Hockey Edges Western New England; Clinches CCC Tournament Berth

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Senior Josh Faussett's (Okemos, Mich.) power-play goal at 6:37 of the third period snapped a 2-all tie and lifted the Wentworth Institute of Technology ice hockey team to a 3-2 win over Western New England in the regular-season finale.

With the win the Leopards improve to 10-14-1 overall and 6-11-1 in Commonwealth Coast Conference play and clinch a berth in the CCC Tournament as the No. 5 seed. Western New England sees its season end with a 5-17-3 (2-13-3) mark.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth dominated the first period with a 24-8 shot advantage and found the back of the net twice in a 55-second span. Sophomore Nolan Lowe (Toronto, Ont.) gave the Black & Gold a 1-0 lead when he scored from classmate Travis Marchant (Londonderry, N.H.) and junior Will O'Brien (Stoneham, Mass.) at 7:07. Sophomore Cole Paredes (Norwalk, Conn.) gave the leopards a 2-0 lead when he scored from senior Charlie Reid (Marshfield, Mass.) and graduate student Owen Rudicus (Duxbury, Mass.).
• Western New England scored the lone goal of the second period when senior Lukas Radina (Horazovice, Czechia) scored from junior Jordie Morgan (Hamilton, Ont.) and senior Josh Bliss (Saratoga, N.Y.) at 12:04.
• The Golden Bears evened the score at the 3:54 mark of the third period as junior Justin Sullivan (Quincy, Mass.) tallied off feeds from sophomore Matty Zdanowicz (Lyndhurst, N.J.) and senior Peter White (Haddon Heights, N.J.). Wentworth took advantage of a two-man advantage to take the lead as Faussett put home his fifth marker of the season from sophomore Nikolas Sombrowski (Fernie, B.C.) and freshman Desmond Johnson (Naperville, Ill.) with 13:23 left in regulation.
• At the 18:02 mark, Wentworth was called for a penalty, giving Western New England a power play. The Golden Bears pulled senior goalie Anthony LoRusso (Peabody, Mass.) for an extra attacker and put two shots on net that were saved by sophomore Jack McGovern (Ancaster, Ont.) and a third that was blocked. A second Wentworth penalty gave the hosts a 6-on-3 advantage with 21 seconds left. O'Brien and Johnson both blocked shot attempts, with Johnson's going out of the zone to kill out the clock.
• McGovern made 22 saves in the win. Wentworth had a 48-24 shot advantage.

ALL-TIME SERIES:

• Wentworth won its fourth straight over Western New England to up its all-time series lead to 37-10-1.

NEXT UP:

• Earning its sixth consecutive CCC Tournament berth, fifth-seeded Wentworth will travel to fourth-seeded Salve Regina on Wednesday, February 21, for a first-round game. The time will be announced on Saturday evening.

For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on "X," Facebook and Instagram.