BEVERLY, Mass. – Tommy Besinger (Milton, Mass.) scored two goals – including the game-winner (1:20, third period) – to lead the No. 11/12 nationally ranked Endicott men's ice hockey team past Wentworth, 3-1, in a league matchup on Saturday evening at Raymond J. Bourque Arena.
Tied at 1-1 early in the third, Cam Bleck (Lake Forest, Ill.) won a battle at the boards behind the net and fed Besinger around the dasher near the right post where the sophomore forward snuck in a shot past Wentworth goaltender Ryan Hubbard (West Bridgewater, Mass.) to break the stalemate.
Both teams played a fast-paced, hard-hitting brand of hockey until the final seconds of the third, before Besinger iced the game with an empty netter from Endicott's own defensive end at the 19:38 mark.
Gulls' netminder Kevin Aldridge (Birmingham, Mich.) stopped 28 shots in the win (14-3-2). Meanwhile, Hubbard had a season-high 47 saves in the loss (1-11-2). It marks the first time all season Hubbard has recorded 40 or more saves in a contest.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is 4-1-0 in the all-time series versus Wentworth.
- The Gulls have also won the last three meetings against the Leopards.
- Jack Kilty (Medway, Mass.) put Endicott on the scoreboard first with a shot near the right post at the 18:28 mark of the first period. Josh Bowes (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) and Connor Costello (Nottingham, N.H.) were credited with assists on the tally.
- Costello won a loose puck near Wentworth's bench and immediately fired it back into the Leopards' D-Zone where Bowes corralled at the other side wall and fed a wide open Kilty for the finish.
- Besinger also won a game-high 18 faceoffs.
- John Carricato (Ridge, N.Y.) had 10 faceoff victories for the Gulls.
FOR THE FOES
- Matthew Kennedy (Mount Pearl, N.L.) buried his fourth goal of the season at 14:14 of the second on a spinning shot from the right faceoff circle that whistled into the top left corner of the net over Aldridge's blocker.
- CJ Grinnell (Burlington, Mass.) and Jake Flynn (Lino Lakes, Minn.) picked up assists on the goal by cycling the puck out to Kennedy after winning back-to-back 50/50 battles for the puck.
- Paul Filippone (Cranston, R.I.) blocked a game-high three shots.
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 11/12 Endicott (16-3-2, 10-3-1 CCC) hosts Suffolk University on Thursday, February 9 at 7 PM. Wentworth (4-14-3, 2-10-2 CCC) takes on Western New England at home on Thursday, also at 7 PM. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
