NORTH SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Western New England College overcame a sluggish start with a pair of third-period goals for a 2-2 overtime tie against Johnson & Wales in an ECAC Northeast men's hockey contest Thursday night (Feb. 12) at the Rhode Island Sports Center.

The Golden Bears hit the back of the net twice in a 25-second span when sophomore forwsrd Chris Beaudoin (Enfield, CT) tallied on a power play goal at the 9:07 mark with assists from senior forward Mike Majesty (Chicago, IL) and freshman defenseman Joe Deptula (Anchorage, AK).

Deptula knotted the game at 9:32 as senior forwards Phil Lamy (Manchester, NH) and Dean Smith (Warwick, RI) earned the assists.

Johnson & Wales took a quick 1-0 lead six seconds after the opening face-off on a goal by senior forward Mike O'Malley (Bellingham, MA). The Wildcats upped their margin when sophomore forward Andy Noyes scored at 13:43.

Each team had seven penalties with 11 coming in the second period (6 for JWU, five for WNEC) when neither squad managed to light the lamp.

Western New England College sophomore goalie Justin Richards (Somers, CT) settled down after a shaky start and finished with 32 saves.

Sophomore JR Woodland (Picton, ONT) stopped 26 shots for the Wildcats who are now 8-10-3 overall and 7-4-2 in the league.

The Golden Bears have a 2-18-2 record (2-10-2 in the conference) heading into Saturday's ECAC Northeast battle at Becker.