The Massachusetts men’s club hockey team defeated the Bentley Falcons 5-2 on Friday night, in dominant fashion. The Minutemen (6-4-1) scored early and often in the win.
Just over two minutes into the contest, Dylan LaMonica opened the scoring right in front of the net, off a nice feed from Dominic Boccelli.
Minutes later, defenseman Chris Roy cashed in on two consecutive power play opportunities. The assistant captain received a pass from Thomas Milne, before dangling his way past a Bentley (6-1-1) defender and ripping his shot past the goaltender’s glove. Almost exactly one minute later, Roy waltzed towards the Falcons’ goal, finishing off the play with a low snipe.
Prior to the halfway mark of the first period, JD Anderson, the Minutemen’s scoring leader, added one of his own. He cleaned up a rebound in front, backhanding the puck into the gaping net. In a meager nine minutes of hockey, UMass snatched a quick 4-0 lead.
“I wish we could start every game 4-0,” assistant coach Anthony Laperriere said. “It’s definitely nice to get out to a lead like that.”
The Minutemen outshot Bentley 18-3 in the first period. UMass also held its opponent without a shot on net for the first 8:45, and by that time, all four goals had already been scored.
The Minutemen added a fifth goal through Boccelli with nine minutes remaining in the second period. Chaos ensued in front of the net, as Aiden Harrington and Ellis Vish put attempts on target. Eventually, Boccelli poked it in on the fourth chance.
UMass went to the penalty box just once on the night. Bentley never earned a power play, as the lone offense was a part of matching penalties for both teams.
“It’s interesting because some games [our discipline’s] there, and some games it isn’t,” Laperriere said. “It’s something we need to get a little bit better at consistently. But yeah, [Friday], I mean, very happy with how it went today. And like I said, we just got to find that consistency.”
The most egregious penalty of the game took place with eight minutes remaining in the matchup. Elias Holunga, the Minutemen’s leading point-getter, carried the puck into the offensive zone, where he was met by a ferocious hit. Holunga’s legs were taken out from underneath him, and he was thrown onto the icy surface with considerable force. The Falcons player was assessed with a five-minute major penalty as Holunga was helped off the ice.
“We’re going to get [Holunga] looked at and that’s about it,” Laperriere said. “He seems to be in good spirits.”
Bentley ended up pulling two goals back. The first was scored with five ticks remaining in the second frame, with the latter coming in the third period. Captain Ethan Clabaugh scored both.
At the final buzzer, UMass held onto its 5-2 victory. The game went down as their third consecutive win, each of which it scored at least five goals in.
The Minutemen will play their next four games at home, finishing off a three game weekend against Florida Gulf Coast and Northeastern on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. UMass looks to extend its winning streak on home ice over the next two weeks.
Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected]. Dylan Shalom can be reached at [email protected]. Myles Donato can be reached at [email protected].
