WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Host Wilkes scored the game-winning goal midway through the first overtime period Wednesday to claim a 3-2 sudden victory over Nazareth in a first-round United Collegiate Hockey Conference playoff game at the Toyota Sportsplex.
The victory enabled the Colonels to improve to 7-3 overall and to advance to the semifinals of the UCHC playoffs. Nazareth’s season ends at 0-11. Mateo Capriotti and Ray Falso scored goals for the Golden Flyers.
Nazareth had leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but the Colonels rallied each time. They scored a power play goal in the third period to tie the score and then added the game-winner at 9:16 of overtime.
Capriotti’s second goal of the season came early in the first period off assists from Matt Echelmeier and Jackson Shanley, but Wilkes’ Tyler Dill tied the score later in the period.
In the third period, Nazareth was able to capitalize on a 5-on-3 power play advantage as Falso whistled a wrist shot a shot past Wilkes netminder Michael Paterson-Jones, giving Nazareth a 2-1 lead. Carmine Alberga was credited with an assist.
The score went unchanged until 6:48 of the third period when Dill scored again, just 19 seconds after JT Entelisanowas penalized for elbowing.
Wilkes then had four shots on goal in overtime, including Todd Barrow’s even-strength tally that ended the game at 9:16.
Freshman Raphael Provencher played well in goal for Nazareth with 44 saves, including 23 in the second period. Paterson-Jones had 22 saves fr the Colonels.
