Wright nets his second goal of the season, 10th of his career
Cassidy tallied three goals in two games this week |
FOXBORO, Mass. (December 2, 2017) – The Stonehill College men's ice hockey team was unable to get past non-conference foe UMass Dartmouth, 3-6, Saturday night at the Foxboro Sports Center.
Stonehill (3-4-1) saw three different goal scorers throughout the game, including Cameron Wright (West Dummerston, Vermont/Springfield Pics – USPHL), Christopher Page (Winthrop, Massachusetts/Winthrop), and Conor Cassidy (Wilmington, Delaware/Canterbury and Kents Hill). Brendan White (North Reasing, Massachusetts/Kimball Union Academy) registered two assists, while Nick Schofield (Foxboro, Massachusetts/Williston Northampton), Ryan Smith (Arlington, Massachusetts/Tilton School), and Shamus Maloney (North Attleboro, Massachusetts/Neponset River Valley Rats) notched one helper each. Junior goaltender Billy Palmer (Cranston, Rhode Island/Boston Bandits – EHL Premier) recorded 37 saves, while the team went 1-for-7 in power plays.
UMass Dartmouth (4-4-1) saw Jonathan Ruiz record a power play hat trick, while Jeff Kirkwood, Jerry Laakso, and Brendan McDonough notched the other goals. Laasko also tallied three assists in the game, while Mike Sones chipped in two, and Brandon Berkley registered one helper. Drew Michals recorded 13 saves, while the Corsairs were successful in three of eight power play opportunities.
With only six minutes into the game, Stonehill saw its second skater in the box and this time UMass Dartmouth was able to work around the shorthanded defense scoring a goal 12 seconds into the power play. Ruiz put the Corsairs on the board, 1-0, with his second goal of the season at 6:48, with assists from Sones and Laasko. The Skyhawks were able to hold the Corsairs in the first period allowing only one goal, as UMass Dartmouth held the shot advantage, 13-5.
The Corsairs continued breaking down the Skyhawks' defense as they extended the lead to two, 2-0, at 6:25. UMass Dartmouth saw its fourth power play of the game at 5:56 and the Corsairs recorded three shots before Ruiz tallied his second tally of the game with a helper from Laakso. Stonehill fought back right away, cutting the deficit to one, 2-1, as Schofield registered his second assist of the season with Wright's second goal of the year at 7:07 in the second frame.
White tallied his fifth multi-point game of his career |
Stonehill was able to even the game at two, 2-2 with a tip in by Page who collected his second goal of the season and fourth career marker. Page, Smith and White picked up the equalizer at 10:14 in the second period. UMass Dartmouth's Kirkwood kept Stonehill from scoring again in the frame, as he put the Corsairs back on top, 3-2, with a tally in at 11:41. Laasko followed suit, extending the lead to two, 4-2, at 13:51, as he collected his own blocked shot and fired it back on cage for a one-timer.
The Corsairs saw another two goals in the third period to give UMass Dartmouth a four-goal advantage, 6-2. UMass Dartmouth saw its third power play goal of the night by Ruiz at 11:35, while McDonough netted the puck at 16:56 for an unassisted goal, just shy of a power play for the Corsairs. Even with a four-goal deficit, Stonehill continued pressuring UMass Dartmouth, but was only able to squeeze one last goal at 18:50 by Cassidy, for his fifth goal of the season, and 17th of his career. White and Maloney each chipped in an assist on the final goal, for their second and third assists of the season, respectively.
The Skyhawks host Saint Michael's College on Tuesday, December 5 at the Foxboro Sports Center for its Purple and White Game with a puck drop at 7:00 p.m.
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