Box Score SOUTH BOSTON, Mass. – Two late third period goals just 32 seconds apart proved to be the difference as the UMass Boston men's ice hockey team ended Norwich's bid for an undefeated Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East season with a 4-3 win in the regular season finale.
UMass Boston (21-3-1, 16-2-0 ECAC East) got goals from Mike Maciag and Peter MacIntyre in the final six minutes to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 victory for the Beacons at the Clark Athletic Center.
MacIntyre scored twice for UMass Boston and his second tally proved to be the difference after he was left all alone in front of the net and buried the puck past NU sophomore goalie Ty Reichenbach (Billings, Mont.) for the game-winning goal at 14:54 of the third period.
MacIntyre also opened the scoring in the game at the 8:21 mark of the first period when he scored on a rebound off assists from John Houston and Stephen Buco to give UMB a 1-0 lead.
Norwich (21-3-1, 17-1-0 ECAC East) answered back at the 14:02 mark of the first period with sophomore forward Tyler Piacentini (South Weymouth, Mass.) tallying his eighth goal of the season off a rebound on an initial shot by Bryce Currier (Essex Junction, Vt.). Piacentini roofed the rebound that came to him in the high slot to knot the game up at 1-1. Senior defenseman Alec Thieda (Rochester Hills, Mich.) also picked up an assist on the goal.
Norwich took the lead late in the second period with Currier scoring his first goal of the season with a wrist shot from the point that sailed over the shoulder of UMB junior goalie Billy Faust and popped the water bottle to make it 2-1 Cadets. Piacentini and Nick Pichette (Massena, N.Y.) picked up assists on the goal.
UMass Boston wasted little time tying up the game early in the third period with Tyler Bishop finally slipping the puck past Reichenbach off a scrum in front of the net off assists from Buco and MacIntyre.
Norwich regained the one-goal lead at the 8:17 mark of the third period with freshman forward Kevin Salvucci (Plymouth, Mass.) notching his fourth goal of the season off an assist from William Pelletier (St. Jean Chrysostome, Quebec) to put Norwich back on top 3-2.
However, UMass Boston took control from there with the late-game heroics from Maciag and MacIntyre to beat Norwich for the third time in the last four games at the Clark Athletic Center between the two teams.
Norwich outshot UMass Boston 35-31 for the game. Reichenbach made 27 saves and was saddled with his first loss ever in a Norwich uniform to fall to 11-1-1 on the year. Faust made 32 saves for UMass Boston to improve to 12-0-1 on the season.
Despite the loss, Norwich had already locked up its 17th straight ECAC East regular season title and the No. 1 seed for the ECAC East Tournament. The quarterfinal round begins next Saturday, Feb. 21 with the Cadets hosting either Southern Maine or Skidmore. The semifinals will be played the following weekend, Feb. 28 with the highest two remaining seeds hosting and then the final will be March 7 at the highest remaining seed.
