Auburn, ME - Zac Brown finished off a picture perfect Austin Taylor feed with 1:45 remaining in overtime to give the Central Maine Community College hockey club a spirited 5-4 victory over visiting Wentworth Institute of Technology on Sunday afternoon at Norway Savings Bank Arena. The goal capped off a topsy-turvy afternoon that saw the Mustangs surrender three separate leads before ultimately taking the lead for good on the final shot of the contest.
After the Leopards took the reverse fixture by a 4-2 count just nine days prior the anticipation was palpable heading into the rematch. The teams played with plenty of vigor in the first period, but neither team could break the ice. Central Maine goalkeeper Ben Feldman, who had started his college career at 0-3-0, took the reigns for the home side and turned aside all nine shots he faced in the first. Justin DiPlatzi, playing in just his second contest of the year, turned away eight Central Maine attempts in the opening period.
"It was kind of a sleepy first period," said Mustangs head coach Matt Buotte. "Either team could've had a goal or two but overall it was just kind of stagnant, we weren't really pushing or generating the way we wanted."
The game finally saw a breakthrough 3:43 into the second period. Warren Karlberg would cut to the middle after the Central Maine forecheck forced a turnover, with Trevor Roche finding Karlberg darting through the slot. Karlberg collected the pass and ripped a wrist shot past DiPlatzi while falling down to give the Mustangs a 1-0 advantage.
The game's largest flash point would come with 6:15 remaining in the second period. Mustangs forward Tanner Garand would be ejected on a controversial hit to the head penalty on an explosive open ice hit at center ice. Garand would receive a five minute major for the penalty and a game disqualification and the Mustangs would receive a bench minor for disputing the play before head coach Matt Buotte would be ejected defending Garand. The lack of discipline left the Mustangs with a full two minutes of 5-on-3 disadvantage to kill and without one of their most effective forwards for the remainder of the evening.
It would take the Leopards a mere 12 seconds to make the Mustangs pay. Matthew Nardone walked in and ripped a wrist shot past Feldman to level the score at one, with Ryan Freker and Matt Shea adding assists on the play.
"The whole situation was unfortunate," said Buotte afterward. "I've seen the video a few times, but I have that luxury. We didn't feel it was the appropriate call at the time and it's a fast game so the officials are forced to make tough, quick decision. We want our guys to play the right way and we don't want to be undisciplined, but we want them to play hard. Tanner is a hard-nosed player but he plays the game the right way. I'm disappointed in myself for reacting the way that I did, which lead to the 5-on-3. I've got to be better. At the end of the day I'm glad that everyone was okay and we were able to find our footing again afterward."
The game-tying goal seemed to galvanize the home side. First, Trevor Olivier was denied on a shorthanded breakway after seeing his backhand deke denied by DiPlatzi. Then, moments later, Karlberg would spring a 2-on-1 that saw him make a picture-perfect feed to defenseman Dylan Demers, who had joined the rush. He one-timed a snap shot past a sprawling DiPlatzi to give the Mustangs a 2-1 advantage with 4:30 to go in the second period. The shorthanded goal was Demers 5th tally of the season. The Mustangs would go on to kill the remainder of Garand's five minute major and the score would hold through the remainder of the second period.
The Mustangs, looking to snap a four game winless streak, would extend their lead just :43 into the third. Austin Taylor would redirect a Shawn Sullivan shot past DiPlatizi to give the hosts a two goal cushion. Warren Karlberg added his second assist of the evening on the play.
The two goal cushion wouldn't last long, however, as the Leopards offense would push back immediately. At the 2:33 mark of the third Josh Benoit would pull the Leopards back within one, with Max Ward grabbing the lone assist on the play. Then, after a failed clear, Zack Varney would pounce on the a loose puck in the slot and slip it past Feldman to level the game at 3. The goals came just 1:18 apart and in the blink of an eye the teams were on even terms again.
The see-saw battle would continue, however, as the Mustangs would regain the lead for the third time with 12:21 remaining in the third. Sean Coleman would break away from the Leopards defense, flying in on a 2-on-1 with Zac Brown, before slipping the pass to his linemate who squeaked the puck past DiPlatzi for his second goal of the year.
After the Mustangs killed off a Noah Buiniskas interference minor with 8:37 to go, the Mustangs penalty kill would finally be broken with just over 3 minutes remaining. Maine native Chris Vallee would bury a power play tally for the Leopards after the Mustangs had nearly killed the entirety of a Riley Lavoie cross-checking minor. After several failed clears, Vallee jammed a loose puck past Feldman to level the game at four and set the stage for a thrilling overtime period.
Just a minute into the period Mustangs forward Austin Taylor would be whistled for a slashing penalty in the offensive zone, sending a potent Leopards team to the power play yet again.
"I would have killed him if they scored," joked assistant coach Lane Feldman, who had taken over after Buotte's dismissal. "Thankfully they didn't."
Ben Feldman turned aside several shots, including a Zack Varney attempt from the high slot that would have sent Wentworth home victorious. Central Maine would claw their way through the entire penalty kill and escape unscathed, setting the stage for a dramatic conclusion.
Austin Taylor, just seconds removed from the box, would take a Shawn Sullivan clearance and race in alone on goal. Taylor, forced wide by the Wentworth defense, would carry the puck around DiPlatzi's cage while all three Wentworth defenders fixated on him as he held the puck patiently. Then, with DiPlatzi still facing the corner, he softly slid a pass to linemate Zac Brown who fired the puck into an empty cage before DiPlatzi knew where the shot was coming from. It was Brown's second of the night and third of the season and sparked a chaotic celebration on the ice in front of the Mustangs faithful.
"After I took the penalty I was sitting in the box praying they wouldn't score on the power play," said Taylor of the final moments. "I remember thinking to myself that if they kill it of I was going to go out there and get the puck and take it into my own hands to get this huge home win for the boys."
The goal capped a massive 1-0-1 weekend for the Mustangs, who split the season series with a Wentworth club ranked 8th in the Atlantic region heading into the contest.
"After having a rough few weekends on the road this was a huge morale boost for us as a team and community," continued Taylor. "It gave us the hope we needed and it proved to us that we are capable of winning close games. After all the hard work and close games we've been through on the road there was no better feeling than getting that home win after being on the road for what felt like forever."
The Mustangs power play went 0-for-7 in the win while the Leopards finished 1-for-7, with Wentworth holding a 34-20 shots on goal advantage. Ben Feldman turned aside 30 shots in his first collegiate victory.
"I'm so proud of Benny," said Buotte of his goaltender's performance. "He has been searching for a game like that for a while. The guys wanted him to get that first win off his back. We have two great goalies and Ben is a huge part of that. We want to see him keep building on it. We couldn't have done it without him tonight and it was great to see."
There will be no rest for the Mustangs, however, as they will pack their bags for a two game road swing this coming weekend. The club heads to Henniker, New Hampshire on Saturday for a non-league exhibition with New England College before traveling south to play #7 Coast Guard Academy on Sunday afternoon in Dayton, Connecticut. The team will next return home for an exciting weekend of hockey to wrap up the first semester when they host Suffolk on December 7th at 7:00 p.m. followed by the University of New England on Sunday, December 8th, at 4:00.
