UMass-Boston Hands Salem State 3-1 Loss

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications 

BOSTON, Mass. --  Katie Wilbert (Pittsburgh, PA.) scored twice to give UMass-Boston a 3-1 New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) victory over Salem State on Friday night at Edward T. Barry Ice Rink.  The Beacons boost their record to 8-9-3, 7-4-2, while the Vikings drop to 5-13-1, 2-10-1.  

Prior to the game, head coach Ray Kizzie talked about how crucial the next two games are as the Vikings are fighting for the last playoff spot. "Your season is on the line; it comes down to how much pride, how much care, how much passion you have for the game. What do you want to do? You want the season to end or do you want to keep playing for a couple of weeks." Coach Kizzie also added what it means if the Vikings can split the season series with a victory tonight against the Beacons. "It will be huge obviously in terms of the standings. It will be big for us, and again everybody is trying to solidify their spot for the playoffs, so that's what matters here." 

Salem State's Scarlet Chatham (Dallas, Texas) talked about her preparation ahead of this weekend's game. "The preparation that we have been doing is just staying positive. Maybe things had not worked out the way that we wanted to, but it's about bouncing back during those small moment's and building our self-up from the inside. That has definitely been a big piece of our preparation for this weekend." Chatham also added about her pregame rituals. " I listen to a lot of music that's definitely a big thing and helps keep me locked in. Another big thing is just not focusing on what happened in the past and moving forward and keep thinking about the things that I did well during practice."  

In the game's opening seconds, Meghan Azzato (Falmouth, Mass.) passed the puck to alternative captain Jessica Robert (North, Reading, Mass.), who aimed to score the first goal within the first 38 seconds of the game. However, Beacons goaltender Abby Seaman (Penfield, N.Y.) blocked Robert's shot, preventing the Vikings from taking an early lead.   

UMass Boston was on the power play when Vikings' Olivia Tednes  (Elk Grove Village, IL) went into the penalty box. Despite the advantage, UMass-Boston could not capitalize on their first power play of the game. Salem State had their first power play when Katie Wilbert (Pittsburgh, PA.)  tripped Aislinn Bennett (Medford, Mass.), giving the Vikings an opportunity to take advantage of a five on four power play. The Vikings took advantage and executed a brilliant pass that led to their first goal. Celeste Scoppettuolo (Revere, Mass.) passed the puck to Bennett, who then passed it to Robert. Robert was on the left side and scored a top-shelf goal from the right side, giving the Vikings an early 1-0 lead at the 5:32 mark of the period.

After the game Robert talked about the goal. "I am always excited, we are always excited, when we get a goal and we have been practicing our power play all week, so I think just seeing it in action against not just our selves, but against another team it was very exciting."   

As the period progressed, Kaia Hollingsworth (Methuen, Mass.), the Salem State Vikings' goaltender, made an unbelievable save when  Wilbert took a shot near the net. Hollingsworth's glove denied Wilbert's shot, keeping the Beacons at bay. 

UMass Boston tied the game at one almost midway in the period when Wilbert shot the puck from the left side. Hannah MacDougall (South Dartmouth, Mass.) and Mia Boyd (Buffalo, NY) assisted on the goal at the 12:16 mark. The Beacons were looking to add on, but Hollingsworth managed a save by extending her whole body, keeping the game tied.   

Despite Salem State's best efforts, UMass Boston took the lead on a three-on-one breakaway, thanks to Margeaux Butters'  (Shohomish, WA.) goal from the right side. MacDougall was credited for the assist at the 10:54 mark during the period.  

UMass-Boston was up by a goal, 2-1, heading into the last period of play. After two periods, Hollingsworth saved 22 of 24 shots, while Seaman saved 10 of 11 shots. The Vikings took advantage of one of two power play opportunities, while the Beacons couldn't convert on both of their power plays. The faceoffs were almost identical, with UMass-Boston winning 20 faceoffs compared to Salem State's 18. 

Coach Kizzie talked about the chances the Vikings had during the second period. "We had a two on one and we have to hit the net there. Trying to shot short side high and again we missed the net it was kind of a lost opportunity there. A couple other chances where we had the chance to put the puck into the net, but we didn't do it. We had our chances."  

During the third period, the Vikings were determined to tie the game and even take the lead. They eagerly awaited the final twenty minutes of the game to shift the momentum in their favor. The game was highly competitive, and both teams relentlessly attacked each other's zones. 

The Beacons had missed their first two power-play opportunities, but they took full advantage of their third power play of the game when Wilbert scored from the right side. Jenna Majewski (Peoria, AZ.) and Margeaux Butters (Snohomish, WA) credited with the assists at the 7:10 mark of the period.   

Coach Kizzie expressed how his team was looking to regroup down by two. "They kept the positivity up and I am pretty happy with that. The compete level didn't drop off when it went to 3-1, so again another positive there…"  

Both teams had several power play opportunities, but they couldn't capitalize on them. With only a minute and four seconds remaining on the clock, Salem State had a power play, and coach Kizzie decided to pull Hollingsworth, giving the Vikings a six on four advantage. However, the Vikings failed to cut the lead to one, and UMass Boston took home the victory. 

Throughout the game, Salem State had three power plays and scored once (1-3), while UMass-Boston had five power plays and scored once (1-5). Hollingsworth made 29 saves out of 32 shots on goal, while Seaman made 13 saves out of 14 shots. The Vikings won 29 faceoffs compared to the Beacons 28. 

Robert talked about how the Vikings are looking to regroup after tonight loss against the Beacons. "I think just keeping our mentality up and also getting shots through. I think we played really well today, finding space and knowing where each other are and trusting each other so moving forward tomorrow is just about winning the game." 

Salem State will remain on the road and look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon January 27. They will conclude their two-game road trip when they take on Johnson and Wales (RI) for a New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) contest. Puck drop is at 3 pm.