BEVERLY, Mass. (December 6, 2024) – The Golden Bears made their first trip of the season to Beverly, Massachusetts, for a conference clash with the Gulls. The Gulls would score one in the first and one in the second. The Golden Bears would answer with a Mathew Fortin goal in the third before letting up two more and seeing the Gulls win the game 4-1.

Records:

Western New England: 3-6-1 (1-5-1)

Endicott College: 7-3-0 (6-1-0)

How it Happened:

The first period of play saw Endicott start quickly. Logan Palmer and Ryan Wilson made the starts in net for WNE and Endicott, respectively. The Golden Bears had the first shot of the game saved by Wilson, and then Endicott started to add pressure to the Golden Bears' defense and Palmer. They had six shots in a row and eight of the next nine shots. The Golden Bears started to fight back with a few shots and eventually would earn a power play chance. They had three shots, with two shots blocked and one saved. Endicott would immediately answer with a shot from Andrew Kurapov, and then Jackson Sterrett had a chance in front of the net, but it fell to Andrew Kurapov, who put the puck into the back of the net to give Endicott the 1-0 lead. Endicott kept the pressure on with four of the next six shots. They kept sending shots at Palmer, who made more saves. The teams went back and forth with opportunities before Endicott earned a power play at the end of the first. Palmer made two saves to end the opening period of play, with WNE trailing 1-0. After the first, the stats showed Endicott leading in shots 29-14, shots on goal 14-11, and faceoffs won 17-9. WNE led in saves 13-11 and blocked shots 6-2.

The second saw Endicott keep the pressure on the Golden Bears and extend their lead to two. Out of the gate in the second period of play, the Gulls started sending shot after shot toward the WNE goal. They concluded the power play with seven shots in a row. They added four more in a row after that to start the second with eleven shots in a row. WNE would fight back into the second with a few shots, and the teams went back and forth for a little while. Endicott would accumulate seven more shots in a row before a penalty was called against the Golden Bears. That would lead to five shots in a row from the Gulls, with the fifth shot being a power play goal from Dominic Garozzo. Andrew Kurapov fed a pass to Jackson Sterrett, who sent a shot at Palmer. Palmer made the save, but Garozzo would gather the puck and send it back at the WNE goal to give Endicott a 2-0 lead. Endicott did not take their foot off the gas with four shots in a row and then a penalty. Both teams had a shot during the WNE power play, but no goals were scored. Endicott finished the second with five of the final six shots and led the Golden Bears 2-0 after the second period of play. The second period of play statistics saw Endicott leading in shots 35-6, shots on goal 24-3, and faceoffs won 13-8. WNE led in saves 23-3 and blocked shots 7-1.

The third period of play saw the Golden Bears get a goal back, but the Gulls would net two, including a short-handed goal to seal the 4-1 win. After Endicott started the final period of play, like the first two with nine shots in a row, WNE started to apply pressure on the Gulls with five of the next six shots. The teams would then trade shots before Benito Calvanese would find Mathew Fortin, who netted the first Golden Bear goal of the game and cut the Endicott lead in half 7:07 into the third. WNE followed that up with another shot to try to gain more momentum, but Brad Zona would get the puck and send a shot past the WNE goalie to give the Gulls another two-goal lead, 3-1. The Golden Bears would not shy away from the challenge and had a shot right after the Endicott goal. Endicott responded with eight shots in a row and regained the majority of the puck possession. WNE would not go away easily, though. They had a few more shots and kept skating with Endicott. Endicott had a few more shots before being called for a penalty with 2:49 remaining in the contest. WNE had four shots on the power play before Mark D'Agostino would skate down the ice and score a short-handed goal to ensure an Endicott victory by a score of 4-1. The game ended soon after and saw Endicott lead the completed stat sheet in shots 89-35, shots on goal 52-24, and faceoffs won 52-27. WNE had 48 total saves, and Endicott had 23. WNE also had more blocked shots, 17-6.

Coach's Corner:

Head coach Mike Young was asked about the team's performance in today's game versus Endicott College. "Goalie played extremely well. We weren't as physical as we'd like to be, and that really showed in the second period."

Inside the Crease:

• The WNE men's ice hockey team traveled to Raymond J. Bourque Arena for a conference showdown with Endicott College.
• 1st 12:03 – Andrew Kurapov opened the scoring for the Gulls. Jackson Sterrett had the assist. Endicott led 1-0.
• 2nd 11:11 – Dominic Garozzo netted a power play goal to double the Endicott lead. Jackson Sterrett and Andrew Kurapov assisted the goal. Endicott led 2-0.
• 3rd 7:07 – Mathew Fortin cut the lead in half with a goal assisted by Benito Calvanese. Endicott led 2-1.
• 3rd 8:02 – Brad Zona scored an unassisted goal. Endicott led 3-1.
• 3rd 19:07 – Mark D'Agostino scored a short-handed, unassisted goal to put the Gulls up 4-1.
• Logan Palmer made 48 saves.
• Ryan Wilson made 23 saves.
• The Gulls defeated the Golden Bears 4-1.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The two teams will play their second game of a home-and-home conference series on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield, Massachusetts, at 7:00 PM.