Hockey Edged by Nichols in CCC Opener

HARRISVILLE, R.I. – A late tally by junior Gabe Temple (Fowlerville, Mich.) with just 57 seconds on the clock in the third period gave the Nichols Bison men's ice hockey team (1-1-0, 1-0 CCC) a narrow 2-1 conference win over Wentworth Institute of Technology (1-2-0, 0-1 CCC) Friday evening in both team's respective CCC openers.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Four penalties filled time in a scoreless first period as the Leopards had three powerplay tries in the frame. Going scoreless on all three, Wentworth held a 14-9 shot advantage by period's end, with sophomore Jack McGovern (Ancaster, Ont.) stopping all nine shots he faced.
• The two teams stayed knotted at zero through two periods as the Bison led with 12 shots on goal in the period. Senior Mathias Backstrom (Malmo, Sweden) made 11 stops for Nichols in the frame.
• The hosts broke the ice 1:51 into the third period on the powerplay as senior Quinn McCarthy (Dorchester, Mass.) sent a pass from the sidewall right in front for junior Carson Asper (Mechanicsburg, Penn.) to scoop up and put past McGovern, giving Nichols a 1-0 edge.
• Wentworth knotted the score late in the third period as sophomore Cade Penney (Thornton, Pa.) sent a pass out front for graduate student Brendan Young (Lefroy, Ont.) who cashed in with 5:43 to go.
• The Bison notched the difference-maker on the powerplay with just 57 seconds on the clock as a one-timer by Temple found the twine, giving Nichols a 2-1 lead.
• Backstrom made 36 saves in the win for Bison while McGovern stopped 30 in the setback.

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards hold their home opener tomorrow against the Bison at 3:00 p.m.

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