MILWAUKEE, Wisc. - No. 15 Massachusetts hockey built a 3-0 lead, but Clarkson responded with six unanswered tallies to defeat the Minutemen in the opening game of the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday evening. The loss leaves UMass at 7-7-3 on the year, while the Golden Knights improve to 8-8-2.
"I'm kind of at a loss right now," said UMass head coach Greg Carvel. "It wasn't a great first period, second period was really good, we get up 3-0. We got a five-minute major, I thought the power play was actually pretty good tonight. We got a lot of looks then I don't know what happened. It just seemed like every puck Clarkson threw at the net went in. It wasn't that lopsided of a game, the score was. I thought we actually played well enough to win other than the last 10 minutes. Everything they threw at the net went in."
Freshman Cole O'Hara opened the scoring with a power-play goal 8:23 into the first, firing a wrister that tucked under the cross bar from the top of the right faceoff circle off a feed from junior Aaron Bohlinger and Ryan Lautenbach.
Senior Josh Nodler doubled the UMass advantage 3:16 into the second period, cleaning up a loose puck at the net front from freshman Tyson Dyck and sophomore Scott Morrow.
O'Hara followed with his second of the contest at the 8:38 mark, quickly rifling home a drop pass from Dyck in the slot with Bohlinger earning the secondary helper to put the Minutemen up 3-0.
Clarkson got on the board 13:48 into the second. With Mathieu Gosselin scoring on the rush off a feed from Ayrton Martino and Dustyn McFaul. The Golden Knights then made it a one-goal game before the intermission with Martino finding his way in behind the UMass defense after Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup and Tommy Pasanen sprung him on a partial break at 16:54.
The Minutemen controlled the play to start the third period until a goal by Lucas Mercuri was overturned on a video review, shifting momentum Clarkson's way. Moments after a five-minute power play, which saw UMass generate several quality scoring chances, Mercuri popped the puck over netminder Ethan Haider, seemingly giving Massachusetts a two-goal cushion.
Shortly after the tally was called back for goaltender interference, the Golden Knights put home the equalizer with Anthony Romano finishing off a feed from Jordan Power and Martino at the 10:50 mark. Martino added his second of the game at 13:22 to put Clarkson in front, 4-3. Pasanen and Schmidt-Svejstrup were credited with the helpers.
Goals by Romano and Gosselin 16:54 and 1:33 into the final frame completed the scoring for the Golden Knights.
Massachusetts out-shot Clarkson, 35-30 and went 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Golden Knights were 0-for-1.
Haider had 33 saves for Clarkson and Luke Pavicich stopped 24 shots for the Minutemen.
UMass will face the loser of tonight's Wisconsin vs. Lake Superior State matchup tomorrow, December 29, at either 5 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. Eastern to close out the tournament.
