UMass Dartmouth Tops Hockey

New Bedford, Mass. -The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth notched two goals in the opening period and never looked back, cruising to a 5-1 victory over Framingham State at Hetland Arena Saturday evening in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference action. With the win UMass Dartmouth improves to 8-9-1 (5-5-1 MASCAC). Framingham State falls to 3-11-2 (2-7-0 MASCAC).

The Corsairs jumped ahead in the eighth minute of the game while on the penalty kill when Hunter Wilhoite (Brentwood, Tenn.) broke the defense with a precise pass up to Casey Shea (Woburn, Mass.) who finished the rush when he lofted the puck over the shoulder of the opposing net minder.

Moments later, Kenny Tencza (Naples, Fla.) took advantage of perfect position as he scooped a rebound off the goalie's leg pad before pushing the puck across the line to make good on the opportunity

The Corsairs made it three unanswered goals in the second stanza when Brandon Berkley(Scottsdale, Ariz.) beat the keeper and finished in the net to pick up his second goal of the year. Eight minutes later, Framingham State erased the looming shutout when defenseman Walker Hamilton (Anchorage, Ak.) barreled toward the net to return a blocked shot to the back of the net, marking his fifth goal of the year. 

In the final period, the Blue and Yellow quickly tacked on two more goals, both while on the man advantage as Jonathan Ruiz (Williamstown, N.J.) and Mike Sones (Waterdown, Ont.) each scored minutes apart to give us the 5-1 final.

The Corsairs finished the game with 41 total shots, with the most coming in the final period with 15. The Rams tested opposing keepers on 33 shots in the contest.

Junior goalkeeper Tommy Bay (Deluth, Ga.) posted his third start of the season, earning his third victory in the process in 23 minutes between the pipes. Senior Drew Michals (Newton, Mass.) came to relieve Bay after an injury, and closed the game with 25 saves. 

UMass Dartmouth was whistled on nine penalties for 26 minutes while Framingham State was called for seven penalties and 14 minutes in the box. 

The Corsairs finished 2-of-7 on man-up opportunities while the Rams were unable to convert on six chances.

UMass Dartmouth host the MASCAC's second-ranked team in Worcester State, as the Lancers come to Hetland Arena on January 25th at 7:30 PM. Framingham State looks to rebound on the road at Plymouth State on January 25th at 6:00 PM

*Release courtesy of UMD sports info