WALPOLE – There were not many missteps along the way in the 2014 Chowder Cup when Boston Generals Midwest captured the College Open Division championship. Those positive results seemingly have continued from one July to the next as the Generals started their title defense with a win, scoring a 6-4 victory over the CCHA Rangers on Thursday at the Rodman Arena in Walpole.
Offenses struggled to score early, goaltenders Ryan Whitehurst for the Rangers and Mike Zinini for the Generals perfect for much of the first half. Both kept their opposition off the scoreboard until Greg Love started the barrage with his tally at 17:52 to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
The lead, however, was short-lived as Race Bennett had the game back to even just 34-seconds later. Bennett’s tally also started a three-goal run for the Generals to close the half, which they finished with a 3-1 lead. The Rangers also scored the opening goal of the second half, Cameron Sinclair getting them back to within one with his tally at 1:35, but they were never able to catch the Generals after their run to close out the opening half.
After a pair of Boston goals to extend their lead to 5-2, the Rangers made it interesting with a pair of their own in the game’s final two minutes to cut their deficit to one, but Generals forward Mike Sacchi sealed their fate when he completed his hat trick and game-high five points (3G, 2A) with an empty net goal with just seconds remaining to close out the 6-4 win.
