AMHERST, Mass. - First period goals from Mark Dube and Bill Day paced Army to a 5-2 win over the UMass hockey team on Friday night at the Mullins Center. Michael Pereira and Marc Concannon scored goals for the Minutemen (0-5-2) while Paul Dainton made 14 saves in goal. Jeff Teglia made five saves in third period action. Ryan Leets got the start for the Black Knights (2-4-0), making 29 saves. The Mass Attack will host the Swedish Under-20 National Team in an exhibition game on Saturday afternoon at 12 PM.
UMass won the battle in shots, as the squad tallied 31 on goal. Dainton and Teglia combined for 19 saves. The Minutemen ended the night 0-6 on the power play, while the Black Knights took advantage twice on the man-up opportunities, going 2-8.
The Black Knights controlled the play for most of the first period, scoring twice in the first ten minutes of the frame and outshooting UMass 11-7. Mark Dube scored his first goal of the year just four minutes into the frame on a rebound attempt. John Clark began the play with a shot from the point that was saved by Dainton, but the Minuteman defense could not clear the puck out of danger, and Dube gathered the loose puck and buried it past the senior netminder.
Army extended its lead to two near the midway mark of the period on another rebound attempt. Dainton saved Danny Colvin's shot with his upper body, and the puck floated up into the air where Bill Day finished the play for his first of the season.
The Minutemen started the pressure the puck following Army's second goal, and Troy Power nearly put UMass on the board with seven minutes to play and UMass on the power play when he had a point-blank chance in front of the net, but Leets was there to deny the Massachusetts opportunity. Michael Pereira had a chance of his own late in the period when he fired a shot from the slot that the crowd thought had crossed the goal line, but the puck rang off the post and into the corner.
Although the Minutemen outshot the Black Knights 12-7 and netted a goal during a wild second period, Army scored twice to take a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes of play. Bryant Skarda scored his team-leading third goal of the season 11 minutes into the frame after Conor Allen was assessed a five-minute major for hitting from behind. Pereira got UMass on the board just 28 seconds following the Black Knight goal when he hammered home a rebound off a Chase Langeraap shot.
The Black Knights took advantage of its extended power play, and made it 4-1 during a five-on-three man advantage with 4:32 to play in the period when Marcel Alvarez spotted alone to the left of the goal and threaded a pass through the UMass defense for the one-timer goal.
Army extended its lead eight minutes into the third period on a transition during a Black Knight power play. The Minutemen had a shorthanded opportunity when T.J. Syner found Darren Rowe in the slot. Rowe's shot was turned away by Leets, and Cody Omilusik picked up the loose puck and quickly went in alone on Dainton, shifted to his backhand and scored his third goal of the year.
Marc Concannon made it a three-goal came with six minutes left in regulation when he pounded home a loose puck after Rocco Carzo took a shot from a tough angle that squirted out of the reach of Leets.