MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Jay Barriball netted a hat-trick in the first period to lead No. 15 Minnesota to a 5-4 win over UMass Hockey Friday night at Mariucci Arena. The Minutemen found themselves in a 3-0 hole after the first period before fighting back to make it a 4-3 game through 40 minutes of play. Minnesota native Anthony Raiola played in his first collegiate game, and scored his first career goal to spark the Minutemen in the second period. Paul Dainton got the start in goal for Massachusetts (0-2-0), making 10 saves before Jeff Teglia came on in relief midway through the first, making 18 saves. The Mass Attack will be back in action next Saturday when it will travel to Agganis Arena to take on Boston University at 7 PM.
UMass held a 36-33 shot advantage for the game, including a 29-16 lead in the final two periods. The Gophers (2-0-0) were 2-for-3 on the power play, while Kent Patterson made 32 saves in goal for Minnesota. The Minutemen went 0-for-5 on the man advantage.
The Gophers outshot Massachusetts 17-7 during the first period, and Barriball put Minnesota up 1-0 just four minutes into the frame with his second goal of the season. After being pursued in the corner of the UMass zone, Mike Hoeffel escaped the pressure and skated towards goal. Hoeffel put a weak backhand on net, but the rebound stayed loose atop the crease where Barriball finished off the play.
The Minutemen had two power play chances in the first stanza, and their best opportunity of the period came on its second man-advantage, when Danny Hobbs deeked Patterson to the ice before putting a low shot on goal. With Patteron sprawled across the bottom of the goal, Branden Gracel tried to bang home the rebound, but the puck sailed over the goal.
Minnesota went up 2-0 with 5:39 left in the period while on the power play. The Gophers moved the puck quickly during the man-advantage, and found a shot from Aaron Ness at the point that was blocked by T.J. Syner. The shot knocked the stick out of Syner's hands, and Ness pinched in from the blueline to poke the puck to Barriball before Syner could recover. Barriball received the pass at the left faceoff dot and one-timed it past Teglia for the score.
Barriball completed the hat trick with less than a minute left in the frame with Minnesota on the power play after Hoeffell skated out of the right corner and spotted Barriball alone on the left post for the one-timer through Teglia.
The Minutemen clawed their way back throughout the second period, scoring three times and outshooting the Gophers 12-6 for the period. Raiola got things rolling when he netted his first collegiate goal three minutes into the frame as he collected a faceoff win by Gracel and fired a slap shot that got through traffic and into the top right corner. Minnesota responded less than a minute later, however, as Jacob Cepis blocked a shot in the Gopher zone, sped in on Teglia and beat him five-hole.
UMass upped its intensity following the Minnesota score, and Conor Sheary brought it back to a two-goal game with 13 minutes left in the period during four-on-four play. After a shot from Conor Allen was blocked by the Gophers, Colin Shea kept the puck in the offensive zone and found Sheary in the slot. Sheary then wristed a shot through a Minnesota defenseman that beat Patterson short side for his first collegiate tally.
Michael Marcou cut the deficit to one with four minutes to play in the frame when he intercepted a breakout pass by a Minnesota defender and rocketed a shot from the top of the right faceoff dot that rang off the left post and into the back of the cage.
The Minutemen continued to apply pressure throughout the third period in an effort to knot the score, and Troy Power nearly tied the game at four early in the stanza when he took a pass from Hobbs on the doorstep with UMass on the power play, but Power's stick broke in his hands before he could get off a strong shot. The Gophers made it a two-goal game again 3:31 into the frame when Erik Haula wristed a shot from the left side that deflected off Teglia's glove and over the goal line.
UMass pulled Teglia with 2:59 left in regulation, and Syner made it a 5-4 game with less than two minutes left in the period when he took a shot from a tough angle that redirected off a skate and through Patterson.