NEW HAMPSHIRE PICKS UP 4-4 TIE AT COLORADO COLLEGE
Sophomore forward Casey Thrush nets two goals for Wildcats

Sophomore forward Casey Thrush scored two goals for the Wildcats

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Casey Thrush (Easton, Md.) scored a pair of goals to lift the third-ranked University of New Hampshire men's hockey team to Friday night's 4-4 overtime tie with No. 14 Colorado College in a non-conference tilt at World Arena.

UNH, which is now 4-0-1 in the last five games, moves to 8-1-2 overall. Colorado College is now 7-5-1. The Wildcats are 7-0-1 in the last eight games with CC and are 10-1-1 over the last 12 games with the Tigers.

The Wildcats scored the game's first four goals in just over 30 minutes of play. The Tigers stormed back with the game's final four goals.

In addition to Thrush, Kevin Goumas (Long Beach, N.Y.) handed out a pair of assists, while Trevor van Riemsdyk (Middletown, N.J.) and Scott Pavelski (Plover, Wis.) scored for the Wildcats.

Trailing 4-2 heading into the third, CC netted two goals in a span of 1:57 late in the period to tie it. The Wildcats held its two-goal lead for most of period, but the Tigers trimmed it to 4-3 with 3:32 left in the third period. Rylan Schwartz scored on the rebound of an Archie Skalbeck shot. William Rapuzzi also assisted on the goal. CC got the equalizer at 18:05 of the third as Rapuzzi scored with assists from Skalbeck and Boivin. UNH held a slim 14-12 shot advantage in the frame.

In overtime, New Hampshire dominated play with grade A bids by Goumas, Dalton Speelman (San Jose, Calif.) and John Henrion (Holden, Mass.) that was all denied by CC's relief netminder Joe Howe.

UNH struck early as Thrush scored his first goal of the season on the rebound of a Maxim Gaudreault (Annapolis, Md.) shot. Brett Pesce (Tarrytown, N.Y.) made the outlet pass to Gaudreault and was credit with his first collegiate assist at just 1:58 of the first period. The Wildcats doubled the lead as van Riemsdyk scored from neutral ice on a slapshot that CC netminder Josh Thorimbert struggled to control. Goumas and Nick Sorkin (Rockville, Md.) added assists on the goal at 10:49 of the first to make it 2-0. UNH kept the pressure on in the remainder of the period, but did add to its lead. The 'Cats held a 16-8 shot advantage in the period and went 0-1 on the power play.

New Hampshire added to its lead just 2:01 into the second period as Thrush scored his second of the net on a wrister from the center slot that beat Thorimbert high glove side to make it 3-0. Goumas and John Henrion (Holden, Mass.) added helpers on the goal. The Wildcats extended the lead to 4-0 as Scott Pavelski (Plover, Wis.) scored on a nifty tic-tac-toe sequence from freshmen Dan Correale (Prince George, British Columbia) and Collin MacDonald (West Milford, N.J.) set Pavelski up in the center for a wrist shot at 10:02 of the 2nd. The Tigers cut the lead in half in the second half of the period with a four-on-four goal by Ian Young with assists from Rylan Schwartz and Joe Marciano at 13:11. CC's second goal came at 17:14 from Mike Boivin with assists from Cody Bradley and Michael Morin. UNH held a 16-9 shot edge in the frame.

UNH outshot CC 49-29 for the contest. The Wildcats were 0-1 in the game's only power play. Casey DeSmith (Rochester, N.H.) stopped 25-of-29 shots and moves to 8-1-2 on the season. Thorimbert made 18 saves in 30:02 and allowed all four UNH goals, garnering a no decision, while Howe stopped all 27 shots he faced to earn the tie and move to 3-2-1.

The Wildcats square off against second-ranked University of Denver on Saturday, Nov. 24 (9:07 p.m.) to conclude this four-game road trip. UNH's next home game is Nov. 30 against UMass-Lowell. Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at the Whittemore Center with TV coverage on WBIN-TV and FOX College Sports. For tickets, visit www.unhwildcats.com or call (603) 862-4000, extension 5.