AMcats Claw Past Owls in Conference Opener

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State ice hockey dropped a 4-0 decision to Anna Maria College in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference opener on the road from Paxton, Mass. on Thursday night.

Tobias Omholt scored midway through the first period to give the Amcats a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

In the second period, Matthew Byrne doubled the lead for Anna Maria by scoring his team-leading fourth goal of the season 5:08 into the period. The Amcats capitalized on a power play opportunity later in the period with Braeden McKinnon putting Anna Maria head 3-0.

The Amcats were 1-2 on the man advantage while the Owls were held scoreless on six powerplay opportunities. Westfield special teams suffered a short-handed marker in the third period with Guillaume Coulombe potting Anna Maria's fourth goal of the game to put the contest out of reach.

The Amcats outshot the Owls 45-24 in the game with Aiden Winslow (Jacksonville, Fla.) getting the start for Westfield, making 16 saves on 19 shots. Duncan Nichols-Delay (Calgary, Alberta) entered midway through the game as the two keepers nearly split time in net. Nichols-Delay was battered with 26 shots during the back half of the game and was up to the challenge, recording 25 saves.

Jesper Seeberg (Lake Worth, Fla.) had a team-high five shots for Westfield, which fell to 3-3 overall and 0-1 in the MASCAC.

Matthew Hennessey logged a 24-save shutout for Anna Maria, who advanced to 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in the league.

Westfield State will remain on the road for conference action against MCLA on Saturday at 8:00 P.M.