UMass Boston’s men’s hockey team came back with a bang as they took to the ice Jan. 24 and 25 for back-to-back affairs against the Vermont State Castleton Spartans. The first match resulted in a 5-5 draw and the rematch saw a Beacons 5-4 win.
On Jan. 24, the Spartans opened the scoring, but their lead was short-lived as sophomore Jack Ford shot one home for the Beacons, evening up the score. Ford’s goal soon paved the way for sophomore Chris Repmann to net one of his own, assisted by seniors Koyle Bankauskas and Mike Krupinski, giving the Beacons a lead of 2-1.
The second period saw another goal each from Repmann and Ford, bringing the Beacons up to a 4-1 lead. But the celebration was cut short as the Spartans narrowed it to 4-2 with just 16 seconds on the clock.
The third period kicked off with freshman Jacob Roberson netting the puck to give UMass Boston, once again, a three goal lead at 5-2. What seemed like an already-won game soon turned against the Beacons late in the third period. The Spartans picked up their pace and leveled the ice.
After three straight Spartan goals, the game resulted in a 5-5 draw, and overtime failed to deliver a winner. The game went into a shootout, which does not affect their record, and senior Jude Kurtas and junior Tyler Drummond cashed in their chances, giving the Beacons a shootout victory.
The rematch that followed saw a determined team that had just had a taste of their potential.
Although the Spartans were the first to light up the scoreboard, their victory lap was short-lived as Repmann once again stepped in and successfully scored UMass Boston’s first goal of the game, bringing them to a 1-1 tie.
In the second period, Bankauskas, assisted by Kurtas and graduate player Kevin Sadovski, gave the Beacons a 2-1 lead. The Spartans were quick to retaliate with a goal of their own, ending the second period in a tie.
The third period saw both teams face each other head-on, with more back and forth. A goal from sophomore Jack Mortson reinstated the Beacons’ lead, but with a bit of power-play help and a showcase of their strengths, the Spartans succeeded in pulling ahead with two more goals.
The Beacons were quick to respond as Ford netted his third goal of the weekend. With the clock ticking on the Beacons, Krupinski managed to find the back of the Spartans’ net with the help of Repmann and freshman Michael Lynch.
This resulted in a 5-4 win for the team with just 10 seconds remaining.
This weekend was instrumental in clearing the road to the New England Hockey conference for the Beacons — but there’s a long road ahead.