Milton, Mass. (April 6, 2024) - The Golden Bears looked to bounce back from the midweek loss to Springfield College, which happened on Tuesday night. The Golden Bears traveled to Milton, Massachusetts, for a conference clash with the Curry College Colonels. They would get out to a quick start by leading 6-2 after the first quarter. The pace would slow down a bit in the second when the Golden Bears extended their lead to 8-3. It would get to 10-5 after three. The Golden Bears would then get outscored by a goal in the fourth but would hold on for a 12-8 win. Jack Houlden led the Golden Bears in goals with four. Dylan Hanley led the team in points and assists, with six points and five assists. Jonathan Salsbury made 11 saves to earn the win. 

Records: 

Western New England: 5-6 (2-1) 

Curry College: 3-9 (1-2) 

How it Happened: 

Jonathan Salsbury got the nod for the Golden Bears in goal today. Liam O'Neill would start the game for the Colonels in the other net. The game saw back-and-forth action for the first 4:12 of the game. That was interrupted by a Zachary Mein goal, which was assisted by Dylan Hanley. Forty-three seconds later, the Golden Bears doubled the lead thanks to a Jack Houlden goal, assisted by Dylan Hanley. This was quickly followed by Chris Catuosco winning the faceoff, running down the field, and scoring. It was 3-0 Golden Bears after five minutes of play. The Colonels would call a timeout and then get on the scoreboard fifty-five seconds later. Albie DiBella found Brody Dalzell for the goal. Brian Madden answered for the Golden Bears with a goal, assisted by Dylan Hanley. The Colonels then had five shots in a row, with Salsbury making all three saves that had to be made. With 3:46 left in the opening quarter, Brian Madden found Jacob Roy for the goal. It was 5-1 Golden Bears. The Colonels would notch a second goal with 2:11 left in the first. Then, with time expiring in the quarter, James Wrynn sent a quick pass to Josh Gagnon on the right side of the goal. Gagnon caught the pass and redirected it into the goal as the horn sounded. The Golden Bears led 6-2 after the first quarter. Shots were tied at nine after the first. Faceoffs were 5-3, saves were 5-1, and ground balls were 9-5, all in favor of the Golden Bears.  

The second quarter saw the defenses dominate early, with multiple turnovers caused by both teams. The first goal would not be scored until 4:32 into the quarter. The Colonels' Dom Cerone would net a goal and pull the Colonels within three of WNE. Neither team could get a goal for a while after that. Salsbury made a save, and the Colonels would burn another timeout. The score would not change until 4:47 left in the first half when Dylan Hanley found Jack Houlden again. The Golden Bears led 7-3. Forty seconds later, Jacob Roy found Zachary Mein for a goal to push the WNE lead to five. Neither team was able to net another goal thanks to Salsbury and O'Neill both making big saves toward the end of the half. After the first half, the Golden Bears led 8-3. Shots were 18-17, saves were 7-3, ground balls were 16-11, and faceoffs were 7-5, all in favor of the Golden Bears after the first half. 

The third quarter opened with a goalie change as Evan Falandys entered the game for the Colonels. Brody Dalzell got the second half started for the Colonels with a goal, assisted by Sean Young. The Golden Bears looked to answer, but Falandys made two saves in a row to give the Colonels a chance to build on their comeback. However, James Wrynn caused a turnover, and Jack Houlden scored via a pass from Brian Madden. WNE's lead was back to five with 10:15 remaining. After more back-and-forth action, the Colonels were called for a 1:00 penalty, which gave the Golden Bears a man-up opportunity. They were not able to capitalize, and the score would hold at 9-4. As the game continued, neither team could get a goal, and the Golden Bears would call a timeout with 4:57 remaining in the quarter. 1:39 later, Jack Houlden found the netting to extend the WNE lead. Griffin LaRochelle found Houlden for the goal. The Colonels would go on the attack, and even after Salsbury made a save, the Colonels kept putting pressure on WNE, and Connor Bryant would break through for a goal. The score was 10-5 with 2:22 remaining in the quarter. The Colonels stayed on the attack but could not find anything, and with a minute left in the third, the Colonels called a timeout, hoping to talk things over and score to close out the quarter. Instead, there was a turnover, and the Golden Bears went the other way. Falandys would bail out the Colonels with a big save, but a penalty was called on the Colonels. The Golden Bears had a one-minute man-up opportunity that they would start the fourth quarter with. The score was 10-5 after three-quarters of play. The third quarter saw the Golden Bears lead in shots 10-7, ground balls 13-7, and faceoffs 4-1. The Colonels led in saves 3-2. 

The Golden Bears were not able to capitalize on the man-up opportunity to start the final quarter of play. The teams went back to back-and-forth action. That would end with Mac Kline, who received a pass from Joey Pinto, netting a goal. The score was 10-6. Zachary Mein would respond with a goal for the Golden Bears with 11:07 left in the game. Dylan Hanley assisted the goal. Falandys and Salsbury would then each make saves to keep the game stuck at 11-6. However, with 5:40 left in the game, Connor Bryant cut the lead back down to 11-7. Then, after Stephen Stackhouse hit the post, Dom Cerone would score to cut the WNE lead to only three with 4:36 left. Dylan Hanley would end the Curry College comeback with a goal scored with 1:16 left in the game. That goal pushed the score to 12-8 with 1:16 left. After a WNE timeout, Salsbury would cap off the win with a save, and the Golden Bears won the game 12-8. The final stat line saw the Golden Bears lead in shots 38-35, saves 11-8, faceoff wins 16-6, and ground balls 41-23.

Inside the Crease: 

• WNE traveled to take on the Curry College Colonels on Saturday afternoon. 
• Dylan Hanley led the Golden Bears in points with six (five assists and one goal). 
• Jack Houlden led the Golden Bears in goals with four. 
• Chris Catuosco went 16-22 from the faceoff circle and picked up ten ground balls. 
• Liam O'Neill made three saves, and Evan Falandys made five saves for the Colonels. 
• Jonathan Salsbury made eleven saves and earned the win. 
• The Golden Bears won the game 12-8. 

Up Next on the Schedule: 

• The Golden Bears will be back in Springfield for their next game. The Golden Bears host the Roger Williams University Hawks on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at 7:00 PM. 
• The Colonels will travel to Dudley, Massachusetts, for their next game. They will take on Nichols College on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at 7:00 PM.