Burrillville, R.I. (November 11, 2023) - The Golden Bears and Bison traveled to Rhode Island for their second matchup in as many days. After the 6-3 win for the Golden Bears in their previous matchup, Nichols would grab the first goal in the first period. The Golden Bears would answer later in the period to tie the score. Then, Sam Mitchell netted the lone shootout goal to help the Golden Bears win the game 1-0 in a shootout.
- Western New England: 3-3-0 (2-2-0)
- Nichols College: 1-4-0 (1-3-0)
How it Happened:
The game started with Anthony Aureliano in net for the Golden Bears and Tyler Bost in net for the Bison. Dalton Garcia won the opening faceoff for the Golden Bears, and the game was underway. The Bison came out firing with the first three shots. Two of the shots were on net, and Aureliano made both saves. The Bison were called for a penalty 2:23 into the game. Both teams had a shot during the WNE power play. Kaiden Scott had a shot saved by Aureliano, and Matt Dougherty had a shot go wide of the goal. 2:31 after the first penalty, the Bison were called for a second penalty. WNE had a shot saved by Bost before being called for a penalty. The teams played 4-on-4 hockey, with WNE getting a shot off that Bost had to save. Nichols then had five shots during their power play, with two shots on goal. Aureliano was able to save both of them. The teams would go back and forth with shots until the Bison grabbed the lead with 6:16 left in the first period. CJ Zezima skated toward the net, and Ryan O'Donnell sent a pass across the net to Zezima, who sent the puck into the back of the net, and the Bison had a 1-0 lead. The teams went back to back-and-forth action until a penalty was called on Nichols for a third time. The Golden Bears went to the power play, and after a shot did not get into the back of the net, Shane Miller found Kyle Knight, who sent a wrist shot at the net. It was saved by Bost and found Brayden Patricia, who sent a wrist shot right past the goalie to tie the game 1-1. The game went into the first intermission tied at one. Nichols had more shots on goal by a score of 14-12.
The second period would start with a Dylan McMahon faceoff win for Nichols. The Bison would then be called for a penalty, and the Golden Bears would go on the power play. However, the Golden Bears were also called for a penalty, and the teams would then go to 4-on-4 hockey. The shots during the 4-on-4 play were 3-1 in favor of the Bison. After a few shots from the Bison, the Golden Bears would return to the power play. The Golden Bears had two shots saved during the power play, and then at the completion of that power play, the Bison were called for another penalty, so WNE was back at it with another power play. Nichols had a short-handed shot during that power play, and that was it. The second period continued with Nichols keeping the puck in the Golden Bear defensive zone. Aureliano made save after save. With 3:07 left in the second period, the Golden Bears had one last power play during the second period. However, after three shots and two on net, WNE was called for a penalty, and the teams skated 4-on-4. Nichols then went to the power play after their penalty was up, and they had two shots that were both saved by Aureliano. The Bison finished the period with five shots on Aureliano. All of which were saved. At the end of two periods of play, Nichols had 32 shots compared to the 21 shots on goal from the Golden Bears, and the score was tied 1-1.
In the third period of play, Nathan Carl won the opening faceoff. 1:46 into the third period, the Golden Bears went on the penalty kill. The Bison had seven shots with five on target that Aureliano made saves on. The Golden Bears went to the power play as their penalty kill ended. The Golden Bears had two shots, with one being saved by Bost. Nichols also had a shot. The game went on for a while, with the majority of the shots coming from the Bison. Aureliano made save after save and was not letting the Golden Bears taste defeat. The Golden Bears went to the power play again with 3:04 left in the third period. They had two shots that were saved, but then WNE was called for a penalty, and the teams skated 4-on-4. The period ended after the Bison outshot the Golden Bears 4-1 in the final minute and a half, and the game went to overtime tied at one. The shots after 60 minutes of play saw the Bison ahead 45-26.
In overtime, Nichols went on the power play. During the power play, they had seven shots, with four of the shots on goal, and Aureliano saved each one of them. The Golden Bears survived overtime and went to a shootout. In the shootout, there were five rounds. Dalton Garcia and Dylan McMahon went in the first round for the Golden Bears and Bison, respectively. Both missed. Kyle Knight and Gabe Temple went next, and neither of them made their shots. Brayden Patricia and CJ Zezima did not see their shots go into the back of the net during their round. Neither did Matty Zdanowicz or Nathan Carl during round four. However, during the fifth round, Sam Mitchell would send the puck past the keeper for the goal, and Jack Lee would miss for the Bison, which gave the Golden Bears the 1-0 shootout win. The Bison had 51 shots on goal, and the Golden Bears had 28.
Inside the Crease:
- The Golden Bears traveled to Rhode Island for their second matchup with the Bison of Nichols College.
- CJ Zezima scored with 6:16 left in the first period for the Golden Bears. Ryan O'Donnell was credited with the assist.
- Brayden Patricia evened the game at one goal per side with 1:03 left to play in the first period. Shane Miller and Kyle Knight were given the assists.
- Sam Mitchell scored the shootout goal to give the Golden Bears the win.
- Tyler Bost made 27 saves for the Bison.
- Anthony Aureliano made 50 saves for the Golden Bears.
- The Golden Bears beat the Bison 1-0 in a shootout.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- The Golden Bears will travel to Salve Regina for their next game. They will play at St. George's Ice Rink in Middletown, R.I., at 7:00 PM on Friday, November 17.
- The Bison will play their next game at the Canton Ice House in Milton, Massachusetts, against Curry College. That game will be on Friday, November 17, at 7:00 PM.
