Seahawks and Leopards tie for second straight night

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SEAHAWK MEN'S ICE HOCKEY RESULTS
Salve Regina 1, Wentworth 1
Portsmouth, Rhode Island - Portsmouth Abbey
Saturday, December 2, 2017

Summary
After battling to a 2-2 tie the night before, the Salve Regina University men's hockey team fought to a 1-1 tie with Wentworth Institute of Technology in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) matchup Saturday night.

Series and Streaks
The Leopards lead 26-5-3 all-time however the Seahawks have the most recent victory in the series, a 3-2 triumph in Boston on February 11, 2017.

Three Stars of the Game

1. Wentworth sophomore Kenny Graham (Milton, Mass.) made 31 saves.
2. Salve Regina junior Blake Wojtala (Trenton, Mich.) made 25 saves.
3. Salve Regina freshman Danny Eruzione (Wintrhop, Mass.) scored the game-tying goal at 6:32 of the second period.

Turning Point
The Seahawks trailed after the first period for the first time this season, down 1-0 after the Leopards scored with 1:55 left to go. Early on in the second period the Seahawks began tilting the ice in their favor and drew a powerplay, but could not capitalize on the opportunity. However the Seahawks were able to keep the puck in the Leopards zone even once it was back to even strength, meaning there were four tired legs on the ice for Wentworth. After a shot from the point was deflected, Jack Billings (Oak Lawn, Ill.) grabbed in in the low slot and sent it quickly across to Eruzione who buried his shot to the back of the net to tie the game.

Quick Hits

• Both teams had plenty of scoring opportunities throughout the night, but both goaltenders played heroically, making multiple save efforts in tough situations, keeping the game tied.
• The Leopards have a powerplay to begin the overtime period, but again it was the Seahawks goaltending and interior defense that cleared out loose pucks in front preventing a game-ender. With 5.5 seconds left in the extra frame the Leopards were whistled for tripping, giving the Seahawks one final shot for a victory. The Seahawks won the draw, but Jack Billing's one-timer from the left side was fought off by Kenny Graham to preserve the tie.
• The Leopards lone goal came from Nate Chase (Plainfield, Ill.) in the first period. A Seahawk's turnover gave Connor Beaudet (Buffalo, N.Y.) a point blank shot that Wojtala saved, but gave up a rebound to Chase who promptly snapped a shot into the open net for the game's first score.
• Neither team could convert on the powerplay. The Leopards were 0-for-4 in the game while the Seahawks were 0-for-5 on the man advantage.
• The Seahawks held a 32-26 advantage in shots.

Next Up
Salve Regina (6-3-2, 5-1-2 CCC) will travel to face Becker on Saturday, December 9 (7 p.m.) in another CCC matchup.
Wentworth (3-6-3, 2-3-3 CCC) hosts Suffolk on Friday, December 8 (7 p.m.) in another CCC matchup.