Game Recap: Men's Ice Hockey | 3/12/2021 12:00:00 AM

Ice hockey holds intersquad game; Johannes scores OT winner

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts The American International College ice hockey team held an intersquad game on Friday, March 12. There was a playoff intensity in the contest, and sophomore Hunter Johannes ended the game at 1:00 of overtime with a shorthanded goal to give Team Black a 3-2 win over Team Gold.

FAST FACTS:
Final Score: Team Black 3, Team Gold 2 (F/OT)
Records: AIC is 13-3-0 on the season
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts

KEY STATS:
Team Black:
Hunter Johannes: One goal, one assist
Brennan Kapcheck: One goal, one assist
Sam Miller: Two assists
Austen Long: One goal
Matt Rickard: One assist

Team Gold:
Tobias Fladeby: Two assists
Elijiah Barriga: One goal
Blake Bennett: One goal
Julius Janhonen: One assist
Brett Callahan: One assist

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Team Black pounced early, and produced a goal just 2:38 in as Johannes dished from the right side to the point for freshman Sam Miller, and he in turn passed to the left circle where senior Brennan Kapcheck was waiting. The captain cut to the front of the net around defenders and pulled the goalkeeper down before firing the puck into the open net for a 1-0 lead.
Team Gold was able to slow down the Team Black attack after the initial flurry, but the game's first penalty was called late in the period, and Team Black took advantage. Miller set up his defense partner, freshman Matt Rickard, for a mid-point one-timer, and the blast was deflected home by sophomore Austen Long at 14:09 for a 2-0 edge.
The second period saw the script flipped as Team Gold went on a power play, and cashed in as sophomore Brett Callahan passed to the right circle for senior Tobias Fladeby; his initial shot was saved, but junior Elijiah Barriga cashed in the rebound at 9:36 to cut his team's deficit to 2-1.
In the third, Fladeby took matters into his own hands, bursting into the zone on a rush from his own end and jamming a puck on goal; freshman Julius Janhonen found the rebound, and pushed it across the goal mouth from right to left for sophomore Blake Bennett to tie the game at the 8:42.
Late in the third, Michal Stinil took a penalty for hooking. The call proved fortuitous for his own team, however, as in the overtime, Johannes was able to break out of the zone shorthanded with senior Luka Maver. Maver served as a decoy, allowing Johannes to hit the trailing Kapcheck, who faked a shot and went back to Johannes for a tap-in winner at 1:00 of the extra time, giving Team Black the 3-2 win.