MILTON, Mass. - In men's ice hockey action on Saturday evening in Milton, Curry College defeated Skidmore College, 3-2. With the win the Colonels improve to 5-4-1 overall. The Thoroughbreds fell to 5-5-2 overall.
Senior assistant captain Connor Hendry (Calgary, Alberta) put his team on the board midway through the opening frame. Skidmore’s junior Brad Schuler (Delran, N.J.) was called for a slash and the Colonels were able to take advantage of the man-up situation. Junior Michael Lopez (Newton, Mass.) won the face-off in the Thoroughbreds’ defensive zone, sent a pass to senior captain Brett Kaneshiro (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) who saw an open Hendry in front of the net. Hendry one-timed the puck over the shoulder of Skidmore’s sophomore netminder Spencer Sodokoff (Greenwich, Conn.). The Thoroughbreds tied the game with just over three minutes to play on an unassisted goal. Junior Vlad Gavrik (Kharkiv, Ukraine) skated the puck from center ice and was able to beat two Curry defenders to go one-on-one with sophomore goaltender Derek Mohney (Amherst, N.Y.). Gavrik took a slap shot outside the slot just past the glove of Mohney.
Only one goal was scored in the second period. Both goaltenders were solid between the pipes but it was Sodokoff who held Curry scoreless over the 20 minutes of play. Mohney and the Colonels defense played strong but Skidmore was able to take the lead at the11:20 minute mark. Senior Julian Malakorn (Warwick, R.I.) netted his first on the night after receiving a pass from sophomore Anders Gundersen (Marblehead, Mass.). Curry had their chances to tie the score with two power-play opportunities, but time ran out and the teams heading into the final stanza with Skidmore leading 2-1. The Thoroughbreds were also unsuccessful on two of their own back-to-back power-plays.
The Colonels controlled the third, tallying two goals in regulation for the 3-2 win. The first came just 1:11 into the period. The Thoroughbreds had a penalty that carried over from the second and Curry’s power-play line was able to tie the game at two apiece. Sophomore Jordan Reed (Ajax, Ontario) won the face-off. Reed sent a cross pass to Kaneshiro who sent the puck to an open Hendry. Hendry made one move around Sodokoff for the score. Both squads stayed out of the penalty box and the teams played even for 18 minutes. Midway through, freshman Patrick LeBeau (Park Ridge, Ill.) netted the Colonels game-winner. Freshman Brandon Gilmore (Quincy, Mass.) and Hendry were credited with the assists. Hendry finished the night with one goal and two assists for three points to lead Curry in scoring. Mohney shut down Skidmore to keep them scoreless for the remainder of the match. The Thoroughbreds pulled Sodokoff with 1:23 showing on the clock. Skidmore had six skaters on the ice to finish and kept the puck in the Colonels defensive zone but Curry’s hard work paid off as they held onto the lead and victory.
Monhey made 36 saves in net for the Colonels in the win. Sodokoff made 30 stops for the Thoroughbreds in goal for the loss.
Curry's next game is away at Hamilton College on December 31 at 2:00 p.m. Skidmore will travel to SUNY Plattsburgh on January 4 for a 7:00 p.m. game start.
