No. 2 UMass ends postseason hopes

AMHERST, Mass. — The No. 2-ranked UMass power play clicked for single goals in the first two periods and the Minutemen went on to earn a 3-0 win over UConn in a Hockey East Conference game Thursday night.

The Huskies, shut out for the sixth time this season, were officially eliminated from the conference postseason tournament. UConn has three games remaining, all at home.

John Leonard got UMass on the board, beating UConn goalie Tomas Vomacka at 10:58 of the first period with his ninth goal of the season. Mario Ferraro made it 2-0 with his fifth goal at 16:11 of the second, and Marc Del Gaizo added an emptynetter at 16:33 of the third period.

Vomacka made 33 saves for the Huskies (10-19-2, 5-14-2). Matt Murray stopped 21 shots in the net for the Minutemen (246-0, 146-4-0).

UConn is back in action Tuesday against Providence at the XL Center.

MEXICO CITY — Rory McIlroy flirted with a holein-one on the same par 4 that Tiger Woods hit out of bounds on his first shot in Mexico.

That’s about how their days went Thursday in the Mexico Championship.

McIlroy, already off to a solid start on the back nine, hit a 2-iron on the 305-yard opening hole at Chapultepec Golf Club that landed on the front of the green and was rolling just left of the pin when it settled 6 feet away. That led to an eagle that carried McIlroy to an 8-under 63 and a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson.

Woods got the raucous Mexican introduction for his opening tee shot, a 5-wood that also landed on the green — the wrong green. The ball bounced hard off a temporary green to the left and beyond the out-of-bounds stake into the bushes.

And then he nearly did it again, ultimately needing to get up-and-down from 60 feet away in a bunker to escape with double bogey. After a burst of birdies, Woods struggled to open with a 71.

Justin Thomas, who lost in a playoff last year to Phil Mickelson, chipped in from 50 feet behind the green on No. 15 for eagle and is at 66. He is tied with Matt Kuchar, who already won in Mexico once this season at the Mayakoba Classic.