By Izabela Gage
Sports Editor
The Framingham State men’s ice hockey team fell to the Anna Maria Amcats in a shutout loss 2-0 Feb. 1. This loss brings their conference record to 0-10-1 and their overall record to 1-15-2.
The Amcats started off with the first shot on goal only 28 seconds into the game, with sophomore goaltender Owen Swanbon tallying his first save of the heavily defensive game.
Senior Tyler Westfall said defense was the main focus going into the game against Anna Maria. “One thing we have really tried to focus on is defense first, which will lead to offensive opportunities.”
Senior Jeremy McDonald tried to net the puck for the Rams less than 2 minutes in, but the shot was stopped by Anna Maria’s goaltender, Matthew Hennessey.
The Rams were on the power play less than 4 minutes in when Anna Maria’s Justin Taylor got put in the box for cross-checking.
Freshman Michael Kennedy and McDonald both tried to capitalize on offense with one shot each, but Hennessey did not let them past the goal line.
Back on even strength, the Amcats took control of the puck and tried to net it three different times in less than a minute. Swanbon stopped all shots with ease.
Kennedy gained possession of the puck and attempted another shot on goal, but Hennessey’s defense remained durable.
With the puck back in the Rams’ defensive zone, the Amcats tried to net the puck but were stopped by Swanbon’s pads.
Senior Devante Dixon was penalized for tripping, putting the Rams on the penalty kill.
Anna Maria could only make two shot opportunities on the power play, both of which were saved by Swanbon. He saved another three shots when gameplay was back to even strength.
Swanbon said, “I prepare the same way for each game and that is to just go out there with the mindset of doing everything I can to keep my team in the game.
“Anna Maria is really strong offensively and I knew coming into the game that I was going to make some huge stops,” he added.
The Rams stayed determined to score and kept the puck in the offensive zone. Kennedy, Dixon, McDonald, and senior Sam Larkin all tried to break through Hennessey’s defense but unfortunately, could not get past the goal line.
The Amcats tallied two back-to-back shots and sophomore Brady Rossbach tallied one 8 seconds before the buzzer sounded through the rink at the end of the period.
The second period started with the Amcats trying to find a gap in Swanbon’s pads 18 seconds in.
The Rams responded with a shot from senior Caleb Dusek, which did not make it past the goal line, and Collazo came in for the rebound to catch Hennessey off guard. Collazo’s shot did not make it past Hennessey’s pads.
Anna Maria gained possession of the puck and took four back-to-back shots, all stopped by Swanbon’s unbreakable defense.
Senior Walker Smith took a shot on net, but was stopped once again by Hennessey.
Swanbon made another 5 saves over the next 3-and-a-half minutes.
Sophomore Scott Bugarin and senior Jordan Guigui each made an attempt on goal to end the second period, with both shots being stopped by Hennessey.
The Rams won the starting faceoff in the third period, holding possession of the puck until Anna Maria’s Braeden McKinnon broke away with it and fired a quick shot toward Swanbon only 21 seconds in. The puck was buried in Swanbon’s pads, stopping it from getting close to the net.
Collazo won the next faceoff, and mere seconds later, freshman Zach Pappas passed the puck through the neutral zone to Dusek, who was waiting in the offensive zone. He slapped a shot toward the net but could not get through Hennessey’s defense.
Anna Maria broke the stalemate, with Samson Mouland sending the puck to the top shelf from the edge of the defensive zone. Soon after, Swanbon tallied two more saves before junior Jerry Duckett and Anna Maria’s Tobias Omholt were both penalized for roughing. Playing 4-on-4, the Amcats tried twice more to net another goal but Swanbon stayed composed and stopped both. Back to even-strength gameplay, the Rams kept working to find an opening on net, with junior Jake Barcelou and Larkin attempting to get the puck past the goal line. Rossbach and Dixon both attempted to net the puck before Framingham was back on the power play. Sophomore Brent Scott took advantage of being 5-on-4 and kept up the pressure offensively, tallying another shot on goal for the Rams. The Rams took Swanbon out of the net with 2 minutes and 17 seconds left in the game, and sent Collazo onto the ice for added pressure in the offensive zone. After 34 seconds of fighting for the puck, Collazo sent the puck from the blue line to attempt to find a hole in Hennessey’s defense, but could not find the back of the net. Neither team tallied any more shots on net until the Amcats scored for the last time with 3.2 seconds remaining in the game, bringing the final score to 2-0. Anna Maria’s shots on goal outnumbered Framingham’s 43 to 27. Guigui said since the loss against the Amcats, the team has “done many offensive-based drills to get quick shots on goal.” Swanbon tallied 41 saves out of the 42 shots he faced, earning a .976 save percentage for his 57 minutes in net. Swanbon said, “I was able to get into a really good rhythm pretty early into the game, which gave me a lot of confidence and helped me stay composed through the full 60 minutes.” He added that the team in front of him did a “tremendous job defensively,” which helped him remain focused in the goal crease. Neither Framingham nor Anna Maria was able to capitalize on any of their power plays. The Rams ended the game with three penalty infractions, contrasting with the Amcats’ five. Westfall said, “We are trending in the right direction and staying out of the box has been a huge help in that regard. “The self-policing on the team has gotten better. Although emotions can run high during games, keeping the team in check through various players helps us as a whole to be more disciplined,” he added. Guigui said the team is sticking together to focus on pushing “these last few conference games in our favor and move up in the standings to make the playoffs.” Westfall said he commends the team on their perseverance. “Despite the struggles this season, everyone has taken on the mindset that tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity for not only us as individuals, but us as the team to get better.” The Rams travel to face the Westfield State University Owls on Feb. 8. Guigui said, “We are doing everything in our power to push these last few conference games in our favor and move up in the standings to make the playoffs.” Bernier said the team is trying to “stay on track” and taking it “one game at a time.” Westfall said, “It has been a tough year, but knowing that there’s still a chance for us to shake up the conference definitely helps us hone in on these last 7 games.”