BOSTON, Mass. --  Freshman Sean McLaughlin (North Billerica, Mass.) converted a penalty shot 10:08 into overtime to lift top-seeded Wentworth to a 1-0 victory over second-seeded Curry in the 2012 ECAC Northeast Men’s Ice Hockey Championship played Saturday afternoon at Matthews Arena.
 
The host Leopards, now 20-6-1 on the season, claimed their fifth ECAC Northeast crown (their first since 2004) and earned the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championships.  The Colonels, who had captured the previous two ECAC Northeast titles, finish their season at 14-11-2 overall.
 
McLaughlin was tripped on a breakaway in the extra session, and he slid the ensuing penalty shot under the pads of Curry freshman goalie Derek Mohney (Amherst, N.Y.) for Wentworth’s golden goal.  Both teams had opportunities to net the deciding tally in the first minute of overtime, including a breakaway by Colonel freshman Jordan Reed (Ajax, Ont.) that was turned aside.
 
The Leopards had the best chance to take an early advantage in the opening stanza, as sophomore Fred Gervasi (Mississauga, Ont.) was denied on a breakaway, and Curry senior Ryan Barlock (Chicago, Ill.) appeared to have given the visitors the edge with 6:05 to play in the middle frame, but his marker was disallowed due to a high stick call.  The two teams locked into a defensive tussle throughout the contest, as Wentworth outshot Curry by a 24-20 margin overall, six of which came in the overtime period.
 
Leopard freshman netminder Alex Peck (Kirkland, Que.) collected the shutout triumph and earned tournament Most Outstanding Player honors for Wentworth, which reached the 20-win plateau for the second time in three seasons.  Mohney recorded 23 stops in 70-plus minutes of action in the setback for Curry, including 11 over the final 30-plus minutes of play.
 
Peck and McLaughlin were joined on the 2012 ECAC Northeast all-tournament team by Wentworth junior defenseman Shaun Jameson (Long Beach, Calif.), Curry seniors Mike Kavanagh (Little Neck, N.Y.) and Payden Benning (Estevan, Sask.) and Nichols forward Louie Educate.
 
The complete 2012 NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship field will be announced on Sunday evening at 9:30 p.m. (Game Recap Courtesy of Wentworth Sports Information)

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