BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's ice hockey team fell to crosstown rival Salem State University by a 4-1 score on Saturday evening at Raymond J. Bourque Arena.
Vikings' junior goaltender Marcus Zelzer (Green Bay, Wisc.) stopped a season-high 38 shots – including 16 alone in the first period – to bump his record to 4-1-0 on the season, while classmate Brad Jones (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) netted the game-winning goal with 24-seconds remaining in the second period to claim the win.
Endicott held a 1-0 advantage at the end of the first period as Lloyd Hayes (West Newbury, Mass.) buried his fourth goal of the season at the 17:08 mark of the opening frame. Teammates Joseph Kaszupski (Henderson, Nev.) and Carter Horwitz (Tustin, Calif.) were credited with assists on the tally.
In the second, Ryan Wilkinson (Burlington, Ontario) evened the score (1-1) at the 12:24 mark with his third goal of the year on feeds from Michael Chen (Rockville, Md.) and Keaton Cashin (Boxford, Mass.), before Jones' goal at 19:36 gave Salem State the lead for good.
Gabriel Cromp (Montreal, Quebec) made it 3-1 in the third at 12:55 with a slap shot from the right face-off circle, while Andrew Bucci (Peabody, Mass.) potted an empty net goal with 1:36 left to play in the contest.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Today's game marked the first-ever meeting between the two clubs
- Endicott freshman goaltender Kevin Aldridge (Beverly Hills, Mich.) made 35 saves in the loss (6-3-2).
- Aldridge has turned away 30 or more shots in six games this season.
- Aldridge also stopped a penalty shot attempt on Chen at 12:59 of the first period.
- Josh Bowes (Sturgeon County, Alberta, Canada) and Thomas Daniels (St. Louis, Mo.) tied for the team-high in face-off wins with eight apiece.
- Hayes' goal in the first period was the second power play goal of his career.
- Both teams tied in shots on goal at 39 apiece.
FOR THE FOES
- Salem State won 42 face-offs on the night, highlighted by John Needham's (Medford, Mass.) game-high 15 wins.
- Bucci had a multi-point night with one goal and one assist (Cromp's third period goal).
- The Vikings went 1-for-2 on the power play.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (6-3-2) takes on the Vikings (7-3-0) in the Salem State Holiday Classic on Saturday, January 2 at 1 p.m. inside Rockett Ice Arena. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
