WESTFIELD, Mass. - The Worcester State University men's ice hockey team was kept of the board on Thursday evening, falling to Westfield State University 5-0 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference play at Amelia Park Arena.
With the defeat, Worcester State drops to 5-13-2 overall on the season and 3-9-0 in the MASCAC.
Goaltender Thierry Messervier stopped all 26 shots that came his way to secure his second shutout of the season.
Sophomore Jake Ratcliffe (Canterbury, New Zealand) had a big offensive night, netting two goals for the Owls.
The Owls applied heavy pressure in the first, outshooting Worcester 14-5 in the frame.
Westfield hit two posts on point-blank opportunities before finally striking the back of the net on a tally from freshman Joseph Carbone (Marshfield, Mass.) to open the scoring. Sophomore Paul Frys (Portland, Ore.) corralled the puck in the slot and slid it open to a wide-open Carbone who ripped a shot past the dive of Lancer goaltender Nevin Tardif (Dunstable, Mass.) and gave the Owls the 1-0 lead late in the period.
The second period would not prove much better for the Lancers, as the Owls exploded for four goals to take a commanding 5-0 lead.
Freshman John-Michael DiGregorio (Montreal, Quebec) and Ratcliffe got the scoring started for the Owls in the second with tallies only 11 seconds apart. Senior captain Francois-Xavier Girard (St. Lazare, Quebec) carried the puck on the goal line and threw a pass into the slot that found its way right to DiGregorio for the finish. Ratcliffe would follow up seconds later after a miraculous faceoff play from Daniel Backstrom (Helsinki, Finland) to maneuver around the Worcester centerman that led to a feed to Ratcliffe for the tap-in goal.
Later in the period, Ratcliffe notched his second of the game on the powerplay after a snipe from the slot, and Backstrom added another off a rebound from a Justin Alves (Woburn, Mass.) shot to widen the lead to 5-0.
The Owl defense was tested in the third, but prevailed as they killed off three penalties to preserve the 5-0 lead and the eventual shutout for Messervier.
Westfield ended up with a 45-26 advantage in shots on goal for the contest. Tardif held 15 saves before being relieved by senior Josh Reinstein (Woodland Hills, Calif.) who finished with 25 stops.
Up next, the Owls continue the quick two-game home stand on Saturday when they square off with MASCAC rival Salem State University. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. The Lancers also host a MASCAC opponent in UMass Dartmouth on Saturday beginning at 7:10 p.m. at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center.
#WooMIH
Release courtesy of Westfield State Sports Information.