Ice Hockey Opens Conference Play with 2-1 Win Over Westfield State
Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University ice hockey team received 40 saves from senior goaltender Nick Cafrelli (San Jose, CA) including several in the waning minutes that preserved a 2-1 victory for the Rams over Westfield State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this evening at Framingham's Loring Arena.
The Rams even their season record at 1-1 and are now 1-0 in the conference, while the Owls are still in search of their first victory at 0-4 overall and 0-1 in the MASCAC.
The game was scoreless after two periods with Cafrelli turning away all 26 shots the Owls sent his way and junior Ian Perrier (Whitehorse, YT) turning all 22 shots from the Rams.
Framingham State finally broke the deadlock just under five minutes into the third period. Junior Ryan McDonald (Anchorage, AK) converted off a centering pass from sophomore Rich Hill (Tampa, FL) for his team leading third of the season.
Westfield State had a chance to tie with 13:39 left in regulation as senior Vince Perreault (Braeside, ON) fed the puck to P.J. McCadden (Mount Sinai, NY), but Cafrelli came up with the save keeping the Rams in front.
The Owls evened the score with just over seven minutes remaining in the game with a power play goal. Junior TJ Powers (E. Greenwich, RI) took a pass from behind the net and deflected it home for his first of the season tying the game at 1-1.
The tie did not last long as the Rams struck for the game-winner with 4:56 on the clock. Senior Eric Ward (Haverhill, Mass.) took a pass from McDonald and carried the puck down the left side. Ward dropped the puck off to junior Brendan McCarron (Millbury, Mass.) who deposited it on the corner for his first of the season.
The Owls would not go away quietly as they had several chances down the stretch to knot the score, including having a five on three for 1:31 and then finishing the game with a one-man advantage. Sophomore Kyllian Kirkwood (Cooper Cliff, ON) had a scoring chance with the two-man advantage, but Cafrelli saved his blast from the point. Junior Todd Gebert's (Surrey, BC) bid from the blue line sailed high and Cafrelli saved the Owls final chance from Jackson Leef (Fort Wayne, IN) with 20 seconds remaining to secure the victory.
Cafrelli finished the game with 40 saves and recorded the shutout, while Perrier made 28 saves but was tagged with the loss. The Owls converted 1-for-7 on the power play, while the Rams were 0-for-4.
The Rams are back in action on Thursday evening when they travel UMass Dartmouth for a MASCAC game beginning at 7:30 p.m., while the Owls travel to Salem State for a MASCAC match-up on Thursday beginning at 7 p.m.