Vikings, Rams End in 2-2 Tie

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications 

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -  Ryan Meagher (Boston, Mass.) netted his first collegiate goal and Hunter Thomas (Schwenksville, PA) saved 49 of 51 shots as Salem State and Framingham State ended in a 2-2 tie in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) contest on Saturday night at Loring Arena. The Vikings record now stands at 6-14-1, 6-10-1 while the Rams go to 8-11-1, 8-8-1 in the season. 

Salem State started out putting a huge amount of pressure on Trevor Stenberg (Mendham, NJ) , but the Vikings were unable to capitalize on their chances and the Rams made them pay when Scott Bugarin (Moreno Valley, Ca.) scored, which was assisted by Walker Smith (Inver Grove Heights, IL) at the 7:56 mark of the period.

The Vikings were awarded the first power play of the game when Jake Barcelou (Hyde Park, Mass.) went to the box, granting the Vikings their first power play of the game at the 11:18 mark. Mitch Wilkie (Calgary, AB) took a shot that was denied by a glove save of Stenberg. 

As the period was about to expire, Chase Conlon (Anchorage, Ak.)  was sent to the box for interference at the 19:15 mark of the period. The Rams power play would carry on for the first minute and 15 seconds of the second period of regulation.

Salem State went into the lockerroom down by a goal after the first twenty minutes of regulation. 

The Vikings managed to tie the game courtesy of Meager netting his first NCAA goal. It was a brilliant pass from Skylar Miller (Chandler, Az.) who found Meager.

After the game Meager talked about the goal "We were down 1-0 we had a great shift in the offensive zone and then Skylar Miller made a great play just hit me back door and I buried it." He also added "It was massive and we had our chances all game and it felt great to finally get one finding the back of the net."

The Rams won 25 faceoffs, while the Vikings won 20. Both teams combined to go 0 for 5 with the Vikings going 0 for 2 and the Rams going 0 for 3 on power plays. Stenberg, the Rams' goaltender, saved 36 out of 37 shots on goal, while Thomas from Salem State saved 25 out of 26.

After the game Coach MacInnis expressed what he told his players as the game headed into the final 20 minutes of the period. "Pretty simple, win a period, win a game. We were not changing anything up, things had been going well for us. We really just continued with our chances and throughout the first two [periods] we had a lot of scoring chances so it came down to bearing down and putting it into the back of the net."

At the 10:40 mark, Carson Whitman (Boston, Mass.) managed to break the tie, scoring a crucial goal for the Vikings. The goal was assisted by Landyn Greatorex (Reading, Mass.) and Miller. However, late in the period, the Rams were quick to respond, and Colgan scored at the 14:19 mark.

Both teams were eager to break the tie, but unfortunately, neither could put the puck inside the net, as the game remained deadlocked after overtime.  

The two teams combined were 0 for 6 on their power play chances with Salem State going 0 for 3 and Framingham State going 0 for 3. Thomas saved 49 out 51 shots for the Vikings while Stenberg saved 47 of 49 shots for the Rams.  

Salem State will return to Rockett Arena on Thursday, February 9, for "Pride Night" as they take on MCLA for a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) contest. Puck drop is 7:00 pm.