Westfield, MA --- Westfield State jumped out to a 3-0 lead before claiming the 4-1 victory over Worcester State in MASCAC ice hockey action this evening at Amelia Park Ica Arena.

The Owls improve to 5-12-3 overall and 3-9-2 in the conference while the Lancers slip to 7-10-3 and 4-8-2 in league play.

Westfield led 2-0 after the first period on goals by sophomore Taylor Murphy (Toronto, ON) and freshman Peter Ranieri (Oakville,ON) - both within the first 6:48 of the game.

The Owls' added a power-play goal in the second stanza as junior Lucas Romero (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) scored his third marker of the season at 8:54.

Worcester State was able to light the lamp early in the third period on a goal credited to freshman Nathan Stanley (Boise, ID) - his sixth of the season.  Senior Nick Asterito (Philadelphia, PA) and freshman Stephen Rock (Tulsa, OK) assisted on the goal.

But Westfield State would tack on an empty net goal by senior A.J. Shiverdecker (Kettering, OH) with 26 seconds left in the game for the contests final tally.

Owl senior goaltender Ian Wilson (Tulsa, OK) stopped 26 shots for the hosts while senior Bryan Kalczynski (Tonawanda, NY) stopped 18 shots for the Lancers. 

The Blue and Gold outshot Westfield, 27-22, however the Owls took advantage of their power-play opportunities by going two-for-three with the extra-man advantage for the contest. 

Worcester State continues MASCAC play as they travel to Fitchburg State on Thursday for a 7 PM start. Westfield State will head to Framingham State on the same day for a 7:20 matchup with Framingham State.

Release by Jim Sarkisian – Sports Information Assistant