EVERETT, Mass. – Penalties riddled the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's ice hockey squad in their first Commonwealth Coast Conference showdown against the Curry Colonels on Friday night, resulting in a 5-2 defeat that featured three powerplay goals for the opposition.
THE BASICS:
RECORDS: CC: 2-0, 1-0 CCC; WIT: 1-2, 0-1 CCC
SHOTS: CC: 38; WIT: 31
PENALTIES/MINUTES: CC: 7/25; WIT: 9/43
POWER PLAYS: CC: 3-8; WIT: 1-5
GOALIE SAVES: CC: Reid Cooper, 29; WIT: Jack McGovern, 22 (39:00), Connor Carbo, 11 (20:00)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Colonels took advantage of Wentworth penalties early. Their top powerplay unit got a ton of reps and found the back of the net on a one-timer from graduate student Tarek Paranica (Grand Forks, N.D.) that beaten junior Connor Carbo (Berlin, Vt.) just under six minutes into the game.
- Colonels freshman Gage Dill (Estero, Fla.) managed to find the twine on a shot from the slot just over 15 minutes into the tilt.
- Just over a minute later, Paranica tallied again on the powerplay from his spot on the right dot, giving the Colonels a 3-0 lead and letting the Leopards play catch-up.
- Less than a minute later, 16:52 into the first period, Colonels junior George Vonakis (Abringdon, Md.) off of a slick pass from senior Timmy Kent (Parkland, Fla.), giving the Colonels a 4-0 lead in the first frame.
- Off of the opening face-off of the second period, Curry's offense wanted to continue its momentum. They did so but finishing a nice passing play that resulted in a goal for sophomore Tao Ishizuka (Providence, R.I.)
- Mid-way through the third, a scramble in front that had Colonels graduate student goalkeeper Reid Cooper (Corman Park, Saskatchewan) laying on the ice resulted in a loose puck for the Leopards. Sophomore Brenden Saether (Abbotsford, B.C.) scored off a rebound on a short shot from junior Matt Smoliga (Glenville, Ill.), cutting the deficit to 5-1.
- Six minutes later, freshman Ian Worthley (Saugus, Mass.) had a give-and-go play with freshman Hunter Wilson (Westport, Conn.) in the defensive zone that sprouted into an odd-man rush for the Leopards. Worthley took the puck in himself, deking Cooper for his first collegiate tally and making the score 5-2.
SERIES NOTES:
- Tonight marked the 41st all-time meeting between the two teams. Winners of the last four meetings, Curry leads the all-time series 28-8-5.
NEXT UP:
- Wentworth plays Curry on the road in Commonwealth Coast Conference play tomorrow night.
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