Posted: Feb 27, 2010
BEVERLY, Mass. – The Stevens Institute of Technology scored four second quarter goals and won 12 of the game’s 17 face-offs as the Ducks held off a late Endicott comeback, 7-6, on a frigid Saturday afternoon in Beverly, Mass. The win moves the Ducks to 2-0 overall, while the 20th-ranked Gulls slip to 1-1 (1-0 TCCC).
Endicott opened the scoring just 4:59 into the contest as \#Jack Curtis\# (Chelmsford, Mass.) scored the first of his game-high three goals with a shot from 15-yards out that trickled across the goal line, aided by a screen set by \#Brad Lipkvich\# (Madison, Conn.). Stevens Tech was able to counter with 3:21 remaining in the opening quarter as Nicolas Philippi (Mullica Hill, N.J.) took a feed from Kevin Rose (Garden City, N.Y.) in transition and buried a hard shot into the lower corner to make it 1-1.
The Blue and Green came out firing in the second quarter and quickly built a 3-1 lead after back-to-back strikes from \#Brian Vincent\# (Norwalk, Conn.) and Curtis just 1:22 and 2:19 into the frame. Vincent’s goal came as the sophomore dodged from X and turned the corner, placing a bounce shot past Tech goalkeeper Dave Decker (Califon, N.J.). Curtis’s second of the afternoon came as he swept off goal line extended and potted a diving shot off the turf under the crossbar.
The consecutive tallies summoned a wake-up call for the visitors as Stevens Tech responded by rattling off five straight goals that spanned over a quarter and a half, including four in-a-row heading into halftime. Chris Laurita (Timber Ponds, N.J.) got the streak started with a rip top-shelf, followed by an individual effort from Dan Prakopcyk (Clinton, N.J.) where he beat his defender and stuck a 1-on-1 fake past EC goalie \#Eric Hagarty\# (Sudbury, Mass.). Brandon Faubert (Virginia Beach, Va.) sandwiched a pair of goals around an Alex Hofrichter (Cincinnati, Ohio) strike to complete the spurt.
Endicott ended the run when \#Jon Thanas\# (Cumberland, R.I.) converted a bounce shot from 35 feet with 3:26 remaining in the third quarter. Stevens Tech carried a 6-4 lead going into the final 15:00 minutes of action.
The Ducks made it a three goal game just 23 seconds into the fourth as Chris Laurita scored his fifth of the season and second of the day with a turnaround shot off the right side. Endicott countered just 3:53 later as defenseman \#Robert Crossett\# (Katonah, N.Y.) connected with \#Jack Curtis\# on a 60-yard clearing pass that sprung the junior attackman all alone with the Ducks’ Dave Decker. Curtis made two quick stick fakes on the netminder and buried his third of the afternoon to make it 7-5.
Endicott had a chance late when \#Brad Lipkvich\# stuck a bid in the top-left corner on an extra-man opportunity with just 37 seconds remaining. Stevens Tech, however, won the ensuing face-off and was able to hold possession after several contested checks failed to yield a turnover.
The Ducks outshot the Gulls 36-32 on the day, including 31-20 in the first three quarters. Stevens Tech also held the advantage in ground balls (35-27), face-offs (12-of-17) and converted on 16-of-21 clearing attempts compared to Endicott’s 14-of-23.
Dave Decker made seven saves to pick up his second win of the season. Endicott’s \#Eric Hagarty\# made nine stops including five in the first quarter.
The Gulls return to action on Wednesday afternoon when the Blue and Green travel to Springfield, Mass. to take on Springfield College at 4:00 p.m. Stevens Tech gets back to work on the same day when the Ducks host Eastern Connecticut in their home-opener.
--Not in front of a computer but need breaking news when it happens? Don't forget to sign-up for ECGulls.com text alerts and let us send the news directly to your mobile device. Take advantage of this free service and be the first to know all the "news from the nest!" (Standard text messaging rates apply). Click here to sign-up for SMS ALERTS.