Men’s Ice Hockey Skates To Draw With Westfield, Wins Shootout

THE BASICS

Westfield State 1 vs. Salem State, 1 (W By SO)

Records: 

Westfield State University (15-7-2) 

Salem State Vikings (7-13-4)

Location: Westfield, MA

Date: Thursday February 19^th, 2026

THE LEAD:
Behind an early power-play strike and a dominant performance in net, the Salem State Vikings skated to a hard-fought 1-1 tie with the Westfield State Owls in a back-and-forth conference battle. Salem grabbed the lead late in the first, but Westfield answered in the second to even the score. After a scoreless third period and overtime session, the game moved to a shootout, where the Vikings seal the shootout win and a perfect showing in goal.

 HOW IT HAPPENED:

In a tightly contested conference matchup between the Salem State Vikings and the Westfield State Owls, it would be a back-and-forth battle that ultimately tilted in favor of the Vikings in a dramatic shootout finish.

Salem State wasted no time setting the tone, striking early at 19:57 of the first period on the power play. Eric Whitelaw capitalize, finishing a crisp setup from Landyn Greatorex and Aren Francis to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead. 

From there, the game turned into a fast-paced, end-to-end showdown. Both teams generated quality scoring chances, but Salem State netminder Will Nepveu stood tall between the pipes. Time and again, he denied Westfield State's offensive pushes, keeping the Vikings in front through a relentless stretch of pressure.

The Owls finally broke through in the second period, evening the score at 6:17 with a power-play goal of their own. With the game knotted 1-1, the intensity only ramped up. Each side traded opportunities throughout the remainder of regulation, but neither could find the go-ahead goal. Nepveu continued his stellar performance, turning aside shot after shot on his way to an impressive 52-save effort.

Overtime brought more thrilling chances, with both teams threatening to end it. However, strong goaltending at both ends forced the contest to a shootout after the teams remained deadlocked at 1-1.

The Vikings and Owls would draw a tie but the Vikings would get an extra boost when the game would head to a six round shootout, and Landyn Greatorex  delivered the decisive goal and Will Nepveu would shut the door completely, denying every Owl shooter he faced to seal the shootout win for the Vikings.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

Will Nepveu was strong in net for the Vikings stopping 51 of 52 shots against the Owls. 

Eric Whitelaw would lead the offense in regulation for the Viking's scoring the only goal agaisnt the Owls. 

Landyn Greatorex and Aren Francis would both tally assists in the game agaisnt the Owls 

Landyn Greatorex would score the only goal in the shootout to credit the Vikings with the shootout win against the Owls. 

UP NEXT:

The Vikings are back in action on Saturday February 21^st, 2026 where they look to host the Trailblazers of for a MASCAC conference matchup. This marks Senior Day for the Vikings and the last regular season game of the year. Puck drop is set to start at 4:00pm.