BOSTON, MASS. – Junior goalie Nick Modica (Suffern/New Jersey Hitmen) turned aside 44 shots to earn tournament MVP honors, and Cortland netted a pair of power-play goals against the nation’s top penalty-killing unit in skating to a 2-1 victory at nationally 8th-ranked UMass Boston in the championship game of the 54th annual Codfish Bowl Saturday afternoon.
Modica, who matched his career high with 46 saves in an opening-round 2-1 win over Bryn Athyn on Friday, stopped all 17 shots he faced in the third period for the Red Dragons (6-8), who captured their fourth straight in-season tournament dating back to the 2014-15 campaign.
Freshman Oliver Lester (Calgary, AB/Prince George Spruce Kings) scored his first career goal, and junior Alex Storjohann (Phoenix, AZ/Kirkland Lake) tallied the game-winning goal in the third period for Cortland. Juniors Stefano Alonzi (King City, ON/Burlington Cougars) and Douglas Elgstam (Stockholm, Sweden/New Jersey Rockets) and senior Mike Crowley (Buffalo/Springfield Blues) each recorded an assist.
Nick Albano scored his fourth goal of the season for the Beacons (12-3) with Gabe Chuckran and Nolan Redler assisting on the score. Goalie Bailey MacBurnie registered 29 saves.
Albano gave UMass Boston a 1-0 lead at 14:09 of the first period with a power-play goal. Lester tied the game just over two minutes later, also on the power play.
After a scoreless second period in which the Beacons outshot Cortland, 15-6, and failed to convert on a five-minute major penalty against the Red Dragons, Storjohann netted the game-winner with 56 seconds remaining in regulation with the man advantage. MacBurnie made an initial pad save on Crowley’s shot from the right circle, but Storjohann fired the rebound into the open net for his team-high seventh goal of the season. The Beacons pulled MacBurnie for an extra skater with 33 seconds on the clock, but the Red Dragons denied any quality scoring chances to seal the win.
Cortland 2, UMass Boston 1
Score by periods:
Cortland 1-0-1 2
UMass Boston 1-0-0 1
Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists)
Cortland: Oliver Lester 1-0, Alex Storjohann 1-0, Stefano Alonzi 0-1, Douglas Elgstam 0-1, Mike Crowley 0-1
UMass Boston: Nick Albano 1-0, Gabe Chuckran 0-1, Nolan Redler 0-1
Saves: Nick Modica (Cortland) 44 saves (1 GA in 60:00); Bailey MacBurnie (UMass Boston) 29 saves (2 GA in 59:27), Empty Net :33
Shots on Goal: UMass Boston 45 (13-15-17), Cortland 31 (12-6-13)
Penalties: Cortland 7-25:00, UMass Boston 7-14
Power Play: Cortland 2-5, UMass Boston 1-4
