Men’s Hockey Continues to Show Growth, Drop Salem State 3-1

SALEM, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Ice Hockey team wrapped their season series with Salem State this evening on the road at the Rockett Arena. Despite losing the first two meetings of this series, the Trailblazers have shown improvement with each meeting. In only the fifth game since the program's reinstatement, MCLA dropped a 6-1 tilt at Salem on November 16^th. In their fourth game back from their winter hiatus, the team dropped a 2-0 decision at home on January 13^th. Tonight, the Trailblazers flipped the script and brought home a 3-1 victory with two goals from goals from Cade Herrera and a goal from Charlie Addesa.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Thursday, February 8, 2024
• Score: MCLA 3, Salem State 1
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 5-16-1 (MASCAC 3-14-1) | Salem State Vikings 6-15-1 (MASCAC 6-11-1)

HIGHLIGHTS

• MCLA tallied the game's first goal in the first period. Skating out of their own end, the Trailblazers had a three-on-two advantage. Still, the first shot by Alex Ferris was fended off by the Salem State netminder and went high up the glass, falling down into the corner where Luke Rhoss dealt a brutal hit on a Viking defender to knock the puck off their stick. Rhoss skated along the end line and found Cade Herrera on the doorstep for the knock-in and a 1-0 lead.
• The 1-0 lead would hold until the second period's closing minutes when Salem State could pull even on the power play. The goal was credited to Erik Larsson (at 17:24, assisted by Skylar Miller and Luke Pepin).
• MCLA would return to the leading position barely 96 seconds into the final period when Herrera put the biscuit in the basket for the second time. A scrum behind the Trailblazers' net resulted in Salem sending the puck along the boards to a Viking, who failed to control the puck and turned it over to Herrera. Herrera quickly passed out to Rhoss in the middle of the ice for a touch pass ahead to Ferris. Ferris skated down the right side of the ice with Herrera and Rhoss for a three-on-one. The defenseman then found Herrera crashing to the net for a redirect past the goalie and a 2-1 lead. The goal was Herrera's team-high 15^th of the season, and the assists were Rhoss and Ferris's seventh and second, respectively.
• An insurance goal was scored less than ten minutes later when Charlie Addesa scored his second of the season. Off a faceoff in their own defensive end, Addesa won the faceoff for MCLA and cleared the puck to Matthew Castillo along the boards; Castillo pushed the puck up the ice, where Christopher Gallagher knocked it clear of the defensive end and to Addesa near mid-ice faceoff circle. A Salem defender tripped up Addesa but was still able to find Addam Brunner streaking up the left side of the ice. Brunner's short-range shot was stoned by the Viking goalie's left pad but not controlled by the goalie. Instead, the puck was left at the goalie's feet, where Gallagher first took a swing at it but was blocked, and then Addesa came around to finish it off as both teams crashed on the crease.
• The game did not end without some drama. With 2:26 left on the clock, the Trailblazers took a boarding penalty. Salem called a time-out to discuss what they wanted to do and to pull their goalie for an extra attacker, setting up a 6 on 4. The Vikings did get four shots on goal with the advantage, but MCLA goalie Mathew Gover stood tall, and the Trailblazers killed off the penalty.
• As the penalty was ending, Salem was attempting to start a scoring break chance, but when the Viking player stopped unexpectedly, an MCLA player skated into the back of him and was called for a cross-check with 19 seconds to go, again giving the hosts another 6 on 4 opportunity. Addesa won his 13^th faceoff of the night, and the Trailblazers lifted a slow rolling puck to the opposite end of the ice, forcing the Vikings to have to retrieve it but leaving them without enough time to set up for an attack and sealing MCLA's third conference win of the season.
• Gover earned the win with 40 saves on 41 shots and improved his record to 4-12-1, while Salem's Will Nepveu stopped 35 of 38 shots and saw his record drop to 1-3-0.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shots: MCLA 38, Salem State 41
• Saves: MCLA 40, Salem State 35
• Faceoffs Won: MCLA 32, Salem State 37
• Penalty/Minutes: MCLA 7/14:00, Salem State 6/12:00
• Power Plays: MCLA 0 for 4, Salem State 1 for 5

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to Westfield State for a MASCAC matchup with the Owls at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink. The puck will drop at 7 p.m.

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