SALEM, Mass. – Freshman Ean Badgett (Howell, Mich.) made 26 saves on 27 shots to pick up the first win of his career as the University of Southern Maine Huskies' men's ice hockey team defeated Salem State University 2-1 on the road on Thursday night. Senior Conor Donovan (Nahant, Mass./Swampscott) scored the first goal for the Huskies and contributed an assist on the second goal scored by freshman Ben Aucoin (Moncton, New Brunswick). Donovan has now scored in each of the last three games. This is the first multiple-point game of his career. Aucoin's goal is his team-leading 10th of the season.
 
Senior John Hagan (Canton, Mass./Tilton School), freshman Jordan Bezio (North Hampton, N.H.) and senior Cole Brennan (Sussex, N.J./ Pomfret School) each recorded an assist in the win as well.  
 
The Records:
Southern Maine: 5-3-1
Salem State: 2-8-1
 
Series History:
Salem State and Southern Maine have now met 34 times with the Vikings holding an 18-13-3 series lead. The last game between the two teams prior to today was a 7-2 home win for the Huskies on November 21, 2023.
 
The Goaltenders:
Southern Maine: Ean Badgett (1-1-0): 60:00, one goal allowed, 26 saves
Salem State: Will Nepveu (2-5-0), 59:36, two goals allowed, 29 saves
 
How It Happened:

• The Huskies outshot the Vikings 9-6 in a scoreless first period.
• Salem State had back-to-back power plays in the second period, but Badgett held strong in goal to keep the score tied at 0-0 with five total saves of the four-minute stretch. In the final minute of the period, the Huskies went on the power play and converted their opportunity when Bezio found Donovan in front of the net for the goal with three seconds left in the period. Badgett recorded 11 saves in the period.
• Hagan was awarded a penalty shot 7:39 into the third period but his attempt was kicked away by Nepveu.
• Aucoin provided an insurance goal with 4:21 left to play with his 10th goal of the season. The goal came off a shot by Brennan that sailed wide of the net and bounced off the board to Aucoin with a wide-open net. The goal proved to be the difference as Declan Loughnane scored for the Vikings with 3:01 left to make the score 2-1. Each team then managed one more shot on goal in the final three minutes.

 
Inside The Stats:

• The Huskies outshot the Vikings 31-27.
• Each team won 32 faceoffs. Junior Owen Drummey (Falmouth, Maine) led the Huskies with 10 wins on 19 attempts.
• The Huskies went 1-for-4 on the power play and the Vikings went 0-for-5.
• Juniors Adrian Jubran (Knoxville, Tenn./James Madison) and Jake Burgess (Arlington, Mass./Vermont Academy) each blocked two shots for the Huskies.  

 
Up Next:
The Huskies conclude the 2025 portion of their schedule tomorrow night at home at 7:00 pm against Salve Regina University.