For Immediate Release
Contact Dave Geringer, Sports Information Director, (508) 990-9651  [log in to unmask]
Saturday, February 16, 2008					

HOCKEY TEAM DOWNS FRAMINGHAM STATE, 7-2

NEW BEDFORD, MA- The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's hockey team scored at least twice in each period and defeated visiting Framingham State, 7-2, in an Eastern College Athletic Conference Northeast game at the Stephan Hetland Memorial Ice Arena Saturday afternoon.

The Corsairs wrapped the game up by scoring three times in the final period. 

UMass Dartmouth took an early lead in the first period. Senior forward Mike McNulty (Hingham, MA/Winchendon Academy) flipped home the rebound of freshman forward Billy Carroll’s (Duxbury, MA/Brighton Academy) shot at 2:57. Sophomore forward Pat Welch (Dorchester, MA/Bay State Breakers) drew the other assist.

Senior forward Jeff Grant (Burlington, MA/Austin Prep) made it 2-0 less than five minutes later, deflecting a wrist shot by freshman forward Joe Hill (Newburyport, MA/Valley Jr. Warriors) past Ram sophomore goaltender Peter Dundovich (Philadelphia, PA/UMass Boston) at 7:49. Senior forward Paul Garabedian (Belmont, MA/Belmont HS) also assisted.

UMass Dartmouth sandwiched a pair of goals around a Ram power play goal in the second period to take a 4-1 lead into the second intermission. Freshman defenseman Mickey Dudley (Douglas, MA/Boston Jr. Bruins) scored on a slap shot from the point 58 seconds into the period, then sophomore defenseman Josh Williams (Upper Marlboro, MD/Washington Jr. Nationals) of the Rams returned the favor at 3:13, firing home a slap shot from the point with Corsair defenseman Graeme Bourne (Redlands, CA/Campbell River Storm) in the penalty box for interference. Welch restored UMass Dartmouth’s three-goal lead when he rifled home a wrist shot after freshman forward Billy Carroll (Duxbury, MA/Brighton Academy) won a face-off in the FSC zone at 17:11. 

The Corsairs wrapped it up with three consecutive goals in the third period. Welch scored on the rebound of Carroll’s shot at 6:59 to make it 5-1, Dudley took a drop pass from Grant and fired home a slap shot with UMass Dartmouth on the power play at 9:19, and junior forward Chris Shore (West Haven, CT/Winchendon Academy) made it 7-1 at 16:28. Senior forward Steve Butler (Dorchester, MA/Archbishop Williams) scored the Rams’ second and final goal 28 seconds later. 

“We scored some very nice goals today,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach John Rolli. “We moved the puck very well and were very unselfish. I like the seven, and I really like the two. We are the least penalized team in the league, and we have given up the least goals in the league, and those are two very important factors come playoff time.”

The Corsairs converted their only power play, while stopping the FSC on one of two chances. UMass Dartmouth out shot Framingham State, 50-24. Corsair junior goaltender Jeff Green (Medway, MA/Valley Jr. Warriors) made 22 saves, while Dundovich made 43 stops for the Rams.

UMass Dartmouth improved to 13-8-1 and 11-3-0 in the ECAC Northeast with the victory, while Framingham State dropped to 1-22-1 and 0-14-1 with the defeat. The Corsairs will return to action when they host Johnson & Wales in an ECAC Northeast Conference game Wednesday evening, while the Rams will visit Wentworth next Saturday.

UMASS DARTMOUTH HOCKEY

 Framingham State (1-22-1, 0-14-1) vs. UMass Dartmouth (13-8-1, 11-3-0)
 Date: Feb 16, 2008  Location: New Bedford, MA       Arena: Hetland Ice Arena
 Attendance:229   Start time:4:30 pm   End time:6:31 pm   Total time:1:56

 Goals by Period       1  2  3  Tot
 ----------------------------------
 Framingham State....  0  1  1 -  2
 UMass Dartmouth.....  2  2  3 -  7

   1st period - 1, UMDM, Mike McNulty/2 (Billy Carroll/5, Pat Welch/3)
2:57. 2, UMDM, Jeff Grant/15 (Joseph Hill/18, Paul Garabedian/11)
7:49. Penalties -

   2nd period - 3, UMDM, Mickey Dudley/2 (Paul Garabedian/13, Tyler
Crocker/9) :58. 4, FRAM, Joshua Williams/2 (Jason Akstin/9, Jeff
Fox/2) 3:13 (pp). 5, UMDM, Pat Welch/7 (Billy Carroll/6) 17:11.
Penalties - Graeme Bourne, UMDM (interference) 1:21.

   3rd period - 6, UMDM, Pat Welch/7 (Billy Carroll/7) 6:59. 7, UMDM,
Mickey Dudley/3 (Jeff Grant/11) 9:19 (pp). 8, UMDM, Chris Shore/5
(Jeff Grant/12) 16:28. 9, FRAM, Stephen Butler/2 (John Sheehan/4)
16:56. Penalties - Joshua Williams, FRAM (roughing) 4:56; Nick Paquin,
UMDM (roughing) 4:56; Blair Nickerson, FRAM (interference) 8:37; Chris
Shore, UMDM (roughing) 14:20.

   Shots on goal - FRAM 7-9-8 24; UMDM 13-20-17 50.

   Power plays - FRAM 1 of 2; UMDM 1 of 1.

   Penalties - FRAM 2 (4 min); UMDM 3 (6 min).

   Goalies - FRAM, Peter Dundovich 0-16-1 (60:00 minutes, 50 shots-43
saves); UMDM, Jeff Green 12-8-1 (60:00, 24-22).