Ephs overcome two goal deficit, penalties, injuries; defeat Trinity 3-2
Ryan Purdy '12
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass - Matt Masucci scored with just :42 seconds remaining to complete the comeback and give the Williams College men's hockey team the 3-2 victory over visiting conference foe Trinity Friday. The win marks the third straight and four out of their last five for the Ephs as they improve to 10-4-2 (8-2-2 Conference). The Bantams have now dropped two straight after winning nine consecutive games and fall to 11-5 (8-4 conference).
The game marked one of the most physical contests of the year for the Ephs, and it showed in penalties and injuries. The two teams mirrored each other with 11 penalties and 22 penalty minutes each, but the Ephs, following the first two minute of the second period, would lose both Andrew Lepore and Alex Smigelski to injuries for the remainder of the game.
The Ephs ability to overcome a two-goal deficit, the loss of two of their starting skaters, and eight Bantam power play opportunities speaks volumes about this years club.
"Being able to come back from being down two to a great team like Trinity and losing some of our top players just shows how much these kids competed," remarked Eph coach Bill Kangas. "I think early on they had us off balance because of how physical they played, but we just kept chipping away and adjusting. I couldn't be prouder of how the guys played today."
The Bantams built their two goal lead by the midpoint of the 2nd period. The first came just 12:17 into the game when, after Eph goal tender Ryan Purdy (26 saves) turned away a flurry of shots, Ryan Masucci scooped up the final richochet and pushed it into the net to give the Bantams the 1-0 advantage.
The Ephs bad luck would continue into the middle part of the 2nd period when, after a pair of Eph penalties, Williams was forced to field just three skaters to the Bantams five. Trinity took advantage of their numerical advantage with 9:33 remaining in the period to double their lead to 2-0.
However, the Ephs battled back before the period was through when the Bantams offered up a power play chance for the Ephs. With just :55 seconds remaining, Ryan Scott took a Ryan Young pass and launched a slap shot from the blue line that bested the shorthanded Bantam goal keep Wesley Vesprini (27 saves) to cut the deficit in half.
An Eph shot as time expired nearly brought the two teams to even, but the officals ruled it late and sent the game into the final intermission at 2-1.
Nonetheless, the Ephs carried the late momentum into the final period and made good on their previous near miss just 3:42 into the period when Connor Olvany fielded an errant puck off the boards and punched it in to tie things up at 2-2.
The two teams slugged it out for the remainder of the third period until, after the Eph defense killed a Bantam power play with under a minute remaining, Williams countered when a streaking Matt Mascucci scooped up a free puck and raced to Vesprini before launching it into the top of the net.
The Bantams called a timeout to strategize for the games final seconds but it proved to be too late as the Ephs would go on to win 3-2.
Despite just coming off of a prizefight bout, the Ephs have to pick it all back up again tomorrow when they host conference foe Wesleyan 2-13-1 (2-9-1 Conference). That game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM.
