Box Score
BOSTON,
MA - The University of Massachusetts Boston men's ice hockey team
scored 11 seconds into the game and never trailed as senior
forwards Kris Kranzky(Glendora, CA) and Anthony
Cosmano (Wheaton, IL) each scored a goal and added an assist
to lead the way over nationally-ranked number six Williams College,
4-3, this afternoon in an Eastern College Athletic Conference
East/New England Small College Athletic Conference contest at the
Clark Athletic Center rink on the campus of UMass Boston. The
Beacons improve to 10-11-1 and 6-10-1 in league play, while the
Ephs, who are ranked by USCHO.com fall to 13-5-3 and 11-5-1. The
win was the first for UMass Boston over Williams since a 6-1
victory on January 15, 1999 in Boston to snap a 10-game winless
streak.
UMass
Boston wasted no time taking control of the contest scoring just 11
seconds into the game off the opening faceoff when Kranzky won the
opening draw, senior defenseman Steve Ebbole (Wheaton,
IL) found Cosmano, who skated up the right side and fired a shot
from the point that rattled just inside the pipe and in for his
fourth tally of the year and a 1-0 Beacons' lead. UMass Boston kept
the pressure on when Cosmano found Kranzky for a shot that was
stopped, but he recouped the rebound and potted his ninth goal of
the season at the 3:10 mark of the opening frame for a 2-0
lead.
Williams
stopped the momentum briefly when freshman forward Cody Skinner
(Katy, TX) set up classmate Eric Rubino (Woodbridge, ONT) for his
fourth score of the year at 7:08 of the first period to cut the
deficit to 2-1, but the Beacons wasted no time with their response
coming just 76 seconds later. Sophomore forward Andrew
Burke(Southampton, PA) came up with the puck and sent it to Ebbole
who found junior forward Matt Atsoff (Macomb, MI) on the
offensive rush up the ice for his ninth goal of the campaign at the
8:24 mark to give UMass Boston a 3-1 margin.
The
Beacons' offensive flurry marked just the fourth time this season
that the Ephs had allowed three or more scores in a period, thus
forcing a timeout by the visitors and a goalie change.
UMass
Boston was quiet for the rest of the period and the entire second
period, despite outshooting Williams 34-11 through two periods of
play. The Ephs pulled to within a goal when junior defenseman Brian
Malchoff (Avon, CT) picked off the puck and rushed up the right
side of the ice on a Beacons' five-on-three advantage and fed
junior forward Ben Contini (Toronto, ONT) in the left slot for a
shorthanded goal at 15:13 of the middle period to make it
3-2.
UMass
Boston found some breathing room in the middle of the third period
when Burke found freshman blueliner Steven
Weston (Henniker, NH) for his first collegiate goal at the
10:16 mark of the period to give the Beacons a 4-2 lead.
Contini
cut the deficit to a goal for Williams when he lifted a blast from
the point that found the back of the net with just 1:45 left to
play in the game on a helper from Skinner and sophomore defenseman
Justin Troiani (Woodbridge, ONT), making it 4-3, but that would be
as close as the Ephs would get.
Sophomore
goalie Kevin Bendel (Denville, NJ) stopped 11 of 13 shots
in the final 32:59 of play to earn the victory for UMass Boston.
Senior Ryan Donovan (Rexford, NY) turned away five of six
shots in the first 27:01 of action, before leaving with an injury.
Senior goalie Marc Pulde (Lexington, MA) got the starting nod for
the Ephs and allowed three goals against 10 saves in the first 8:24
of action, before yielding to sophomore Ryan Purdy (La Jolla, CA),
who stopped 30 of 31 shots in 50:50 of action.
The
loss is a heartbreaker for the Ephs as they look to stay in
contention for the regular season championship. With two
games to play Williams is tied for third with Amherst, but is only
two points behind first-place Bowdoin. Williams returns to
action next week when they take on Castleton State and
Skidmore.
