Box Score
AMHERST, Mass.--The nineteenth-ranked Minutemen (7-3-2, 4-2-1 Hockey East) iced
Niagara's (8-6-3, 4-1-3 CHA) seven game unbeaten streak on Friday, coming away
with an impressive 6-2 win to open a jam-packed weekend of athletics at UMass.
Mark Matheson came up with the hat trick, while Chris Capraro and Will Ortiz
each had four points. The Mass Attack returns to action next Tuesday at
Merrimack before the home-and-home against Boston College, with Friday's game
being played in Amherst.
UMass struck first in the contest with Mark Matheson's fifth of the season,
scored
at 3:41. Chris Capraro made the pass to Matheson from behind the Niagara net,
connecting at the top of the crease for the clear shot.
Niagara's Cliff Ketchen tied it up at 12:47 of the middle stanza, a wraparound
on Jon Quick assisted by Chevan Wilson and Armando Scarlato. But Cory Quirk put
the Minutemen up with just four seconds left in the second with his team-leading
eighth goal of the season. His shot came from between the circles and was
assisted by Will Ortiz and P.J. Fenton. Ortiz's point was his first since Nov. 4
at Providence.
The second intermission gave the Minutemen some life, as they combined for three
goals in the first seven minutes-four total in the third-to break the game open.
Fenton himself lit the lamp 20 seconds into the third, capitalizing on a Purple
Eagle turnover and coming up with his fifth of the season.
Matheson scored his second goal of the game at 4:52 to make it 4-1, and Ortiz
followed at 6:37, as he batted a Topher Bevis' rebound out of midair for the
team's fifth goal. Matheson's hat trick was complete at 10:23, assisted by Oritz
and Capraro.
The Purple Eagles added a power play goal at 18:58 to close out the scoring.
Sean Bentivoglio tallied the goal assisted by Les Reaney and Ted Cook.
Overall, shots were 39-23 in favor of the home team. UMass was 0-for-2 on the
power play, while Niagara went 1-for-4.
