FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2013
Courtesy of Saint Anselm Athletics Communications
VIDEO | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | BOX
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Mike Richard set the tone with an early goal and was named the 2013 Northeast-10 Conference Ice Hockey Championship Most Valuable Player as top-seeded Saint Anselm College captured its fourth straight conference title with a 5-2 win against second-seeded Franklin Pierce University on Saturday afternoon at Thomas F. Sullivan Arena.
The Hawks wrap up their season at 16-8-3. The Ravens finish at 9-13-3.
The Hawks jumped out to a 1-0 lead 4:56 into the contest when Tim King slid a quick pass from the far side of the right circle to the slot for Richard, who let go of a wrister that beat Franklin Pierce goaltender Dave O'Brien gloveside. Evan Gogonis also earned an assist on the play.
Saint Anselm doubled its lead at the 10:25 mark of the opening period as Joe Tebano skated into the zone and sent shot from the top of the left circle that deflected off a defender's stick and wobbled under the glove arm of O'Brien.
Franklin Pierce put one in the net with 7:43 remaining the first afterMatt Lopes dropped the puck back at the near side of the right circle for Matt Batis, whose hard wrister beat Saint Anselm goaltender Nick Dries to make it 2-1. Kyle Craig was also credited with an assist on the play.
Johnny Daniels nearly gave the Hawks their two-goal lead back with 44.7 seconds left in the period on a wrister from the left circle, but O'Brien made a sprawling glove save to his left to deny the attempt.
The Hawks wound up pushing their lead to 3-1 3:07 into the second period when Greg Merrill ripped a shot from the middle of the slot that found the back of the net after a feed from the right endline by John Hyslip.
Saint Anselm extended its advantage to 4-1 at the 12:16 mark of the middle stanza after Bryan Luther cleaned up a loose puck following a flurry of activity in front of the Franklin Pierce net. After a pair of shots from Alex Pascal and Tebano were stopped by O'Brien, Luther came in at the right doorstep and jammed the puck in past the diving goaltender.
The Ravens trimmed their deficit to 4-2 at the 8:23 mark of the third period when Anthony Chighiso's pass from the right endline was quickly swept in past Dries on the doorstep by Michael Carr. Roscoe Sweeney also picked up an assist on the sequence.
The Hawks all but iced it with 5:16 to go when a one-timer from the slot by Bryan Sullivan found the top right corner of the net after a pretty feed from the left endline by Eric Czapka.
Gogonis and Merrill also joined Richard on the All-Championship Team.
Dries wrapped up his season at 10-2-0 overall after making 19 saves, including 10 in the second period. O'Brien stopped 41 shots, including 19 in the middle stanza.
Saint Anselm held a 46-21 advantage in shots, including 21-10 in the second. The Hawks' penalty kill also held the Ravens to just 1-for-9 on the power play.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that are committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
2013 Northeast-10 Ice Hockey All-Championship Team
Zak Lubinski, So. New Hampshire
Richard Harris, Stonehill
Dave O'Brien, Franklin Pierce
Roscoe Sweeney, Franklin Pierce
Evan Gogonis, Saint Anselm
Greg Merrill, Saint Anselm
Mike Richard, Saint Anselm
Most Valuable Player - Mike Richard, Saint Anselm
2013 Northeast-10 Ice Hockey Championship Results
Saturday, February 23 – Semifinals
#1 Saint Anselm 6, #4 Stonehill 3
#2 Franklin Pierce 5, #3 So. New Hampshire 3
Saturday, March 2 – Championship
#1 Saint Anselm 5, #2 Franklin Pierce 2
- #NE10 -
