Men’s Ice Hockey
SALEM — Paul Leger (Blainville, QC) recorded a shutout in net, making 34 saves as the Huskies of Southern Maine cruised to a 4-0 win Tuesday night over the Salem State Vikings at Rockett Arena. The Huskies improve to 4-3 on the year while the Vikings drop to 2-4.
In the first, the Huskies ran into penalty trouble as they tallied eight-minutes in the box. This allowed the Vikings’ skaters some room to maneuver and get off 12 shots on goal. However, the defensive presence for Southern Maine was too strong and they kept Salem State scoreless in the first 20-minutes. Midway through the period, the Huskies were granted a power play and Brock Padgham (Chillwack, BC) found Blue Hayler (Missoula, MT) in front of the crease for an easy rebound goal.
Southern Maine took that momentum into the second period, dominating time on attack, and the Huskies were able to build on to their lead as they scored two goals in the period to take a 3-0 edge. Five minutes in, Padgham put home Southern Maine’s second goal of the night when forward Brett Norman (Dawson Creek, BC) set up Padgham. Freshman defender Tristan Dundas (Abbotsford, BC) enhanced
Southern Maine’s lead to 3-0 at the 10-minute mark in the second with Patrick Magliano (Pelham, NH) assisting.
The Vikings struggles continued in the third period as they were held scoreless while Husky captain Tyler Mathieu (Stillwater Lake, NS) tacked on the final goal to secure the 4-0 shutout.
Padgham led all skaters with three points (1g, 2a).
Jason Pucciarelli (Newmarket, ONT) drew the loss for the Vikings, stopping 28 shots.
Salem State’s season continues on Saturday, Nov. 26 when they travel to Assumption College to take on the Greyhounds at 6:35 p.m. Southern Maine will travel as well, facing off against Wesleyan University at 4:00 p.m. on Nov. 26.
Salem State Men’s Basketball Wins
WENHAM – A strong offensive showing in each half helped visiting Salem State close out Gordon Men’s Basketball 92-82 on Tuesday evening at the Bennett Athletic Center. Senior forward Marcus Faison (Cambridge, Mass.) was hard to stop on his way to 31 points and 10 boards to lead the Vikings to a big non-conference victory.
Salem State and Gordon traded leads for much of the first sprint in the first half with neither team holding more than a four-point advantage. Gordon’s Noah Szilagyi (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Graham Tienhaara (Holden, Mass.) took turns bring the Scots back to even at the midway point of the half.
Led by Faison’s high-percentage effort in the first half, the Vikings were able to finally claim momentum in the second 10-minute frame of the opening half. Aided by a significant scoring drought for the Scots, Salem State was able to quickly pile up a 10-point advantage with under five minute to go before halftime. Gordon was able to temporarily cut things back to eight points, but a 5-0 run to end the half gave Salem State some big momentum at 44-31.
The Vikings (3-1) ran the lead out to 16 points early in the second half, but Gordon began chipping away with a transition offense that worked much better than it did in the first. Three times the Fighting Scots were able to close the gap to a two-possession contest, but could never capitalize on moments to make it even closer.
Salem was able to hit enough free throws down the stretch before running the clock out for a 10-point triumph.
Faison’s big double-double on 11-of-16 shooting was the story of the evening. The senior also added two steals and two blocks. Alexander Santos (Lawrence, Mass.) had 16 points at the off guard spot and seemed to always hit his shots in big moments where the tide was starting to turn in Gordon’s direction. Shaquan Murray (Boston, Mass.) had 13 and a game-high five steals, while Shyheim Davis-Smith (Boston, Mass.) had an effective 11 points, four boards and three steals off the bench.
Sam Johnson’s (Chatham, Mass.) double-double streak moved to six games with a 19-point and 12-carom performance. The senior also added three assists and two blocks. Garrisson Duvivier (Brockton, Mass.) had 14 points and three assists despite his foul trouble. Jaren Yang (San Francisco, Calif.) continued his strong play with 16 points in 21 minutes, while Josh Ribeiro (Attleboro, Mass.) was solid off the bench with 10 points and three blocks.
Gordon falls to 2-2 on the season and will host Eastern Nazarene next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. The Fighting Scots won the rebound battle for the fourth time this season despite the loss.
Salem State Women’s Basketball Wins
WENHAM.—Gordon Women’s Basketball fell on the wrong side of a high-scoring affair as Salem State University staged a second-half comeback to send the Fighting Scots to their third consecutive loss. The Vikings turned an eight-point deficit into a large lead late in the second half on their way to a 91-75 victory.
After a tough weekend offensively, Gordon came out shooting from the opening tip. An outside that wasn’t falling in games against Fisher and Eastern Connecticut State at the Gordon College Classic suddenly became an instant jolt into the Gordon offense. The Fighting Scots made seven triples over the first 20 minutes and shot over 50 percent in a half for the first time on the year.
Salem showcased its own offensive prowess at the start, taking a 22-17 lead approaching the end of the first quarter. However, Gordon countered back in the waning moments with a three-point play the old fashioned way followed by a running shot just inside half court as time expired made by Olivia Stark (Arvada, Colo.).
The Vikings rolled back to take a lead temporarily in the second quarter, but Gordon remained persistent in its pressure to build a lead as large as eight points as time dwindled in the half. However, five straight points by the Vikings carried some momentum into the break as Gordon led 47-44 with two quarters to go.
As hot as the Fighting Scots were in the first half, they struggled to find their shot in the second. Gordon shot just over 30 percent as a team over the final 20 minutes of regulation and made two of 10 attempts from behind the arch.
On the other side, Salem State stayed consistent enough to build up a 68-62 advantage entering the fourth before hitting on all cylinders to start the final period. The visitors scored 13 straight to open the period, as Gordon turned the ball over on subsequent possessions to fuel the run.
The Fighting Scots were unable to get any rhythm back on their side and fell to 1-3 on the season. Salem State continued its up-and-down campaign to move to 3-2 over the first week and a half.
Senior Kaitlyn Bryan (Lowell, Mass.) was outstanding for the Vikings with 27 points and three steals. Tyra Scott (Methuen, Mass.) was quietly effective all night and finished second on the team with 18 points and two blocks. Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) stayed at her season average with 17 points, while Kia Fernandes (Wareham, Mass.) 13 points and six boards despite being in foul trouble.
Salem State shot exactly 50 percent as a team (34-68) and was more effective from deep in the second half on their way to the double-digit win.
Four Gordon players also found their way into double-figure scoring with Meghan Foley (Malden, Mass.) leading the way with 18 points. Brooke Dyson (Houston, Texas) scored 12 points and made three of her six attempts from behind the arch. Alisha Henderson (Oregon City, Ore.) and Stark both ended the evening with 11.
Salem held a 42-34 advantage in rebounds and came up with 15 boards to create several second-chance opportunities. The Vikings turned 26 Gordon turnovers into 37 points, while the Fighting Scots scored 22 points off of turnovers.
Both teams are off for the next week for Thanksgiving break. Salem State hosts Brandeis next Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Gordon looks to get back on track next Wednesday with Eastern Nazarene comes to town for the Commonwealth Coast Conference opener.
