Seahawks capture Codfish Bowl

BOSTON, Mass.—Sophomore Blake Wojtala stopped 47 shots to backstop Salve Regina's comeback efforts over #12/12 UMass Boston in the 52^nd Annual Codfish Bowl Tournament Championship Game.

THE BASICS

Salve Regina University 3, #12/12 UMass Boston 2

(UMass Boston 7-4-2)

(Salve Regina 8-2-2) 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Wojtala made 14 of his 47 saves in the third period and Pat Thompson and Shaun Patry both scored, to help the Seahawks overcome a 2-0 deficit.

The sophomore goalie was named the Codfish Bowl Tournament Most Valuable Player, after posting 64 saves in two games and stopping all three penalty shots he faced in Thursday's opening round game.

Salve Regina was trailed 2-0 with 33 minutes to play, only to scored the final three goals of the contest. Colin Clapton cut the deficit to 2-1 with a power-play goal in the second. Thompson tied the game three minutes into the third and Patry's one-timer gave the Seahawks the lead for good at 12:54 of the final stanza. 

UMass Boston assistant captains Tyler Bishop (Ramsey, N.J.) and Colin Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) both scored for the Beacons in the losing effort.

Senior captain Albee Daley (Averill Park, N.Y.) was named the Lawrence F. Curran Award winner.  The award has been given out each year since 1983 in remembrance of Lawrence F. Curran, an former assistant coach and avid supporter of the program. Each year, the award is given to the player who best exemplifies true sportsmanship and competition over the course of the two-day tournament. 

Freshman goalie Jordan Bustard (Flanders, N.J.) finished with just 15 stops on 18 shots.

UMass Boston needed just 34 seconds to score the opening tally. Freshman Nolan Redler (Winchester, Mass.) led a 3-on-2 rush and chipped a pass across for Bishop, who fired home just inside the near post. Senior Brett Mason (Rowley, Mass.) picked up the second assist on the play.

The Beacons would go on to dominate the period, but couldn't find a way to sneak a second shot past Wojtala. The Beacons outshot the Seahawks 18-5 in the frame and had four power-play chances, but couldn't convert. 

Salve Regina began to tip the scales in the second period, as the play became less one-sided.

UMass Boston doubled their lead at 12:52, when Larkin collected a Ryan Cusin (Detroit, Mich,) rebound and snuck the puck past Wojtala to the far side. Daley was also credited with an assist on the play.

Salve Regina cut into the deficit 38 seconds later, thanks to a power-play chance of their own. Just 14 seconds after a Beacons minor, Colin Clapton fired a shot from the point that Bustard never saw for a 2-1 deficit. Evan Schultz and Nick Owen earned assists on the play.

Thompson tied the game at 2-2 three minutes into the third, when he chipped home a loose puck, off a Connor Bechtel rebound.

With the Beacons struggling to get anything going, Patry gave the visitors the lead for good at 12:54. The sophomores one-timer flew just past Bustard's glove for a 3-2 advantage.

UMass Boston created several good chances over the final seven minutes, but Wojtala stopped all five shots sent his way, including a spectacular glove save on a Dakota Keene (Poland, Maine) shot.

BY THE NUMBERS

• UMass Boston outshot Salve Regina 49-18 for the contest and held a 40-34 edge in face-offs. 
• Salve Regina becomes the second-straight, first-year entrant in the Codfish Bowl to earn the title. Last year, SUNY Brockport defeated Westfield State University 5-1 in the Codfish Bowl Title Game. 
• Larkin led UMass Boston with a team-high 10 shots. 
• UMass Boston finished just 1-for-8 on the power-play, while the Seahawks ended the night 1-for-5.