West Springfield, Mass. (February 16, 2024) – The Golden Bears laced up the skates for a Senior Night showdown against the Leopards of Wentworth Institute of Technology. In their final game of the season, the Golden Bears looked to finish the season with a win. The Leopards netted two goals in the first period of play, looking to spoil Senior Night for the Golden Bears. The Golden Bears got back into the game with a goal from Lukas Radina in the second period of play and a goal from Justin Sullivan in the third. However, the Leopards would net a goal a few minutes after, and hold on for the 3-2 win. Lukas Radina and Justin Sullivan led the Golden Bears in goals. Six other Golden Bears had assists.

Records:

?   Western New England: 5-17-3 (2-13-3)

?   Wentworth Institute of Technology: 10-14-1 (6-11-1)

How it Happened:

With Jack McGovern and Andrew LoRusso in net for the Leopards and Golden Bears, respectively, the puck was dropped. Dane Probe won the opening faceoff for the Leopards. The Golden Bears had the game's first shot on goal saved by McGovern. Then, the Golden Bears were called for an early penalty. The Leopards had six shots during the power play. Four of the shots were on net and saved by LoRusso. The Leopards then had four more shots in a row before a Golden Bear penalty. Both teams had three shots during the Leopard power play. The Golden Bears would get a shot on goal before the Leopards would flip the ice quickly and get the game's first goal. Will O'Brien had the puck on the left side of the Golden Bear defensive zone. O'Brien sent it to Travis Marchant, who passed it across the crease to Nolan Lowe. Lowe sent a one-timer into the back of the net. The Leopards were winning 1-0 7:07 into the game. Fifty-five seconds later, Owen Rudicus sent a pass to Charlie Reid, who sent a shot on net. It was saved, but the rebound fell to Cole Paredes, who put the puck back at the goalie and into the net. The Leopards led 2-0. 

The Golden Bears would then answer with four shots in a row. However, there were no goals. The Leopards had three shots in a row to respond. The Golden Bears would then have four of the next six shots before a penalty was called against the Golden Bears. The Leopards had five shots during the power play, with each of the shots testing LoRusso. The Golden Bears would have a short-handed shot stopped by McGovern. The Leopards kept up the pressure with four of the next five shots. The Golden Bears would then go on the power play. The Leopards had a short-handed shot, and the opening period of play would come to an end. The stat line showed the Leopards outshoot the Golden Bears 31-15, with shots on goal being 24-8 in favor of the Leopards. The Leopards won more faceoffs 13-7. The Golden Bears had more saves, 22-8, and more blocked shots, 3-1. The Leopards were 0-3 on the power play, and the Golden Bears were 0-1. The Leopards led the Golden Bears 2-0 after one period of play.

The second period of play started with Josh Faussett winning the opening faceoff for the Leopards. The Golden Bears had a shot blocked, and then their power play finished. The Golden Bears were called for an early penalty. The Golden Bears had a short-handed shot, the only shot for either team during the Leopards' power play. The Leopards then had two shots after the power play ended. The Golden Bears answered with six of the next eight shots. The Leopards had two shots before the puck got free. Josh Bliss sent a pass to Jordie Morgan. Morgan's pass would find Lukas Radina. Radina had a breakaway. The goalie lunged, and Radina got past. On the right side of the net, Radina sent a shot into the back of the net. The Golden Bears were on the board and cut the deficit to 2-1, 12:04 into the second period of play. The teams went back and forth before the Golden Bears had four of the final five shots to end the second period of play. The stat line for the second period of play saw the Golden Bears outshoot the Leopards 16-11, with more shots on goal, too, 9-7. The Leopards won more faceoffs 12-7 and had more saves 8-7. The Leopards were 0-1 on the power play, and the Golden Bears had more blocked shots, 3-2. The score after two periods of play was 2-1.

The third period of play started with Billy Hefferle winning the opening faceoff for the Golden Bears. The Leopards started the period with the first six shots in a row. That was answered by a Golden Bear goal to tie the game 3:54 into the final period of play. Peter White started the play by passing the puck to Justin Sullivan in the Golden Bear defensive zone. Sullivan skated down the ice and pushed a pass to Matty Zdanowicz, who entered the Leopards' defensive zone and gave the puck back to Sullivan. Sullivan made a move and sent a backhand shot into the back of the net. The score was tied 2-2. The Golden Bears were called for a penalty shortly after. They were quickly called for a second, and the Leopards had a 5-on-3 power play. They took two shots that were both blocked by Justin Sullivan. Then, on the third shot, they scored. Nikolas Sombrowski had a shot blocked by Sullivan, which found its way to Desmond Johnson, who sent a pass across the face of the goal to Josh Faussett, who netted the goal. The Leopards now had a 3-2 lead with 13:23 left in the game. The Leopards had two more shots on their second power play before it ended. The Golden Bears tried to answer the Leopards with five of the next seven shots. The Leopards would then control the puck with the next five shots. That led to a WNE penalty. The Golden Bears had a quick, short-handed opportunity before the Leopards had three shots in a row. The Golden Bears were then called for another penalty, and again, the Leopards had a 5-on-3 opportunity. They had two more power play shots before another Golden Bear penalty was called. The Leopards had three power play shots before the end of power plays. The Leopards would get two more shots before they were called for a penalty, and the Golden Bears had a power play opportunity. The Golden Bears had three shots on the power play before another Leopard penalty was called. The Golden Bears had a 5-on-3 opportunity with the goalie pulled and 21 seconds left in the game. They had one shot opportunity, but it was blocked by the Leopards, and that was the end of the game. The final stat line showed the Leopards lead in total shots, 70-43, shots on goal, 48-24, and were 1-9 on the power play. The Golden Bears had more saves, 45-22, more blocked shots 9-8, and were 0-3 on the power play. The faceoffs won were tied 30-30. The final score saw the Leopards win 3-2. 

Inside the Crease:

• The Golden Bears hosted the Leopards on Senior Night at the Olympia Ice Center.
• Nolan Lowe notched the game's first goal 7:07 into the game. Travis Marchant and Will O'Brien were credited with the assists. The Leopards led 1-0.
• Cole Paredes scored the second goal for the Leopards 8:02 into the game. Charlie Reid and Owen Rudicus had the assists. The Leopards led 2-0.
• Lukas Radina cut the Leopard lead in half with a goal 12:04 into the second period of play. Jordie Morgan and Josh Bliss assisted the goal. The Leopards led 2-1.
• Justin Sullivan tied the game 3:54 into the final period of play. Matty Zdanowicz and Peter White were credited with the assists. The score was tied 2-2.
• Josh Faussett helped the Leopards regain the lead with a goal 6:37 into the third period of play. Desmond Johnson and Nikolas Sombrowski assisted the final goal. The Leopards led 3-2.
• Andrew LoRusso made 45 saves.
• Jack McGovern made 22 saves and earned the win.
• The Golden Bears lost to the Leopards by a score of 3-2.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears' season ends with the team finishing with a record of 5-17-3 and 2-13-3 in conference.
• The Leopards will travel to Salve Regina University for the first round of the CCC playoffs. They will take on the Seahawks on Wednesday, February 21. The time has not been announced yet.