Kurapov & Sterrett Come Up Clutch Once Again; No. 3 Endicott Edges No. 6 Curry In OT, 2-1

BEVERLY, Mass. — In what felt like a playoff matchup from start to finish, the No. 3 nationally ranked Endicott men's ice hockey team defeated No. 6 Curry, 2-1, in overtime on Saturday evening in front of a packed house at Raymond J. Bourque Arena.

Tied 1-1 late in overtime, Andrew Kurapov (Corvallis, Ore.) deked his defender in the left faceoff circle and ripped a shot from close range off Reid Cooper's (Corman Park, Saskatchewan) shoulder into the back of the net for the game-winner (3:12).

Kurapov also played a role in the game-tying power play goal in the third period.

Jackson Sterrett (Hendersonville, Tenn.) scored a nearly identical goal to Kurapov's tally, this time from just outside the right faceoff circle, with a wrister through traffic to make it 1-1 with 10:27 left in regulation.

Kurapov got the offense going by winning a 50/50 puck at the blue line to Primo Self (Grand Rapids, Mich.) who was stationed along the right boards. Self then drew two defenders his way and sent a silky saucer pass to Sterrett for the equalizer.

In goal, Ryan Wilson (Shelton, Conn.) made 25 saves to improve to 8-1-0 on the season.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Endicott is 8-1-0 at home this season.
• Today's matchup featured the No. 1 (Endicott) and No. 2 (Curry) ranked teams in the latest PairWise rankings.
• The Gulls conclude the month of January with a 6-0-1 record.
• Sterrett scored the game-tying goal in last night's 2-2 tie (1-0 shootout win).
• Curry's unbeaten streak of 11 games came to a halt with the loss.

WHAT'S NEXT

No. 3 Endicott (16-1-1, 14-0-1 CCC) visits Western New England on Friday, February 3 at 8 PM. No. 6 Curry (15-3-1, 11-3-1 CCC) hosts Salve Regina next Friday at 7 PM. 

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)