AMHERST, Mass. --
Matt Toporowski's goal with 51 seconds left in overtime Saturday lifted the Amherst College men's hockey team to a 2-1 win over visiting Colby at Orr Rink.
It was the third overtime win of the season for the Mammoths, and Toporowski has scored the game-winner in overtime each time. Amherst improved to 13-4-3 with the win, 11-2-1 in conference play, while Colby fell to 10-8-2 overall, 8-5-1 in te NESCAC.
Amherst is back in action Friday, Feb. 10 at home vs. Tufts. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* After a scoreless first period Saturday, each team registered a power-play goal in the second stanza. Colby took a 1-0 lead on a Jack Sullivan goal with 16:29 left in the middle period. Amherst tied it in the final minute of the frame when
Josh Burke fired a pass into the slot from the deep right corner and it caromed off a Mules' defenseman's skate and into the goal. The goal came in a man-up situation or Amherst after a too many men on the ice call went against Colby.
* The Mammoths had several chances at the go-ahead score in the third period, but Colby goaltender Andy Beran came up wth 17 saves.
Dan Dachille made 7 in goal for the Mammoths during the same time, including a couple of big saves in the final minute of the game with Colby on the power play.
* For the second game in a row, the Mammoths began an overtime period trying to kill off a penalty. They were able to do so, who made three stops in the extra period. It looked as if the two teams would settle for a tie as the final 60 seconds began to count down, but an errant drop pass from a Mule defenseman was picked off by Toporowski just inside the Mules' blue line. He skated in a Beran and snapped a low shot that got under the goaltender's left pad and skittered into the net for the game-winner with 51 seconds left in the contest.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Dachille finished with 24 saves and Beran 41 as Amherst outshot the Mules, 43-25.
*Amherst won 39 face-offs and lost only 23 in the game.
Tyler Bourque won 13 of the 17 he took, while Toporowski won 13 of 19.
* The Mammoths went 1 for 7 on the power play in the game, while Colby was 1 for 3.