Western New England University

WESTFIELD, Mass. (October 30, 2026) – The Western New England men's ice hockey team opened its 2026-2027 season on Friday night with a back-and-forth matchup against the Owls of Westfield State University. The Golden Bears opened the scoring with a short-handed goal from Michael Bottrell before adding two more goals during the second period of play. Westfield State answered with two goals of its own down 3-1, including a third-period power-play goal, sending the contest to overtime tied at three. Neither team could find the back of the net during the extra period, and the Owls earned the shootout victory behind a successful attempt from Jesper Seeberg.

Records:

Western New England: 0-0-1

Westfield State University: 0-0-1

How it Happened:

First Period:

• The Golden Bears opened their season with Luca Scaglione between the pipes, while Aiden Winslow started in goal for Westfield State. The Owls earned the first power-play opportunity of the contest after Wake Purdy was called for hitting from behind at the 2:00 mark. However, it was Western New England that struck first, as Michael Bottrell found the back of the net at 3:05 for a short-handed goal, giving the Golden Bears an early 1-0 lead.

• Following the opening goal, Scaglione turned away attempts from Steven Sedivy-Blengino, Nathan Pelletier, and Jackson Gruber to keep WNE ahead. The Golden Bears answered with multiple shots of their own, as Bottrell, Spencer Clark, Andrew LaHaie, Alex Varrin, and Liam Wells all had attempts stopped by Winslow.

• Western New England earned its first power-play opportunity at 12:36 following a cross-checking penalty on Noah Morency. Gavin Mastrodonato had an attempt blocked, while Bottrell and Lucas Lagoutte each had shots saved by Winslow. The Owls successfully killed off the penalty, keeping the score at 1-0.

• Westfield State returned to the power play at 15:06 following an interference penalty on Matt Pacheco. Scaglione made six saves during the two-minute advantage, denying attempts from Cannon Bonifay, Emile Pichette, Steven Sedivy-Blengino, Ethan Seibert, and Xavier Tremblay. WNE successfully killed off the penalty and maintained its one-goal lead.

• The Golden Bears closed the opening period with another opportunity from Joshua Kingsbury, whose shot was saved by Winslow with six seconds remaining. Western New England carried a 1-0 advantage into the first intermission.

Second Period:

• The Owls opened the second period with another power-play opportunity after Alex Varrin was called for hooking at 1:10. Scaglione denied an attempt from Emile Tremblay, while Spencer Clark blocked a shot from Jesper Seeberg to help WNE successfully kill off the penalty. However, Westfield State found the equalizer at 5:20 when Seeberg scored off an assist from Cannon Bonifay, tying the contest at 1-1.

• Western New England looked to answer following the tying goal, earning a power-play opportunity at 8:34 after Gabriel Lussier was called for cross-checking. Later in the period, Pierce Gouin struck the post at 9:51 before having another attempt stopped by Winslow four seconds later. The teams were then assessed coincidental roughing penalties at 9:55.

• Westfield State earned another power-play opportunity at 12:07 following a cross-checking penalty on Bottrell. The Golden Bears' penalty kill held strong, with Kingsbury and Wells blocking attempts before Scaglione denied a shot from Seibert. Pichette also struck the post during the advantage, but WNE kept the game tied at one.

• The teams continued trading opportunities throughout the remainder of the period. Scaglione made saves against Liam Krupcyznski, Samuel Trush, Seeberg, and Xavier Tremblay, while Westfield State also saw Sedivy-Blengino strike the post. On the offensive end, Nolan Ring had an attempt stopped by Winslow with 1:26 remaining.

• The official play-by-play lists three goals at the 20:00 mark of the second period. Purdy scored for Western New England off an assist from Landon Werner, while Bottrell added another goal with assists credited to Mastrodonato and Beau Helmeczi. Westfield State's Joshua Petrini also scored, with Emile Tremblay credited with the assist. The three scoring plays left the teams tied at 3-3 entering the third period. These statistics will be updated in the coming days with correct times of each goal. 
   

Third Period:

• Western New England opened the third period with several opportunities to break the tie. Mastrodonato and Mathew Fortin had shots saved by Winslow in the opening 32 seconds, while Kyle Garland and Jaden Sturge also had attempts stopped during the first three minutes of play.

• The Owls took advantage of a WNE penalty at 5:01 when Lagoutte was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Just 17 seconds into the power play, Louis Ouellet found the back of the net at 5:18 off an assist from Seeberg, giving Westfield State its third goal of the contest.

• The Golden Bears continued looking for another goal, with Kingsbury striking the post at 9:16. Scaglione kept turning away the Owls' attempts, making saves against Petrini, Seeberg, and Sedivy-Blengino during the middle portion of the period.

• WNE earned a power-play opportunity at 11:56 following a slashing penalty on Pelletier, but the advantage was cut short when Wells was assessed a slashing penalty just 11 seconds later. The teams continued exchanging shots, with Ring, Kingsbury, and Sturge all having attempts stopped by Winslow.

• Western New England called a timeout late in the third period, while Scaglione denied another attempt from Bonifay with 3:05 remaining. Kingsbury blocked a shot from Trush, and Pacheco blocked a Seeberg attempt with just 10 seconds left. The teams finished regulation tied at 3-3, sending the season opener into overtime.2

Overtime:

• The Golden Bears opened the five-minute overtime period with an early opportunity from Andrew LaHaie, whose shot was saved by Winslow just 16 seconds into the extra frame. Lagoutte and Sturge followed with additional attempts that were also turned away.

• Scaglione continued his work in goal, making saves against Seibert, Jackson Gruber, and another Seibert attempt to keep the Owls off the scoreboard. Bottrell also had an opportunity with 1:06 remaining, but Winslow made the save.

• Neither team could find the winning goal during the five-minute overtime period, leaving the game tied at three and sending the contest to a shootout.

Shootout:

• Westfield State opened the shootout with a successful attempt from Seeberg. Scaglione responded by keeping the Owls off the scoreboard on their remaining six attempts, with Tremblay, Ouellet, Xavier Tremblay, Pichette, Petrini, and Bonifay all failing to convert.

• The Golden Bears sent Helmeczi, Mastrodonato, Hayden Rynard, Sturge, Gouin, Lagoutte, and Bottrell to the shootout, but Winslow kept all seven attempts out of the net.

• Seeberg's opening conversion proved to be the decisive shootout attempt, as Westfield State took the shootout 1-0 following the 3-3 tie.

Inside the Crease:

• Western New England and Westfield State finished regulation and overtime tied at 3-3, with the Owls taking the shootout 1-0.

• Michael Bottrell scored twice for Western New England, including a short-handed goal at 3:05 of the opening period.

• Wake Purdy recorded the Golden Bears' other goal, with Landon Werner credited with the assist.

• Gavin Mastrodonato and Beau Helmeczi were credited with assists on Bottrell's second goal.

• Jesper Seeberg, Joshua Petrini, and Louis Ouellet recorded goals for Westfield State.

• Luca Scaglione made three saves during overtime and held Westfield State without a goal on its final six shootout attempts.

• The Golden Bears successfully killed off multiple Westfield State power plays, while the Owls recorded a power-play goal in the third period.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will travel to Saratoga Springs, New York, for a showdown with Skidmore College on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. inside the Saratoga City Rink.