Walpole, MA – The CMCC Men's Hockey team jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Curry College before holding on for a 5-4 win over the Colonels on Friday night in Massachusetts. Five different players scored for the Mustangs and captain Diego Alonso posted two assists in the victory.
Aaron Higgins opened the scoring 9:32 into the first period to add to his team-leading goal haul. It was the 20th tally of the season for the Seacoast Performance Academy 18U product, giving him twice as many goals as his nearest teammate.
The Mustangs got their first shorthanded goal of the season with 4:32 left in the frame. Both of the team's alternate captains from Lewiston, ME set it up. Evan Knowlton forced a turnover on the forecheck and Michael Belleau raced onto the loose puck. The North Yarmouth Academy graduate still had a lot to do after being tied up in the corner, but he managed to wriggle free and cut to the right circle before snapping home a wrist shot to make it 2-0.
Will Galligan made it 3-0 early in the second. Heath McLean sent a pass down the left wing to the forward to trigger a two-on-one. The defenseman covered the passing lane allowing Galligan to set his sights before roofing a shot over the goaltender's blocker for his fifth of the season.
It was 4-0 with six minutes left in the period. Cody Ivey tallied a power play goal with a strike from the left point. The senior forward somehow got his shot through traffic while falling over near the blue line, before getting mobbed by his teammates.
Curry College responded by cutting the deficit in half before the intermission. Marc Calheta scored with four minutes remaining to make it 4-1, and Zakhar Potyatnnik with 32 seconds remaining after weaving his way forward on an end-to-end rush and beating goaltender Ryan Becker from the left circle.
Ayden O'Connor scored on a breakaway five minutes into the third period to make it 4-3 and really put the pressure on the Mustangs. Emmit Sullivan restored the two-goal advantage midway through the period. The Gorham, ME native slipped a rising wrist shot around a screen at the top of the slot to beat a surprised Andrew Ladd in net and make it 5-3.
The drama wasn't over yet, as O'Connor scored his second of the night with two minutes remaining. The forward knocked in a power play goal on a rebound in the slot to set up a frantic finish. However, Central Maine would make some key blocks and clear the puck when needed to preserve the 5-4 victory.
CMCC outshot Curry 64-24 on the night with Higgins leading the way with 12 shots on his own. The Mustangs improve to 12-5 on the year as they head into the Thanksgiving break. The team is next in action back at home on Friday, December 6th when they host the Coast Guard Academy. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 pm.
