HARRISVILLE, R.I. (January 7, 2026) ­ - Up two goals heading into the third period, the Western New England men's ice hockey team surrendered a quick pair of goals before seeing the hosting Bison of Nichols College score a shorthanded goal with just 4:06 remaining in the game to complete the weekend sweep over the Golden Bears, 3-2. 

Records:

• Western New England: 5-17-0, 3-11-0 CNE
• Nichols College: 9-12-0, 6-10-0 CNE

How it Happened:

First Period:

• Nichols jumped out to a quick start on the offensive end of the puck, seeing Luca Scaglione forced into action early, making three saves to keep the Bison off the scoreboard. Billy VanSumeren had the first Western New England shot on goal 5:45 into the period and had two chances at goal, but was denied by Ryan Henry, the Nichols starter. The Bison had the opening power play of the game and earned a five-on-three advantage that Western New England was able to kill off, building momentum. 
• WNE's first power play of the game came with under seven minutes remaining in the opening period, a power play the Golden Bears were able to cash in on when Jimmy Mettler's shot was deflected into the net by Matthew Dougherty, scoring for the second time this season against the Bison, giving the Golden Bears the 1-0 lead. WNE was back on the penalty kill shortly after the goal from Dougherty, with Nichols taking 12 total shots in the period, three coming on the power play, all saved by Scaglione. The Golden Bears held onto a 1-0 lead heading into the second frame.
• WNE took nine shots on goal in the period, one finding the back of the net. Mettler and Mathew Fortin had the assists for Western New England on the goal.

Second Period:

• Brayden Patricia had the opening shot on goal of the second period as Western New England looked to add to their lead. The teams went back and forth; trading shot for shot in the second period as the game reached its halfway point. Western New England continued to kill off penalties, stopping another Bison chance with eight minutes to play in the period. 
• Following the WNE penalty kill, the Golden Bears were able to get some momentum and drew their second penalty of the game, putting themselves back on the power play. It took just over a minute to find the back of the net for the second power play goal of the game for WNE when Everest Schneider found the back of the net on assists from Jimmy Mettler and Mathew Fortin, giving the Golden Bears a 2-0 lead. After the goal, the Golden Bears nearly had another chance on the power play, but Nichols was able to kill off the chance and hold the Golden Bears to a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes of action. 
• The Golden Bears had the better of the offense in the period, shooting 13 times on goal to Nichols' eight. 

Third Period:

• Down two, the Bison pressured the Golden Bears and scored just after five minutes had elapsed to cut the WNE lead in half when Justin Massa found twine for the first Nichols goal of the night, seeing Western New England only lead by one, 2-1, with 15 minutes remaining in the game. Nichols continued to use their offense in the third and were able to even the score at two, less than three minutes after their first goal of the game, when Massa was back on the scoresheet for his second of the game to tie the game at two. 
• Following the goal from Nichols, WNE's Kai Skilbeck had a chance to give the Golden Bears the lead back, but a good save from Ryan Henry kept WNE off the scoresheet. With nine minutes remaining in the game, Nichols went on the power play, putting five shots on goal, all turned away by Luca Scaglione. WNE was awarded a power play with 5:49 left in the third period, but saw Nichols take advantage of the shorthanded chance and scored their third goal of the period when Justin Massa capped off the natural hat trick for his third goal of the game, giving the Bison a 3-2 lead, taking the momentum out of Western New England's sails. 
• Down into the final minute of the game, WNE took just one shot that went wide of the net by Phillippe Longchamps while Nichols controlled the puck for the final 38 seconds of the game to hold onto a 3-2 win, completing the comeback over the Golden Bears. 

Inside the Lines:

• Matthew Dougherty and Everest Schneider had the goals for Western New England in the loss. Jimmy Mettler and Mathew Fortin had a pair of assists each to lead WNE. 
• Luca Scaglione made 35 saves for Western New England in the loss, giving up three third period goals. 
• Nichols saw Justin Massa scored three goals, all in the third period, to lift Nichols to a 3-2 victory. In net, Nichols had Ryan Henry make 25 saves on 27 WNE shots on goal. 
• The Golden Bears had just five shots on goal in the third period while Nichols sent 18 on goal. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• With three games remaining in the regular season, the Golden Bears host Suffolk University next weekend, with a home game slated for Friday, February 13 at 8:10 PM.