Corsairs score four first-period goals to down Seahawks, 6-2

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. - The UMass Dartmouth men's hockey team scored three goals in the opening 5:11 of the contest and cruised to a 6-2 win over Salve Regina University in non-conference action Saturday night at Portsmouth Abbey Arena.

Junior Todd Bartelson (Pepperell, Mass.) scored a pair of goals in the first period and sophomore Giancarlo Capodanno (Mountainside, N.J.) picked up a goal and an assist for the Corsairs (5-5-1), who entered the contest having dropped three of their last four decisions. Junior Joe Colaianni (Monroe, N.Y.) scored both goals for the Seahawks, who slipped to 1-12-0 on the season.

Senior Matt Berard (Calgary, Alberta) gave the Corsairs a 1-0 lead just 1:36 into the contest as he scored his first goal of the season off a feed from freshman Ricky Miller (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Junior Jason Stahl (Londonderry, N.H) pushed the lead to 2-0 with his third goal of the season at 2:56, and goals by Bartelson at 5:11 and 19:18 staked the Corsairs to a 4-0 lead at the first intermission. The visitors outshot the Seahawks 16-4 in the opening stanza.

In the second, Capodanno scored his seventh of the year off a feed from Stahl to make it 5-0 Corsairs, and sophomore Mike Owens (South Boston, Mass.) closed the scoring for UMD with his third of the season at 7:01. Colaianni answered with his second of the season at 9:28 on the power play and his third at 11:02 to close the scoring in the contest.

"Two of our last three games have been over before we've come in after the first horn," said Salve Regina head coach Andy LeColst. "We're not preparing and taking teams lightly, which amazes me. We're just not coming ready to play."

Senior Jon Dryjowicz-Burek recorded 20 saves to climb above the .500 mark on the season at 5-4-1 while senior Ryan Comerford (Merrimack, N.H.) allowed six goals on 22 shots before being replaced in the second by sophomore Ben Bradley (Newburyport, Mass.). He finished with eight saves.

The Corsairs - who outshot the Seahawks 30-22 on the night - went 1-for-5 on the power play while the Seahawks converted on one of their seven chances with the extra man.

The Seahawks return to action on Thursday when they travel to Fitchburg State for a 7 p.m. contest. The Corsairs plat at Westfield State on Tuesday.