The sixth ranked Beacons looked like they may be facing a challenge when the Skidmore Thoroughbreds tied their first round postseason game at one early in the first period. However, looks can be deceiving.
The University of Massachusetts Boston slammed Skidmore in virtually every aspect of the game, cruising to an 11-1 win. The 22-3-1 Beacons are the two-seed in the ECAC East Tournament and have a home date with eleventh ranked Babson in the ECAC East Semis coming up on Saturday.
After securing a 2-1 lead after the first period, the Beacons really began pouring it on in the second, with goals from Josh Haverstrom, Nathan Milam, John Houston, and Stephen Buco. They added to the 6-1 lead in the third frame, when they scored five goals in 12 minutes. Frankie DeAugustine scored twice and Connor McStravick, Buco, and Jeremy Finger added goals en route to the ten-goal win.
Perhaps the most telling statistic is that the Beacons outshot the thoroughbreds 56-24. They were unrelenting all night, and they also took advantage of their ten power-play opportunities, scoring on four of them. Billy Faust saved 23 of the 24 shots that he faced. The Beacons also dominated the face-off dot, 40-30.
With any playoff game, the focus is on advancing to the next round, but the Beacons must have known what awaited them if they won. Babson is one of their fiercest rivals and the Beacons split a home and home series with the Beavers this season. In the win, freshman star Colin Larkin scored twice, including the game winner in OT to secure a 4-3 win. That game started a win-streak for the Beacons, which has lasted for more than a month and now stands at eight games. They’ve have good seasons before, but something seems different about this group. They’ve beaten both Norwich and Babson and they now have two victories by double digit margins, which is unheard of. They’ll host the Beavers at 4 p.m. on their home ice, with a chance to advance to the ECAC East Finals and a possible NCAA Tournament berth on the line.