Hawks Defeat Purple Knights 5-1 to Win Program's 11th NE10 Title.
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The top-seeded Saint Anselm College men's ice hockey team skated to a 5-1 win over No. 2-seed Saint Michael's College on Saturday in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Game, claiming the 11th league title in program history.
The Hawks grabbed their 21st win of 2022-23, setting a new program record for wins in a single season. The Purple Knights see their 2022-23 campaign come to a close at 14-12-1 overall.
The win marks the first for the program since the 2017-18 season and the first conference championship for head coach Larry Rocha '79.
Senior goaltender Nick Howard (Burlington, Mass.) became the program's all-time wins leader, capping his time on the Hilltop with 38 wins. Howard turned aside 39 of 40 Purple Knights shots on goal in the contest and was named the NE10 tournament's Most Outstanding Player after allowing just one goal between the semifinal round and the championship game.
Senior co-captains Andrew Andary (Macomb, Mich.) and Matt Hayes (Salem, N.H.) were also named to the NE10 All-Tournament Team.
Freshman Garrett Alberti (Wilmington, Mass.), junior Liam Lyons (Gloucester, Mass.), junior Will Christensen (Ridgefield, Conn.), sophomore Richie Colarusso (Tewksbury, Mass.), and freshman Luke Linart (Holland, Mich.) all netted on goal apiece for the Hawks. Sophomores Luke Mix (Winchester, Mass.) and Max Burum (Marshfield, Mass.) recorded two assists each in the tilt.
Alberti got the scoring started at 10:42 of the first period when he redirected a pass to the front of the goal from classmate John Meyers (White Plains, N.Y.), giving Saint Anselm a 1-0 lead.
The Hawks would strike again in the opening frame as Lyons buried a deflection in front of the net, following a pass from senior Mark Leach (Londonderry, N.H.) just under four minutes later.
After a pair of power plays for the Purple Knights in the opening minutes of the second period, Christensen gave Saint Anselm a 3-0 lead when he one-timed a pass from sophomore Mark Blaney (Braintree, Mass.) into the left side of the twine at the 5:29 mark.
Howard stopped all 16 Saint Michael's shots on goal in the second period, aiding the Hawks to a 3-0 lead through 40 minutes of play.
Colarusso extended the Hawks lead to four with his first collegiate goal at 9:32 of the third frame before Linart netted a power play goal just under three minutes later, giving the Hawks a 5-0 advantage.
Ashton Allain would get Saint Michael's on the scoreboard in the final minutes with a power play goal to push the score to 5-1.
Both squads netted one power play goal in four chances. Hayes matched a game-high with 17 faceoff wins, leading the team to 43-of-78 wins from the dots in the contest.
Joining Andary, Hayes, and Howard on the All-Tournament Team included Jeremy Routh and Brennan McFarland from Saint Michael's, Collin Montgomery from Assumption, and Kyle Martin from Franklin Pierce.
-Recap provided by Saint Anselm athletic communications-
Elite 24 Award:
David Ciancio, Saint Michael's
All-Championship Team
Nick Howard, Saint Anselm*
Andrew Andary, Saint Anselm
Matt Hayes, Saint Anselm
Jeremy Routh, Saint Michael's
Brennan McFarland, Saint Michael's
Collin Montgomery, Assumption
Kyle Martin, Franklin Pierce
*Most Outstanding Player
NE10 ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round: Tuesday, February 21st
Game #1: No. 3 Assumption 7, No. 6 Post 2
Game #2: No. 5 Franklin Pierce 3, No 4 SNHU 1
Semifinals: Saturday, February 25th
Game #3: No. 2 Saint Michael's 7, No. 3 Assumption 3
Game #4: No. 1 Saint Anselm 5, No. 5 Franklin Pierce 0
Championship Game: Saturday, March 4th
Game #5: No. 1 Saint Anselm 5, No. 2 Saint Michael's 1
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 13 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.