Rodgers' Overtime Game-Winner Pushes No. 3/4 Endicott Past No. 15 Amherst, 2-1

AMHERST, Mass. – Sophomore forward Luke Rodgers (Clarkston, Mich.) punched home a rebound near the left post with 2:09 remaining in overtime to lift the No. 3/4 nationally ranked Endicott men’s ice hockey team past No. 15 Amherst, 2-1, on Sunday evening at Orr Rink.

Luke Rodgers skates with the puck. Play Video
December 31, 2017

AMHERST, Mass. – Sophomore forward Luke Rodgers (Clarkston, Mich.) punched home a rebound near the left post with 2:09 remaining in overtime to lift the No. 3/4 nationally ranked Endicott men's ice hockey team past No. 15 Amherst, 2-1, on Sunday evening at Orr Rink.

Rodgers came up with his first career game-winning goal for the Gulls after he forced a turnover behind the net and eventually cleaned up John Carricato's (Ridge, N.Y.) rebound that trickled directly onto his stick near the left post.

Carricato initiated the scoring chance when he fired a low shot off the blocker of Giancarlo Ventre (Morrisonville, N.Y.) for Rodgers to bury into the back of the net. Ventre was partially screened as Carricato took his shot from the slot through two Amherst defenders.

The Gulls trailed 1-0 entering the third period, but Jack Kilty (Medway, Mass.) responded for Endicott at the 3:36 mark when he corralled a loose puck near Amherst's blue line, burst past three defenders and beat Ventre high-blocker side on a 2-on-0 rush with teammate Daniel Kucerovy (Bethel Park, Pa.).

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

  • Endicott is 4-1-1 all-time against nationally ranked opponents.
  • Today was the first-ever meeting between Endicott and Amherst.
  • Mark Specia (Ringwood, N.J.) finished with 28 saves to improve to 7-1-0 on the season.
  • The Gulls have won 13 games in a row and are undefeated on the road (7-0-0).
  • Endicott handed Amherst its first home loss since the 2015-16 season.

FOR THE FOES

  • Amherst took a 1-0 lead at 5:05 of the second period when Jack Fitzgerald (Guilford, Conn.) punched home a rebound near the left faceoff circle after an initial shot from Stanley Brenner (Boca Raton, Fla.).
  • Max Roche (Chicago, Ill.) also received an assist on Fitzgerald's first goal of the year.
  • Ventre stopped a career-high 36 shots in the loss (1-1-0).

WHAT'S NEXT

No. 3/4 Endicott (13-1-0) takes on Babson in the W.B. Mason Winter Classic, hosted by Plattsburgh State, on Friday, January 5 at 4 PM. Amherst (4-2-3) visits New England College on Tuesday, January 2 at 7 PM. 

For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

(Photo Credit - David Le '10)