For Immediate Release
Contact Dave Geringer, Sports Information Director, (508) 990-9651 [log in to unmask]
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
UMASS DARTMOUTH MAKES HISTORY AGAIN, WINS IN NCAAS
GENESEO, NY– Since the inception of the ECAC Northeast Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Hockey Championships, no team representing the league has won a game in the tournament.
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s hockey team erased that mark and stamped their name into the history books, becoming the first ECAC Northeast team to win in the NCAAs when they defeated the host State University of New York at Geneseo, 8-2 , at the Ira S. Wilson Arena Wednesday night.
Junior forward Kyle McCullough ((Danvers, MA/Boston Jr. Blackhawks) scored three goals and added two assists and freshman goaltender Jon Dryjowicz-Burek (Ludlow, MA/ Springfield Jr. Falcons) made 29 saves en route to the victory.
The Corsairs hardly starter on an auspicious note, as it took them nearly 10 minutes to get their first shot. But they got on the board first when they converted a power play goal on their third shot of the game. Michel Bond of the Ice Knights was in the penalty box for 15 seconds when sophomore forward Jeff Grant (Burlington, MA/Austin Prep) took a pass from junior defenseman Paul Carr (Springfield, MA/Springfield Cathedral HS) and ripped a shot high into the net past Geneseo goaltender Derek Jokic. Junior forward Kyle McCullough (Danvers, MA/Boston Jr. Blackhawks) also assisted.
Dryjowicz-Burek had kept the game during the opening part of the first period, making several saves from close range as Geneseo out shot the Corsairs, 12-6 in the first 20 minutes.
The second period was a completely different story. UMass Dartmouth made it 2-0 just after the two minute mark as McCullough fed junior forward Jim Foley (Brockton, MA/Catholic Memorial HS) in the slot. Jokic stopped Foley’s shot, but McCullough flipped the rebound into the net at 2:08.
The Corsairs made it 3-0 at the 7:22 mark. Junior forward Peter Lindner (Parlin, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) deflected a shot by Frank past Jokic with the Corsairs on the power play at 8:22. McCullough, who was pulled down on a breakaway by the Ice Knights’ Chris Kestell to put UMD on the power play, also assisted.
Junior forward Ray Kirby (Fairhaven, MA/Salem State/York Stars) made it 4-0 when he fired the rebound of a shot by sophomore defenseman Tyler Crocker (Wakefield, MA/Wakefield HS) into the net at 9:34 of the second period. Frank also drew an assist. UMD finished with a 24-3 margin in shots on goal. The total was higher than their total for the game in each of their last two playoff victories.
Frank scored on a breakaway 3:50 into the final period before Steve Jordan’s shot from the point broke Dryjowicz-Burek’s shutout bid at the 4:43 mark. McCullough scored twice more and Foley added a goal for the Corsairs, and Ram Sidhu scored with 2:40 remaining for Geneseo.
“We play Wednesday and Saturday all season long, and this was their fourth game in six days, so I’m sure fatigue was a factor,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach John Rolli. “We just played within ourselves. I thought the first period was the big period. We kept them off the board, and we got some opportunities. We didn’t take advantage of all of them, but I thought that it gave us confidence.”
The significance of the win was not lost. “It says a lot for our league to win in the NCAAs,” said McCullough. “We don’t get a lot of credit, but the top four teams in our league can play with anyone.”
UMD out shot the Ice Knights, 36-31. Jokic made 28 saves.
With the victory, the Corsairs won their 21st consecutive game and extended the longest winning streak in the nation, improving their overall record to 25-4-0 with the victory, and winning for the 22nd time in their last 23 games. Geneseo saw their season end with a 19-9-2 record. The Corsairs will return to action when they visit top-seeded Middlebury in the NCAA Division III Championships Saturday evening.
UMASS DARTMOUTH HOCKEY
BOX SCORE
UMass Dartmouth 1 3 4-8
SUNY Geneseo 0 0 2-2
FIRST PERIOD
1, UMD – Jeff Grant (Kyle McCullough, Paul Carr) 13:02 PPG
SECOND PERIOD
2, UMD –Kyle McCullough (Jim Foley) 2:08
3, UMD – Peter Lindner (Eric Frank, Kyle McCullough) 7:22 PPG
4, UMD – Ray Kirby (Tyler Crocker, Eric Frank) 9:34
THIRD PERIOD
5, UMD – Eric Frank (unassisted) 3:50
6, GEN – Steve Jordan (Tyson Terry, Casey Balog) 4:43
7, UMD – Kyle McCullough (unassisted) 11:28 ENG
8, UMD – Kyle McCullough (Grant) 13:33
9, UMD – Jim Foley (Ian Seaver) 13:51
10, GEN – Ram Sidhu (Mike MacDonald, Mitch Stephens) 17:20
SHOTS: GEN- 31; UMD -36.
SAVES: GEN – Derek Jokic, 28. UMD –Jon Dryjowicz-Burek, 34.
PENALTIES/MINUTES: GEN – 9/26; UMD – 10/20.
POWER-PLAY GOALS/OPPORTUNITIES: GEN- 0/9. UMD – 3/5.
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