BOSTON, Mass.—Freshman Garrison Sanipass (Northbrook, Ill.) snuck a shot just inside the post with 49 seconds to go in overtime, to lift #9/11 UMass Boston men's hockey to their third-straight win in Boston over #5/7 Norwich University, Friday night in front of a sell-out crowd at the Beacons Ice Arena.  

After holding leads of 2-0 and 3-2, the Beacons needed an extra 4:11 to defeat the Cadets in a huge early-season New England Hockey Conference matchup.

Junior Zach Lindsay (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) left the puck for Sanipass below the goal-line on the far side and the freshman charged towards the net, before wristing a shot just between the post and Ty Reichenbach's back for a 4-3 overtime winner.

Sanipass finished the game with a goal and an assist, in UMass Boston's first home game since October 30. The victory marked the Beacons' fourth win at home over a top-five Cadets squad in their past five chances.

Senior Alex Demchuk (Calgary, Alberta), junior Tyler Bishop (Ramsey, N.J.) and sophomore Colin Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) also scored for the Beacons.

Billy Faust (Alta Loma, Calif.) improved to 3-0 in his career against Norwich, by making 29 saves on 32 shots. The senior was at his best over the final 25 minutes, as he stopped 13 of 14 shots in the third period and added one stop in overtime.

Paul Russell (Andover, Mass.), Payton Baldillez (Arlington, Texas) and Nick Pichette (Massena, N.Y.) each scored for the Cadets, who dropped two games behind NEHC leading UMass Boston and Babson College. Norwich won 17-consecutive ECAC East Regular Season Titles, before the formation of the NEHC this October.

Reichenbach was superb in relief of Braeden Ostepchuk, as he made 15 of 16 stops over the final 36 minutes. Ostepchuk allowed three goals on 18 shots, as the Cadets dropped their second-straight contest.

UMass Boston got off to a roaring start, as they scored two goals 55-seconds apart midway through the first period. Demchuk scored his first collegiate goal at 7:39, off of passes from Mike Miller (Wrentham, Mass.) and David MacGregor (Asuza, Calif.).

Less than a minute later, senior Matt Lemire (Townsend, Mass.) picked the pocket of a Norwich defenseman and fed Larkin in front. Larkin calmly deked Ostephchuk, before depositing a back-hand shot just inside the near post.

The Cadets would respond on the power-play, as Russell fired home a blast at 18:02 off a pass from Austin Evans. Norwich tied the game 2:34 into the second stanza, with Baldillez scoring his first goal of the season on passes from Evans and Russell.

Bishop gave the Beacons' their second lead of the day at 8:11, off of a huge slapshot. Sanipass fed the junior defender, and Bishop uncorked a laser past Ostephcuk, after a lengthy windup.

Norwich answered back at 9:12 of the third period. Captain Austin Surowiec (Louisville, Ky.) fed Nick Pichette who sent a shot off a Beacon and through Faust's five-hole for a 3-3 tie.

The Cadets nearly won the game early in overtime, but the NEHC's leading scorer, Kevin Salvucci (Plymouth, Mass.), caught the crossbar.

Instead it was the Beacons' night, as Colucci and Lindsay battled to keep the puck in on the near side, before Sanipass scored his second game-winning goal of the season.

BY THE NUMBERS

UMass Boston outshot the Cadets 34-32 and held a 43-28 advantage on face-offs. The two teams combined for 30 blocked shots, with UMass Boston credited for 17. Norwich (1-for-5) scored the lone power-play goal of the game, while UMass Boston went 0-for-4. The Cadets' goal snapped a streak of 18-consecutive successful kills for the Beacons.

Norwich will travel to Babson College on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Babson Skating Rink.