BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman Matthew Dozois (Manotick, Ontario) scored at the 6:07 mark of the overtime period to give Wentworth a 4-3 overtime victory against the Johnson & Wales University hockey squad in the semifinals of the 2011 ECAC Northeast playoffs at Matthews Arena on Wednesday evening. With the win, Wentworth advances to its third ECAC Northeast title game in the last five seasons and eighth since 2000 and will face defending champion and top-seeded Curry, a 5-1 over Becker in the other semifinal.
Wentworth took the early lead when freshman Andrew Yarber (Livonia, Mich.) tallied a shorthanded goal just 3:07 into the game. Johnson & Wales responded quickly and knotted the game at 1-1 when senior Joe Simeone (Cranston, R.I.) fed a pass to sophomore Jason Pietrasiak (Shrewsbury, Mass.) for a power play goal at the 4:14 mark. The host Leopards regained the lead after a goal by freshman Cameron Gibson (Valencia, Calif.) with assists to junior Skylur Jameson (Long Beach, Calif.) and junior Forrest Ellis (Pembroke, N.H.) at the 7:58 mark. Wentworth took the 2-1 lead heading into the locker room after the first period of play
The Leopards extended their lead to 3-1 on a power play goal by Jameson just 1:06 into the second period. The Wildcats would respond at the 6:11 mark when junior Jeremiah Ketts (Foristell, Mo.) split three defenders and buried a shot to the right corner to cut the lead to 3-2. Wentworth had the one goal lead after two periods.
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The two teams battled back and forth throughout the third period before Johnson & Wales knotted the game at 3-3 on Ketts' second goal of the game with 3:42 left on the clock. Regulation would end in a 3-3 tie.
While Wentworth held an 8-1 shot advantage in the extra frame, both teams had chances early in the before Dozois' goal gave Wentworth the 4-3 victory.
JWU sophomore Matt Cooper (Perrysburg, Ohio) had 48 saves in the loss while freshman Chris Azzano (Oshawa, Ontario) had 24 stops in the victory for Wentworth. The Leopards outshot the Wildcats by a 52-27 margin, including 20-8 in the second period.
Wentworth (14-8-4) will travel to Curry for a 4:35 p.m. faceoff on Saturday. The two teams have met in the title game one other time, with Wentworth taking the 2004 title with a 5-4 win at Matthews Arena. The Leopards have won the last two playoff meetings between the two schools – both played in Milton – in 2007 and 2009. Johnson & Wales wraps up the 2010-11 campaign with a 14-12-1 overall record.
