BEVERLY, MA – A strong first period set the Amhrst College men's hockey team up for a 4-2 victory over No. 12 Endicott College Sunday afternoon at Raymond J. Bourque Arena.

Amherst improved to a 6-3-0 overall.The Mammoths will return to the road again to face Curry College this Tuesday (Jan. 2nd) for a 3 p.m. match. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS 

• At 9:25 in the first period, the Mammoths swiftly cleared the puck from their zone. Quinton Fox outpaced defender James Davenport along the boards, passing to Matt Vander Vort by the right face-off circle. Vander Vort then delivered a final pass to Tyler Bourque, who scored with a one-timer just outside the slot.
• Amherst scored just 30 seconds later. The play originated from Connor McGinnis' breakaway down the middle of the ice, where winger Oscar Smink picked up the pass and forwarded it to Ryan Tucker for a finishing wrist shot. 
• The Gulls responded with their own goal in the opening 22 seconds of the second period, where the play started with Andrew Kurapov's efforts. Picking up a loose puck, a transition into a breakaway toward the right face-off circle ensued, allowing Kurapov to slip the puck past Connor Leslie in the net. 
• The Mammoths capitalized on a power play 1:57 into the second period. After winning a face-off, Josh Burke received the puck at the right corner taking the initial shot, which was blocked. However, a battle by the crease allowed Connor Guest to find the back of the net for the third goal of the evening. 
• With 9 minutes left in the second period, Endicott defender Ryan Bell delivered the puck to Cody Hoban, who executed an across-the-ice pass to Cass Bowes. Bowes flicked the puck into the opposite corner of the net, narrowing the Gulls' deficit to just one goal against the Mammoths. 
• The final goal of the evening was a distance shot by Andrew Carmody. The play commenced from a face-off in Amherst's favor on neutral ice, where the puck was sent back to Borque and then to Max Theissen, earning the two players an assist on the open net goal with 1:35 left in the game. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Amherst won 33-60 face-offs this evening, with Borque winning 18 out of the 24 he took.
• The Mammoths outshot Endicott 43-30.
• The Mammoths went 1-1 with penalty kills, whereas the Gulls went 0-2 this evening. 
• Leslie made 28 saves out of the 31 shots he faced on net.