The University of Massachusetts scored four times in the third period and went on to defeat the University of Vermont, 6-3, in a Hockey East game Saturday night in Burlington, Vt.
UMass (10-9-1 overall, 4-5-1 HE) scored the final three goals of the game over the last 4 minutes, 14 seconds to break a 3-3 tie. Jack Suter scored his third of the season with 4:14 to play, on assists from Brett Boeing and Josh Couturier, to give UMass a 4-3 lead. The Catamounts went on the power play late in the game and pulled the goalie to give themselves a two-man advantage, but the Minutemen scored a pair of empty-net goals as Cale Makar and Austin Plevy each scored to seal the win.
The two empty-net, shorthanded goals highlighted a huge day for the Minutemen penalty kill, which scored four shorthanded goals in the win. UMass took a 1-0 lead with 8:41 left in the first period when Jake Gaudet scored a shorthanded goal on assists from Makar and Mario Ferraro. Fifty-seven seconds later the Minutemen struck again shorthanded, this time as Niko Hildenbrand scored on assists from Ferraro and Couturier.
Vermont (4-14-4, 1-8-3) actually scored on the same power play when Rob Darrar scored 12 seconds after Hildenbrand to cut the deficit to 2-1. That score held until the third period.
UMass took a 3-1 lead when Hildenbrand scored 3:55 into the period, but Vermont scored a pair of goals to tie the game as Christan Evers and Trey Phillips each found the back of the net, the second coming with 11:18 to play to knot the score at 3-3.
UMass outshot UVM, 38-34. Ryan Wischow made 31 saves to earn the win.
UMass travels to Maine Tuesday night at 7.
GMS boys win
Mav Ward scored 15 points over the weekend to help Greenfield Middle School to a 68-22 win over Great Falls Middle School in a boys’ basketball game.
Khalil Brown added 12 points in the win. Deion Brewington added 8.
Ryan Pulizari, Tyler Podolski, Jordan Connelly and Jaziel Cruz played well defensively.
Pioneer 5/6 splits
Josh Wood scored 16 points Sunday to lead Pioneer to a 42-32 win over Northampton in a grades 5 and 6 Suburban League boys’ basketball game.
Gavin Gammell scored 15 points in the win. Jake Brook added 5.
• On Saturday, Gammell scored 13 points but Pioneer suffered its first loss of the season with a 52-40 loss to Southampton.
Wood finished with 11 points and five blocked shots, and Brook added 8 points.
FCHA Vipers reach state tourney
Brady Booska and Matt Lavoine had two goals and an assist each, and Gilmore & Farrell Franklin County Hockey Association Vipers advanced to the state tournament with a 7-1 win over Nonotuck in a Greater Springfield League PeeWee district playoff game Sunday at Collins-Moylan Arena.
The Vipers advanced to the state tourney, scheduled for the first weekend of March at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield.
Trevor Kuchieski had a goal and two assists in the win, while Braeden Killeen and Jayson Smith also tallied. Brodie Gagne assisted on two goals, while Dylan Archer, Eathon Bryant, Shane Bussard, Jake Jurek, Chris Phelps, Hunter Smith and Will Petrin all contributed an assist.
Will Cowie made 10 saves in net, and the defensive unit of Gagne, Hunter Smith, Phelps and Archer did the job in front of him.
• The Vipers dropped a 4-2 decision to Keene on Saturday in a GSL PeeWee North Division game.
Hunter Smith and Lavoine had the two goals for FCHA, both assisted by Kuchieski. Cowie made 16 saves.
Mite Green results
Chase Zraunig had three goals and one assist Sunday to lead FCHA Green to a 9-5 win over Springfield Capitals in a GSL Mite Division hockey game at Smead Arena in Springfield.
Hayden Aurdrey and Desmond Drake had one goal and three assists apiece, and Nico Siano and Stefan Flaska each had two goals and an assist. Asa Bouchard had a pair of helpers, and Carter Schloat had one assist. Jay McGinnis made 23 saves.
• On Saturday, Siano scored five times to help FCHA to a 7-7 draw with Wilbraham Twin Meadows in Greenfield.
Drake finished with four assists for FCHA, and Schloat piled up three assists. Bouchard finished with two assists, Flaska had a goal and an assist, Aurdrey scored once, and Zraunig had an assist.
Jay McGinnis made 27 saves in the FCHA net.
Bantams blank Keene
Jake Croteau, Hunter Haughey, Matt Provencal and Sam Knight all found the back of the net and FCHA Dillon’s Warriors blanked the Keene Cobras, 4-0, in a GSL Bantam hockey game Sunday at the Keene Ice Center.
Croteau, Tony Wozny and Colin Byrnes recorded assists in the win for the Warriors, which received 9 saves from Josh Bordeaux and 4 from Trevor Parkinson as the duo combined for the shutout. The defensive effort was paced by Dylan Mahar and MJ Paulin.
Mite Platinum’s fall
Mylena Prunier scored three times Saturday but FCHA fell to Holy Name White, 10-8, in a GSL Mite Platinum game in Greenfield.
Grace Laurie had two goals and an assist, and Vinny Grima had two goals. Bryce Zraunig finished with a goal and an assist, while Max Caron, Colin Galli, Charley Knight, and Patrick McCarthy each had an assist.
Ryan Capen had 14 saves.
Basketball
In a rematch of last year’s National semifinal, Northfield Mount Hermon School made it a successful trip to the Spaulding HoopHall Classic thanks to a 90-74 win over Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) Sunday morning at Springfield College’s Blake Arena.
NMH (14-2) jumped out to a 23-9 lead after just four minutes, and the advantage held into halftime, by which time the Hoggers led, 53-39.
The lead grew to 20-plus points to start the second half, and NMH kept it a double-digit game from there en route to the decisive win.
The Hoggers offense was balanced, with Nate Laszewski leading the way with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Calvin Whipple added 15 points, while Noah Kirkwood scored 14 points to go with 10 assists and 9 rebounds. Ryan Greer (14 points), Max Lorca (12 points) and Chuck Hannah (12 points) all finished in double figures.
Elsewhere, Deerfield Academy defeated Phillips Exeter Academy, 65-40, in a girls’ prep basketball game Saturday in Deerfield.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak by the Big Green, which improved to 4-5 on the season.
• On the boys’ side, Salisbury School defeated Deerfield, 50-38, in Salisbury, Conn.
Deerfield fell to 2-10 on the season.
Hockey
Deerfield improved to 4-7-0 on the season with a 4-2 win over Trinity Pawling School in a boys’ prep hockey game Saturday in Deerfield.
• In girls’ action, Deerfield edged Exeter, 2-1, Saturday in Exeter, N.H.
Squash
Saturday was a big day for the Deerfield boys’ and girls’ squash teams.
The Big Green girls defeated both Ethel Walker School (7-0) and Choate Rosemary Hall (4-3), while the boys defeated Salisbury (7-0) and Choate (7-0).
Swimming
Exeter swam to a pair of wins Saturday, when it defeated the Deerfield boys (112-71) and girls (97-89) in a prep swim meet.