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Ben Kuzma
Brian Foley for ClarusStudios.co
2
Middlebury MIDDLEBU 7-13-4, 5-10-3
5
Winner Amherst AMHERST 14-9-1, 9-8-1
Middlebury MIDDLEBU
7-13-4, 5-10-3
2
Final
5
Amherst AMHERST
14-9-1, 9-8-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Middlebury MIDDLEBU 0 1 1 2
Amherst AMHERST 3 1 1 5

Game Recap: Men's Ice Hockey |

Kuzma's Hat Trick leads Mammoths by Middlebury on Senior Day, 5-2

AMHERST, MA – Junior Ben Kuzma stole the show on Senior Day, scoring three times to net his second hat trick in less than 24 hours and lead the Amherst College men's hockey team to a 5-2 victory over Middlebury at Orr Rink. 

The Mammoth's record before moving into the NESCAC quarterfinals is 14-9-1 and 9-8-1 in the conference. Their next match will be next Saturday (Feb. 24). Opponent and time TBA.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS: 
  • The Mammoths scored an early goal in the first period after a turnover on the Panther's end. Josh Burke intercepted the puck by the boards and passed it to the low slot for Ryan Tucker to get the tip in at 4:07.
  •  Kuzma stole the puck for a breakaway toward the goal. A series of passes around the net delivered the puck to Vincent Velocci in the slot, where he sent it back to Kuzma, who buried it for a 2-0 lead at 14:41 in the opening period.
  • A pass by Zachary Jesse to Kuzma across the ice initiated the final goal of the first period. Kuxma took the puck up the left side of the ice and fired his wrist shot into the opposite corner of the net at 17:51.
  • Kuzma scored off a passing pattern from Bobby Luca to Velocci in the Panthers' zone to earn himself a hat trick off a backhanded shot at 6:28 in the second period. 
  • Middlebury scored with just 57 seconds remaining in the second period. Revy Mack gained possession of the puck after a wide shot from the right point and successfully wrapped it around the goal for a score.
  • Wyatt Pastor took a wide shot from the blue line. Andrej Hromic gathered the puck behind the net and sent it into the crease for him to snuff it into the net at 7:15 in the final period. 
  • The Panthers pulled their goalie multiple times in the final four minutes to create a 6-on-5 opportunity, but Alex Wisco held them off the scoreboard.
  • Spencer Kimball fired the puck toward the net for an empty net goal for a 5-2 win on the Mammoth's senior day with 27 seconds left.


BY THE NUMBERS:
  • Both teams were equally matched with 28 shots on goal. 
  • Amherst won 35 of the 68 face-offs, Velocci won 16 of the 26 he took, and Ryan Corcoran won 10 of the 15. 
  • The Mammoths were 0-1 for power play, and the Panthers went 0-3. 
  • In goal, senior Wisco saved 26 of the 28 shots he faced on net.
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