UTICA, NY – The top-seeded Utica College men's hockey team lost a 2-1 overtime thriller against Hobart College in the ECAC Men's West Conference Tournament Championship game on Saturday afternoon at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Hobart's Ben Greiner netted the game winning goal, on his way to earning the tournament's Most Valuable Player award, with 4:21 left in the first overtime to lift the Statesmen to their third straight ECAC West title.
Utica's
Zach Borsoi (Brossard, Quebec/Gloucester (CCHL)) tallied his third goal in two tournament games with 4:33 left in the third period to tie the score at 1-1 and send the contest into overtime. Borsoi's game-tying goal was assisted by
Anthony McVeigh (Kemptville, Ontario/Carleton Place (CCHL)). Borsoi and junior
Roman Ammirato (Williamstown, NJ/Union College (ECAC)) were named to the All-Tournament team for the Pioneers.
Utica (18-9) and Hobart (20-4-4) will now await possible at-large bids into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The NCAA Division III men's hockey selection show is on Monday at 10:30 a.m. and it will be streamed online at
www.ncaa.com. Utica's 18 wins are the second most in a single season in program-history and the Pioneers have won eight of their last 10 games to this point.
Hobart got on the board first just 1:18 into the contest when Cam Shaheen netted his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Vincent Russo and Greiner, to hand the Statesman an early 1-0 lead.
The contest was held scoreless for the next 54:09 until Borsoi found the back of the net off a face-off which was won by McVeigh to tie the score at 1-1 with under five minutes left in regulation.
Both teams were held scoreless on the power-play and the Statesman earned a 42-35 shot advantage in the victory.
Freshman goalie
Patrik Virtanen (Vantaa, Finland/Lincoln (USHL)) made 40 saves on the afternoon as his record moved to 13-6 on the year. Hobart goalie Frank Oplinger stopped 34 shots on his way to earning All-Tournament Team honors.
2017 ECAC West Conference Men's Hockey All-Tournament Team
Ben Greiner, Jr. Forward, Hobart *Tournament MVP
Cam Shaheen, So., Forward, Hobart
Roman Ammirato, Jr., Forward, Utica
Zach Borsoi, So., Defense, Utica
Jon Neal, Sr., Defense, Hobart
Frank Oplinger, Jr., Goalie , Hobart
