Auburn, ME – CMCC Men's Hockey celebrated its graduating players in style, beating Curry College 8-1 on Saturday night at Norway Savings Bank Arena. Seven different players scored for the Mustangs to complete a season sweep of the Colonels and clinch a playoff spot in the NorthEast Collegiate Hockey Association's Colonial North division.
Diego Alonso, Sebastian Couturier, Gage Ducharme, Jake Harshman, Brody Keefe, and Evan Knowlton were honored by the team before puck drop, as they prepare to graduate at the end of the year. All four skaters and goaltender Couturier were named to the starting lineup with Ducharme getting some ice time as well at the end of the game. All six were part of the program's first conference title and trip to the ACHA national tournament in 2024.
Central Maine peppered Curry starting goaltender Andrew Ladd in the first period, putting 17 shots on net. Despite the pressure and a slew of minor penalties, the game stayed scoreless through the opening frame.
The six penalties called in the first 20 minutes was just a preview of things to come. Referees James Riley and Chris Parsons whistled seven more infractions in the second, with both teams taking advantage to score on the power play.
Cody Ivey opened the scoring at the 1:09 mark. Aaron Higgins dished the puck to the Winslow High School product in the left circle and Ivey buried a shot short side for a 1-0 lead.
Harshman then tallied his first goal of the season four minutes later to make the night even more special for the defenseman out of Loveland, CO. Captain Alonso dropped the puck back to him in the zone and Harshman's quick wrister zipped past a screened Ladd and into the back of the net.
Curry pulled one back in the final minute of the period in controversial fashion. Brett Driscoll registered a powerplay goal by splitting the defense on the rush before getting a shot off from the crease. However, the puck did not appear to cross the line with Couturier holding his post, only for the referee to point to the net and signal for a goal.
There was still enough time for the Mustangs to grab a powerplay strike of their own before the intermission. Knowlton set up Heath McLean in the high slot. The defenseman ripped a shot inside the post to restore the two-goal cushion with 22 seconds left in the period.
Central Maine upped the pressure in the third, outshooting Curry 23-9. Higgins scored twice in the first 8:24 to make it 5-1. His first came from crashing the net to knock home a Knowlton rebound on the backhand. The Falmouth, ME native then deked his way past the Colonels defense before roofing a shot past Ladd, making it 24 goals on the season for #24.
Captain Zach Mitton, a former high school teammate of Higgins, added a powerplay goal just before the midway point of the frame. The defenseman's shot from the high slot beat the screened goaltender up high for a 6-1 lead with 10:06 remaining.
Head coach Jordy Knoren gave back-up goaltender Ducharme his due, swapping in the Edward Little Red Eddies product for the remainder of the game. The Mustangs kept the celebratory atmosphere going with another strike less than a minute later. Ethan Blue tallied his second point in a Central Maine jersey with a powerful shot from the left point that twin brother Dylan redirected out of mid-air and into the top corner.
The third period also featured plenty of penalties with Driscoll receiving a five-minute major and a game misconduct for contact to the head on Mitton with 4:46 to play. CMCC skated the rest of the game with a man advantage and wrapped up the scoring with two minutes to play.
Mikita Kalmykov scored the team's fourth powerplay goal of the night with a bit of puck luck. The forward from Belarus got to the edge of the left circle and attempted to backhand a pass across the slot for a crashing Dylan Blue. However, it deflected off a defenseman's stick and past backup goalie Camden Priebe for an 8-1 final score. It was Kalmykov's 16th of the season putting him second on the team in goals.
The teams combined for 57 penalty minutes. CMCC was 4-for-11 on the power play while Curry went 1-for-8. Couturier made 20 saves to pick up his ninth win of the season with Ducharme making 3 stops in relief.
