AMHERST, Mass. - On the back of a game-winning power-play goal from senior Darren Rowe (Simi Valley, Calif.) in overtime, the UMass hockey team handed No. 9 New Hampshire its first loss of the season by a 2-1 margin at the Mullins Center on Friday night. The victory, which marked head coach John Micheletto's first Hockey East win of his career, improves the Minutemen to 2-3-0 overall, 1-3-0 in the conference, while the Wildcats fall to 4-1-1 overall and 2-1-1 in Hockey East action.
Five different UMass players tallied the teams' six points, including two assists for junior Conor Allen (Chicago, Ill.), his second and third of the season.
In the first period, where offensive opportunities were sparse, UNH notched the opening goal of the evening in the final seconds of the stanza to lead, 1-0 at the first intermission. Kevin Goumas picked off a clearing attempt along the boards and fired it at the UMass net. While the initial shot was stopped by sophomore Kevin Boyle (Manalapan, N.J.), the rebound came to Greg Burke and he sent it in to the back of the net at the 19:26 mark.
Midway through the second, the Minutemen came up with the equalizer. Allen dug the puck out of the corner and sent it up to redshirt sophomore Steven Guzzo (Oakville, Ont.). Guzzo chipped it ahead to junior Conor Sheary (Melrose, Mass.) who wristed it past Casey DeSmith for his first of the season 12:21 into the frame.
After a scoreless third that saw UMass lead in shots, 13-8, and record the bulk of the opportunities, the teams headed to the extra period deadlocked at 1-1.
Then with a power play in overtime and the faceoff in the offensive zone, the Minutemen called timeout with 1:59 remaining. Sheary won the faceoff and sent it down to Allen behind the net, who fed freshman Shane Walsh (West Roxbury, Mass.) in the circle to the left of the goal. Walsh sent a cross-ice pass to over to Rowe for the backdoor shot and score, his third tally of the season. The faceoff victory was Sheary's seventh of the night, as he finished the contest 7-0 over the dots.
UMass out-shot UNH, 36-26 and won 41-of-64 faceoffs, while holding the Wildcats to a 0-for-3 evening with a man advantage. Boyle made 25 saves in his second win of the season (2-1-0), while DeSmith stopped 34 in the setback (4-1-1).
The Minutemen next travel to No. 1 Boston College on Sunday, Nov. 4, for a 4 p.m. puck drop at Conte Forum.