MASCAC Men's Ice Hockey Tournament Bracket
Salem, MA --- Salem State senior Mark Macdonald (Norwell, MA/Bridgewater Bandits) netted a pair of goals as the Vikings used four unanswered tallies to erase a one-goal deficit and defeat Worcester State, 5-2, in MASCAC men's ice hockey action this evening.
With the win SSU clinched a share of the MASCAC regular season title and finished the regular season with a 14-9-2 record, and an 11-5-2 conference record, earning them the top seed in the upcoming MASCAC Tournament.
The Lancers end the regular season 9-14-1, (5-12-1 MASCAC) and earn the #6 spot in the six-team playoff and will travel to Westfield State on Saturday at 5:35 PM.
Early on in the first period, senior Kyle Phelan (Barnstable, MA/Bridgewater Bandits) scored on a back-hander from junior classmates Chad Godwin (Whitinsville, MA/Salve Regina ) and Kristofer Faric (Whitby, ON/Castleton State) that gave the Vikings a 1-0 lead with just 1:53 off the clock.
However, Worcester State answered with a goal of their own that came from junior Taylor Laneville (Edmonds, WA/Helena Bighorns), assisted by freshman Jim LeNoir (Exton, PA/Philadelphia Jr. Flyers) and junior Vinny Bohn (Spring Hill, FL/El Paso Rhinos) just 34 ticks later.
The Lancers then staked a 2-1 lead when junior Andreas Johansson (Fjaras, Sweden/Space Coast Hurricanes) netted a goal on assists from LeNoir and freshman Richard Bohan (Phoenix, AZ/Dallas Ice Jets) at the 7:07 mark.
The Vikings started off the second period with tally by Macdonald at the 1:29 mark, which was assisted by freshman Brandon Platt (Pittsburgh, PA/Texas Tornado) and senior Eric Defelice (Chalfont, PA/Manhattanville).
Salem State scored again when sophomore Chris Mastropietro (Revere, MA/Boston Bulldogs) wristed in a rebound for the 3-2 lead with 11:21 off the clock. Freshman classmates Alex Minter (Peabody, MA/Boston Jr. Rangers) and John Needham (Medford, MA/Valley Jr. Warriors) were credited with the assists.
Sophomore Andrew Bucci (Peabody, MA/Boston Bulldogs) added another Vikings goal on a feed from second-year Keaton Cashin (Boxford, MA/New England Wolves) for the 4-2 score at the 16:15 mark of the middle frame.
The third period was quiet except for an empty net goal by Macdonald which allowed Salem State to cruise to victory.
The Vikings' senior goaltender Ryan Sutliffe (Las Vegas, NV/Helena Big Horns) stopped 13 shots while his counterpart, sophomore Drew Case (Plano, TX/Northern Cyclones), turned away 16 pucks for the Lancers.
Salem State outshot the visitors 21-15 in the contest as neither squad scored on any of their four power play chances.
Major Portions of Release Courtesy of Salem State Sports Information
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