BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore forward Mike Paglino's (Grosse Point Shores, Mich.) goal with 2:22 left in regulation snapped a 3-all tie and lifted the Wentworth hockey team, which trailed 3-1 in the second period, to a 4-3 win over Suffolk in an ECAC Northeast contest at Matthews Arena.
The visiting Rams, fresh off a 2-2 tie with 15th-ranked Curry, struck first when senior forward Niles Moore (Columbus, Ohio) put home a rebound of a freshman forward Jason Molle (Stoneham, Mass.) shot on the power play at the 3:37 mark of the period. Junior forward Zach Barron (St. Louis, Mo.) also picked up an assist on the goal. Suffolk extended its lead to 2-0 with 34.3 seconds left in the period when Barron scored from junior forward Paul Weisser (Longmeadow, Mass.) and freshman forward Andrew Flynn (Stamford, Conn.). Wentworth held an 11-7 shot advantage, but junior goalie Jeff Rose (Collinsville, Conn.) kept the Leopards off the board.
Just 41 seconds into the middle stanza, the Leopards broke the ice when senior forward Jeff Olitch (Calgary, Alberta) scored from junior defenseman Kyle Richardson (San Jose, Calif.) and sophomore forward Skylur Jameson (Long Beach, Calif.). However, Suffolk extended its lead back to two goals when Barron scored on a power play marker from Moore at 5:37. Wentworth cut the lead to 3-2 at the 17:16 mark of the period when Jameson scored a shorthanded tally from senior defenseman Martin Winzer (Nuremburg, Germany) and sophomore defenseman Alan Dionne (North Scituate, R.I.).
Sophomore forward Luke Heller (Scituate, Mass.) put home the rebound of a sophomore forward Geric Brodt (Anchorage, Alaska) shot at the 6:15 mark to tie the game at 3-all before Paglino re-directed a Dionne shot, which was set up by Richardson, to net the game-winner.
Just 17 seconds after Paglino would score the game-winning goal, he was whistled for a penalty that gave the Rams a man-advantage and a face-off the Wentworth's zone. Suffolk pulled Rose for the extra attacker, but could not get the equalizer, and was whistled for a penalty with 22 seconds left in the contest.
Senior Justin Marriott (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) made 17 saves for the Leopards, who outshot the Rams by a 33-20 margin. Rose turned aside 29 shots for Suffolk.
Wentworth improves to 7-0-1 overall and 5-0-0 in league play. It marks the first time in program history the Leopards have finished first semester play undefeated as Wentworth is idle until Jan. 2. Suffolk falls to 2-6-2 overall and 1-2-1 in ECAC Northeast play and hosts Assumption on Sunday.
