UHL  Round Up 
 

UHL ROUNDUP – 7/14/24 Week 8 (Regular Season)

 

Tech 2, Huskies 1

Tech relied on a pair of third-period goals to rally and keep the Huskies winless in the regular season. After being held scoreless through the first 33 minutes, Tech finally managed to beat Huskies goalie Luke Bettencourt (37 saves) with two goals in a 2:13 span early in the third off the sticks Brian Bardsley and Jayden Auger. The Huskies held onto the lead for more than two periods following Landon Katz’s shot that snuck between the pads of Tech netminder Ty Stapleton (26 saves) at the 5:11 mark of the first.

 

Ghosts 2, Patriots 2

Billed as the UHL Game of the Year prior to puck drop, the dual East Division leaders squared off with sole possession of first place on the line. But when it was done, nothing had been settled between the Ghosts and Patriots. North Middlesex built a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Braden Amidon and Sean Meyers. But following a scoreless second period, the Ghosts pulled within one on Gerald Hsin’s first of the season – an unassisted power-play goal – before tying it up for good on Matt Mulhern’s wrister with 8:32 left. Both goalies were outstanding in the crease with Patriots backstop Jack Murphy turning aside 26 shots and Ghosts goalie Kieran Humphries stopping 18.

 

Admirals 6, Phantoms 4

A third-period rally erased a 4-3 deficit and lifted the West Division-leading Admirals to their fourth straight victory while keeping the Phantoms winless over the same stretch. Thanks to a pair of James Roberts tallies, the Phantoms built a one-goal lead entering the third. But the Admirals got the equalizer early from Braydon Atwood before Brandon Callahan netted the game-winner less than a minute later off an excellent individual play out of the corner and a quick snap shot that beat Phantoms goalie Tyler McGeary (39 saves). Now leading the league with 17 points, Callahan eventually scored an empty-net goal with 19 seconds remaining to complete a four-point day for the Admirals, who also received early goals from Mason Komarek, Dylan McLeod and Landon Briand.

 

 

 

Crusaders 5, Team X 3

A resurgent Crusaders club won its second in a row by snapping a 3-3 tie in the third. The game-winner came midway through the period from Owen Bernard before Groton-Dunstable masterfully weathered a late shorthanded situation with Rob Flynn’s second goal of the game with less than two minutes left. Dave McDavis’ second goal of the day had pulled Team X even late in the second period before the Crusaders’ stellar team defense coupled with solid goaltending from Cam Columbus (14 saves) kept the youthful X squad scoreless over the final 15 minutes. Flynn is the league’s first player with double-digit goals (10) this season, having scored in every game the Crusaders have played.

 

Lions 10, Middies 2

The Lions blew open a still undecided contest with five goals in the third, including two tallies from Nick LaFreniere to complete a hat trick, as Chelmsford kept its hopes alive for the top spot in the East thanks to the earlier tie between the Ghosts and Patriots. Nick Lupoli posted a pair of goals and assists to equal LaFreniere with a four-point outing, while both Declan Crowley and Memphis Belleville scored twice and set up another for Chelmsford. Drew Duross registered a goal and assist for the Middies.

 

UHL ROUNDUP – 6/30/24 Week 7 (Regular Season)

 

Patriots 4, Lions 3

The undefeated Patriots broke open the scoreless contest with three straight goals in the second period, two off the sticks of the Amidon brothers, Braden (3 points) and Beckett. However, the Lions began chipping away at their deficit before the second intermission with an Austin Marmo goal and two more in the third from Michael Spitz and Jack Landry. But North Middlesex forward Brady Lavery netted the eventual game-winner with 8:26 remaining, and goalie Jack Murphy’s 19 saves were enough to keep the perfect Patriots tied for first in the East Division, setting up a Week 8 showdown with the fellow unbeaten Ghosts.

 

Tech 4, Team X 3

Kyle Bouvier’s shorthanded goal with just 28 seconds left proved the difference for Tech in dealing a heartbreaking loss to Team X. After falling behind 3-2 late in the second period on another shorthanded Tech tally from Zach Dibona, underdog Team X drew even on Dave MacDavis’ goal with just 4:42 remaining and was attempting to pull off the late upset with the man advantage after Tech forward Cam Nangle was called for slashing with exactly two minutes remaining. But Tom Sartell set up Bouvier for the stunning game-winner for Tech inside the final minute. Dibona and Zach Gagnon (power play) were the other goal scorers for the winners, while Dylan Minasian posted a goal and assist for Team X in the loss.

 

Admirals 4, Huskies 3

After surrendering a two-goal, first period advantage, the undermanned Huskies battled back to tie the score at 3-3 with just 49 seconds remaining on the second goal of the game from Cody Katz. But the Admirals were not to be denied as center Dylan MacLeod won a perfect draw in the offensive zone back to defenseman Braydon Atwood, who blasted a slapper from 45 feet out that beat Huskies netminder Sam DeChaves (42 saves) short side for the clincher with just 13 ticks left. Katz and Connor Melville initially gave the Huskies a 2-0 lead in the opening period, but the Admirals sent the contest into the third deadlocked on unassisted goals from Landon Briand (power play) and Evan Pargas. League top scorer Brandon Callahan (13 points) gave the West Division-leading Admirals their first lead of the day 5:30 into the final period, setting up the wild finish.

 

Ghosts 9, Middies 1

Versatile forward Nick Burns registered five assists while Aiden Koehr, Nathan Laconte and Murphy McLeod each netted a pair of goals and posted a three-point performance as the Ghosts routed the Middies. Mike Demaris’ goal early in the first period actually gave Dracut-Tyngsboro the initial lead of the game and ended up spoiling the shutout bid for Ghosts goalie Kieran Humphries (17 saves). Ethan Murphy’s two third-period tallies made him the fourth Ghost to record multiple goals on the day, helping undefeated Westford keep pace with the Patriots atop the East Division.

 

Crusaders 8, Phantoms 0

The Crusaders proved that when they have sufficient numbers in uniform they’re a dangerous club. For the first time this season, Groton-Dunstable enjoyed a full bench, and it produced three goals each period as the Crusaders overpowered a plucky Phantoms group. Jason Carpenter scored his first three goals of the season while Rob Flynn and Brody Acucena posted a goal and assist to lead the Crusaders to their first win of the year. Alternate goalie Preston Johnston (31 saves) was busy in the Phantoms crease all game facing 39 shots, while brothers Jared and Dean Cappella registered a pair of assists apiece for the winners.