A combined 33 penalties for 97 minutes in the rival match
After a terrific start to the season, UMass is 2-0 defeating both Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and defending national champion Boston University. After the second game, the UMass coaching staff was particularly pleased with the overall team discipline. The Minutemen were able to use their speed to draw penalties and pay with enough of an edge that kept the intensity up, but also the penalties down. The second positive is goaltending. Junior net minder Paul Dainton has played both games, surrendering only 2 goals in each of the games. Particularly against BU, he stepped up and made big saves when the game was tight and kept his team in the game despite being out shot severely in the third period. Other standouts so far are defensemen Matt Irwin who leads the team with three goals and forward Will Ortiz who has been all over the ice in an effective manner, and who got the game winner against BU.
The University of Maine came into the Mullins Center Friday night with a record of 1-3. The Minutemen were able to capitalize on a powerplay goal from Casey Wellman not even two minutes into the game. Wellman and James Marcou effectively used a cycle in the corner, in which Wellmen broke off the half wall towards the face-off dot then received a pass from Marcou and took a wrist shot that snuck through on the short side. Martin Nolet scored the second UMass goal with a wicked wrist shot from the top of the circle that beat the Maine goaltender Scott Darling, who would be pulled after the first period. The goal was assisted from Matt Irwin and David Boehm. After Maine managed to pull back within one, James Marcou scored off the rush with a shot, which took a couple bounces off the goalie and post before finding its way over the goal line. In the second period, Michael Marcou got his first NCAA goal on a three on one and a beautiful set up play by his brother James who used a lot of patience to draw in the defender and goalie then dish it off leaving Michael with a wide open net. In the third, TJ Syner deflected a Matt Irwin slap shot to make it 5-2 Minutemen, who eventually took the game 5-3.
There was a lot of action aside from scoring in the game, which was physical right from the start. Soon the physicality turned up the intensity and led to a few extra-curricular scrums, which led to a combined 97 penalty minutes on the night. The game was also the first career NCAA game for Kevin Czepiel of UMass. James Marcou was probably the best player on the ice as hi finished the game with one goal and three assists on the night. On a negative note, Maine freshman Adam Shemansky was taken off the ice on a stretcher in the second period after a dangerous collision with Martin Nolet. At the time he was conscious and did have feelings in all his extremities. Hopefully he will be able to make a full and complete recovery.
