Seeberg Pots Game-Winner, Owls Claim Western Mass. Invitational Championship Title

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State first-year center Jesper Seeberg (Lake Worth, Fla.) scored the game-winning goal with 13:16 remaining in the game as the Owls defeated Western New England University in the Western Mass. Invitational Championship game from Amelia Park Arena in Westfield, Mass. on Saturday night.

With the game tied 2-2 in the third period, Seeberg won an attacking zone draw then worked his way towards the front of the net where he managed to tip home a point shot from Jere Puronlahti (Helsinki, Finland) to put the Owls ahead 3-2.

The Owls built a two-goal lead earlier in the game by netting a pair of goals in the first 3:35 of the game. Seeberg started the first scoring play, transitioning Westfield from defense to offense before feeding a pass to Emile Pichette (Saint-Eustache, Quebec) who entered the offensive end and passed the puck to Christopher Miraldo (Montreal, Quebec) who fired home his first of the season to give Westfield a 1-0 lead.

Less than two minutes after the Miraldo tally, Raphael Seguin (Saint-Lazare, Quebec) kept the puck in the offensive zone at the blue line, wrapping a pass around the boards and finding Dominick Balboni (West Springfield, Mass.) who directed a shot on net that was saved by Golden Bears goalie Anthony Aureliano (Old Brookville, N.Y.). The rebound bounced out towards the middle of the zone, finding Emile Tremblay (Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec) who buried his first collegiate goal to double the Owls advantage.

From that point to the end of the second period, neither team found the back of the net, which was in part to the performance of Owls first-year netminder Aiden Winslow (Jacksonville, Fla.). The Golden Bears received three power play opportunities in the second period with the first of three resulting in several high danger chances for the Golden Bears. Winslow made an initial stop on Matty Zdanowicz (Lyndhurst, N.J.) with the rebound deflecting back to the center of the zone where Winslow then slid back to the center of the crease to deny a point-blank shot from Jordie Morgan (Hamilton, Ontario).

In the third period, the Golden Bears made a push to get back into the game and were successful in tying the contest. A miscue in the Owls defensive end led to a goal from Zdanowicz 3:55 into the third frame. Ten seconds after the Golden Bears cut the deficit to one, an Owls penalty set up a man-advantage equalizer with Billy VanSumeren (Midland, Mich.) tipping home a shot from Jake Mendeszoon (Methuen, Mass.).

The game would remain tied for only 53 seconds of game action as Seeberg delivered the game-winner which in turn led him to being named the Western Mass. Invitational Tournament MVP.

Winslow (W, 1-0) was sharp in his collegiate debut, stopping 32 of 34 shots faced. Aureliano (L, 1-1) made 27 saves on 30 shots for Western New England. The Golden Bears outshot the Owls by a slim margin of 34-30.

Westfield State (2-0) will travel to Keene State for their next game on Thursday night at 7:30 P.M.