Press Release

WATTS’ HAT TRICK NOT ENOUGH IN 8-5 SETBACK TO SALEM STATE Purple Knights drop sixth in a row, fall to 3-7 on season FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                             FOR MORE INFORMATION January 9, 2004                                                                                Contact: Seth Cole                                                                                                        Phone: (802) 654-2537 SALEM, Mass. – Sophomore Brian Boike (Arlington, Mass.) tallied a pair of power play goals and added three assists as Salem State College skated past ECAC East rival Saint Michael’s College, 8-5, in men’s ice hockey action on Friday. Sophomore Andrew O’Neill (Salem, Mass.) also had a big game for the Vikings with two goals and a pair of assists, while classmate Andrew Dargon (Melrose, Mass.) recorded 26 saves to pick up the win for Salem State (8-3-1 overall, 4-2-0 ECAC East). For the Purple Knights, sophomore Alex Watts (Cheshire, Conn./Berkshire School) recorded a natural hat trick for the second three-goal game of his career. Senior Gavin Faretra (Bow, N.H./Tilton School) and freshman Jared Silver (Montreal, Quebec/Tabor Academy) notched the other goals for Saint Michael’s (3-7-0, 1-5-0), while junior Andy Joy (Oak Park, Ill./Green Bay Gamblers) and freshman Derek Jackson (Clinton, N.Y./Gunnery School) combined to stop 36 shots. Silver opened the scoring 12:20 into the contest with his second career goal, but Boike responded five minutes later with a power play marker. The Vikings took a 4-1 lead early in the second period with three goals in a 1:34 span, including consecutive goals by O’Neill.           Watts single-handedly pulled the Purple Knights even, as he tallied three goals in a 5:57 span late in the second stanza to tie the score after 40 minutes. The hat trick is the first by a Saint Michael’s skater this season. Salem State, however, took the lead for good with a pair of goals in the first 1:57 of the final period, as sophomore Luke Williams (Lanesboro, Mass.) scored what proved to be the game-winner. Faretra pulled the Purple Knights within 7-5 with 12:42 remaining, but a Vikings’ power play tally sealed the victory for Salem State. Saint Michael’s returns to action on Saturday, as the Purple Knights visit conference-rival University of Southern Maine at 4 p.m. The next home contest for Saint Michael’s is Friday, January 23 versus Wesleyan College at Cairns Arena. GAME SUMMARY Saint Michael’s  1          3          1          --5 Salem State      1          3          4          --8 First Period: Scoring: 1. SMC, Silver (Hill, Mullins), 12:20. 2. SAL, Boike (Madeiros, O’Neill), 17:34. Second Period: Scoring: 3. SAL, Boike (Williams, O’Neill), 1:19 (pp). 4. SAL, O’Neill (Boike, Fernandez), 1:38 (pp). 5. SAL, O’Neill (Knight, Wenzel), 2:53. 6. SMC, Watts (Duffy, Mullins), 10:55. 7. SMC, Watts (Jackson, Quenneville), 15:44. 8. SMC, Watts (Quenneville, Duffy), 16:52 (pp). Third Period: 9. SAL, Madeiros (Cashins, Wenzel), 1:17 (pp). 10. SAL, Williams (Boike, Fernandez), 1:57. 11. SAL, Knight (Inverno, Dargon), 6:44 (sh). 12. SMC, Faretra (Hill, Zimmermann), 7:18 (pp). 13. SAL, Levin (Inverno, Boike), 11:44. Shots: SMC (10 – 12 – 9 – 31). SAL (8 – 18 – 18 – 44). Saves: SMC, Joy (14 shots, 10 saves), Jackson at 2:53 of second (30 shots, 26 saves); SAL, Dargon (31 shots, 26 saves). For complete box score, click here.  ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002