St. Louis, MO – CMCC Men's Ice Hockey stayed alive at the ACHA National Championships with a dramatic last-minute winner against Florida Gulf Coast University. Freshman center Sam Foley buried a wrist shot with 34.4 seconds left to spur the #6 Mustangs past the #14 Eagles, 2-1. Goaltender Cam Wickens put in another strong performance, making 45 saves including several stops in the final frantic moments, to seal the victory. Central Maine now heads into its final game against Oakland University with a chance to advance to the "Frosty Four" with a victory and a tiebreaker in its favor.
"We found ourselves playing in a low-scoring game again and committed to playing the right way," head coach Jordy Knoren said after the game. "It was very similar to the first game but this time we were able to convert an opportunity and get the win. I'm very proud of the guys and know they are excited for tomorrow."
Central Maine took the lead late in the first period on a goal by Colby Pawson. Jonathan Rioux started the breakout from his own end, with Dylan Blue sending a pass across the ice to Gavin Pellerin. The freshman from Saco, ME hustled down the right-wing boards and spotted a teammate crashing the net from the opposite side. His pass was right on the tape for Pawson to one-time a shot inside the post, just past the right pad of goaltender B.J. Riccardi. It was the 10th goal of the season for the junior out of Messalonskee High School to make it 1-0.
The final minute of the opening frame featured a parade to the penalty box for the Mustangs. Foley was called for hooking and before the team could gain possession of the puck to draw the whistle, Aaron Higgins was given a holding penalty as well. That gave the Eagles a 5-on-3 power play for a full two minutes. It got worse with captain Rioux being sent to the sin bin with two seconds remaining for a tripping penalty.
The penalty kill unit survived the four straight minutes of shorthanded hockey that carried over into the second period, thanks to some timely blocks and plenty of saves from Wickens in net. It was another power play opportunity, later in the period, that would get FGCU back on level terms. Emmit Sullivan was called for tripping towards the midpoint of the hockey game. Ryan Allamian made a great play to tie up Michael Belleau's stick before the CMCC alternate captain could clear the zone, allowing Nate Walker to skate down the middle of the slot with the puck. Wickens was screened with two players battling at the top of the crease, and the shot sailed past the glove side to make it 1-1 with 12:10 left in the period.
Shots on goal favored Florida Gulf Coast 30-20 after two, with both teams knowing they needed a goal in the third period to keep their tournament hopes alive after losing their opening game of group play. Central Maine struggled to get shots on target either from blocks or missing the net, while Wickens was called upon for several outstanding stops to keep the score even.
A penalty call against the Eagles' Jacob Langheinrich for a tie up in front of the net with Lucas Laforest gave the Mustangs a power play with 2:52 left in regulation. FGCU frustrated the CMCC special teams unit with multiple clears, running the two minutes off the clock. Langheinrich stayed at center ice hoping for a pass out of the zone to go on the offensive. Instead, defenseman Zach Mitton blocked the clearing attempt, just missing his shot wide off the glass. Heath McLean kept it in at the left point and whipped a pass back across the zone to Mitton. The junior drew the scrambling Eagles to him before sliding a pass back door to a wide-open Foley. The Windham High School product waited for a defender to hit the ice before picking the corner over Riccardi's shoulder, sparking wild celebrations on the ice.
Florida Gulf Coast refused to let the final half a minute of play tick off quietly though. The Eagles pulled the netminder with 16 seconds left and blocked a clearing attempt by Rioux in the zone. That's when Wickens saved the day. The netminder sprawled to make a save on a one-timer by Langheinrich in between the hash marks. The goaltender was bowled over, losing his mask in the crash to the ice while Rioux valiantly blocked a point-blank shot in the crease from Jack Lee as the referee blew the play dead. The goaltender stayed in the game with 5.1 seconds left and made one final stop to deny Allamian at the side of the net on a rebound coming back off the end boards.
The dramatic victory keeps Central Maine's hopes alive of making their first-ever "Frosty Four" in their third straight trip to the ACHA National Championships. The Mustangs now face the Golden Grizzlies on Friday in a rematch on the national stage with the team that beat them 11-0 to eliminate them from the 2025 tournament. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 pm ET.
