NORTHFIELD, Vt. — The No. 13/13 nationally ranked Endicott men's ice hockey team skated to a 3-3 overtime tie against Norwich University on Saturday night in the championship game of the Northfield Savings Bank Holiday Tournament at Kreitzberg Arena. The Gulls came away with the championship title, however, as Tommy Besinger (Milton, Mass.) potted the lone shootout goal to send Endicott home with some hardware.
For the second straight game in the tournament, Endicott trailed headed into the third period - this time by a 2-1 score - but once again found their stride when it mattered most to force overtime and the eventual shootout.
Jack Kilty (Medway, Mass.) made it 2-2 at the 3:08 mark of the period when he one-timed home Ricky Carballo's (Keller, Texas) set up directly off of a face-off for his second goal of the season.
After the Cadets regained the lead 13-seconds later, Endicott answered for the second time in the period on a Daniel Kucerovy (Bethel Park, Pa.) goal at 4:11.
Both teams were unable to find the game-winner the rest of the way despite a bevy of scoring chances on both sides.
Meanwhile, in the shootout, Endicott goaltender Conor O'Brien (Pinellas Park, Fla.) made three saves before Besinger ended it on the Gulls' third attempt with a backhand-to-forehand deke that beat Norwich's goalie low to his right glove side.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- All three games in the all-time series have ended in a 3-3 overtime tie.
- Today's Northfield Savings Bank Holiday Tournament championship game was the first one to be decided by a shootout. The tournament dates back to the 2010-11 season.
- O'Brien finished with 23 saves on the night. O'Brien has made 20 or more saves in 10 out of 11 games this season.
- Besinger was named the Northfield Savings Bank Holiday Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP).
- Carter Horwitz (Tustin, Calif.) and O'Brien were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 13/13 Endicott (9-3-2) hosts Tufts University on Tuesday, January 8 at 5 PM. Norwich (7-4-2) travels to Hobart on Friday, January 11 at 7 PM.