WESTFIELD – Westfield State University sophomore forward Kenney Rogers (Springfield International Charter School) recorded a triple-double to lead the Owls to an 86-59 win over Colby Sawyer College in a non-conference game at the Woodward Center on December 8.
Rogers finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He was 7-15 from the floor, 3-6 from long range, and 1-1 at the foul line. Rogers took over ball handling duties in the second half when point guard Xavier Lewis (Long Island, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) was saddled with foul trouble.
Westfield State (5-2) State opened up with a 9-0 run and never trailed in the game. The Owls led 49-21 at the half, behind 13 points from Rogers, who was on pace for the triple-double with eight rebounds and five assists through the first 20 minutes.
In the opening half, Westfield State grabbed 15 steals, which they turned into 25 points off turnovers, and shot 52.6 percent from the floor. Sean Peterson (Chester, N.H.) led Colby Sawyer (0-9) with six points and seven rebounds.
Rogers dished out his 10th assist of the game on a corner jumper by Zach Bingham (Okinowa, Japan/St. Mary’s Int.) for Bingham’s first collegiate points, and Rogers notched his 10th rebound on a missed free throw with about four minutes left in regulation before heading to the bench with the game comfortably in hand.
Rogers was one of four Owls to finish in double figures in scoring as Jason James (Ansonia, Conn./Putnam) added 14, Lewis had 13 points and five steals, and Joe Thomson (Sunderland/Frontier) added 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Chargers were led by 18 points and nine rebounds from Elijah Thomas (Fairfax, Va.), Peterson added 10 points and 10 boards.
Westfield State will next play at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston on Friday night at 7 p.m.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
Seguin helps Owls rally, scores twice in 3rd period
Westfield State 5, Rivier 3
Daniel Finegan (Chicago, Ill.) scored the game-winning goal and Raphael Seguin (Saint-Lazare, Quebec) potted a pair of power play goals as Westfield State used a third-period surge to skate past Rivier 5-3 in a MASCAC game from Conway Arena in Nashua, N.H. on December 6.
The Owls improve to 4-1 in the MASCAC and 6-4 overall while the Raiders drop to 1-9-1 on the season and 1-3 in conference play.
A back-and-forth affair in the second period pinned Westfield State (6-4 overall, 4-1 MASCAC) with a 3-2 deficit heading into the third period.
Westfield State drew a Rivier penalty at the start of the third, setting the Owls up for their third marker of the night. With 10 seconds remaining in the man advantage, Emile Pichette (Saint-Eustache, Quebec) won an attacking zone draw to William Chausse (La Prairie, Quebec) who swung the puck across to Seguin who one-timed a shot to the top left corner of the net to tie the game with 17:21 remaining.
The Owls regained the lead shortly after capitalizing on the power play. Finegan batted down a clearing attempt by Rivier, keeping the puck in the attacking zone where he took the space in front of him, then wristed a high shot over the glove of Josh Kirton for a 4-3 advantage with 15:35 left in regulation.
At the midway point of the period, Westfield State cashed in on another power play opportunity with Seguin launching a wrister from the center of the attacking end over the blocker of Kirton to give the Owls a two-goal lead with 8:42 to go in the game where they would hold Rivier off the scoreboard to lock up the win.
After no scoring in the first period, five goals were scored between the two sides in the middle stanza with the Raiders striking first on a goal from Mason Rudrud. With 11:04 remaining in the second, the Owls finally broke through on their 26th shot on goal and the 41st overall shot attempt thanks to Jesper Seeberg (Lake Worth, Fla.) who picked up the loose puck after a wraparound attempt from Cannon Bonifay (Fort Worth, Texas) trickled to the center of the offensive end, leading to a close shot goal from Seeberg.
Two minutes later, Westfield State took its first lead of the night after strong play at the blue line by Finegan who kept the puck in the offensive end. He settled the puck on the blue line then tapped a pass to the boards to Nicolas Coppola (Glendale, Ariz.) where he found Xavier Tremblay (Sainte-Adele, Quebec) who ripped home the go-ahead score with under nine minutes left in the second.
The Owls allowed two goals in the back half of the frame, including a second goal by Rudrud 22 seconds before the intermission, giving Rivier a 3-2 advantage entering the final period.
Westfield State put forth a heavy dose of shots on goal throughout the night, outshooting the Raiders 52-18 including a dominant third period where they owned a 17-4 shots on goal edge. Aiden Winslow (Jacksonville, Fla.) had 15 saves for the Owls and Kirton made 46 stops for Rivier. The Raiders had 10 infractions for 39 penalty minutes, allowing the Owls to take control with several power play chances in the third.
Four Westfield State players recorded multiple point nights with Seguin leading the way with two goals. Finegan notched a goal and an assist while Coppola and Pichette tallied two assists.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK
Lee doubles up at Springfield season opener
Senior Eliza Lee (Walpole) won a pair of events for Westfield State as the Owls women’s track and field team opened the winter season at the Springfield College home opener on December 6.
Lee topped the long jump with a leap of 5.31 meters and took the top spot in the triple jump at 11.17 meters. Both marks exceeded predetermined standards for Lee who gathered auto NED3 qualification. First year Bella Coughlin was third behind Lee in the triple jump with a mark of 9.83 meters. Lee’s winning marks were good enough to be automatic qualifiers for the New England D3 Championship meet later in the season.
Other top performers for the Owls included Reese Stevens (Agawam) who earned provisional NED3 standards and was second in the women’s mile in 5:22.19, and Shea Hamel (Longmeadow), who placed second in the 3000 meters in a time of 11:06.
Westfield State first-years Elizabeth Souretis (Pembroke) and Quinlin Cook (Granby) competed in the women’s 3000 meters, with Souretis finishing in second with a time of 3:31:75 and Cook placed third in 3:38:25.
Westfield State will next compete at the Dartmouth December Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 13, in Hanover, N.H.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK
Johnson wins 1000 as Owls open indoor season
Senior Gordon Johnson (Whitman Hanson) hit the tape first in the 1000 meters to highlight the Westfield State men’s track and field team’s performances at the Springfield College Home Opener on December 6.
Johnson posted a time of 2:42.91 in the 1000.
In the men’s 600, senior Rowan Gottshall (Simsbury, Conn.) secured a provisional New England Division III time in the and was just edged out to finish second, clocking in in 1:26.92.
Xavier Merkman (Springfield) logged a 14.95 meter throw in the 30 pound weight, finishing fourth.
Owen Klatka (Pittsfield) and Devan Cerone, of Southwick each cleared 1.82 meters in the high jump, with Klatka placing third and Ceron fifth based on the misses in the sequence.
The Westfield State quartet ran 3:40.56 to finish second in the 4×400 relay, behind the host school.
The men and women piled up a combined 21 personal records during the season opener, highlighting continued development and advancement for both teams from last season.
Westfield State will next compete at the Dartmouth December Invitational next December 13 in Hanover, N.H.
