After an unfortunate loss against UMass Dartmouth in their season opener, UMass Boston Men’s Hockey took over the ice once again in an away game faced with an opponent ranked among the top 10 squads in the nation, Curry College. The team started off strong with a hot start against a dominant opponent and finished the match with a hard-earned draw.
The Beacons were swift in testing the caliber of the Curry goaltending. A few failed attempts later, Jude Kurtas wasted no time once he received the puck from teammate Chris Reppman, and successfully hit the back of the net, giving the Beacons a 1–0 lead just six minutes into the game. Just a few minutes later into the game, Koyle Bankauskas, under the assistance of Captain Gino Carabelli and Reppman, netted the second goal for the Beacons, changing the trajectory by giving the Beacons an unexpected 2–0 lead.
This proved to be a game changer for the team, as it helped them exert pressure on their powerful opponent, rendering them powerless and pinning their backs to the end boards. The second frame was a battle between the goaltenders, as both teams strived to score. Curry was desperate to turn the tables, which resulted in a fierce attempt to test the Beacons’ defense. The goaltenders stood their ground and put up a strong front, crushing the Colonels’ hopes of neutralizing the game. Reppman took matters into his own hands, scoring a third goal without any assistance, giving the Beacons a 3–0 lead.
The Colonels were quick to retaliate and scored their first goal of the match. However, just when things started looking up for Curry College, Owen Boudrow potted a goal of his own, retaining the three-goal lead. The score became 4–1 in favor of the Beacons before heading into the third.
In the third period, the Colonels proved why they were one of the top squads in the nation. They took matters into their own hands, going hard on offense and netted three consecutive goals and accomplished their goal in neutralizing the game.
This match helped put a lot of things in perspective for the Beacons. While proving that they have come a long way from the team that they were, their goaltending is still in need of desperate work. They tried their best to score when the match went into overtime and wagered three shots in a span of five minutes. At the same time, they left no scope for the Colonels to score either, as their defense was on point and stepped up during the most crucial point of the game, leaving it to end in a tie.
Overall, the Beacons jumped straight into offense when they took the ice, which was new as last season their defensive play was more emphasized. This season they have stepped up their defensive play while taking the offense to a whole new level. They can be seen opening matches and making the first move, which is an immense improvement from their last season.
Even though the Beacons have yet to pick up the pace, the team is making steady progress on the offensive front. They are moving towards their goal step by step, and though they are moving slow and steady, UMass Boston is going to turn the tides eventually. There is nothing the team lacks; physically, they know how to put up a strong front, and mentally, they are committed to the game. Their passion towards the sport makes them stand out amongst their opponents, and their hunger to win pushes them to give their best on the rink. They are fierce, fast and here to make a statement; 2022 is a thing of the past for the Beacons, and they’ve redefined themselves as a resilient squad with a revamped offense. If anything, their setbacks last season caused a change of play for the Beacons, and so far, things have worked out well for them.
