Junior forward Frank Zuccaro tallied two assists vs. UMass Dartmouth. (File photo by David Fried)
NEW BEDFORD, Mass.- Sophomore Mike Restuccia (Malden, Mass.) scored four goals to lead the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men’s ice hockey team over Westfield State University, 6-3, on Saturday evening, Jan. 25, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) game at the Hetland Arena.
The Corsair forward took advantage of a power play opportunity and recorded his first score 50 seconds into the second period off assists from Shaun Walters (Plymouth, Mich.) and John Sartell (Wakefiled, Mass.). With a one goal advantage and 15 minutes and 32 seconds on the clock, Restuccia hooked up with Walters and Sartell for his second goal of the contest.
Early in the third stanza, Restuccia received a pass from teammate Billy Boudreau (Newburyport, Mass.), wrapped around the backside of the net and flicked home his third score of the game to put UMass Dartmouth ahead 4-3.
With 3:29 left in regulation the sophomore was able to beat the Westfield State goaltender for his fourth and final goal of the evening by linking up with teammates Walters and Sartell for the third time.
The Corsairs improved their conference record to 4-7-0 and 4-11-2 overall. The Owls dropped to 6-4-0 in the MASCAC and 7-10-0 on the season.
After Restucccia lit up the scoreboard twice, the Owls answered with three unanswered goals in a span of less than three minutes during the second period.
Westfield State sophomore P.J. McCadden (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) sparked the offensive surge when he received a pass from classmate Vince Perreault (Braeside, Ontario and) slipped the puck past the UMass Dartmouth goalkeeper with 8:11 on the game clock.
One minute and three seconds later, sophomore Kyllian Kirkwood (Copper Cliff, Ontario) fired a laser from just inside the blue line to even the game at 2-2. Earning assists on the play were Frank Zuccaro (Newmarket, Ontario) and Taylor Murphy (Toronto, Ontario).
The Owls took their only lead, 3-2, with 5:38 remaining in the period when Zuccaro found Murphy for his sixth score of the year.
With minutes remaining in the second period Restuccia and Walters set up Sartell for a power play goal to tie the game at 3-3.
Under a minute left in the third, the Owls attempted to clear their zone, but Walters speared the puck with his glove, placed it on the ice and wristed his team-leading 11th goal of the season past a Westfield State defender and into an empty net.
JJ Solloway (Derry, N.H.) registered 38 saves en route to his second win of the season, while Eddie Davey stopped 33 shots in the losing effort for the Owls.
UMass Dartmouth converted on two of their three power play chances and Westfield State outshot the Corsairs 41 to 39.
UMass Dartmouth returns to play on Tuesday, Jan. 28 when they travel to Stonehill for a non-conference matchup at 7:00 p.m. The Owls continue MASCAC play on Thursday, Jan. 30, when they host Worcester State at 7:35 p.m.
