AMHERST, Mass. - Despite trimming a three-goal deficit to one on multiple occasions and tallying three third period goals, the UMass hockey team was unable to climb out of a 4-1 hole, falling to Colgate, 6-4 on Friday night at the Mullins Center. The setback leaves the Minutemen at 5-7-2 on the season, while the Raiders improve to 8-7-2.
One game after ending a 30-game scoreless streak, junior Adam Phillips notched a goal in a second straight contest and added three assists for a career-high four-point effort. Junior Joel Hanley registered his third multi-point game in the past four contests with a goal and an assist on the night.
Colgate converted on the first power play of the game for either side at the 11:12 mark of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Spiro Goulakos' shot from the high slot was redirected by Kyle Baun for his fifth of the season.
In the closing seconds of the period, however, UMass netted the equalizer. Phillips' shot off a Hanley drive from the point was initially stopped by Spencer Finney, but junior Branden Gracel was there to clean up the rebound at 19:33.
Then in the second period, Baun's second of the game and a pair of power-play tallies by Tylor Spink helped the Raiders distance themselves from the Minutemen as the squad headed into the second intermission with a 4-1 advantage. Tyson Spink set up Braun at the 2:03 mark, followed closely by Tylor Spink's first of the night 5:50 into the stanza. Tylor Spink then made it a three-goal margin with his second of the period at 18:57.
UMass closed the gap to 4-2 just 2:18 into the third as the Minutemen converted on the power play courtesy of Hanley from junior Colin Shea and Phillips. Less than four minutes later, UMass used another man-advantage goal to pull within 4-3 to prompt a timeout by the Raiders. On the rush, Phillips put home a feed from senior Rocco Carzo and redshirt sophomore Steven Guzzo at 5:37.
Colgate stole the momentum back, though. On the Minutemen's next power play, Baun and Mike Borkowski advanced the puck for Jeremy Price for a short-handed goal at 7:52 that expanded the lead back to two.
Junior Conor Allen later made it a one-goal deficit once more with his fourth of the season that redirected off the skate of a Raiders' defenseman 12:41 into the period. Phillips and freshman Shane Walsh earned assists on the tally.
To seal the victory for Colgate, Darcy Murphy capped off the scoring with his goal from John Lidgett at the 15:17 mark.
UMass out-shot the Raiders, 35-25 on the evening and finished 2-for-5 on the power play, while Colgate was 3-for-4. The Minutemen won 39 of 64 faceoffs as well.
Sophomore goaltender Kevin Boyle made 19 saves on the night for UMass, while Finney totaled 31 for the Raiders.
The teams will meet again tomorrow night, Dec. 8, at the Mullins Center at 7 p.m.