot Suffolk 53-31.
Curry's Mohney made 27 saves in goal. Suffolk's Smolarek had 49 saves.
Curry's next game is at home against ECAC Northeast opponent Salve Regina on Saturday, December 1 at 4:35 p.m. Suffolk will also host an ECAC Northeast opponent, Nichols College on Saturday, for a 4:25 p.m. game start.
