Ice Dogs advance to Holiday Tournament final in shootout with Johnson & Wales

December 29, 2008

Assumption 1, Johnson & Wales 1

WORCESTER, Mass. --- Freshman goalkeeper NICK BLANCHETTE (Stuart, FL/Worcester Academy) made 38 saves to backbone Assumption College as the Ice Dogs battled Johnson & Wales to a 1-1 overtime tie in the first round of the Assumption College Holiday Tournament MONDAY at the Buffone Rink.

The Ice Dogs then outscored the Wildcats 2-1 in the shootout to earn advancement to Tuesday's championship game

In the opener Trinity College defeated Becker College, 6-3. Assumption will face Trinity in the championship game at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. Becker and Johnson & Wales faceoff at 12:30 p.m. for third-place.

After the teams battled through 65 minutes deadlocked the Ice Dogs got shootout goals from sophomore forward PATRICK FITZGIBBONS (Holliston, MA/Saint John's) and sophomore forward MICHAEL DWYER (Somerville, MA/Worcester Academy) to assure their advance to the final. Freshman forward LUKE VAN ASCH (Coon Rapids MN) scored the lone goal for Johnson & Wales in the shootout.

The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the second period as junior forward STEPHEN PFEIFFER (Queens, NY) scored at 8:40 just four seconds after the Ice Dogs had killed off a penalty situation. Freshman forward TAYLOR LARSEN (Blackstone, MA/Blackstone Milleville/Worcester Academy) tied the game for the Ice Dogs on the power lay on feeds from junior defenseman JON RETELLE (Monmouth, ME/Monmouth Academy/Kents Hill) and Fitzgibbons.

Sophomore goaltender JUNIOR WOODLAND (Picton, ONT) made 26 saves for Johnson & Wales, who outshot the Ice Dogs, 39 27.

Click here for ASSUMPTION-JOHNSON & WALES box score