BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore Michael Heffner's (Lloydminster, Sask.) goal at 10:37 of the third period held up as the game winner as the Wentworth Institute of Technology ice hockey team held on for a 3-2 win over Becker in ECAC Northeast action at Matthews Arena.
Wentworth took a 1-0 lead at the 10:38 mark of the opening period when junior Patrick Rice (West Des Moines, Iowa) scored from freshman Devinn Cobbold (Ottawa, Ont.) and senior Joel Vastl (North Salem, N.H.). That lead held until the Hawks tied the game with one second left on a penalty kill as senior Branden Parkhouse (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) scored from classmate David Graham (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and sophomore Justin Erhart (St. Paul, Minn.) at 13:31.
The game remained tied until the 7:38 mark of the second period when freshman Adam Frank (Clarkston, Mich.) tipped in a sophomore Curtis Heinz (Grand Rapids, Mich.) shot in front of the net. Sophomore Kevin Crowe (Galloway, N.J.) also was credited with a helper on the goal.
Sophomore Mike Domsodi (Kirkland, Que.) fed Heffner, who connected on a shot from the top of the left face-off circle, to give the Leopards a 3-1 lead. However, Parkhouse netted his second of the game and 22nd of the season when he scored from Graham and senior Mark Lotito (Staten Island, N.Y.) with 1:09 remaining. Becker, which had already pulled freshman netminder Gregg Hussey (Medford, Mass.) for an extra attacker twice in a short span, lifted him with 54 seconds left for a 6-on-5 situation. The Hawks' best chance came when Parkhouse had a shot blocked by Wentworth senior Shaun Jameson (Long Beach, Calif.). After a Leopard time out with 41 seconds left, Crowe won a face-off and kept play out of the zone to wind down the clock.
Freshman Joel Miller (Calgary, Alta.) made 28 saves, including 13 in the final period, to improve to 9-2-1 on the season. Hussey made 32 saves, including 14 in the second period as the Leopards held a 35-30 shot advantage.
With the win Wentworth improves to 12-8-2 overall and 8-2-1 in league play. Weather permitting the Leopards host Suffolk on Saturday. Becker falls to 10-11-1 (1-9-1) and hosts Johnson & Wales, also on Saturday.
Goals by Period 1 2 3 Tot
----------------------------------
Becker.............. 1 0 1 - 2
Wentworth........... 1 1 1 - 3
1st period - 1, WIT, Patrick Rice/4 (Devin Cobbold/5, Joel Vastl/5) 10:38. 2, BECM, Branden Parkhouse/21 (David Graham/19, Justin Erhart/2) 13:31 (sh). Penalties - Francis Musick, BECM (slashing) 11:32; Francis Musick, BECM (hooking) 16:14; Francis Musick, BECM (10-minute misconduct) 16:14; Nick Di Nardo, BECM (elbowing) 19:15.
2nd period - 3, WIT, Adam Frank/6 (Curtis Heinz/11, Kevin Crowe/8) 7:38. Penalties - Nick Di Nardo, BECM (elbowing) 1:24; Kevin Crowe, WIT (elbowing) 17:05.
3rd period - 4, WIT, Michael Heffner/2 (Mike Domsodi/9) 10:37. 5, BECM, Branden Parkhouse/22 (David Graham/20, Mark Lotito/3) 18:51.
Penalties – (none)
Shots on goal - BECM 7-9-14 30; WIT 9-15-11 35.
Power plays - BECM 0 of 1; WIT 0 of 4.
Penalties - BECM 5 (18 min); WIT 1 (2 min).
Goalies - BECM, Gregg Hussey 7-7-0 (58:31 minutes, 35 shots-32 saves) , EMPTY NET (01:29, 0-0); WIT, Joel Miller 9-2-1 (60:00, 30-28).
