Three Points From Herrera and A Shutout for Gover Lead Men's Hockey to 4-0 Win at Rivier

NASHUA, N.H. – The MCLA Men's Ice Hockey team traveled to Rivier University for a MASCAC matchup with the Raiders at the Conway Arena. Mathew Gover stopped 37 shots to record his first collegiate shutout, while Cade Herrera recorded three points (a goal and two assists) to propel the Trailblazers to their second win in as many games.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Friday, February 7, 2025
• Score: MCLA 4, Rivier 0
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 4-15-1 (MASCAC 4-8-1) | Rivier University Raiders 5-14-1 (MASCAC 1-11-1)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sophomore forward Cade Herrera (Brentwood, CA / Seahawks H.C) got the festivities going for MCLA, scoring with just over six and a half minutes off the clock. After the Raiders had successfully cleared the puck from their defensive zone, sophomore defenseman Shane Green (Bear, DE / Philadelphia Little Flyers) retreated to retrieve it from the Trailblazers' end. Green's tape-to-tape pass ahead to Herrera led the forward through the neutral zone and in stride as he skated into the offensive zone, hung a left at the right faceoff dot, and went parallel to the goal line before slipping it past the netminder. The goal was Herrera's sixth of the season.
• The combination of Green and Herrera aided MCLA in doubling their lead with just under 100 seconds to go in the second period. With the Trailblazers on a five-on-three power play, Green and Herrera passed the puck back and forth, waiting for the opportunity to feed the puck to sophomore forward Quinn Murphy (Champaign, IL / Philadelphia H.C.) between the faceoff circles for a one-timer that went into the top of the cage. The score was Murphy's third on the year, and the helper was Green's ninth.
• In the third period, MCLA again doubled their lead, going up 4-0 by the end of the frame. The first goal in the final period was scored by sophomore forward Sean Schifferl (Fort Myers, FL / N.H. Monarchs) in a sequence again started by Herrera. After rubbing a Raider defender off the puck along the right-side boards, Herrera knocked it toward the blue line, where sophomore forward Easton Moore (Red Deer, AB / Florida Eels) kept the puck in the offensive zone. Moore then fed the puck to Schifferl for a one-timer from his knees. This marked the fourth time that Schifferl had lit the lamp this season and was his second in as many games. The helpers were Herrera and Moore's seventh and eighth, respectively.
• To cap off the scoring, sophomore forward Luke Rhoss (Monroe, NY / Philadelphia H.C.) added an empty net goal with 68 seconds left. Gathering a pass from freshman forward Sam Zis (Boulder, CO / Connecticut Chiefs), Rhoss fired off a shot from inside the blue line on the vacated goal to ice the game for MCLA.
• Sophomore goalie Mathew Gover (Atkinson, NH / East Coast Wizards) stopped 37 shots to record his first collegiate shutout and advanced his season record to 4-15-1. Rivier's LJ Newell took the loss to fall to 5-12-1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shots: MCLA 33, Rivier 37
• Saves: MCLA 37, Rivier 29
• Faceoffs Won: MCLA 43, Rivier 33
• Penalty/Minutes: MCLA 6/26:00, Rivier 8/30:00
• Power Plays: MCLA 2 for 7, Rivier 0 for 4

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when it hosts Anna Maria College at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink for a MASCAC matchup with the Mascot. The puck will drop at 8 p.m.

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