Canton, N.Y. (February 25, 2024) – WNE traveled to Canton, New York, for their first road test of the season. The Golden Bears took on #15-ranked, St. Lawrence University. After jumping out to a 7-3 first-half lead, the Saints scored eight more in the second half compared to the Golden Bears' five to win the game 15-8. Brian Madden and Jack Houlden would each net two goals in the loss. The Saints' Judge Murphy netted six goals to lead them to victory.

Result:

Western New England: 1-1 (0-0)

No. 15 St. Lawrence University: 3-0 (0-0)

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears and Saints faced off for the tenth time in history on Sunday afternoon in Canton, New York. Cam Croasdaile got the game's first goal for the Saints seven minutes into the game. That was immediately followed by a Saints' timeout. Jacob Roy would answer for the Golden Bears, 1:37 later, with a goal assisted by Dylan Hanley. The score was knotted at 1-1. The Saints would then score three in a row, including another goal from Cam Croasdaile with 4:51 left in the game's opening quarter and two Judge Murphy goals. The first goal was with 3:55 left in the first quarter, and the second with 1:47 left in the first. The Golden Bears called a timeout after the fourth Saints' goal of the afternoon. The Golden Bears trailed 4-1 after the first quarter; however, WNE goalie Carter Randall already made five saves, and the Golden Bears made six of seven clear attempts in the opening quarter. St. Lawrence University was winning the faceoff battle, 5-1. 

The second saw Dylan Hanley start the quarter off for the Golden Bears with a goal assisted by James Wrynn to cut the Saints' lead to two 1:14 into the second. The Saints were called for a penalty 3:53 into the second to give the Golden Bears a man-up opportunity. Hanley had a shot during the man-up opportunity; however, it was saved by Saints' goalie, Michael Marinello. The teams would go back and forth with shots. Both Randall and Marinello made multiple saves to keep the score intact how it was. Judge Murphy broke through for the Saints with a goal with 5:57 left in the second. The goal was assisted by Ben Hutchinson. Max Rudgers answered for WNE with a goal assisted by James Wrynn with 4:18 to play in the opening half. That would be quickly answered by another Judge Murphy goal. Cam Croasdaile notched another goal with 2:47 left in the half, which would be the end of the scoring for the first half. After two quarters of play, the Saints led 7-3. Carter Randall made nine saves during the half, and Michael Marinello made four. The Saints had more clears, 8-7, and faceoffs won 10-2. Shots on goal also favored the Saints, 16-7, and ground balls, 22-13.

The third quarter saw the Saints pull away from the Golden Bears when they outscored the Golden Bears 8-3. It started nineteen seconds in, when Ben Hutchinson netted a goal for the Saints. Thirty-three seconds later, Judge Murphy had a fifth goal of the day to extend the lead to 9-3. Daniel Mahoney would score eight seconds later to push the lead to seven. Ted Wilson kept the scoring going for the Saints with a goal 58 seconds later. The Golden Bears would call a timeout and reset. Brian Madden scored the first Golden Bear goal of the second half. It was followed a few minutes later by Jack Houlden scoring with 9:24 left in the third quarter. Dylan Hanley assisted Houlden on that goal. The Golden Bears were then penalized, giving the Saints a 1:00 man-up opportunity.

Daniel Mahoney capitalized on the man-up opportunity with a goal assisted by Bobby Wells. A little over a minute later, Ben Hutchinson got a second goal to push the Saints' lead to 13-5. Judge Murphy saw a sixth shot catch the netting with 6:07 left in the third quarter. Ben Hutchinson had the assist. Brian Madden responded with a goal forty seconds later. With 4:18 left, the Golden Bears picked up another penalty, and the Saints were a man up for thirty seconds. Ted Wilson netted the man-up goal for the Saints. Judge Murphy had the assist. Jonathan Salsbury entered the game at goalie with 2:25 left in the third. The teams went back and forth without a goal for the rest of the quarter. The Golden Bears would draw a man-up opportunity with sixteen seconds remaining in the quarter, and the third would then end. After three quarters of play, the score was 15-6 in favor of the Saints. 

The fourth quarter started with the Golden Bears having a man-up opportunity. Thomas Labbe would net a goal on the assist from Jack Houlden nineteen seconds into the final quarter of play. Jack Houlden tallied a second goal forty-one seconds later off an assist from Zachary Mein. The score was 15-8 quickly into the fourth. The teams went back and forth, with both defenses causing turnovers and Salsbury chalking up three saves for the Golden Bears to keep the Saints from scoring. There were no more goals in the game, and the Saints would get the win after sixty minutes of play. The final stats showed thirty shots on goal from the Saints and fourteen on goal from the Golden Bears. The Saints picked up more ground balls 43-28 and won 20-26 faceoffs. The Golden Bears had more clears, 18-16, and more saves, 15-6. The Saints won the game by a score of 15-8.

Inside The Crease:

• The Golden Bears went on the road for the first time this season as they took on #15-ranked St. Lawrence University.
• Brian Madden and Jack Houlden led the Golden Bears in goals with two each. 
• Jack Houlden and Dylan Hanley each had three points during the game for the Golden Bears.
• Judge Murphy led the Saints in points and goals with seven total points, including six goals.
• Carter Randall made twelve saves for the Golden Bears.
• Michael Marinello made six saves for the Saints.
• Paddy Condon went 20-25 from the faceoff circle for the Saints.
• The Saints extended their record to 3-0 by winning the game 15-8.

Up Next:

• The Golden Bears will return to Golden Bear Stadium for their next game against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That game will be on Saturday, March 2, at 1:00 pm.
• The Saints will travel to Rochester, New York, for their next game against St. John Fisher University. That game will be on Saturday, March 2, at 2:00 pm.