BOX SCORE

BRUNSWICK, Maine - The Bowdoin College men's ice hockey team scored three times in the final period to take a 4-1 win over Salem State on Friday evening at Sidney J. Watson Arena. The Polar Bears improve to 8-8-1 (5-6-1 NESCAC) while Salem State drops to 10-6-1 (6-6-0 ECAC East). Bowdoin is 5-1-1 this season in Brunswick, combining their home games at both Dayton and Watson Arena.

Bowdoin controlled the first-period play, out-shooting the Vikings 20-6 in the opening stanza, but could only muster a single early goal. A face-off scramble saw the puck trickle to the point, where Owen Smith snapped a low shot that slipped under the pads of Salem's Ryan Hatch just 1:27 into the contest. Bowdoin carried the lead late into the second period when a bizarre sequence tied the game for the visitors.

  With under five minutes to go in the frame, Salem's Jeff Tellier dumped the puck from the neutral zone into the Bowdoin end. The puck bounced towards the net and somehow skipped under Nerland to tie the game heading into the final period of play.

After a Bowdoin penalty, the Polar Bears rallied with strong defensive pressure that resulted in a Viking turnover in the neutral zone. The loose puck came to Jordan Lalor, who buried a breakaway goal just 2:39 into the third. First-year Benjamin Tsujiura notched his first career goal six minutes later to give Bowdoin a 3-1 lead and Jeff Fanning added an empty-netter from the Bowdoin defensive zone with 1:39 remaining to clinch the victory.

Richard Nerland made 16 saves in the win as Bowdoin out-shot Salem State 38-17. Hatch ended with 34 saves for the Vikings. Friday's game was a rematch of the Holiday Classic final won by Salem State in overtime, 4-3, on December 28.

Photos courtesy of Brian Beard and Creative Images Photography.