WORCESTER, Mass. – The Saint Anselm College men's ice hockey team lit the lamp four times in a shutout win over Worcester State in non-conference action on Saturday evening.

With the win, the Hawks improve to 3-0 on the season while the Lancers fall to 0-4. Saint Anselm opens Northeast-10 Conference play on Friday, Nov. 12 when Stonehill comes to Sullivan Arena for a 7 p.m. opening puck drop.

Junior Nick Howard (Burlington, Mass.) recorded a 24-save shutout, marking the first since Jan. 18, 2020 in a 6-0 win over Post. Junior Andrew Andary (Macomb, Mich.) notched two goals and added an assist while classmate Matt Hayes (Salem, N.H.) had a goal and two assists. Senior Kilian Hammersmith (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) posted three helpers in the win.

Saint Anselm opened the scoring at 8:33 of the first period. Andary got the play started with a long stretch pass to Hammersmith, who drove into the attacking end and fired a shot on Worcester State goaltender Nevin Tardiff. Hayes was crashing the net and buried the loose puck at the top of the crease.

The Hawks would double their lead in the opening stanza as Andary would force a turnover near the right face-off circle. Hayes collected the loose puck and sent a pass to the slot for Andary, who one-timed the play home to give Saint Anselm the 2-0 edge just 12:24 into the contest.

Neither team managed to find the twine in the second period. The Hawks best chance to score came on a shorthanded rush by Hammersmith who was looking to go into the upper-right corner of the goal, but Tardiff made the glove save.

Saint Anselm scored at 8:05 of the third period as Andary recorded his second goal of the game. Hayes and Hammersmith were battling below the goal line and won the puck to Andary. The junior alternate captain delayed and fired a wrist shot from the left face-off dot into the top left of the goal, beating Tardiff over the right shoulder.

With the goaltender pulled late in the game, the Lancers were pressing to get on the scoreboard. Gunther Strange fired a shot into a crowd that deflected and forced Howard to make a sprawling save with 3:21 remaining in the contest.

From that save in the final minutes, the Hawks iced the game with an empty-net goal at 17:34. Sophomore Thomas Schwartz (Ridgefield, Conn.) was credited with the goal off an an assist from Jac Cordeiro (Barnstable, Mass.), marking the latter's first collegiate point.

Saint Anselm held a 45-24 advantage in shots on goal. Neither team recorded a power play goal with the Hawks having six opportunities to four for the Lancers.

Howard posted a 24-save shutout, the first shutout of the season and the second of his career. Tardiff stopped 41 of the 45 shots he faced in the losing effort for Worcester State.