COLCHESTER, Vt. – A night after coming back from a goal down twice, Post University Men's Ice Hockey looked to avenge their overtime loss against Saint Michael's in what would turn out to be a defensive battle from both teams for the first two periods on Friday evening in Vermont. After a pair of shorthanded goals in the third for the Eagles, junior forward Brennan McFarland's game-tying goal with three seconds left in regulation and game-winner in overtime would sink Post for the second straight night by a final score of 3-2 in overtime.
THE BASICS
Post University 2, Saint Michael's College 3 (OT)
Post University (2-13-1, 1-9-1 NE10)
Saint Michael's College (9-9-0, 7-3-0 NE10)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Right back at it in net for the Eagles was junior goalie Zach Richards who gave up three goals last night against the Purple Knights in the 3-2 loss while making 26 saves. Matched up against him once again was senior goalie Marshall Murphy whose 31-save performance that included seven saves in overtime led Saint Michael's to the win. Both goalies would go toe-to-toe with each other in the opening frame that featured 32 combined shots between both squads.
Stopping all 21 shots he faced in net was Richards while Murphy stopped all 11 pucks sent his way to send things into the second with a scoreless tie. The offense from both sides would be much more tamed in the second with the Purple Knights holding just a 10-6 edge in shots on goal. Only 4:06 into the frame, junior forward Jack Bavis beat Richards to break the 0-0 tie with his first goal of the season from sophomore forward Nick Wracker and junior forward Jack Macdonald, a goal that would hold up through the remainder of the period to carry Saint Michael's into the third with a one-goal lead.
Post would tie program history in the third as goals from junior forward Patrick Murphy and sophomore forward Hugh McGuigan during a Saint Michael's power play would not only give the Eagles the lead, 2-1, but also tie them for the program record for most shorthanded goals in a game at two. The mark had been reached only twice in program history heading into the day, back in 2016 against CCSU and once more on February 9th, 2019 against Saint Michael's.
With only three seconds left in the third, the Purple Knights would be the ones to force overtime tonight as junior defenseman Case Kantgias and sophomore forward Quinn McCarthy wheeled the puck to McFarland on the left side of Richards. With nothing but the open net in his way, McFarland buried the tying goal and would do so again with an empty left side of the net in overtime to earn St. Michael's the sweep of Post in overtime by the identical 3-2 score they did so by last night.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Ryan Cardow saw his three-game point streak come to a close after scoring two goals, adding three assists, and totaling five points during the stretch
- Zach Richards had one of the best starts of his career for Post University, making a season-high 47 saves which surpassed his career-high of 43 saves from last season
- Patrick Murphy has now scored three goals in the last four games while scoring once in both games of the series this week against Saint Michael's
- Post University has now lost six consecutive games against Saint Michael's with their last win coming just under two years ago (Feb. 26, 2022) – This is the second straight season in which Post has been swept on the road by the Purple Knights
WHO'S NEXT
Post University continues their four-game road trip with a pair of matchups against Southern New Hampshire University next Friday and Saturday. Puck drop on Friday is scheduled for 7:40 PM. The Eagles have lost three straight games against the Penmen, including their first two matchups in Shelton, Connecticut when they fell 6-1 and 3-1 to close out the 2023 side of the schedule.
