Auburn, ME – Men's Hockey completed a perfect 8-0 weekend for Mustangs athletics after coming from behind for a 6-5 victory over the Wentworth Institute of Technology. CMCC rallied in the third period to set up an overtime game-winner for first year forward Mikita Kalmykov, in a penalty-filled contest against the side from the NECHA South Division.

"I think we've showed that we can overcome adversity," said head coach Jordy Knoren after his team's fifth straight one-goal game. "It's good for our guys. When it comes to ACHA playoff hockey it's always single elimination. So, I think this early in the season getting those kinds of games is huge. It does take a lot out of our team both physically and mentally, but I'm really proud of our guys."

The Leopards jumped out to a 2-0 lead midway through the first period thanks to goals by Carlos Botelho and Jack Connolly. The Mustangs all-Lewiston High School line combined to cut the score to 2-1 with 3:11 left in the frame. Dylan Blue backhanded a pass in front from behind the net to Michael Belleau, and the forward put a pass across the slot to fellow alternate captain Evan Knowlton who buried his one-timer.

Blue was also the catalyst Central Maine's tying goal. Colby Pawson absorbed a check to slide a pass over to the winger, who rifled a shot from the right circle off the stick of goaltender Rylan Tellier. The rebound deflected up and senior forward Cody Ivey batted it out of midair, getting just enough on the puck to bounce it over the blocker and into the net. The Winslow, ME native's tally made it 2-2 with 46 seconds left before the intermission.

CMCC took a 3-2 lead 6:16 into the second. Zach Jones won a battle behind the net and got the puck over to Belleau. The centerman pivoted beside the net with very little angle, and somehow snapped a wrist shot inside the far post over the goaltender who was down in the RVH.

That was when the parade to the penalty box started. Ivey received a five-minute major for a hit from behind and captain Zach Mitton followed him with a hooking minor soon after. The Mustangs desperately tried to kill off the lengthy five-on-three power play, with Blue making several brave blocks while playing without a broken stick. Goaltender Sebastian Couturier showcased his flexibility with a number of solid pad saves, but WIT finally broke through on a scramble at the top of crease with Michael Corbett knocking in the equalizer.

Kalmykov received yet another hooking minor a minute later setting up a second power play goal, albeit in controversial fashion. Couturier stopped a Nathan Johnson shot at the side of the net and appeared to have the puck covered between his pads. However, the referee did not blow the play dead, and Johnson gave the netminder a solid whack to propel the puck across the goal line to make it 4-3 at the 13:37 mark.

Head coach Jordy Knoren picked up a two-minute bench minor for arguing the call giving the Mustangs 11 penalty minutes in the period. The hosts did get a power play chance of their own late on but found themselves fishing the puck out of their own net with 3:52 left. Jake Klakotskiy forced a turnover in his defensive zone and set up Colin McIver for a two-on-one odd-man rush. The forward buried his wrist shot making it 5-3 Wentworth IT heading into the locker room.

Needing a big come-from-behind effort to get back into the contest, Colby Pawson cut the deficit down to one with a goal 5:43 into the third. Aaron Higgins' snap shot from the high slot was blocked, but fell kindly to Pawson between the hashmarks. The Messalonskee High School product put his shot top shelf for his seventh of the season.

With time winding down, the Mustangs mounted a final onslaught of shots to try and tie the game. Ivey was somehow denied on the doorstep by a desperation save from Tellier, but made amends a few seconds later. Brody Keefe sent a shot from the right point wide, but the carom off the glass came directly to the back post where Ivey was waiting. The senior quickly gloved the puck down before smacking a shot into the back of the net past the sprawling goaltender to make it 5-5 with 1:41 left on the clock.

That sent the game to overtime and set the stage for Kalmykov's heroics. Ivey picked up his fourth point of the night when he cruised into the zone and dropped a pass behind him for the Belarusian forward. Kalmykov snapped a wrist shot from the slot through a screen and over the goaltender's blocker to set off the celebration just 1:48 into the three-on-three extra frame. It was his 11^th goal of the campaign.

Ivey finished with two goals and two assists for his sixth multi-point game of the year. Blue and Jonathan Rioux each racked up two assists while Knowlton and Pawson both had a goal and a helper in the game. Higgins settled for an assist despite his 14 shots, marking only the fifth time all season an opponent kept him from scoring.

The victory improves the Mustangs to 14-5 heading into their final game of the first semester, when they take on UMass-Amherst on the road on Saturday, December 14^th. CMCC and Wentworth IT face each other again in Central Maine's regular season finale, down in Massachusetts on February 8^th.