SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Albertus Magnus College men's ice hockey team battled Saint Michael's College to a 2-2 overtime draw on Saturday afternoon to conclude a two-game set at the Purple Knights' Cairns Arena.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Albertus Magnus 2 | Saint Michael's 2 (OVERTIME)
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (0-1-1) | Saint Michael's College (1-0-1)
BOX SCORE
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Purple Knights took the lead first in today's contest, netting a goal from Matt Egan 10:14 into the opening period. Stationed in front of the net, Egan redirected a Sel Narby pass just above the Albertus goalie's glove.
It did not take the Falcons long to even the score at 1-1, as Cameron Weitzman (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec) cashed in on a breakaway 45 seconds later. Albertus scored on a two-on-one break, when Coleton Cianci (Kirkland, Quebec) sent a trickling pass to Weitzman, who found daylight to the bottom right corner. Alexander Lazier (Pointe-Claire, Quebec) also assisted on the play.
The Falcons took the lead 11:31 into the second period on a goal from CJ Smith (Hanover, Minn.). The team's lone sophomore gathered a rebound and rifled the puck off the right post into the goal. Jacob Ducharme (Derby Line, Vt.) and Bayley Kubara (Wombarra, Australia) both logged assists on the play.
Saint Michael's evened the score at 2-2 with just 37 seconds remaining in the second period on a power-play tally from Matt Schreiner. After Zachary Withington (Branford, Conn.) was whistled for interference and sent to the box for two minutes, Schreiner tipped in a Sam Johnson pass to take advantage of the man-up opportunity.
Schreiner's goal was the last of the game, as both teams went scoreless in the third period and overtime. A big reason that the Purple Knights were unable to break the deadlock was the outstanding play of freshman goalie Pierce Diamond (Edmonton, Alberta). The 5-foot-11-inch goalkeeper made 34 saves, one more than he had the night before. Diamond also helped the Falcons go 7-for-8 (87.5 percent) on the penalty kill, logging a 16-for-17 (94.1 percent) mark for the weekend.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Albertus - Pierce Diamond (T, 0-1-1): Shots on Goal 36 | Goals-Against 2 | Saves 34
Saint Michael's - Hugo Turcotte (T, 0-0-1): Shots on Goal 20 | Goals-Against 2 | Saves 18
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Saint Michael's owned a 36-20 lead in shots in the game.
• The margin in shots was contributed to the difference in power-plays, as the Purple Knight's had eight extra-man opportunities, and Albertus had just three.
• The Falcons served a combined 33 minutes in the box and Saint Michael's served 10 minutes.
• Albertus went 0-for-3 on the power play and 7-for-8 on the penalty kill.
• Scot Lawson (Massapequa, N.Y.) paced the Falcons with four shots.
• Weitzman and Kubara were second on the team with three shots each.
• Diamond finished the contest with 34 saves, while Hugo Turcotte made 18 stops for the Purple Knights.
NOTEWORTHY
• Today's tie is the first in program history.
• Lazier (2A) and Weitzman (1G-1A) are now tied for the team lead with two points on the season.
• Cianci, Ducharme and Kubara all tallied their first collegiate points today.
• Smith scored his first career goal with the Falcons in his first start of the year.
• Albertus allowed its first power-play goal of the season, as it is now 16-for-17 (94.1 percent) on the penalty kill.
• Michael Forgione (New Vernon, N.J.) made his collegiate debut today.
UP NEXT
Albertus men's ice hockey returns to action for its first home-opener on Friday, Nov. 8, against Anna Maria College at Ralph Walker Skating Rink. The bout is slated to begin at 7 p.m. and will feature pregame festivities to commemorate the historic event.