BABSON PARK, Mass. - Sophomore Chris Mastropietro (Revere, Mass.) scored twice and senior goalie Ryan Sutliffe (Las Vegas, Nev.) made 30 saves as Salem State University defeated Wentworth, 3-1, in the consolation game of the Salem State/Babson Tournament at the Babson Skating Center on Friday afternoon.
With its fourth win the last five games, Salem State moves to 7-4-0 overall. With the loss, Wentworth drops to 4-9-1 on the year.
Senior Eric Defelice (Chalfont, Pa.) netted his fifth goal of the season for the Vikings, who got assists from five different players on the day.
Junior Sean McLaughlin (North Billerica, Mass.) notched his fourth goal of the year for the Leopards, while classmate Mike Domsodi (Kirkland, Quebec) and sophomore Mike Cox (Marlborough, Mass.) both chipped in with an assist.
Defelice got Salem State on the board first just 5:36 into the first period after creating a turnover in the offensive zone. The Vikings held a 12-7 edge in shots over the opening 20 minutes, and had the only power play of the stanza, but were unable to stretch their lead.
Both Sutliffe and his counterpart, junior Alex Peck (Kirkland, Quebec) of Wentworth played well in the early minutes of the second period, helping to kill off a power play each. The Leopards outshout Salem State 16-6 during the middle period, and tied the game on McLaughlin's power play score at the 16:10 mark.
The tie was short-lived though, as Mastropietro recorded his first goal of the season just 26 seconds later to put the Vikings back in front, 2-1. Mastropietro then doubled the lead at 11:26 of the third period, converting a breakaway following a pass through the neutral zone from first-year Brandon Platt (Pittsburgh, Pa.) for the final margin.
Sutliffe made 23 of his 30 saves of the final two periods of play, while Peck finished with 27 saves, making 11 each in the first and third periods.
The Leopards finished the game with a 31-30 advantage in shots on goal, and both teams were whistled for nine penalties in the game.
Salem State returns to action on Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. against UMass-Boston at Fenway Park, while Wentworth travels to Plymouth State on Thursday night for a 6 p.m. faceoff.
(Recap Courtesy of Babson Sports Information)
