BIDDEFORD, Maine (November 4, 2023) – The Western New England men's ice hockey team came away with the first goal of the game and then evened the score at two before watching the 11
th-ranked Nor'easters of UNE score five straight to defeat WNE by a final score of 7-2.
Records:
- Western New England: 1-3, 0-2 CCC
- 12 University of New England: 2-1, 2-0 CCC
How it Happened:
The Golden Bears wasted little time to get on the board, looking to upset one of the top teams in the Northeast as Reis Francis tallied his first goal as a Golden Bear on assists from
Jordie Morgan and
Sam Mitchell at 2:11 to give Western New England the quick 1-0 lead. Just 2:31 later, the Nor'easters responded with a powerplay goal of their own, beating WNE starting goalkeeper
Anthony Aureliano to even the score. Midway through the first period, UNE was back on the scoreboard when Logan DiScanio tallied another powerplay goal for the Nor'easters as the University of New England grabbed a 2-1 lead. A high-scoring first period would see WNE respond with a
Sam Mitchell tally on an assist from Reis Francis as the two combined for two points in the contest. UNE would outshoot WNE 14-12 in the first period, though both goalkeepers came away with double-digit saves in the first.
From there, UNE would control much of the possession, scoring just one goal in the second period when Dawson Ellis found twine with just over five minutes remaining in the period to get UNE their lead back again. UNE would accumulate 24 shots in the second period, with 23 taken in by
Aureliano. The Nor'easters would come away with a four-goal third period to ice the Golden Bears and defeat Western New England by a final score of 7-2. UNE has defeated WNE 17 straight times, while the Golden Bears have yet to defeat the Nor'easters away from home. The Golden Bears were outscored 13-3 in the two-game weekend series with UNE. WNE was outscored 20-6 in the three games with the Nor'easters a season ago.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- Western New England plays a home-and-home series with Nichols College on Friday, November 10–11, for important CCC contests.
