Recap
Junior J.B. Baker celebrated his return to the lineup with a first-period goal in Nichols College's 6-3 win over Western New England University Friday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's ice hockey action at Levy Rink.
 
Senior Matthew Menta added a shorthanded goal and an assist for the Bison (9-7-1, 7-2-0 CCC), who scored three special teams goals (two shorthanded, one power play) and outshot the Golden Bears 21-15. Senior T.J. Roche and freshman Justin Perron were each a +3 and collected and assist for head coach Parker Burgess' squad.
 
Matt O'Dea, Anthony Frati, and Ryan Price each scored for the Golden Bears (5-12-0, 0-9-0 CCC), who are still seeking their first conference win of the season. Netminder Kyle Carducci allowed six goals on 19 shots and was replaced in the second period by Baylee Johns.
 
Freshman Lucas Andersson staked the Bison to a 1-0 lead just 2:27 into the contest when his shot from the right point eluded Carducci. Baker's third tally at 11:08 doubled the lead as one-timed a pass from Menta. In the second, junior Nicholas Mangone made it 4-0 before a shorthanded breakaway goal from Menta less than five minutes later pushed it to 4-0.
 
Freshman Brett Epp stopped 12 shots for his sixth win of the season.
 
Three things you need to know...
            -Tonight's contest marked the 71st all-time meeting between Nichols College and Western New England University. The Bison are 4-0-1 in the last five and lead the series, 33-31-7.
            -The Bison scored two shorthanded goals for the first time since a 7-4 defeat at Elmira on November 27, 2016.
            -Eleven different student-athletes recorded at least one point for Nichols.

Quote
"It's was nice to have J.B. back in the lineup and to get off to a good start tonight . It's something that we've been tyryng to find recently. We had a good week of practice with a focus on compete and attention to detail. I think we saw that tonight. We're happy to be 1-0 tonight and we'll get back to work tomorrow." -Nichols head coach Parker Burgess
 
Next game
Saturday, January 19 @ Western New Eng., 4:20 p.m.