Wildcats score three goals in wild third period to stun Seahawks

SEAHAWK MEN'S ICE HOCKEY RESULTS

Johnson & Wales 4, Salve Regina 3
Portsmouth, R.I. - Portsmouth Abbey
Saturday, February 25, 2017

Summary
The Johnson & Wales University men's hockey team scored three goals in a back and forth third period to upset Salve Regina University in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) quarterfinals.

Series and Streaks
This was the 34rd meeting between the two teams. The Wildcats now own a 19-14-1 record in the all-time series. The Seahawks had eliminated the Wildcats in tow straight post-season matchups until today.

Three Stars of the Game
1 – Johnson & Wales senior Joey Ballmer (Kalamazoo, Mich.) - made 38 stops in between the pipes for the Wildcats including six big stops down the stretch under heavy pressure from the Seahawks as they fought to save their season.
2 – Johnson & Wales freshman Nicholas Gray (Stafford, Va.) - scored twice in the third period including a goal at 14:27 of the third period to give the Wildcats a 4-3 lead.
3 – Salve Regina sophomore Blake Wojtala (Trenton, Mich.) - only faced 24 shots, stopping 20, but many were after turnovers in the defensive end giving high-quality chances to the Wildcats. Wojtala's play bailed the Seahawks out on numerous occasions and kept them within striking distance the entire game.

Key Stat of the Game
With both goaltenders playing spectacularly special teams was going to be important. The Wildcats cashed in on 2-of-3 powerplay opportunities while the Seahawks went 1-for-2.

Turning Point
Five goals were scored in a wild and back and forth third period. The Wildcats struck first 14 seconds into the period to take a 2-1 lead, but the Seahawks answered immediately when Kyle Moore (Cumming, Ga.) blasted in a feed from James Malone (Beachwood, N.J.) eleven seconds later to knot the game 2-2. The game swung again when Nichols Gray scored on the powerplay for the Wildcats at 10:50 but once again the Seahawks got up off the mat and tied the game on a poweprlay goal of their own from Evan Schmidbauer (San Diego, Calif.) two minutes later. Then with 5:33 left to play Gray got just enough of the blade of his stick on a loose puck in the slot and falling down was able to snap it past Wojtala to give the Wildcats the lead for good. The Seahawks pulled the goalie late, and rallied off a number of shots on net as the clawed frantically to tie the game but Ballmer stood strong in the net and preserved the upset win for the Wildcats.

Quick Hits

• The Seahawks held a 41-24 advantage in shots.
• The Seahawks held a 49-36 advantage in the face-off circle.
• James Hyatt (Coral Springs, Fla.) got the scoring started for the Wildcats on the powerplay in the first period. Hyatt snuck in from the blueline and was wide open on the backside for a shot on an open net.
• The Seahawks first goal was scored by Jack Billings (Oak Lawn, Ill.) who tipped in a shot from Kevin Clare (Chicago, Ill.).

Next up
Salve Regina (14-8-4) – end of season.
Johnson & Wales (11-11-4) – CCC Semifinals, Wednesday, March 1, at Endicott, 7 p.m.