Western New England Drops CCC Opener at Johnson & Wales, 7-1

Junior Matt Smethurst scores first goal as a Golden Bear

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 3, 2016) – Western New England University opened the inaugural season of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) hockey with a 7-1 setback to Johnson & Wales University this evening at Lynch Arena.

Top Performers
• Junior forward Matt Smethurst (Rexford, N.Y.) scored Western New England's lone goal, his first as a Golden Bear, early in the first period.
• Johnson & Wales senior forward Fran Mackin (Philadelphia, Pa.) and freshman forward Nicholas Gray (Stafford, Va.) netted two goals each for the Wildcats.

Game Review
• The home team capitalized on a power play opportunity to score the game's first goal, as senior defenseman Matt Lanzillotti (Chicago, Ill.) found the back of the net at the 14:48 mark of the first period.
• The Wildcats broke the game open with four second period goals, including two from Gray and one from Mackin.
• Smethurst got the Golden Bears on the board 4:21 into the third period on a feed from sophomore defenseman Edmund Rogers (Creve Coeur, Mo.).
• Johnson & Wales added two goals later in the period, with Mackin netting his second of the contest at the 5:56 mark with the help of an assist from Lanzillotti.

Notes
• Johnson & Wales outshot Western New England 32-22.
• Freshman goaltender Baylee Johns (Woodstock, Conn.) saw his first collegiate action for the Golden Bears, stopping four shots in over ten minutes between the pipes.

Up Next
Western New England (0-2, 0-1 CCC) will look to bounce back on Saturday evening, as the Golden Bears host the University of New England at the Olympia Ice Center with opening faceoff scheduled for 5:10 p.m. Johnson & Wales (2-0, 1-0 CCC) will be on the road Saturday night at Becker.