Box Score

WORCESTER, Mass. – Sophomore goalie Alex Larson (Madison, Ala.) made 35 saves and classmate Tyler Beasley (Indianapolis, Ind.) scored his fifth goal on the power play in the second period to help the Nichols College men's ice hockey team capture the 2013 Worcester City Shootout Championship with a 5-3 win over Assumption Sunday night at Horgan Rink.

Larson and Beasley were each represented on the All-Tournament Team; Beasley racked up a goal and three assists in two games while Larson stopped 64 of the 68 shots he faced (.941 save pct.). Junior Chris Gularte (Salinas, Calif.) tallied a goal and an assist for Nichols while junior Brett Jackson (Larchmont, N.Y.) recorded a pair of helpers as Nichols improved to 6-1-1 on the season. The loss knocks the Greyhounds to 2-6-1.

The meeting between the two schools marked the first-ever in the title game after Becker and Worcester State traded blows in the previous two seasons.
Nichols trailed 2-1 after 20 minutes of play as senior Nick Mattiello (Johnson, R.I.) and freshman Ryan Gomez (Wayne, N.J.) scored for the Greyhounds at 7:10 and 17:27, respectively. Gularte sandwiched in the only marker for the Bison at 10:22 of the stanza as he converted a feed from senior Rick Batenburg (Loveland, Colo.), who was playing in his first game of the season. Assumption outshot Nichols 14-9.

A short-handed goal and a power-play marker four minutes apart in the second put the Bison ahead 3-2 at the end of two. Sophomore Sean Fleming (Easthampton, N.J.) lit the lamp at 12:23 before Beasley slapped one home at 16:18. Sophomore Paul Prescott (Oakdale, Minn.) and junior Kyle Shapiro (Ambler, Pa.) assisted on Fleming's second goal of the season while Beasley's was set up by junior Joe Sposit (Cleveland, Ohio) and Gularte.

Freshman Mike Weaver (Wakefield Mass.) potted the eventual game-winner and second in as many days 4:40 into the third off a dish from Jackson to double the Bison's lead. Senior Kyle Zobler (Millbury, Mass.) scored his first of the season 13 seconds later to slash the Greyhounds deficit to one at 4-3, but Jackson's PP goal at 12:08 of the period helped Nichols regain a two-goal cushion.

Assumption finished the evening with a 38-35 edge in shots but failed to score on six chances with the extra skater. Senior Bobby Bowden (Springfield, Mass.) collected 30 saves in the setback.

Nichols returns to action on Wednesday with an 8:10 home contest against Southern New Hampshire. Assumption travels to Saint Anselm for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday.

Contributions from Worcester State sports information