Hanover, N.H. - The UMass Hockey team won the consolation game of the Dartmouth Ledyard National Bank Classic with a 4-1 victory over Army on Monday afternoon. The Minutemen received two goals from Will Ortiz and a goal and two assists from Casey Wellman. Dan Meyers got the start in goal for UMass, making 16 saves. Josh Kassel started in goal for Army, making 27 saves in the loss. The Minutemen will be back in action on Sunday afternoon when they will host No. 10 Cornell at the Mullins Center. The puck is scheduled to drop at 5 PM.
UMass (9-7-1) outshot Army 31-17 for the game, with the Minutemen going 0-3 on the power play. The Black Knights (4-11-1) were also 0-3 on the man advantage. UMass also took the edge in faceoffs, winning 38 out of 61 draws.
UMass maintained puck possession and outchanced the Black Knights throughout the first period, peppering Kassel with 12 shots on goal. The Minuteman defense did not allow a shot on goal until after the midway mark of the period.
The Minutemen took a 1-0 lead 7:50 into the frame when Wellman notched his fourth goal of the season. After Wellman won the faceoff back to Matt Irwin, Irwin threw a low shot on goal through traffic. Kassel saved the initial shot, but Wellman controlled the rebound and lifted it past the Army netminder for the score.
Army best chance of the period came when Pat Copeland let a shot go from the point that was deflected in the slot. But Meyers reacted quickly and made the right pad save.
The Minutemen took a commanding lead in the second period, scoring twice and outshooting Army 10 to 5. Ortiz scored his second goal of the season eight minutes into the frame off a give-and-go with Wellman. After Ortiz made a pass through an Army defender, Wellman quickly returned the puck to Ortiz who one-timed it past Kassel for the goal.
When the Minutemen went on the penalty kill with 7:34 remaining in the stanza, T.J. Syner had a couple shorthanded chances to increase the UMass lead. It wasn't until James Marcou netted his eighth goal of the season with 2:27 left in the period that UMass took a 3-0 lead. While Chris Davis controlled the puck behind the Army net, he found Marcou out in front. Marcou held the puck and snuck it past a sprawling Kassel.
Army had some chances of its own during the second period as well. Early on in the period, Owen Meyer rang a shot off the post during a two-on-one on the power play. Meyers also kept the Black Knights off the board late in the frame when he made two big saves back-to-back.
UMass continued to control the play in the third period, adding another goal from Ortiz just 1:16 into the final frame. After Wellman created a turnover in the neutral zone, he found Ortiz near the Army blueline. Ortiz skated in on Kassel and fired a shot through him for the goal.
When the Minutemen went on the power play with 8:24 left in regulation, the Black Knights got on the board with a shorthanded marker from Cody Omilusik. After Joey Ammon chipped the puck past a UMass defender at the blueline, he skated in two-on-one with Omilusik. Ammon then slid the puck over to Omilusik, who one-timed the puck past Meyers for his seventh goal of the season.