Westfield State Beats Harvard 4-2

Cambridge, MA --- The Westfield State Owls defeated Harvard on Saturday afternoon by the score of 4-2 to improve their league record to 5-1-0. Ryan Laughlin, Tommy Bruso, Will Keating and Anthony Hardy all scored goals for the Owls. In perhaps Westfield's best game of the season, they received strong goaltending from Nick Franco and their special teams scored two power play goals. After losing back to back games to close out October, the Owls are currently on a 5 game winning streak.

The Owls will travel down to Bridgeport, Connecticut on Sunday night to take on Sacred Heart at 8:30. You can get game updates by following the club team on twitter at @wsuclub or by the twitter feed on the right hand side of the main page.

***HOME GAME AGAINST MIT***

Westfield, MA -- The Owls have announced that they will make up the game against MIT on January 15th at 7 PM. The Owls and Engineers had to postpone their game because of the late October snowstorm.

Owls Atop American Conference In 3-2 Victory

Westfield, MA --- The Owl's hosted Bates College on Saturday night in a battle for first place in NECHA's American Conference. After a scoreless first period, the Owl's would get on the board when Tommy Bruso scored his 9th goal of the season when he stick handled around a defender and beat Bates netminder Matt Mosca. Midway through the second period, Anthony Hardy would get a short-handed goal to make it a 2 goal lead for the Owls. Hardy, who was on a 2 on 1, decided to take the shot and beat Moseca stick side. The Owls would take a 2-0 lead into the final period.

With 13:47 remaining in the game, Bates would finally get on the board to cut the Owls lead in half when Matt Silvermen beat Chase Thornton. Thornton ended up making 30 saves in the game and improved his record to 3-2-0. The Owls would regain their 2 goal lead when Tommy Bruso scored his second goal of the night only 2 minutes later. With the goalie pulled, Bates managed to score a power play goal with 1: 28 remaining in the game. However, the Owls would hold on for a 3-2 victory.

With the victory, the Owls are alone atop the American Conference with a record of 4-1-0. They are currently on a 4 game winning streak and were perfect in November going 4-0-0. The Owls will have Thanksgiving weekend off before playing two conference games on the road at Harvard and Sacred Heart.

Key Stats:
Goals: Bruso (9,10), Hardy (5)
Goalie: Thornton (3-2-0)
Power Play: 0 for 2 (0%)
Penatly Kill: 5 for 6 (83%)

Owl's Get First Road Victory Against WPI

Marlboro, MA --- The Westfield State Owls traveled to Central Mass on Friday night to take on WPI. The Owls came out strong in the first period and grabbed a 1-0 lead when Anthony Hardy scored the game's first goal only 2 1/2 minutes into the game. Greg Rice and Ryan Leonard would pick up the assists on the goal. The Rams would score the next two goals to take the lead heading into the final minutes of the period. Tommy Bruso would tie the game up with 1:09 remaining in the first period when Corey Tobin fed him a long pass to send the Owl's captain all alone on a breakaway.

The Owls received a lucky bounce only 33 seconds into the second period when Joey Green's centering pass deflected off a WPI defenseman and into the back of the net for a 3-2 Owls lead. The lead would last until midway through the second period when Nick Martin beat Owl's netminder Nick Franco to tie the game at 3-3. The teams would go into the locker rooms tied at 3.

In the third, the Owls would take the lead when Anthony Hardy scored his second goal of the night when he fired a shot from the slot that beat Ram's goaltender Jeremy Lowery. Ryan Laughlin would get the insurance goal for Westfield with just under 4 minutes remaining and the Owls improved their winning streak to 3 games.

The Owls are home on Saturday against Bates College at 5 pm. It will be a battle for first place in NECHA's American Conference.

Key Stats:

Goals: Hardy (3,4), Bruso (8), Green (2), Laughlin (1)
Goalie: Franco (3-0-0)
Power Play: 0 for 1 (0%)
Penalty Kill: 3 for 3 (100%)

Week of 11/14 - 11/21

The following is the schedule for the week of November 14th through the 21st.

November 15th --- Practice @ Amelia Park (10 PM)
November 17th --- Practice @ Amelia Park (10 PM)
November 18th --- Game @ WPI (8:30 PM)
November 19th --- Game Vs. Bates College (5 PM)

The directions page has been updated for all remaining away games. You can follow all of the games by following the team's twitter account by following them @wsuclub

Westfield Beats Eastern Connecticut 7-2

Westfield, MA -- The Owls would once again fall behind early when Steve Engborg banked a shot off of Owl's netminder Nick Franco's back and into the net midway through the first period. Nick Franco picked up his second victory of the season and stopped 16 out of 18 shots faced. The Owls would tie the game before the intermission when Erik LaMotte skated down the right wing boards and cut in front of the net and put it past Connecticut's Kyle Manuilow.

Westfield would take the lead only 23 seconds into the second period when Greg Rice would score his first goal of the night. Pete Richardson would make it 3-1 when he fired a puck into the net after a generous bounce off the back wall. Nick Rose would make it 4-1 after he walked into the slot all alone from the corner for his second goal of the season. Tommy Bruso and Greg Rice would each add power play tallys and the Owl's led 6-1 going into the last period.

Anthony Hardy's hard hustle in the third period would lead to his second goal of the season with under 5 minutes remaining in the game to make it a 7-1 lead for Westfield. David Russo and Ryan Leonard would pick up assists on the goal. Eastern Connecticut would get a short-handed goal with 2:57 remaining in the game and the Owls would end up defeating Eastern Connecticut by the score of 7-2.

The two teams will meet again on December 9th at Eastern Connecticut to conclude the season series. The Owls travel to New England Sports Center in Marlboro on Friday night to take on WPI before heading home for their next league game against Bates College on Saturday at Amelia Park. Updates for both games can be found at the club team's twitter account at: wsuclub.

Key Stats:

Goals: LaMotte (2), Rice (1,2), Richardson (3), Rose (2), Bruso (7), Hardy (2)

Saves: Franco (18)

Power Play: 2 for 6 (66%)

Penalty Kill: 4 for 4 (100%)

Special Teams Power Westfield Past Bridgewater 6-4

Westfield, MA - The Westfield State Owls defeated the Bridgewater State Bears on Saturday night 6-4. The Owls would score three power play goals and add a short-handed goal in a penalty filled game. After trailing 2-0, the Owls would cut the lead in half with 1:56 left in the first period when Corey Tobin found Tommy Bruso all alone in front.

In the opening minute of the second period, Bridgewater State would score to regain their 2 goal lead. In a back and forth second period, Corey Tobin would shoot home a loose puck to make it a one goal game. The Owls would tie the game 5 minutes later when Anthony Hardy broke in alone to score a short-handed goal. Bridgewater State would regain their lead with a power play goal with 4:54 remaining in the second when they broke down the left wing side and fired a puck past Owl's netminder Nick Franco. However, the Owls would tie the game when Joey Green dove and passed the puck across the crease to Tommy Bruso for his second goal of the night. The two teams would go into the locker rooms tied at 4-4.

Nick Rose would get the game-winning goal midway through the third period when his shot from the slot beat the Bears goaltender on the power play. Erik LaMotte would add an insurance goal with 29 seconds remaining in the game and the Owls beat the Bears 6-4.

The Owls next game will be on Sunday, November 13th at 4 P.M. at Amelia Park. It will be their 2nd out of conference game of the season against Eastern Connecticut State University. You can get in game updates by following the club hockey team on twitter at @wsuclub.

Key Stats:
Goals: Bruso (5,6), Tobin (1), Hardy (1), Rose (1) LaMotte (1)
Win: Franco (1)
Power Play: 3 Goals For
Penalty Kill: 1 Goal Against

Westfield Loses to Keene State in Battle of the Owls

Ashburnham, MA --- The Westfield State Owls traveled up to Cushing Academy on Saturday to face the Keene State Owls in their first out of conference game of the season. Westfield would once again fall behind when Pat Sullivan skated around the net and picked the top corner to beat netminder Chase Thornton. Thornton ended up stopping 37 shots on the night. Keene would make it 2-0 midway through the second period when they converted a 3 on 1 finished by Colby Tyler. It was the first power play goal against for the Westfield State Owls this season.

Westfield would cut the lead in half in the opening minute of the third period when Bobby Hayhurst fired a shot from the point on the power play. Brian Nixon would pick up the assist on the goal. However, Keene State would score two quick goals to give themselves a comfortable 4-1 lead with under 5 minutes remaining. Pete Richardson scored his 2nd goal of the season with 3:29 remaining but it was too late as the Owls fell to Keene State by the score of 4-2.

The Owls return to home ice on Saturday, November 5th at 5 P.M. to take on the Bridgewater State Bears at Amelia Park. Both teams enter Saturday with a record of 2-1-0 in conference play. Bridgewater and Westfield both have conference wins over Merrimack and St. Anselm's.

Key Stats:
Goals: Hayhurst (1), Richardson (2)
Saves: Thornton 37
Power Play: 1 for 7
Penalty Kill: 6 for 7

Owls Rally Falls Short; Lose 3-2

MANCHESTER, NH --- The Westfield State club hockey team traveled up to New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon to complete the back end of a home and home series. The Owls would once again give up an early goal when St. Anselm's scored on a wrap around only 4 minutes into the game. The Owls would go down 2-0 with 2 minutes left in the period when a Hawk's player snuck in and took a quick snap shot past goaltender Chase Thornton.

The Owls would get on the board midway through the second period when Tommy Bruso poked in a lose puck to get Westfield within a goal. However, a defensive lapse led to a 3 on 1 and the Hawks would regain their 2 goal lead only 2 minutes later. Westfield's second goal of the night came when Joey Green fired a shot from the slot and beat the Hawk's netminder glove side. Westfield struggled on the power play and had several opportunities to tie the game with the clock winding down but could not get the equalizer.

The Owls and St. Anselm's split the season series each winning a game at home. The Owls would like to thank St. Anselm's for the pizzas for the bus ride home. Westfield hits the ice on Tuesday and Thursday nights for practice before heading up to Ashburnham on Saturday to face the Keene State Owls. You can get score updates by following the club hockey team on twitter at: @wsuclub. Hopefully the service will be better so it can be updated more frequently.

Key Stats:

Goals: Bruso (4), Green (1)

Saves: Thornton (27)

Power Play: 0 for 4 (0%)

Penalty Kill: 2 for 2 (100%)

Owls Win First Game of Home and Home

Westfield, MA --- The Westfield State Owls improved their record to 2-0 Saturday night when they defeated St. Anselm's 4-1 at Amelia Park. St. Anselm's would get on the board early when Jack Oulette's slap shot from the point found the back of the net. The Owls would tie the game before going into the locker room when Pete Richardson poked in a loose puck with 1:05 remaining in the first period. Billy Keating would pick up the only assist on the goal.

The second period would be filled with penalties but the Owls would score the game-winning goal on the power play when Tommy Bruso scored his first goal of the night only 2 minutes into the second period. Chase Thornton was placed in net while Nick Franco served his 10 misconduct penalty stopping all 9 shots on net. The teams would trade power play chances but the Owls would take the lead heading into the third period.

The Owls continued to work hard and added an insurance goal midway through the third period when Tommy Bruso would get his third goal of the season when Greg Rice found him all alone in the slot. Matt Spadorcia would seal the deal when he broke in alone with 1:42 remaining to put the Owls up by the score of 4-1. Nick Franco would play a perfect third period stopping all 9 shots and finished the night stopping 16 of 17 shots on goal.

The Owls travel up to Manchester, New Hampshire on Sunday for the back end of a home and home series with St. Anselm's. Directions to Sullivan Arena are on the directions page and you can follow the in game action on twitter @wsuclub.

Key Stats:
Goals: Bruso (2,3) Richardson (1), Spadorcia (1)
Saves: Franco (16), Thornton (9)
Power Play: 1 for 9 (11%)
Penalty Kill: 7 for 7 (100%)

Owl's Power Past Merrimack

Westfield, MA --- The Westfield State Owls opened their 2011-12 season Saturday hosting Merrimack College in their first of 14 league games. The game opened with a quick pace and many hits as the teams traded scoring chances. Merrimack College would score the first goal of the game on a controversial call when Calvin Cegianski batted the puck out of the air past Owl's netminder Chase Thornton. That was the only puck that would get by Thornton who made 25 saves in the game.

The Owls would tie the game when Nico Gilbert found the back of the net only 2 minutes later. Brian Nixon and Greg Rice would pick up assists on the power play goal. The Owls went back on the power play and took the lead when Tommy Bruso streaked down the middle of the ice and rocketed a shot to beat the Warrior's goalie glove side. That would be all the scoring as the teams skated the last 45 minutes scoreless and the Owls skated off the ice with their first victory in the young 2011-12 season.

Key Stats:
Goals: Gilbert (1), Bruso (1)
Saves: Thornton (25)
Power Play: 2 for 12 (17%)
Penalty Kill: 5 for 5 (100%)

Westfield Releases 2011-12 Schedule

Westfield, MA --- The Westfield State University club hockey team released their 2011-12 schedule today. The schedule starts on October 15th as the Owls host Merrimack College at Amelia Park. Merrimack College, St. Anselm's and Harvard will be joining the NECHA's American Conference. The Owls will be playing 14 conference games and will also play Keene State, WPI and Eastern Connecticut State. The Owls will finish the season with three straight road games and will conclude the season on February 10th at Merrimack College. Some times and locations are still to be announced.

TEAM (H/A)

Bates (1/1)

Bridgewater (1/1)

Eastern Connecticut (1/1)

Harvard (1/1)

Keene State (0/1)

MIT (1/1)

Merrimack (1/1)

Sacred Heart (1/1)

St. Anselm's (1/1)

WPI (0/1)

Tryouts Continue Tonight

Westfield, MA -- With over 30 skaters trying out for the 2011-12 club team, the team has extended it's tryouts. Practice will be at 10 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday at Amelia Park.

2011-2012 TRYOUTS ANNOUNCED

Westfield, MA --- Today the Westfield State University Club Hockey team announced that the tryouts for the 2011-2012 season will be held at Amelia Park on Tuesday, September 27th at 10 p.m.

WEEK ONE TRYOUTS

Tuesday (27th) Practice -- Amelia Park @ 10 p.m.
Thursday (29th) Practice -- Amelia Park @ 10 p.m.

If you have any questions please e-mail: wsuclubhockey@yahoo.com

Owls Fall Twice; Miss Playoffs

The Westfield State University club hockey team only needed one win in their final two games to punch a ticket into the NECHA playoffs. However, they fell to the #1 seed Bridgewater State 4-1 on Super Bowl Sunday then fell to MIT to finish their 2010-2011 season.

The Owls would like to thank all their supporters for a great season!

2011 NECHA PLAYOFFS

Semi-Finals

Bates College - 4 vs. Bridgewater State - 0

Sacred Heart - 3 vs. MIT- 4 (2 OT)

American Conference Championship

Bates College -4 vs. MIT- 8

Owls Can't Complete Comeback, Fall 4-3 to Bates

Lewiston, ME --- The Westfield State Owls lost an important game to the Bates College Bears on Saturday night 4-3. After trailing 3-0 early in the third period, newcomer Dan Lawler would put the Owls on the board. However, Bates would regain a three goal lead only two minutes later when Tyler Dewdney beat netminder Phil Ashley. A minute after Bates scored, Corey Tobin scored to make it a 4-2 game and give the Owls hope of making another third period comeback. Bobby Rash would make things interesting as he scored with only 57 seconds remaining in the game. Bobby ended up with a goal and two assists on the night. However, they were not able to score the equalizer and split the season series with Bates College.

Around the Division- On Sunday, Bridgewater State beat Bates 4-1. Sacred Heart beat MIT by the score of 3-2 and also beat Norwich 6-4. Both Bridgewater State and Sacred Heart have clinched playoff spots.

Westfield Beats Bates

Westfield, MA --- On Saturday night, Westfield State University went head to head in the first of a home and home series with Bates College. In what is a crucial game in the standings, the Owls needed to pull out a big win to stay in postseason contention. The Owls started the game flying, playing fast hard competitive hockey. Joey Green netted the first goal of the game with hard work down low from Tommy Bruso and Ryan Mumford. Bates rallied right back quickly to tie the game at 1 by end of first period.In the second period, the Owls came out with much more intensity and got back ahead of the game with a goal from Nick Rose, a beautiful two on one saucer pass from Bobby Rash. Once again Bates battled right back to tie the game at 2-2 when Matt Dooley ripped a low snapshot from the point. A couple bounces from the post which most of the night was goaltenders Joe Doody’s best friend finally backfired as the puck bounced off the post off his pad and into the back of net as WSU skated away in the second period with a 3-2 lead.

WSU goaltender Liam Whalen, standing on his head his first game after returning from injury, propelled the game into an epic close fought third period. Quickly, Bates College got their lucky bounce as a puck bounced around the net and found the stick of forward Charley Stern to tie the game at 3. Penalty after penalty the Owls played most of the game shorthanded which in all likelihood would usually not benefit the Owls’ behalf. However; the penalty kill was strong enough where Bobby Rash broke free from the defensive zone passed the puck up too forward Nick Rose who then gave the puck right back to Rash splitting the defense and finally putting the puck in the back of the net giving the Owls the lead 4-3. The Owls controlled the rest of play with good saves by Liam Whalen and good defense especially from newcomer Dan Lawler.

Next Saturday (29th) the Owls travel to Bates College where revenge is surely on the menu in once again another crucial game for the Owls!

Around the Division: Bridgewater State swept Norwich University this weekend in a home and home series. With the win, Bridgewater State clinches a playoff spot.

-- Article by Forward Bobby Rash

Owls Prepare for Bates on Saturday

Westfield, MA-- On Saturday night the Westfield State Owls host the Bates College Bears in the first game of a home-and-home series. The Owls last game was on December 11th when they beat the Norwich Cadets by the score of 9-5. Bates College is coming off a 6-5 win over Bridgewater State on Friday night. Both teams enter this crucial game with 4 points.