WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Worcester State men's ice hockey team won their third straight Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) game, as they downed the Westfield State Owls 3-1 Thursday evening at Amelia Park.

Worcester State improves to 6-7-3 and 4-4-2 in conference play, while Westfield State dips to 8-8, and 4-6 in the MASCAC.

Both teams came out slow in the first, as neither team could find a way to get on the board.

Just 41 seconds into the second period, junior Kyle Griffin (Marlboro, Mass.) found the back of the net after a quick give-and-go from Nick Patullo (Doylestown, Pa.) to give the Lancers a 1-0 lead. 

Midway through the second, Khalil East (Los Angeles, Calif.) grabbed a loose puck in the slot and beat Owls goaltender Jonathan LoParco (Bradford Rattlers) to double the Lancers lead.

Four minutes into the third, Mitchell Purdie (Cavan, Ont.) found himself on a breakaway and didn't miss the opportunity, driving the lead to 3-0. Worcester State was forced to play solid defense midway through the third as they killed off a five minute major, deflating the Owls.

Later in the period Westfield's Jackson Leef (Fort Wayne, Ind.) slid one past Worcester State's Josh Reinstein (Woodland Hills, Calif.) in net, cutting the lead to 3-1. With an extra attacker, Westfield was unable to cut the deficit allowing the Lancers to come out on top.

Worcester State had 38 shots compared to Westfield's 42.

LoParco made 35 saves in net for the Owls, while Reinstein made 41 for the Lancers.

Next up, Worcester State will host Plymouth State at the Hart Recreation Center on January 26 at 8:30 p.m.

Release Courtesy of Westfield State Sports Information