Box Score
Photo Gallery
HAMILTON – The Colgate men's hockey team was at home for the first time since Nov. 23, but Massachusetts came out with a 2-0 win at Starr Rink on Saturday afternoon.
Colgate (7-8-2) saw
Charlie Finn get the start and he made 38 stops in net, which was his second highest total this season. The Raiders went scoreless on four power play opportunities and were shutout for the first time since the second game of the Bowling Green series earlier in the year.
Massachusetts (5-11-2) got goals from Conor Sheary and Troy Power, while Steve Masterlerz pushed aside 25 shots to earn the shutout.
"UMass did a good job getting to loose pucks and they outnumbered us on the defensive side," head coach
Don Vaughan said. "The puck didn't bounce our way tonight. We had some good looks at times and we hit a post on a 5-on-3 early. It was a frustrating game."
The Minutemen took the first lead of the game late in the first period with Sheary scoring his third of the season with 1:23 remaining in the period. Branden Gracel tipped a shot from the point down to Michael Pereira. He was below the goal line and found Sheary above the crease. Sheary slid the puck between Finn's pads for the 1-0 advantage.
Colgate had a chance in the first with a 5-on-3 power play. The best chance came with a drive by
Spiro Goulakos. The senior captain fired a shot from the top of the slot that rang off the post and to the corner. The Raiders took a penalty for too many men on the ice to end the power play, which was Colgate's only one of the opening frame.
After scoreless second period, the Minutemen increased the lead to 2-0 with the second goal coming four minutes into the final frame. Power was given credit after a great show of hand-eye coordination in front of Finn. Joel Hanley throw a saucer pass over a Colgate stick and Power hit it in midair to get it past Finn for the two-goal advantage.
The Raiders had two chances on the power play in the third period, but Colgate managed only two shots and didn't find the net.
Massachusetts had a 40-25 shot advantage and one of bright spot for the Raiders was that they held the Minutemen scoreless on the power play on five opportunities.
The two teams are back on the ice tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. in the final game prior to the holiday break.
GAME ARCHIVE