On the Friday before Halloween, the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink was officially filled for the first time. The stands were occupied by parents and enthusiastic students relaxing after a week of classes and exams.
It was Oct. 28, at 7 p.m.. and on top of the bleachers, senior students from UMass Boston wore suits and ties, along with beanies, supporting the new members of the team during their first game. On the ice, the Beacons confronted the Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth.
Fourteen minutes into the game, Jude Kurtas masterfully passed the puck to himself amidst an attempted block from the Corsairs, skating through center ice and shooting from the left face-off circle.
The puck bounced off the goalie’s leg pads and flew towards the right side of the ice. At that point, number 18, Grady Friedman, gained control of the puck, and shot a wrister through a pair of defenders and past the goalie’s right shoulder, scoring the first point for UMass Boston.
This is Friedman’s first goal as a Beacon. Bobby Beacon himself hopped along and cheered with the crowd for the first goal of the 2022-23 season (1).
During the final minute of the first, the Beacons slipped up in their defensive zone after a clear by UMass Dartmouth, as the Corsairs set up a pass in the slot from behind Best’s net, and scored their first goal shorthanded, tying the game 1–1.
The second period began with a vigorous save from UMass Boston’s goalie, Sam Best. At minute seven, Dartmouth’s number eight intercepted a Beacon pass and skated along the right side of the rink, passing to their number 17, who scored with determination and helped the Corsairs take the lead 2–1.
At minute 13, Beacon number 17, Mike Manzo, was crossing center ice and swung past Dartmouth as he made a pass to the Beacon front line and tried to score. Beacon number 28, Jazz Krivtsov, quickly moved near, and when the puck bounced right before the net, he took the opportunity and scored his first collegiate goal, tying the game at two.
During the third period, Dartmouth’s players stormed in the net, scoring a lead over UMass Boston. With only 40 seconds left in play, they scored a second goal, finalizing a score of 2–4, defeating the Beacons (2).
On Oct. 29, the Beacons took to the ice again as they confronted Curry College. Curry’s sophomore forward, Kevin Pitts, got the scoring started for Curry, just over six minutes into the game, after a pass from Curry senior, Nick Favaro.
Curry scored another two goals in the first period, beginning the first intermission with a 0–3 advantage over the Beacons.
During the second period, Beacon defender Pat Keegan looked to get the team back into the game, when Beacon forward, Andy Walker, passed it back to the the blue line and fired a wrist shot past Curry graduate goalie, Reid Cooper, to cut the deficit down to 3–1.
Curry College would heighten their lead, as Curry defenseman, Matt Connor, located Curry forward, Ellis Laaksonen, behind the Beacon’s defense and fired the puck past Best.
Curry left UMass Boston, defeating the Beacons, 5–1, scoring one last goal barely a minute before the end of the game (2).
Even though the Beacons had a few rough games, hopefully the supportive dynamic signature of UMass Boston’s teams will take hold as they start their conference games.
1. Men’s Ice Hockey vs. UMass Dartmouth Highlights (10/28/22) – YouTube
2. Men’s Ice Hockey Falls in Home Opener Against UMass Dartmouth – UMass Boston (beaconsathletics.com)
3. Men’s Ice Hockey Stifled By Curry College at Home – UMass Boston (beaconsathletics.com)