SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 16, 2016) - The Western New England University ice hockey team erased a two-goal deficit for the second consecutive game, but fell 4-3 to visiting Endicott College this afternoon in Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast action at Smead Arena.
 
Juniors Dane Genord (Grand Blanc, Mich.) and Tyler Pionk (Hermantown, Minn.) each scored for the second straight game to power the Western New England offense, while Genord and senior Chris Lembo (Southington, Conn.) recorded two assists each. Freshman forward Carlos Ross (Brockport, N.Y.) also found the back of the net in the second period for his first collegiate goal.
 
Starting his second consecutive game in net, freshman goaltender Kevin Gollmer (Flourtown, Pa.) faced 42 shots and stopped 38 of them, including 16 in the second period.
 
Genord staked the Golden Bears to a 1-0 lead 5:38 into the first period, beating Endicott freshman netminder Kevin Aldridge (Beverly Hills, Mich.) with a shot from the right circle. The Gulls answered less than two minutes later, however, when freshman Parker Wood (Rochester Hills, Mich.) fired a one-timer past Gollmer at the 7:27 mark, and the visitors pulled ahead 12 seconds after netting the equalizer on freshman Thomas Daniels' (St. Louis, Mo.) third goal of the season.  
 
Endicott, which scored its first goal with a man advantage, capitalized on the power play again late in the period to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. Freshmen Nicholas Petrella (Hilton, N.Y.) and Carter Horwitz (Tustin, Calif.) helped set up classmate Lloyd Hayes (West Newbury, Mass.) who found the top corner of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
 
Western New England also continued to have success on the power play, converting on a man-up opportunity for the second straight period as Ross collected a loose puck in the slot and buried it past Aldridge six minutes into the frame to cut the Golden Bears' deficit to one (3-2). Genord and freshman David Kleyman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) were credited with assists on the play.
 
Western New England then tied the score at the 17:26 mark of the second, as Genord left a drop pass at the blue line for Lembo, who drove into the corner and found Pionk in the slot for a wrist shot. The Golden Bears also erased a two-goal deficit in Thursday's 3-3 tie with SUNY Fredonia.
 
Endicott would regain the lead less than a minute later, however, as freshman John Carricato (Ridge, N.Y.) picked up a loose puck in the corner and carried it to the front of the net before sending a wrist shot past Gollmer for the goal that would stand as the game-winner.
 
Western New England put 11 shots on net in the third period but Aldridge was there to stop all of them, as Endicott held on for the win in the first ever meeting between the Gulls and Golden Bears.
 
Western New England (1-13-2, 0-7-0 ECAC NE) will be back in action on Monday afternoon at Becker, while Endicott (9-5-2, 5-1-1 ECAC NE) returns home to host Curry next Thursday night.