BIDDEFORD, Maine (March 28, 2025) – The Golden Bears returned to CNE play after a 19-7 victory over Gordon College on Wednesday. The Golden Bears and Nor'Easters would keep the score low in the first quarter, 2-2, and 4-2 at the half. However, a six-goal run for the Golden Bears would help WNE secure a 12-6 victory against the Nor'Easters. Logan Jenkins led the Golden Bears with four points, and Griffin LaRochelle led WNE with a hat-trick of goals.

Records:

• Western New England: 5-5 (2-0)
• University of New England: 5-6 (0-2)

How it Happened:

The game started with Jonathan Salsbury and Evan Hazard in net for WNE and UNE, respectively. It was Rocco DeSimone who won the opening faceoff for the Golden Bears, but it was also the Golden Bears who were called for the first penalty. The Golden Bears would get through the man-down time but could not capitalize on the momentum shift and score. It was UNE who would open the scoring after plenty of possession changes. Shea Fogarty scored the opening goal for UNE 3:53 into the contest. UNE led 1-0. DeSimone would win the next faceoff, but WNE could not capitalize. However, after a few possessions, the Golden Bears found the game-tying goal. It came from Logan Jenkins, who was assisted by Zachary Mein. The contest was tied 1-1. UNE won the ensuing faceoff, but again, there was no goal after the faceoff. The teams traded the ball, and both goalies made saves on the opposing offense. It was Max Rudgers who gave WNE their first lead of the day. WNE led 2-1 with 2:56 left in the opening quarter. WNE won the next faceoff, but after a caused turnover by Eden Hazard, UNE ran down the field and scored. The game was tied 2-2 thanks to Preston Briggs. That is how the first quarter would end after neither team could gain a lead at the end of the quarter. The Golden Bears led in shots 11-8, but UNE had more shots on goal, 5-4. WNE had more saves, 3-2, and faceoff wins 4-1. They also had more ground balls, 12-10.

The teams continued to battle in the second quarter. Neither team could find the first goal of the second. Both teams had shots. Eden Hazard made save after save versus the Golden Bear shots. The Golden Bear defense, with Thomas DeMaio, caused a turnover, leading to that first goal of the second. Thomas Labbe scored off an assist from Jack Houlden, and WNE led 3-2 with 8:48 left in the first half. DeSimone earned the Golden Bears the ball back before a WNE timeout was called and stopped action. After UNE had a chance and turned possession over, James Wrynn would have a shot and scored. WNE led 4-2 with under 5:30 left in the first half. WNE won the ensuing faceoff once again before UNE would get the ball back but turned over the ball once again. WNE would take advantage of it, and after two shots going wide, Griffin LaRochelle scored off an assist from Logan Jenkins; WNE led 5-2 with 3:38 left in the half. UNE would have the next shot, but it went wide. Then, WNE called a timeout to set up a possible scoring chance. They had a shot, but Hazard made the save for UNE, and the score would stay 5-2 as the contest reached halftime. The first-half stats saw WNE leading in shots 28-10, shots on goal 13-6, ground balls 24-17, and faceoff wins 7-2. UNE had eight saves compared to the four from WNE.

The second half started fast, with UNE scoring the first goal 1:48 into the half. Ean LaRochelle scored, and WNE led 5-3. 1:02 after that, Max Rudgers scored off an assist from Nicholas Campagnone to move the score to 6-3. 1:10 after that, Preston Briggs scored on an assist from Finn McCoy. It was a back-and-forth with scoring for the two teams. The score was 6-4 after that. Then, the teams traded shots, with UNE hitting the post and Evan Hazard making a save. Then, WNE saw Zachary Mein feed Griffin LaRochelle, and LaRochelle scored. WNE led 7-4 with 8:13 left in the third. The Golden Bears started to feel the momentum shifting their way. They had two more shots after that, but Hazard made the saves. Then, with 5:44 left in the third, Griffin LaRochelle scored off another assist from Zachary Mein. WNE led 8-4. The Golden Bears kept the run going with a few shots before Logan Jenkins scored. Nicholas Campagnone assisted that goal, and WNE led 9-4. Then, after another UNE turnover, WNE kept adding goals. Jacob Roy scored, and WNE built their lead up to 10-4. DeSimone would win another faceoff but would turn the ball over. The Golden Bears would get the ball back twelve seconds later, and then fifteen seconds after that, WNE scored and led 11-4. Jacob Roy scored the unassisted goal. The Golden Bears concluded their third-quarter run with a sixth goal in a row with eleven seconds left in the third. Jack Houlden scored off an assist from Logan Jenkins. WNE led 12-4 going into the fourth quarter. The Golden Bears led on the stat sheet as well as the scoreboard. They had more shots 44-15, shots on goal 24-8, faceoff wins 13-6, and ground balls 34-20. UNE had more saves, 12-4.

The fourth quarter started a little less hectic than the third. The teams traded shot opportunities, with Salsbury making a save on UNE's first shot chance of the fourth quarter. WNE would have a turnover, which led to UNE having another shot chance, but it flew wide of the net. The game kept providing shot chances, with a Roy shot that rattled the post. Then, Hazard and Salsbury both made saves. The teams kept looking for the next goal and the first of the fourth quarter, but neither team could find it for a while. That was before Ean LaRochelle scored a goal for UNE and cut the WNE lead down to 12-5. The Golden Bears then had a penalty, and UNE had a man-up chance. However, Rocco DeSimone won the next faceoff, and WNE would drain the penalty. Then, after a few turnovers from both teams, WNE was called for a penalty. UNE had a man-up chance, and just after that chance concluded, they would score. Shea Fogarty scored the goal and cut the WNE lead to 12-6 with 4:36 remaining in the contest. The teams would trade possession back and forth for the rest of the game. WNE would win the game 12-6. The final stat line showed WNE led the stat sheet in shots 50-22, shots on goal 25-12, ground balls 41-25, faceoff wins 16-6, and caused turnovers 12-5. UNE had more saves, 13-6.

Inside the Lines:

• Logan Jenkins once again led the Golden Bears in points, scoring four points (two goals and two assists).
• Griffin LaRochelle led WNE in goals with a hat-trick of goals.
• Rocco DeSimone led the Golden Bears by winning sixteen of twenty-one faceoffs and picked up nine ground balls.
• Ryan Quinlan led the Golden Bears on defense with three caused turnovers, and Jonathan Salsbury made six saves.
• UNE was led by three players, each with two goals for their two points.
• Evan Hazard made thirteen saves for the Nor'Easters.
• WNE won the game 12-6.

Up Next on the Schedule:

The Golden Bears will host their in-town foes, Springfield College, on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The Golden Bears are 10-14 since 2004 versus Springfield, having lost their previous matchup, 14-13, at Springfield College.