BOSTON, Mass.-The fifth-ranked Hobart College hockey team used a five-goal second period to rally past UMass Boston 5-3 in a New England Hockey Conference contest at The Edward T. Barry Ice Rink this evening. With the win, Hobart is now 17-4-3 overall and 11-4-2 in conference play.
 
Tonight's win secured a top four finish in the regular season standings for Hobart. With a win or tie tomorrow afternoon against sixth-ranked Babson, the Statesmen can lock up the No. 3 seed. A loss and a New England College win over Southern Maine will bring the tiebreakers into play.
 
Five different players scored a goal for Hobart. Senior Lawson MacDougall and junior Mike Faulkner finished the game with a goal and an assist each. Sophomore Joe Halstrom started in goal and made 12 saves in 20 minutes of action. Fellow sophomore Liam Lascelle came on in relief and stopped all 18 shots he faced in the final 40 minutes as he earned the win.
 
Andy Walker and Ethan Nitkin each had a pair of assists for the Beacons (13-10-1, 9-7-1). UMass Boston can finish no higher than fifth in the conference standings. Bailey MacBurnie started in goal and made 38 saves in just over 58 minutes of action.
 
The Beacons came out of the gate strong and opened the scoring 51 seconds into the game. Nitkin forced a turnover in the offensive zone and found Nick Albano at the point. Albano one-timed the shot past Halstrom for his sixth goal of the season. Walker also notched an assist on the tally. It came on the first shot of the game. Two minutes later, Chris Peters gave UMass Boston a 2-0 lead on his first goal of the season. Walker and Nitkin were credited with assists on the goal. At the 14:58 mark of the period, Jake Adkins extended the Beacons lead to three goals. He collected a loose puck in the slot and flipped the shot past Halstrom for his third goal of the season. Derek Caruso and Ryan Borgan were credited with assists on the goal.
 
The Statesmen turned the game on its head in the second period, outshooting UMass Boston 18-6 in the middle frame. Faulkner broke up the shutout bid just under four minutes into the period. He wristed a shot from the left faceoff circle into the upper left corner of the cage. His first goal of the season was a power-play goal. Three minutes later, Hobart made it a one-goal game with its second consecutive power-play goal. Senior Julien Denicourt fired a shot from the point off the right goal post and into the back of the net. His fifth goal of the season was assisted by MacDougall. The Statesmen tied the game just past the halfway point of the second period. Lawson MacDougall collected his own rebound and slipped a backhanded shot past MacBurnie for his sixth goal of the season. Senior Zach Sternbach was awarded an assist on the goal. Junior Mark Benemerito scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal three minutes later. MacBurnie vacated his cage to play the puck behind the goal. It took a weird bounce off of the end boards to Benemerito right in front of the cage. Benemerito wristed the puck into the empty cage. Junior Ryan Lynch and senior Will Harrison were credited with assists on the goal. Junior Alec Robitaille gave Hobart a 5-3 lead with his team-leading 12th goal of the season.  He redirected a shot from the point across the goal line. Faulkner and sophomore PA Martineau were credited with assists on the goal.
 
Today's second period was the 10th time this season Hobart scored four goals in a period and the third time that it put the puck in the back of the net five times in a period.
 
Neither team scored in the third period. UMass Boston held a 12-9 edge in shots in the final 20 minutes. Albano nearly had his second goal of the game, but his shot rang off the right goal post. With 10 minutes left in the period, Caruso had a pair of scoring chances stuffed by Lascelle. The Beacons pulled MacBurnie in favor of the extra attacker but were unable to convert.
 
Hobart finished the game with a 43-33 advantage in shots on goal. The Statesmen were 2-for-5 on the power play and the Beacons were 0-for-4 with the man advantage.
 
Hobart will take on the Beavers tomorrow in Babson Park, Ma. Faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.