Fifth-seeded UMass Dartmouth captured the 1996-97 ECAC North-Central-South ice hockey championship with a 6-3 come-from-behind victory over defending champion and second-seeded Fitchburg State on March 12 at Wallace Civic Center in Fitchburg. The victory improved UMass Dartmouth's record to 21-4-2 and gave Coach John Rolli's team its third ECAC title in five year and seventh in the last 15 years.

Captain Marc Salvi's (Cheshire, MA) two third-period goals were the difference for UMass Dartmouth as the Corsairs gained a measure of revenge over the Falcons in their third straight championship game meeting with Fitchburg State. The Falcons were the defending ECAC North-Central-South champions after defeating UMass Dartmouth last year, 2-1 in overtime.

The Corsairs trailed 3-2 after two periods before exploding for four goals in the game's final twenty minutes to take the title as the first team in ECAC history to win the title with three road victories. The Corsairs closed out their season with a 10-0-1 record in their last games and were the first team in UMass Dartmouth history to win 70 games in three seasons.

The championship game opened with a pair of rapid-fire goals by both teams. Jarrod DiBona (Weymouth, MA), the game's Most Valuable player and Bauer/ECAC Player of the Week, scored the first of his two goals and two assists, 40 seconds into the game with an assist from Kayne Beaudry (Melrose, MA). But 17 seconds later, the Falcons tied the score 1-1. Six minutes later, Jason Cormier (Waltham, MA) put the Corsairs ahead 2-1 with a goal from Jarrod DiBona and Jon Ruel (Mattapoisett, MA) Once again, however, the Falcons answered back quickly, tieing the game at 2-2 thirty seconds later. Fitchburg State later took the lead with a goal at 13:10 of the first period and held that lead until Salvi tied the game with his first of two in the third period. Salvi's first goal was assisted by Craig Hardy (Everett, MA) and was followed less than three minutes later with assists by Jarrod DiBona and Beaudry. DiBona put the game away with his second goal of the game at 17:27 of the third period. DiBona's power-play goal, assisted by Ruel and Beaudry, gave the Corsairs an insurmountable 5-2 lead. Jeramie DiBona (Weymouth, MA) closed out the scoring with an empty net goal, assisted by Brett Flint (Danvers, MA).

After giving up three goals in the first 13:10 of the opening period, goalie Louis Weimann (Burlington, VT) was solid the rest of the way. Weimann stopped 18 shots to pick up the victory and conclude his season with a 9-1-1 record. UMass Dartmouth outshot Fitchburg State 41-26 and dealt last year's championship game MVP, goalie Aaron Abitz, his first playoff loss after 10 straight wins.

Mike Lane (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) will compete in the NCAA Division III Men's Swimming and Diving championships to be held at Miami (OH) University, March 20-22. Lane will be competing for a national championship in two events, the 100-yard and 200-yard breast stroke.

Earlier this season, Lane broke the UMass Dartmouth records in both events. He set the 200 Breast record of 2:10.89 in a November 26 meet against Bridgewater State College. At the UMass Dartmouth Invitational held Dec. 7 at the Tripp Athletic Center, Lane captured six individual races, including school-record performances in winning the 100 Breast (:59.74) and 500 Free (4:52.94). Lane broke his own record in the 100 Breast one week later, during a December 14 meet against Trinity College, lowering his own school record to :59.04.

Lynn Defonzo (Milford, MA) participated in the preliminary round of the NCAA Division III National Swimming and Diving Championships at Miami University (OH) last week, but did not qualify for the finals. Defonzo qualified for the NCAAs with a pair of winning dives in a Jan. 28 meet against MIT and another first-place dive against Babson College on Feb. 1. Defonzo posted national qualifying dives when she took both the 1-meter event against MIT with 245.25 points and the 3-meter competition with 251.47 points.

Co-captains for UMass Dartmouth's 1997 women's tennis team have been announced by Coach Warren Preti. Juniors Oliva Cunha (New Bedford, MA) and Ashley Kennedy (Holliston, MA) will lead UMass Dartmouth next fall. Cunha, a former New Bedford High School tennis standout, is the reigning #6 singles champion of the Little East Conference and has a career record of 21-7. A doubles specialist at Holliston High and at UMass Dartmouth, Kennedy teamed last year with Mary Bourque (Rochester, MA) to win the LEC #3 doubles. Her combined career record at UMass Dartmouth is 20-9......Last weekend's baseball games with Stonehill College were postponed. Following a road game scheduled at Salve Regina on March 18, the baseball team will depart on its annual trip to California this weekend. Coach Bruce Wheeler's team opens with an appearance in the California Invitational, March 22-23.....Coach Marilyn Ritz's softball team will also be departing for warmer weather this weekend when they travel to Ft. Myers, Florida for their annual spring trip. UMass Dartmouth will compete in the week-long Gene Cusick Collegiate Classic, opening with St. Lawrence University on March 25, followed by games with St. Mary's University on March 26 and Union College the following day...... UMass Dartmouth will open its 1997 men's tennis season with a match against Stonehill College on March 2......The Corsairs' men's and women's track team, under the direction of Coach Jon Hird, will make their first appearance of the spring season at the Rhode Island College Relays on March 22.