Salem State 6, Worcester State 4
Salem, MA --- Sophomore Justin Fox (Whitby, Canada) sent in five markers and finished the game with six points to help lead Salem State to a 6-4 victory over Worcester State yesterday afternoon in non-conference ice hockey action at the Rockett Arena.
Fox ended the opening period with a hat-trick to give the Vikings (3-1) a commanding 3-0 lead. He scored the first of his two goals four minutes apart as he notched a shorthanded goal at 5:08 and helped SSC take advantage of a power play at 9:42.
In the second period, the Lancers (3-5) trimmed the lead to 3-2 with a pair of goals by junior Lee Belisle (Chicopee, MA) and classmate Mark Rintel (Taunton, MA). Belisle scored his marker just 44 seconds into the stanza while Rintel chipped in with his third goal of the season on a power play opportunity. Salem State, however, would add an insurance goal just before the end of the second on a tally by junior Jeff Tellier (Chicopee, MA).
WSC sophomore Matt Kail (Ridgewood, NJ) brought the Lancers to within one midway through the third period, but the threat was short-lived as Fox scored at 12:19 on an assist by Tellier. Rintel helped Worcester cut the lead with a goal at 17:58, but Fox ended the contest with his fifth of the game on an empty net.
SSC sophomore Mike Genovese (Hingham, MA) finished the match handing out out three assists, with two in the first period, while junior Andy Orsini (Rochester, MA) registered his team-leading ninth point with a helper in the beginning of the second.
Senior net minder Andrew Evans (Cromwell, CT) stopped a season high 44 shots while his counterpart, junior Vinny Monaco (Andover, MA), improved his record to 2-0 with 25 saves.
Worcester State will take a break until Tuesday when they will host Westfield State at 5:30 PM before entertaining Fitchburg State on Saturday at 4:30. The Vikings will stay home this weekend when they will host Middlebury on Friday at 7 and then Williams on Saturday at 3 o’clock.