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SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--Senior goalie Tim Carr made 33 saves to notch his first career shutout to back strong special teams play by Western New England University as the host Golden Bears blanked Wentworth Institute of Technology, 2-0, in Eastern College Athletic Conference Northeast men's hockey action at Smead Rink @ Blunt Park on Saturday afternoon. With its third-straight conference win, Western New England improves to 4-12-3 overall and 4-5 in the ECAC Northeast. The Leopards fall even to 9-9-2 on the season and 4-4-1 in the conference.

After the teams skated to a scoreless first period, senior assistant captain Michael Darrar put WNE on the board at 4:14 of the second stanza with his third goal of the season. Senior captain Brandon Stroud collected the puck halfway down the left-side boards and fed Darrar back to the left point, where he unleashed a low slap shot through a screen and inside the left post for a power play marker.

Wentworth outshot WNE 33 to 18 for the game, including 10-3 in the opening stanza. The Leopards had several grade-A scoring opportunities in the third while holding a 12-5 shots on goal advantage. Carr--moving from his right to left--stopped Mike Domsodi from the right face-off dot, senior defenseman Aaron Ziegler made a sliding block on Sean McLaughlin's shot and Chris Sattler missed a wide-open net lifting the puck into the screen above the glass. Wentworth had another solid look in the second when Stephen McManus' shot from the left face-off circle was turned aside by Carr's blocker.

Wentworth pulled goalie Joel Miller (16 saves) for the final 73 seconds in favor of an extra attacker to try to get the tying goal. The Leopards man-advantage grew to 6-on-4 after Matt Dore was whistled for a 2-minute minor penalty for holding the stick with 12 seconds left in regulation. On the ensuing face-off in the WNE defensive zone, the Golden Bears were able to gain control and clear it before senior Joe Budnick had an empty-net goal while shorthanded just before the final buzzer sounded.

Stroud also assisted on Budnick's sixth goal.

Western New England is back in action at 7 p.m. Tuesday when it travels to Boston to play ECAC Northeast member Suffolk University.

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