On Saturday night, the Massachusetts club hockey team faced off against the Norwich University Cadets, winning in every area of the game.
The Minutemen (13-6) scored three straight goals early in the second period, making it difficult for Norwich (1-8) to respond.
One minute into the second period, Thomas Milne caught an across-the-ice pass in the neutral zone, bringing the puck into Norwich territory. With one defender on him, Milne shot the puck in the five-hole, scoring his ninth goal of the season.
Just one minute later, Sean Prendergast received a pass on the right side of Norwich’s blue line. Generating speed, Prendergast skated around a Norwich defenseman, failing to tuck the puck in on his forehand. However, his line mate, Nick Julian tapped the loose puck into the open net, scoring the second goal of the period.
Right after Julian’s goal, UMass ended up on the power play, leading to captain Scott Shorrock’s second goal of the game. During the entire power play, the Minutemen gained possession of the puck trying to find the perfect shot. Eventually, Shorrock received the puck on the left side of the slot, firing the puck into the back of the net and giving UMass its fifth goal of the game.
Throughout the remainder of the game, Massachusetts played with a ton of energy, and a lot of that had to do with Shorrock’s first goal of the game.
“We’ve been having some trouble getting the first [goal] lately and then keeping a lead after that, so I bet getting one early like that probably helped everybody feel a little better,” Shorrock said.
Early in the first period, Shorrock had the puck on his stick trying to find a way out of his own zone. The captain dangled the puck in between a Norwich forward’s skates, getting into the offensive zone all by himself. Gaining momentum, Shorrock drove past the opposing defenseman, finishing off his highlight-worthy play with a goal off his backhand.
“Usually I get on the boards and I look up to see if I can make a pass. I couldn’t make a pass because someone was covering [Mitchell Rickert], and so from there it’s pretty much just instinct,” Shorrock explained.
With a few seconds remaining in the first period, Norfolk lost the puck on their offensive blue line, leading to a breakaway from UMass forward, Nick Salvatore. Getting into the offensive zone, Salavatore slowed down to figure out where to shoot the puck. Norfolk goalie, Henry Dennee, lowered his left shoulder and Salvatore roofed the puck, scoring his first career club hockey goal.
The constant offensive pressure by the Minutemen lasted the entire game. Even with six goals heading into the third period, Massachusetts spent most of the game in their offensive zone.
After a couple shifts in the offensive zone, Prendergast received a pass in the middle of the slot. Right away, he fired the puck towards the net, giving UMass its seventh and final goal of the game.
UMass will hit the road on Sunday, facing off against Boston College at 10 a.m.
Trevor Sheehan can be reached at [email protected].
