Salem State College Athletics

NEW BEDFORD, MA - Visiting Salem State scored three goals in the last 10 minutes and went on to defeat the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's hockey team,3-0, in a Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference game at the Stephan Hetland Memorial Ice Arena Thursday evening.

Junior forward Matt Johnson (Lynn, MA/Tilton School) broke a scoreless tie with a backhand shot from point-blank range at the 10:37 mark of the final period. Freshman defenseman Brian Hanafin (Burlington, MA/Burlington HS) made it 2-0 at 16:21 when his shot struck UMD junior forward Todd Bartelson (Pepperell, MA/Valley Jr. Warriors) and went in, and senior forward Damien Nisula (Gardner, MA/Cushing Academy) scored an empty net goal at 18:53 to seal the verdict.

“This game was pretty much a microcosm of our season,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach John Rolli. “We battled hard, and (senior goaltender) Jon Dryjowicz-Burek (Ludlow, MA/Springfield Jr. Falcons) was very sharp in net, but their two late goals were the difference.”

Salem State out shot UMass Dartmouth, 35-19. Dryjowicz-Burek made 32 saves, while freshman Sam Avoine (Ste. Perpetue, QC/Laconia Leafs) made 19.

UMD dropped to 5-7-1 and 1-6-1 in MASCAC play with the defeat, while Salem State improved to 7-4-1 and 6-0-1 in the MASCAC with the victory. The Corsairs will return to action when they host UMass Boston next Tuesday evening. The Vikings will visit Plymouth State Saturday.