Salve Regina Tops Salem State 4-2

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications

SALEM, Mass.-  Salve Regina picked up a 4-2 victory over Salem State on Tuesday night at Rockett Arena. The Seahawks boosted their overall record to 5-1-1 while the Vikings slip to 2-7.   

Both teams came out attacking each other's zones, but it was the Seahawks who struck first. Morgan Peritz  (Palmer, Mass.) scored a goal from the right side of the net with an assist from Emma Gotthelf (West Hartford, Conn.), giving the Seahawks an early lead.   

The Seahawks first power play of the night came when freshmen Lilly Caldwell (Portland, Ore.) went to the box for too many players on the ice. This gave the Seahawks an opportunity to score, which Riley Esposito (Enfield, Conn.) executed with assists from Emily Wroblewski (Lake Linden, Mich.) and Gina Richard (Northborough, Mass.)  

As the first period progressed, Salem State, was determined to get back into the game. They launched relentless attacks on Salve Regina's zone, and in the final ten minutes of the period, the Vikings played much better. With four minutes remaining until the end of the first period, Salve Regina was eager to score their third goal of the game, but they were denied by Kaia Hollingsworth's (Methuen, Mass.) great stop that kept the Seahawks at bay. However, Salve Regina managed to make it 3-0 with perfect power play execution. Esposito passed the puck to Maddie Cox (Barrington, R.I.) on the left side, who then passed it to Wroblewski on the right side that resulted in a goal. 

After the game coach Kizzie reflected on his team being down 3-0 heading into the intermission. "You can't go down three goals in the first period and expect to win a game. You can definitely win a game in the first period and definitely can lose a game. That is two games in a row and hopefully we can learn a lesson at some point."  

The Seahawks took full advantage of the two power play situations they were in, while Hollingsworth saved 10 out of 13 shots on goal, while Salve Regina's goalie, Ellee Kopecky (Warren, R.I.), saved all four shots. During the period, Salve Regina won 12 face-offs, compared to Salem State's three. 

At the start of the second period, Salem State was eager to get on the board. They had a few chances, but the Seahawks' goalie prevented the Vikings from scoring. Later in the period Meghan Azzato (Falmouth, Mass.) saw a golden opportunity when she spotted a loose puck, but the goalkeeper made a nice save that kept the Vikings inches away from scoring. 

After the game coach Kizzie talked about his team not taking advantage of opportunities. "We found our legs in the second period. I don't know why it is that is taking us so long to get going but we did…"  

Salem State was looking to get back in the game, and finally broke through when Azzato scored, cutting the Vikings' deficit to two. Isabelle Besser was credited with the assist.  

After the game Azzato reflected on the goal. "I was really excited, the puck came off the wall and I was coming off the bench and I saw a lane and shot it, and luckily it went thorough. We had body's in front of the net to score. It felt really good and gave us some energy to keep going."  

As the game progressed, Salem State killed off two power plays in the second period, unlike the first period. 

Hollingsworth saved 22 of 25 shots, while Kopecky saved 24 of 25 shots. The Seahawks won 20 face-offs compared to the Vikings' 16. Throughout the first period, Salve Regina was 2 for 4 on power plays compared to Salem State's 0 for1. 

Heading into the last period of regulation, the Vikings were looking to turn the corner during the final 20 minutes of the game. Salem State was on the power play, but couldn't take advantage of it. On the other hand, Salve Regina scored their third power play goal. Gina Richard (Northborough, Mass.) scored with an assist from Wroblewski, and the time of the goal was 11:57. In the final 34 seconds of the game, Catherine Lawrence (Guilford, Ct.) scored for the Vikings, but at the end, the Seahawks managed to beat the Vikings. 

Kopecky saved 27 of 29 shots, while Hollingsworth saved 31 of 35 shots. 

Azzato expressed how the Vikings will bounce back against Castleton " I think we are ready to come out hot and I think after these two games we will be ready to play. We are ready to win, we are ready to score and I think everyone is hungry for a win."  

Salem State will be looking to bounce back on Friday, December 1st, when they travel to Vermont to face Vermont State Castleton.