THE BASICS:
- Score: Assumption 5, Westfield St. 4
- Records: Assumption (9-4-0, 2-3-0 NE10), Westfield St. (3-5-2, 2-3-0 MASCAC)
- Location: Westfield, Mass. (Amelia Park Ice Arena)
- The lead: Brendan Philippon (Salem, N.H. / Philadelphia Flyers (USPHL Premier)) scored with 19 seconds left in the third period and the Assumption Greyhounds scored two unanswered goals in the final two minutes in a thrilling 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Westfield St. on Thursday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
-With 19 seconds left in the game and tied at four, Philippon gathered a well-placed pass from teammates Dante Maribito (Georgetown, Mass. / Phillips Academy) and Robert Holyoke (Middleboro, Mass. / South Shore Kings (USPHL Premier)) and put the puck into the back of the net to give his team the 5-4 lead and eventual win. The goal was Philippon's second point of the game, who also assisted Robert Roche (Holden, Mass. / Tri City Storm (USHL)) in the first period on a power play goal with 48 seconds left in the period.
-Dante Tomassini (North Branford, Conn. / Connecticut Jr. Wolfpack (EHL)) tied the game at the 18:51 mark, exactly 50 seconds before Philippon's goal. Tomassini scored while short-handed, putting a blistering shot past Westfield St. goalie Thierry Messervier to tie the game at four. This came after the Owls took at 4-3 lead with 5:41 left in the period thanks to a goal by Daniel Backstrom. Elliott McGuire (Lowell, Mass. / Truro Bearcats (MJAHL)) tied the game at three at the 9:09 mark with his first collegiate goal.
-The Owls held a 3-1 lead at one point in the second period thanks to three straight goals. Lenny Caglianone tied the game at one at the 4:01 mark, while Aaron Clancy gave his team the lead at the 8:37 mark. Jake Ratcliffe put the Owls up 3-1 on a power play goal with 8:08 left in the period. Assumption closed the gap to one by the end of the second period on a power play goal by Maribito to make it 3-2.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Assumption outshot the Owls 30-26. The Hounds were 2-for-7 on the power play, while Westfield St. was 1-for-5. Philippon and Ryan Loranger (Billerica, Mass. / Middlesex Black Bears (Prep)) shared a team-high four shots on goal
- David Zulauf (Rochester, Mich. / Bridgton Academy (Prep)) made 22 saves on 26 shots and improved to 7-3 on the year. Messervier made 25 saves on 30 shots but fell to 3-4-2 on the year.
-Maribito led the team with one goal and two assists. Thursday marked Maribito's third time he netted multiple points in a game.
-Philippon has now scored in each of his last three games and has scored four goals in his last five. He has also raked up six points during that span and has nine points in his last seven games. Roche now has three points in his last three games (one goal, two assists) and eight points in his last seven games.
UP NEXT:
-The Hounds now commence a 35 day break. The Hounds will travel to Saint Michael's on Friday, January 11, in a back-to-back weekend series against the Purple Knights.
STAY CONNECTED:
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