SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 5, 2015) - Freshman forward David Kleyman's (Brooklyn, N.Y.) first career goal gave the Western New England University ice hockey team a 1-0 lead early in the second period, but Johnson & Wales University scored three unanswered goals to claim a 3-1 victory this afternoon in Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast action at Smead Arena.
 
Senior goaltender Austin Keiser (Danwoody, Ga.), who was named the ECAC Northeast Goalie of the Week on Monday, stopped all 13 of the shots that he faced in the first period to keep the game scoreless. Keiser finished with 40 saves overall, his fourth consecutive 40+ save performance.
 
The Golden Bears then pulled ahead just over five minutes into the second period, as Kleyman picked up a loose puck near the top of the right circle and fired a shot over Johnson & Wales junior goalie Joey Ballmer's (Kalamazoo, Mich.) blocker and into the net. Classmate Edmund Rogers (Creve Coeur, Mo.) was credited with an assist on the play.
 
The Wildcats equalized two minutes and 45 seconds later on junior forward Ben Brouillard's (Somerset, Mass.) third goal of the season, before pulling ahead at the 13:38 mark of the period when classmate Connor Bates (Laconia, N.H.) capitalized on a rebound opportunity following a blocked shot.
 
Keiser faced 18 more shots in the third period and was able to stop 17 of them, but Bates notched an insurance goal for Johnson & Wales early in the frame with the help of Brouillard. The Golden Bears had one power play and put eight shots on goal over the final 20 minutes, but they were unable to cut into their deficit as Ballmer finished with 24 saves.
 
Western New England (0-9-1, 0-6 ECAC NE) will wrap up its first semester schedule on Thursday night against Southern New Hampshire University, a member of NCAA Division II's Northeast-10 Conference. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. at Smead Arena. Johnson & Wales returns to action on Friday at SUNY Potsdam.