McKenelley's Overtime Heroics Lifts Hockey to Win over Endicott

BEVERLY, Mass. – Less than 24 hours after losing 7-0 to Endicott, the Wentworth Institute of Technology ice hockey team bounced back in a big way, defeating the league-leading and 12th-ranked Gulls, 2-1, in overtime in the back end of their weekend series. Senior Jake McKenelley (Middleton, Mass.) provided the heroics with his first goal of the season with 2:19 left in the extra frame.

With the win, the Leopards pick up two points in the standings, improving to 4-11-2 overall and 3-9-1 in Commonwealth Coast Conference play. The Gulls had their four-game win streak snapped, falling to 12-4-1 (9-3-1), while also picking up a point in the conference standings.

THE BASICS:

RECORDS:  WIT:  4-11-2 (3-9-1 CCC); EC:  12-4-1 (9-3-1 CCC)
SHOTS:  WIT:  21; EC:  36
PENALTIES/MINUTES:  WIT:  4/8; EC:  6/15
POWER PLAYS:  WIT:  0-5; EC:  1-2
GOALIE SAVES:  WIT:  Will Oliver, 35; EC:  Conor O'Brien 19

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Endicott controlled play in the first period as the Gulls had a 17-3 shot advantage. Wentworth had a three-minute power play as a result of a major penalty on the Gulls and a minor penalty on the Leopards. The Black & Gold had one of their three shots in the period on the man advantage.
• The Gulls took a 1-0 lead at the 18:27 mark when sophomore Connor Beatty (Concord, N.H.) scored from sophomore Jeremy Gabriele (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and sophomore Andrew Kurapov (Corvallis, Ore.). Sophomore Will Oliver (Chesterfield, Mo.) made 16 saves in the period.
• Wentworth put two of its three second period shots on goal in the first 2:12 of the second period and Oliver made eight saves, including one near the end of the frame to keep it a one-goal game.
• At the 9:44 mark of the third period, the Black & Gold got the equalizer when senior Joey O'Leary scored a second-chance goal from junior Guillaume Bose (San Jose, Calif.) and McKenelley.
• In the waning seconds of regulation, Endicott had one last chance to take the win but it was blocked by sophomore Charlie Reid (Marshfield, Mass.). Moments earlier, Reid had put a shot on goal in Wentworth's attempt to grab three points. The Leopards had a 14-8 shot advantage in the third period.
• Overtime saw Oliver have to make a save early on, while Wentworth's first shot attempt was wide. The Gulls put another shot on net and had an attempt blocked by senior Tyler Lapshanski (Belvidere, N.J.). A turnover resulted in senior Azan Dorsett (McKinney, Texas) taking the puck nearly the length of the ice on a two-on-zero. Oliver sade the save, which allowed Wentworth to come back up ice.
• After the puck was played around behind the net, sophomore Josh Faussett (Okemos, Mich.) played the puck from the boards to sophomore Matt Smoliga (Glenville, Ill.) inside the left faceoff circle. Smoliga slid the pass to McKenelley, who beat senior Conor O'Brien (Pinellas Park, Fla.) with a shot from the slot.
• Oliver finished the game with 35 saves, matching a career high, while O'Brien had 19.

SERIES NOTES:

• Today marked the 16th all-time meeting between the two teams. Endicott had its five-game series win streak snapped and leads all-time 13-3. Today was Wentworth's first-ever win at Endicott

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth hosts the University of New England Friday night at 7:00 p.m.

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