BY DEREK MOHNEY // FEB. 20, 2015 //

The Curry College hockey team entered Wednesday night’s game on the outside of the ECAC Northeast playoff race. But with a 3-0 win over Wentworth, the Colonels vaulted from seventh place to fourth in conference play.

The victory, which Curry coach TJ Manastersky called a “gritty effort,” marked the Colonels’ third win in a row. The game was played at Walter Brown Arena in Boston.

Shane Harrington scored the game-winning goal in Wednesday’s contest against Wentworth. // PHOTO COURTESY OF CURRY ATHLETICS

Curry (5-6-1; 12-9-2 overall) dominated play in the first period, as it outshot the Leopards 12-3. However, despite multiple power plays, the Colonels could not get one past Wentworth goalie Joel Miller, who made several big saves.

Forward Shane Harrington kicked the scoring off at 10:05 of the second period with a wrist shot from the top of the circle that made its way through a screen and between the glove and pad of Miller. Freshman defenseman Phil Kiss was credited with the assist.

It stayed 1-0 until 3:54 into the third period, when Sean Nelson buried a quick snapshot, with assists from Kiss and freshman forward Ryan Fitzgerald.

Although untested for the majority of the game, sophomore goalie Brett Sinclair made a huge glove save from a point-blank shot at 9:05 in the third. Sinclair finished with 27 saves.

Curry added its third goal when Fitzgerald scored on an empty net while being tripped at 18:29. Wentworth’s Miller finished with 20 saves.

STREAKING
This is the second time this season that the Colonels have won three or more games in a row. Prior to the three-game winning streak, Curry lost four games in a row by a combined score of 15-2.

PLAYOFF PICTURE
Curry now sits in fourth place in the ECAC Northeast standings. This gives them home ice advantage for a first-round playoff game. Nichols is at No. 1 with a conference record of 9-1-2, followed by Salve Regina at 9-3-1. However, Johnson & Wales is even with Curry in losses, with a record of 7-6.

Curry and Wentworth are tied at 5-6-1, with the Colonials holding the tie-breaking advantage.

UP NEXT
Curry: At Becker College, Feb. 21 (12:40 p.m.), then vs. Becker College, Feb. 23 (5:40 p.m.), in conference action. Becker is a conference-worst 1-11 this season; 5-18 overall.