BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (1/24/2026) – The Nichols College men's ice hockey team hosted the no. 7/8 ranked University of New England on Saturday, January 24th at the Levy Rink. The Bison battled to the final horn but came up just short, falling 2-1 to the Nor'easters in a tightly contested conference matchup.
The Bison fall to 7-10-0 (4-8-0 CNE) with the loss, while the Nor'easters move up to 13-5-0 (10-3-0 CNE).
The opening period featured end-to-end action, with both teams generating quality chances and strong goaltending on display. Nichols had early looks, but UNE's Harrison Chesney made key saves to keep the game scoreless. UNE broke through at 12:27, when Ike Keller finished an even-strength chance off assists from Juraj Elias and Jacob Pellerin, giving the Nor'easters a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.
Nichols tied the game midway through the second period when junior
Jeremy Tremblay buried his sixth goal of the season off a setup from
CJ Zezima and
Zach Vandale, knotting the score at 1-1. The Bison carried momentum through multiple power-play opportunities and hit the post on a Zezima attempt late in the frame. However, with under a minute remaining, UNE capitalized on the man advantage. At 19:47, Elias scored a power-play goal, assisted by Dominic Murphy and Mike Tersoni, that pushed UNE ahead going into the third period.
Nichols pushed hard in the third period, earning several power-play chances and generating offensive-zone time.
Justin Massa,
Rocco Bianculli, and
Luca Ricci each had quality opportunities, but UNE goaltender Harrison Chesney turned aside every attempt. Henry was excellent in the final frame, making 10 saves before he was pulled late to give Nichols a man advantage. Despite the late pressure provided by the Bison, the Nor'easters' defense held firm to preserve the 2-1 victory.
Henry finished the game with 38 saves for a .950 save percentage.
Zac Gmerek and Herman Asberg led in blocked shots for the Bison with 3.
The Bison returns to conference play next Friday, January 30th, when they travel to Suffolk University for a 6 PM puck drop at the Louis E. Porrazzo Memorial Skating Rink.
