Salem State Skates Past Owls, 3-1

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Salem State goaltender Will Nepveu stopped 21-of-22 shots to lead the Vikings to a 3-1 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference men's ice hockey win over Westfield State on Thursday afternoon at Amelia Park Arena.

Salem State won their sixth straight game and are now 9-4 overall and 5-2 in conference. The Owls go to 7-7 and 3-4 in the league as they had a modest three-game winning streak snapped.

Keagan O'Donoghue tipped in shot from the point by Davis Kinne for a 1-0 Salem State lead at 3:41 of the first.

However, a Brett Williams backhander from the slot off a centering pass from Colin Roe tied the game for Westfield State just over a minute later. 

Luke Day regained the lead for the Vikings, as he fired a shot off the cross bar off some nifty passing from Henry Wilson and Jon Waselko to give Salem State a 2-1 advantage with 6:50 left in the opening period.

The two teams were scoreless throughout the second period and well into the third, before Waselko found the back of the net off feeds from Wilson and Seamus Cummings at 17:34 for the final 3-1 margin.

Westfield pulled Aiden Winslow from the net late in favor of the extra skater, but couldn't muster another goal.  Winslow finished with 37 saves for the Owls.

The Vikings outshot the Owls 40-22 on the afternoon.  Both teams were scoreless on the power play, going 0-for-6.

Salem State heads home to take on Anna Maria this Saturday, January 18 @ 2:00 p.m., while Westfield will travel to Fitchburg State on Saturday for a 5:00 p.m. start at the Wallace Civic Center.