University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Northeastern
Northeastern Blanks Mass Attack 3-0 On Friday
January 28, 2011 | Hockey
Jan. 28, 2011
BOSTON - Braden Pimm scored his fourth goal of the season two minutes into the second period, and Northeastern (8-10-5, 7-7-4 HEA) added two more in the third period to shutout the UMass hockey team 3-0 on Friday night at Matthews Arena. Paul Dainton made 25 saves in goal for the Minutemen (6-13-3, 5-8-3 HEA) while Chris Rawlings made 26 stops for his fourth shutout of the season. The two teams will faceoff in the back end of the home-and-home series tomorrow night at 7 PM from the Mullins Center.
The Huskies held a slight 28-26 edge in shots for the game while Northeastern dominated in the faceoff circle winning 39-of-53 draws. Massachusetts went 0-for-4 on the power play while the Huskies went 0-for-5 on the man advantage.
Northeastern carried the play for the first five minutes of the opening period by maintaining puck possession in the Minuteman zone. UMass killed of two Huskie power plays during the first frame with Dainton making three saves during the kills. Northeastern nearly took a 1-0 lead with 2:30 left in the stanza when Jamie Olesiak caught Dainton out of position by intercepting a clearing attempt at the point. With Dainton in the corner, Olesiak ripped a shot from the point that got through a UMass defender and ricocheted off the right post.
The Huskies cashed in during the opening two minutes of the second period when they capitalized off a turnover in the neutral zone. Braden Pimm picked up a loose puck at the blueline and went on the attack two-on-one. Pimm faked a pass, then shifted from forehand to backhand as the UMass defenseman sprawled across the passing lane, and tossed a low shot that got under the pad of Dainton for Pimm's fourth goal of the season.
Massachusetts almost fired back with the equalizer three minutes later when Michael Pereira followed a shot from Rocco Carzo in the slot. The puck bounced out to Pereira on the doorstep, but his backhand attempt rolled through the crease and into the corner. Dainton continued to keep it a one-goal game with several crucial saves, highlighted by two big stops on Wade MacLeod and Tyler McNeely with six minutes to play in the frame.
Conor Sheary created a couple chances to put the Minutemen on the board during the third period, but it was the Huskies who potted two scores in the final frame to put the game out of reach. With 14 minutes left in regulation Sheary saucered a pass across to Michael Pereira, who had two Huskies draped over him as he put the puck towards goal. Pereira's shot, however, was steered aside by Rawlings.
Northeastern went up by two 30 seconds after the Pereira chance when Rob Dongara took a pass in the neutral zone, went into the UMass defensive end, made a quick deek and fired a wrist shot that got over Dainton's shoulder.
Sheary had another opportunity with seven minutes to play following a Colin Shea shot from the point, but Sheary's rebound bid sailed just wide. The Minutemen pulled Dainton with 2:48 left in the period in an effort to narrow the gap, but McNeely took a pass from MacLeod and buried an empty netter for his eighth goal of the season to close out the scoring.
