NASHUA, N.H. - Johnson State opened their 2012 season with a 6-4 non-conference defeat at Daniel Webster College on Sunday in a match played at Rivier College. Johnson held a 3-1 lead in third period but could not hold on for the road win. The Badgers stand at 0-1, 0-0 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) while Daniel Webster, also playing in their season-opener, sits a 1-0, 0-0 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).
Johnson received single goals from seniors Justin Connolly (Jeffersonville, Vt./Lamoille) (pictured), Justin Nelson (Lakeville, Mass./Bishop Connolly), and Alex Petti (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich) while freshman Nash Garceau (North Haven, Conn./North Haven) also added a goal. Goalkeeper Zach Jerome (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) made 14 stops in the losing decision.
DWC received three goals and an assist from freshman midfielder Dan Knupfer (Corfu, N.Y.) while junior Kieran Kavanugh (East Lyme, Conn.) dealt out three assists. Nate Burr (Southbury, Conn.), Kurtis Fotheringham (Shrewsbury, Mass.), and Bobby Loranger (Billerica, Mass.) each added a score for Daniel Webster while Tommy Driscoll (East Boston, Mass.) earned the win in goal by making 16 saves.
The game was close throughout as DWC finished with advantages in total shots (33-30) and face offs won (8-6) while the Badgers held the edge in groundballs (29-20) and clears (15-13).
Johnson held a 2-1 lead after the first period and then took a 3-1 lead after a scoreless second period and Connolly's score with 6:48 left in the third. DWC saw Loranger and Knupfer tally scores before the end of the stanza to knot the score at 3-3 entering the fourth.
The Eagles took their first lead of the day with 7:59 left to go with another Knupfer goal and then saw the margin grow to 5-3 when Fotheringham scored with 5:50 remaining.
Nelson would respond for Johnson just 12 seconds after the resulting face off making the score 5-4 but Knupfer would score the insurance goal with 1:51 to go, his third and final score of the day.
Driscoll came up big in the final minutes making three strong saves to preserve the victory.
Johnson will now travel to Castleton State College on Saturday for a 1:00 pm North Atlantic Conference match up while DWC will go to Anna Maria College on Tuesday at 7:00 pm for their GNAC opener.