MASCAC QUARTERFINALS: Men's Ice Hockey Edged by MCLA, 3-2

THE BASICS

No. 4 Salem State, 2 vs. No. 5 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), 3

Records: 

Salem State University Vikings (8-13-4) 

MCLA Trailblazers (8-13-4)

Location: Salem, Mass.

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026 

THE LEAD — Throughout a back-and-forth game most of the night, MCLA ended up scoring a late goal in the third period to sneak past the Salem State men's ice hockey team in the MASCAC Quarterfinals Thursday evening. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Throughout the first period, both sides matched each other's play, with Salem holding a slight shot advantage, 10-9. MCLA had an early opportunity to get on the board first when Christopher Gallagher fired back-to-back shots at the 15:15 mark, but was turned away by Salem netminder Will Nepveu (Montreal, Quebec) each time.
• Salem also had numerous chances throughout the first, including a power play opportunity at 15:40, where the squad peppered MCLA goalie Rocco Stolz with three shots but were stonewalled, and both sides headed into the second scoreless.
• Nearly halfway through the second (11:02), Ryan Barrett (Wilmington, Mass.) rifled home a shot after a nice setup from Nick Sweet (Pittsburgh, Pa.) for the 1-0 advantage. However, with 30 seconds left in the frame (19:30), the Trailblazers evened the contest at one after Easton Moore corralled a loose puck in front of Nepveu. 
• Shortly into the third (01:54), Carson Whitman (Boston, Mass.) gave Salem the lead right back when he put home his shot after MCLA failed to clear the puck out of its zone. 
• As the third continued, the Trailblazers once again tied the contest when Cade Herrera tapped in a pass from Quinn Murphy at 14:55. Nearly three minutes later, the visitors scored the go-ahead goal courtesy of Sam Zis when he rifled in a shot from the left faceoff circle at the 17:37 mark.
• The Vikings had a great chance to even the contest with 50 seconds remaining when Eric Whitelaw (North Easton, Mass.) tried to sneak the puck past a sprawled-out Stolz, but his shot ended up being covered up gloveside as MCLA would ultimately earn the 3-2 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Barrett's goal was his seventh of the year, which marked a new career-high. Meanwhile, Whitman's score was his fifth.
• In net, Nepveu finished the night with 23 stops. Thursday's game marked his 23rd game with 20 or more saves.
• Herrera's goal for MCLA was his team-leading 12th on the season.
• Moore and Zis both scored their sixth goal of the year on Thursday.
• Stolz stopped 28 shots on the night for the visitors.
• Salem ended the night outshooting MCLA, 30-26. 
• The Vikings ended the year with eight wins in four of the last five seasons.