HENNIKER, N.H.—Sophomore Adam Zollner (Varnamo, Sweden) scored with seven minutes left in regulation to lead the New England College men’s ice hockey team to a 1-0 win over Salem State University in Tuesday’s non-conference game.
The win boosts the Pilgrims to 10-5 on the season, while Salem State falls to 5-7-2.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After 53 minutes of scoreless play, Zollner won the faceoff and chipped it backwards to Carlos Fornaris (Miami, Fla.), who worked it back and forth before shuttling it back to Zollner in front of the net for the low one-touch.
The goal would prove to be the lone score of the game, despite a combined 61 shots on net over the full 60 minutes.
Salem State pulled their goaltender with 48 seconds remaining and managed three shots on goal with the extra skater, by NEC’s senior goaltender Brett Kilar (Coto de Caza, Calif.) was strong under pressure and made three great saves to protect the shutout.
GOALTENDERS
Kilar totaled 30 saves on the day for his second shutout of the season and third of his career. Salem State goaltender Jason Pucciarelli also recorded 30 saves in 59:12 of action.
BY THE NUMBERS
· Both teams were unsuccessful on power play opportunities—both teams went on the power play four times.
· Zollner’s goal was his sixth of the season and ended a four-game streak in which he did not record a point. Prior to the four-game streak, he had a at least a point in five of the team’s first eight games.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Pilgrims continue their three-game home stand on Friday with a 7:30 p.m. New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) matchup against Castleton. They will also host Skidmore on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
HENNIKER, N.H.—Sophomore goaltender Jackie Clark (Dorchester, Mass.) recorded 32 saves in her first game at New England College to aid the Pilgrims to a 4-0 shutout victory over Salem State University on Tuesday afternoon in non-conference action.
With the victory, NEC improves to 3-9 on the season, while Salem State falls to 2-9 with the loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Pilgrims scored their first goal 6:26 into the game and did not look back, leading 2-0 after the first period and tallying a goal in both the second and third periods for the victory.
Sophomore Alexa Scribner (Falmouth, Mass.) potted the first goal of the day by taking the puck off a Viking defender and shooting low to Salem State goaltender Sarah Plourde’s glove-side. Plourde finished with 22 saves on the day.
Senior Rachel Vigliano (Monroe, N.J.) scored in similar fashion nearly eight minutes later. Classmate Mackenzie Meegan (Phoenix, Ariz.) was credited with the assist.
The Pilgrims needed just 10 seconds to score in the second period. Off the face-off, senior Marissa Roth (Burlington, Mass.) hustled to the boards to claim a floating puck and make a quick move to the net with Salem State’s defenders trailing her. She skated to the right to cross the goal and fired a backhanded shot back across to the left corner to pot the goal.
Vigliano struck again in the third period by intercepting a Salem State pass in the neutral zone and skating solo to the net for a shorthanded goal.
QUOTE FROM THE COACH
“Great team effort today. We proved to be resilient and fought through to the final whistle. Looking forward to preparing for Nichols on Friday.” – Head Coach Kristi Kehoe
BY THE NUMBERS
· Salem State outshot NEC 32-26 on the day. NEC outshot their guests 12-6 in the first period, but the Vikings dominated the shots column in the second and third periods.
· NEC snaps a three-game winless streak with tonight’s victory. It marks the first shutout of the season for the Pilgrims and the first one since January 23, 2016, when the team shutout Manhattanville 2-0.
· Neither team was able to score on the power play—NEC had five attempts, while Salem State had four.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Pilgrims will continue their three-game home stand on Friday with a 4:00 p.m. New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) game against Nichols. They also host Southern Maine on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
