THE BASICS:
- Score: Saint Michael's 3, Assumption 2
- Records: Saint Michael's (4-9-2, 4-1-1 NE10), Assumption (9-5-0, 2-4-0 NE10)
- Location: South Burlington, Vt. (Cairns Arena)
- The lead: The Assumption Greyhounds received two goals from freshman Devan Sheth (Ashland, Mass. / Islanders Hockey Club (USPHL Premier)), but could not find a way to defeat the Saint Michael's Purple Knights, losing 3-2 on Friday night in the team's first game back following a 35 day winter break.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
-Sheth scored his second goal with six seconds left in the game and with a man advantage thanks to the empty net for the Hounds. With the puck and a player from each team pressed against the boards, Assumption's Dante Maribito (Georgetown, Mass. / Phillips Academy (Prep)) found a way to get the puck to Sheth standing out front. With Saint Michael's goalie Hugo Turcotte out of place, Sheth easily put the puck into the back of the net to bring the Hounds to within one, 3-2, at the 19:54 mark. Unfortunately for the Hounds, it was the last bit of offense the team received before falling 3-2.
-The Purple Knights went up 3-1 at the 12:54 mark earlier in the period when Zach Sullivan scored his second goal of the game as part of a two-on-one attack into the offensive zone. After Sullivan took in a centering pass from teammate Sel Narby, Sullivan sent a blistering shot past Assumption goalie David Zulauf (Rochester, Mich. / Bridgton Academy (Prep)) glove side to give his team a two-goal advantage.
-Saint Michael's previously took the lead for good with just 42 seconds left in the second period at the 19:18 mark. Brandon Mitchell scored as part of a scrum inside the Assumption crease. After Saint Michael's bullied the puck from one post to the next, Mitchell eventually tapped it in to put his team up 2-1. This came just 43 seconds after Sheth tied the game at one for the Hounds. With his team short-handed, Sheth carried the puck down the right side and took the Purple Knights on, two-on-one. He fired a shot at Turcotte, who got a piece of the puck, but couldn't prevent it from trickling in, tying the game at one.
-The Purple Knights took the initial 1-0 lead at the 10:41 mark of the first period. Fresh off an Assumption power play and faceoff, Sullivan gathered the puck within a wide open, right-hand lane following a touch off the back wall. He then buried a hard shot past Zulauf's glove side for his first of two within the game.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Assumption outshot the Purple Knights 34-31. The Hounds were 0-for-5 on the power play, while Saint Michael's went 1-for-4. Matt Damelio (Rochester, N.Y. / Northwood (Prep)) had a team-high five shots on goal for the Hounds.
- Zulauf made made 28 saves on 31 shots but fell to 7-4 on the year for the Hounds. Turcotte made 32 saves on 34 shots for Saint Michael's and improved to 1-3-1.
-Sheth scored his second short-handed goal on the year. His first came against Becker back on October 28. Sheth now has five goals on the year, while his team has a conference-leading six short-handed goals.
UP NEXT:
-The Hounds will play game two of the weekend series with Saint Michael's tomorrow with puck set to drop at 4 p.m.
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