SALEM, Mass. – In the opening game of the Salem State/Babson Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, the Colby Mules scored a 5-3 victory over the Wentworth Leopards at Rockett Arena on Tuesday afternoon.
Kevin Crowe (Galloway, N.J.) opened the scoring five minutes into the game when he converted on a Wentworth power-play on assists from Andrew Yarber (Livonia, Mich.) and Devin Smith (Tewksbury, Mass.). Colby answered when Ben Chwick (Purchase, N.Y.) slipped one past Leopard goalie Alex Peck (Kirkland, Que.) off a feed from Geoff Sullivan (Topsfield, Mass.). Wentworth regained a 2-1 lead with just one second remaining in the period when Jordan Bourgonje (Spruce Grove, Alta.) surprised goalie Sam Parker (Cambridge, Mass.) with a low shot just below the pads before the buzzer sounded.
The Mules tied the game in the second as Ray Zeek (Wallingford, Conn.) wristed as shot into the back of the net on assists from Devin Albert (Reading, Mass.) and Jack Burton (Reistertown, Md.) and the teams headed into the third tied 2-2.
Jack Bartlett put Colby on top early in the third. After killing off a Wentwoth power play, Bartlett muscled one underneath the pads of Peck for a 3-2 Mules lead with 18:52 remaining. In a period dominated by the Leopards, Colby withstood the test and Devin Albert (Methuen, Mass.) gave Colby a two-goal lead when he scored an empty-netter with just over a minute remaining. Wentworth responded with a score by Mike Cox (Marlborough, Mass.), who pushed in the puck through a wild scrum with just over forty-five seconds remaining. However, Nick Lanza (Rocky Hill, Conn.) iced the win when he scored the Mules second empty-net goal to give Colby a 5-3 victory.
Peck finished the game with 20 saves for the Leopards, while Sam Parker (Cambridge, Mass.) stopped 21 shots in the win.
The Mules (5-3-2) will play the winner between Babson and Salem State tomorrow at Babson at 6:00 p.m. Wentworth (4-8-1) will play in the consolation game at 3:00 p.m.