Hockey Battles #9 UNE in Overtime Classic, Falls in CCC Tournament Opener

BIDDEFORD, Maine – In a postseason thriller that went the extra, the sixth-seeded Wentworth Institute of Technology ice hockey team (6-18-1, 4-16-1 CCC) fell to the third-seeded #9 University of New England Nor'Easters (18-5-2, 16-4-1 CCC) at the tail-end of the overtime period by a 3-2 score in the first round of the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Leopards rattled off 11 of the 28 total shots in the first period, with one trickling by junior Billy Girard (Boca Raton, Fla.) on a flick of a shot in the high slot from freshman Ian Worthley (Saugus, Mass.), who made a solid solo effort to cause a turnover and score, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the contest.
• 18 seconds after UNE was gifted a powerplay, graduate student Daniel Winslow (Fairfield, Conn.) found the twine at the 9:09 mark of the second frame to tie the contest at one apiece.
• Wentworth re-took the lead on the man advantage when junior Charlie Reid (Marshfield, Mass.) found the back of the net in his second-straight game, giving the Leopards a 2-1 advantage at the 11:39 mark of the second period.
• The Nor'Easters tied the score after Reid's tally ended the powerplay as sophomore Ryan Kuzmich (Norton, Mass.) cashed in at the 12:29 mark.
• The two teams couldn't separate themselves any further within the 60-minute frame, bringing the contest to overtime with UNE holding a 52-25 shot advantage.
• After a back-and-forth overtime with chances in both ends, UNE notched the game-winner with 29 seconds to go in the period when senior Jake Fuss (Fairfield, Conn.) fed senior Jared Christy (Costa Mesa, Calif.) on a back-door tap-in, sending the Nor'Easters to the semifinal round of the CCC Tournament.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Today's game marked the longest playoff game the Leopards have played all-time, totaling 79:31.
• Freshman Jack McGovern (Ancaster, Ont.) paddled away 65 saves for the Black & Gold.

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