(With contributions from Salem State Sports Information)

            SALEM, Mass. -- Senior Chad Goodwin (Whitinsville, Mass.) scored a pair of first-period goals as the Salem State University Vikings race out to a 3-0 lead, then hung on over the final two periods to post a 4-3 victory over the visiting University of Southern Maine Huskies Tuesday night in a non-conference game at Rockett Arena.

            The win was the third straight for the Vikings and improved their overall record to 3-2-0.  The Huskies dropped their sixth consecutive game to fall to 1-6-0 overall.

            Goodwin opened the scoring at 8:17 of the first period with his first goal of the season.  Goodwin buried the rebound of a shot from senior Kristofer Faric (Whitby, Ont.).  With the early momentum, rookie Mackenzie Cook (Reading, Mass.) made it 2-0 at 10:59 lighting the lamp for the second time this season.  Goodwin scored his second goal of the period on a slap shot from the blue line at 18:17.

            Down 3-0, the Huskies got on the board early in the second period on a goal from rookie Alex Pantalone (Hudson, Mass.).  Pantalone fired home a wrist shot that deflected off the crossbar and into the net for his second marker of the season.  Midway through the period, sophomore John Needham (Medford, Mass.) scored what proved to be the game winner restoring the Vikings' three-goal advantage.

            The Huskies would not go quietly pulling to within a goal in the opening 8:48 of the third period.  Junior Zach Dymock (Dutton, Ont.) scored a 5-on-4 power-play goal at 5:14, and sophomore Cole Sonstebo (Fergus Falls, Minn.) sliced another marker of the Viking lead with his first goal of the season at 8:48.

            Southern Maine had a golden opportunity to get an equalizer as Salem State was whistled for a too many men on the ice infraction with 1:13 to play in regulation.  With rookie goaltender Kyle Shapiro (Ocean, N.J.) on the bench in favor of the extra skater, the Huskies pressed the attack, but were unable to beat sophomore goalie Marcus Zelzer (Green Bay, Wis.).

            Zelzer finished the night stopping 17 shots while Shapiro registered 20 saves before being lifted.  Salem State went 1 for 3 with the extra skater and Southern Maine was 1 for 6.

            Sonstebo had a two-point night for USM as he also picked up an assist on Pantalone's goal.  Needham had an assist in addition to his game-winning goal.  Sophomore Alex Minter (Peabody, Mass.) and junior Gabriel Cromp (Montreal, Que.) picked up two assists apiece for the Vikings.

            Southern Maine is off until December 5 when it travels to nationally ranked Babson College for an ECAC Men's East game.  Salem State returns to action on Sunday (2:00 p.m.) hosting Saint Anselm College for a non-conference game. 

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