The Minutemen handed the Big Green their first home loss in a 3-2 win capped by a game-winner from tournament MVP Branden Gracel.
Branden Gracel's third-period goal Monday locked up a tournament title for UMass and an MVP honor for him.
By BRUCE WOOD
HANOVER, N.H. – Branden Gracel’s power-play goal in the third period proved to be the game-winner as the University of Massachusetts hockey team closed out 2012 with a wild 3-2 win over Dartmouth in the championship of the Ledyard National Bank Classic on Monday night.
Shane Walsh and Conor Sheary collected the assists as UMass (7-9-2) handed the Big Green – the No. 8 team in the latest national poll – their first home loss in a game that featured 23 penalties.
“It was disjointed, emotional, electric,” UMass coach John Micheletto said. “Obviously it’s championship hockey, whether it’s in a holiday tournament or in season – there’s a lot on the line. Both teams were really fired up. There was good spirited play and some interesting calls both ways.”
The Minutemen trailed 2-1 at the end of an opening period that easily could have ended with them either tied or trailing by multiple goals. UMass got on the board first with a power-play goal from Sheary on a shot from the point just 3:04 in. Conor Allen and Gracel collected assists.
Dartmouth (8-3-2) knotted the score at 9:50 on a tally with 16 seconds left on a power play before the craziness started. UMass appeared to have taken a 2-1 lead at 10:15 only to have the goal disallowed after a review revealed goalie obstruction.
After the home team took a 2-1 lead, UMass had a golden opportunity to even the score when a deflected shot sat on Dartmouth goalie Cab Morris’ shoulder for several seconds. But the whistle blew before the puck fell and was tapped into the net. Dartmouth put the puck in the net with 22 seconds remaining in the first, but like UMass earlier in the period, had the goal disallowed for goaltender interference.
The Minutemen’s Joel Hanley was given a game-misconduct penalty for yanking the facemask of a Dartmouth player during the scrum in front of the net.
The Minutemen tied the game with a shorthanded goal at 9:50 of the second when Eddie Olczyk ended a 53-game scoring drought by flying down the right side and beating the Big Green goalie over his blocker.
UMass finished the second and started the third on the decisive power play after Dartmouth’s Tim O’Brien was given a game misconduct at 16:10 of the second, leading to tournament MVP Gracel’s winning goal.
“The one thing I wanted the guys to focus in on was it wasn’t going to be a tic-tac-toe, toe-drag snipe, picture-perfect goal that was going to win the game,” Micheletto said. “It was going to be an ugly, garbage, bang-it-home, goal-mouth scrum.”
Whatever it was, it sure looked pretty to the UMass coach.
“I know that the scoreboard paints no pictures,” he said.
NOTES: Massachusetts returns to action Jan. 11 at home against Providence in a Hockey East game ... Olczyk and goalie Kevin Boyle (26 saves) made the All-Tournament team ... The University of New Hampshire won the consolation game 3-2 over Bemidji State, scoring at 2:08 of overtime to take third place.