Becker Pulls Away in Third Period for 5-3 Win over Golden Bears

Koproske leads Western New England with goal and assist

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 11, 2017) – The Becker College men's ice hockey team used a pair of third period goals to hold off Western New England University and earn a 5-3 victory this afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Olympia Ice Center.

Top Performers
• Sophomore forward Stefan Koproske (Simsbury, Conn.) had a hand in two of Western New England's three goals, scoring one himself and tallying an assist on another. Sophomores David Kleyman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Tyler Hines (North Haven, Conn.) also scored for the Golden Bears.

• Sophomore forward Brandon Morgan (Rochester, N.Y.) led the Hawks with a pair of goals, while senior defenseman Bryan Parsons (Shrewsbury, Mass.) handed out two assists and freshman netminder Grant Martens (Bloomington, Minn.) made 28 saves on 31 shots.

Game Review
• Becker senior forward Nicholas McKee (Bakersfield, Calif.) accounted for the only goal of the opening period at the 12:38 mark as the Hawks led 1-0 at the first intermission.
• Kleyman tied the contest at the 8:27 mark of the second period, when he carried the puck the length of the ice on a power play and beat Martens for his fifth goal of the season.
• Morgan restored Becker's lead just over a minute later, however, and freshman forward Alex Kielczewski (Grand Prairie, Tex.) made it 3-1 in favor of the Hawks with 6:47 remaining in the frame.
• Western New England got one back heading into the third period as Hines scored on a rebound at the 14:39 mark to bring the Golden Bears back to within a goal.
• Morgan netted his second of the game early in the third period, and junior forward John Dutney (Hudson, Mass.) tacked on an insurance goal for Becker with 4:06 on the clock as the Hawks opened up a 5-2 cushion.
• Koproske scored a late goal on a feed from sophomore Matt O'Dea (Orland Park, Ill.), but the Golden Bears were unable to cut further into their deficit.

Notes
• Becker outshot Western New England 21-9 in the second period and 43-31 overall.
• The Golden Bears held a 39-38 edge in the faceoff circle.
• Western New England sophomore goaltender Kevin Gollmer (Flourtown, Pa.) finished with 38 saves.

Up Next
Western New England (7-13-2, 4-10-1 CCC) continues its three-game homestand on Thursday against Endicott, while Becker (6-15-1, 5-9-1 CCC)  returns home to host Wentworth.