PORTSMOUTH, R.I. – Senior Eric Lipa (Lockport, N.Y.) scored 2:06 into overtime to lift the 12th-ranked Salve Regina ice hockey team to a 4-3 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology in Commonwealth Coast Conference action Saturday night.
THE BASICS:
RECORDS: WIT (2-5-1, 1-4-1 CCC); SRU (7-0-0, 6-0-0 CCC)
SHOTS: WIT 34; SRU 38
PENALTIES/MINUTES: WIT 2/4; SRU 4/8
POWER PLAYS: WIT 1-4; SRU 0-2
GOALIE SAVES: WIT – Thomas Draper, 34; SRU – Louis-Felix St. Jean, 31
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The game got off to a fast start with the only goals of the first period coming 52 seconds apart early in the first period. Salve Regina took a 1-0 lead when junior Erik Udahl (East Walpole, Mass.) scored from classmate Danny Eruzione (Winthrop, Mass.) at 1:10. At 2:02, Wentworth evened the score as senior Nate Chase (Plainfield, Ill.) scored from senior Adam Tracey (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.). The Seahawks had a 14-13 shot advantage through the first 20:00.
- Lipa helped Salve Regina take a 2-1 lead when he assisted on sophomore Matthew Kidney's (Leonardo, N.Y.) goal at 2:10 of the second period. Seventy-eight seconds later, Eruzione and junior John McLean (North Andover, Mass.) assisted on sophomore Tyler Carangelo's (Hamden, Conn.) marker, which increased the host's lead to 3-1. Junior Jake Hallisey (Quincy, Mass.) was set up on the power play by sophomore Joey O'Leary (Boston, Mass.) and sophomore Jake McKenelley (Middleton, Mass.) at 12:34 to make it 3-2.
- Wentworth battled back and evened the game at 3-all when McKenelley scored at 12:34 of the third period. The Leopards had an 11-8 shot advantage.
- Salve Regina had a 4-0 shot advantage in the extra session with Lipa finding the back of the net off a rebound of a freshman Spencer Stanley (South Lyon, Mich.) shot with Vincent Mariano (Waterford, Mich.) also picking up a helper on the game winner.
- Sophomore Thomas Draper (Binghamton, N.Y.) made 34 saves while sophomore Louis-Felix St. Jean (St. Bruno, Que.) stopped 31 shots.
SERIES NOTES:
- Tonight marked the 38th meeting all-time between the two programs with Wentworth holding a 28-7-3 series advantage. Salve Regina is 4-1-2 in the last six meetings. Five of the last 10 meetings have been decided by one goal with four of the last six games going to overtime.
NEXT UP:
- Wentworth will play in the Manchester PA Stovepipe Tournament next Saturday-Sunday (November 30-December 1). The Leopards square off against UMass Dartmouth in Saturday's first-round matchup.
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