Golden Bears Hold Off Wentworth for 3-2 Victory

Gollmer finishes with season-high 45 saves as Western New England improves to 2-3-1 in CCC play

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 19, 2016) – Western New England University scored the go-ahead goal with one second remaining in the second period and held off the Wentworth Institute of Technology in the third to claim a 3-2 victory this afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) ice hockey action at the Olympia Ice Center.

Top Performers
• Sophomore netminder Kevin Gollmer (Flourtown, Pa.) didn't let anything past him after Western New England took the lead heading into the second intermission. Gollmer stopped all 22 of the shots that he faced over the final 20 minutes, finishing with a season-high 45 saves.
• Sophomore forward Steve Beck (Milton, N.Y.) scored the goal that would stand as the game-winner in the closing seconds of the second period, his team-leading fourth of the season.
• Sophomore forward David Kleyman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and freshman forward Andrew Green (Plainview, N.Y.) also found the back of the net for the Golden Bears.

• Freshman defenseman Dakoda Menslage (Orleans, Mass.) and sophomore forward Angus Johnston (Calgary, Alta.) both scored second period goals for Wentworth.

Game Review
• Western New England jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as Kleyman scored his first of the season on a feed from sophomore forward Stefan Koproske (Simsbury, Conn.) just under two minutes into the contest.
• The Golden Bears doubled their advantage less than five minutes later, when sophomores Carlos Ross (Brockport, N.Y.) and Connor Graham (Norfolk, Mass.) set up Green for his first collegiate goal.
• Western New England led by the same margin after the first period, but sophomore forward Matthew Kennedy (Mount Pearl, N.L.) found Menslage 44 seconds into the second period to get the visitors on the board.
• Wentworth tied the game at 2-2 at the 14:05 mark on Johnston's unassisted goal, his third of the season.
• The Golden Bears would restore their lead in the final seconds of the period, however, with the help of a power play. Sophomore defensemen Joe Mazza (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and Edmund Rogers (Creve Coeur, Mo.) were credited with assists on Beck's go-ahead goal, which would prove to be the difference in the contest.
• Wentworth put 22 shots on target over the final 20 minutes of regulation, but Gollmer and Western New England held on for the win.  

Notes
• Western New England successfully killed off all six of Wentworth's power plays. The Golden Bears went 1-for-4 with a man advantage, as Beck's game-winner came on a power play.
• Wentworth outshot Western New England 47-25 after holding a 22-4 advantage in the third period.
• Beck's four goals are tied for eighth in the CCC, while Gollmer's 235 saves through seven games rank second in the conference.

Up Next
Western New England (2-4-1, 2-3-1 CCC) will head to Vermont over Thanksgiving weekend for a pair of games at the Rutland Herald Invitational. The Golden Bears will take on host Castleton on Friday, and either SUNY Brockport or Tufts on Saturday. Wentworth (1-7, 1-5 CCC) returns to action next Saturday at New England College.