Posted: Jan 29, 2018
WESTFIELD, Mass. - Westfield State University (5-11-1) men's ice hockey looks to bounce back tomorrow night in a conference matchup against a Framingham State (3-13-2), after the Owls have dropped their last two games.
Westfield State currently has a two-point lead over Framingham State as these two teams are battling for a playoff spot in the MASCAC tournament.
Westfield's Aaron Clancy (Quincy, Ma) looks to stay red hot as he leads the Owls with ten goals and fifteen points on the season. Their next two leaders in points are Nik Passero (Fort Erie, Ont.) and Jeremy Young (Lynnfield, Mass), who are tied with fourteen points apiece. The Owls will look to tighten things up on the defensive end of the ice, as they have allowed nine and eight goals in their previous two losses.
Framingham is also looking to turn things around as they find themselves in the midst of a four-game skid. The Rams top four leaders in points are all freshman, including Walker Hamilton, Matthew Siegel, and Ryan Paul who are tied for the team lead with eleven points apiece on the season. Starting goaltender Greg Harney is also just a sophomore who has allowed 45 goals on the season with a .903 save percentage. While the Rams have had their struggles throughout the season, they have a young core with a bright future.
It has been a while since these two teams last met in early November when the Rams topped the Owls in a low scoring, 2-1 affair in Framingham. While the Owls have allowed seventeen goals over their last two contests, the Rams have only scored three goals in their last three; whichever team is able to figure out their struggles quicker could be the difference maker in tomorrow night's game. The Rams are 0-7 on the road this season.
-- by Michael Witts, sports information student intern