Department of athletics, physical education and recreation
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MIT Moves into Division Lead with 1-0 Win Over Bryant
Feb. 3, 2008
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Freshman goaltender Stephen Yablonski stopped 27 shots en route to earning his second career shutout and junior Nick LaBounty scored the game's only goal midway through the third period, as MIT's men's ice hockey team defeated Bryant University, 1-0, on Saturday night at the Johnson Ice Rink. With the win, the Engineers (11-2-0, 7-2-0) jumped ahead of the Bulldogs (14-10-0, 7-3-0) into first-place in the NorthEast Collegiate Hockey Association (NECHA) Conference A East Division. The victory also gave MIT a regular season sweep over Bryant, the team which defeated the Engineers in the NECHA Conference A Championship game last season. The Cardinal and Gray downed the Bulldogs in another low-scoring contest, 2-1, at Bryant in December. Over the course of the first two periods, neither team was able to capitalize on a number of power-play opportunities, as the close rivalry sparked a large amount of penalty calls. Instead, the first 40 minutes belonged to the goaltenders, as Yablonski and Bryant net-minder Joe Marcaurelle turned away all advances to keep the contest scoreless. However, LaBounty finally broke the deadlock with 12:43 remaining in regulation with his team-leading 17th goal of the season. Fellow junior Ryan Ballentine picked up his team-best 20th assist on the goal, while sophomore defenseman Kevin Farino was credited with the secondary helper. Ultimately, LaBounty's tally was the only occasion on which either goaltender was beaten. Marcaurelle stopped 28 of MIT's 29 shots on goal in the tough-luck-loss, while Yablonski's shutout was his second in his last three appearances. The Engineers will conclude their three-game home-stand on Wednesday, Feb. 6, when they will host Westfield State College at 8:00 p.m. Bryant will return to the ice on Sunday, Feb. 3, as it will travel to the University of New Hampshire for a 1:00 p.m. faceoff. |
