Box Score
Postgame Interview

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Sophomore forward Ben Pearl (Essex, Vt.) scored the only goal of the night, and junior goaltender Colby Drost (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) made it stand up with 22 saves, as the University of New England shut out New England College, 1-0, in ECAC East men's ice hockey action Friday evening (Feb. 14) at the Harold Alfond Forum.

The victory ups the Nor'easters' record to 9-14-1 overall, 6-11 in league play. NEC falls to 14-8-1 (10-7 ECAC East).

Despite more than doubling-up the Pilgrims in shots on goal (50-22) for the game, the Nor'easters were unable to put the puck in the net until the latter stages of the second period. UNE finally cracked the scoring column when Pearl stuffed home a rebound of a shot from just inside the blue line by junior defenseman Patrick Borer (Golden Valley, Minn.).

Big Blue put 22 shots on goal during the middle period.

The lead would hold behind a stingy UNE defense and the goaltending of Drost. The Nor'easters limited NEC's scoring chances, giving up very few odd-man rushes.

After taking a penalty with just under three minutes remaining, the Pilgrims were unable to pull senior goaltender Sebastian Anderson (Sundyberg, Sweden) until there were 30 seconds on the clock. NEC applied pressure in the UNE zone in the final seconds but was unable to get a quality shot at the cage.

The shutout for Drost was the first of his career.

Anderson had a strong game between the pipes for the Pilgrims, stopping 49 shots, including two outstanding saves in the second period prior to Pearl's tally.

The Nor'easters will wrap up their regular season tomorrow when they host Saint Anselm College on Senior Day (4 p.m.). UNE, which is tied with Skidmore College for the sixth spot among the eight playoff-eligible teams in the ECAC East, will open postseason play next Saturday (Feb. 22).


Click HERE to view postgame interview with Ben Pearl, Patrick Borer and Colby Drost