For Immediate Release
March 3, 2012
Courtesy of Saint Anselm College Athletics Communications Staff
Manchester, N.H. - Saint Anselm College collected its third straight Northeast-10 Conference Men's Ice Hockey Championship following a 4-1 victory over the Skyhawks of Stonehill College Saturday afternoon at the Thomas F. Sullivan Arena. With the victory, the Hawks earn their seventh conference championship in program history and conclude their season with a 14-8-5 overall record. The Skyhawks see their season come to a close with a record of 10-12-3.
Saint Anselm sophomore goaltender Robert Kang earned Most Outstanding Player recognition for his performance throughout the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, as he only allowed one goal while making 54 saves in 120 minutes.
Forward Tucker Mullin scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal at 16:16 of the first period, lifting Saint Anselm to a 2-0 lead. With the offense firmly entrenched in the Stonehill zone, a shot by forward Sean Jenkins was kicked away to the left-wing corner. Gathering the puck, Mullin skated along the goal line and fired a tough-angle shot that beat Stonehill goaltender Chris Tasiopoulos for the score.
Freshman forward Liam McKillop scored the first goal of the afternoon for either side at 4:26 of the first period, placing Saint Anselm on the scoreboard first. Mullin initiated the play in the neutral zone, passing the puck forward to Jenkins, who entered the zone on a two-on-one breakout with McKillop. Passing across the slot at the last possible second, McKillop forced the puck past Tasiopoulos for his 11th of the season.
Forward Kevin Vanous scored the Hawks third goal of the game at 13:42 of the second period, granting the Hawks a 3-0 advantage. From below the goal line, McKillop sent a puck between the hash marks to where Vanous had established position. A one-time shot eluded the grasp of Tasiopoulos for Saint Anselm's third goal of the game. Forward John Hyslip also collected an assist on the play.
With Saint Anselm defenseman Ryan Holley in the box for hooking, Stonehill forward Bill Carey scored to place the Skyhawks on the scoreboard. Retrieving a loose puck from the right wing corner, Carey skated toward the right post and forced a puck past Kang for the first goal Saint Anselm allowed in the postseason. Dana Borges and Bryan Rooney collected assists on the play for Stonehill.
Saint Anselm forward Johnny Daniels scored his ninth goal of the season at 3:47 of the third period. A Stonehill defender turned the puck over in the left-wing corner and Daniels strode forward to gather the loose puck. Skating toward the left post, Daniels picked the top corner on Tasiopoulos for the score. Forwards Tim King and Mike Richard tallied assists on the play.
In net for the Hawks, Kang (10-2-3) turned aside 22-of-23 shots on net, earning his 10th victory of the season. Tasiopoulos (8-10-1) drew his 10th loss of the year, halting 32-of-36 shots on goal.
Saint Anselm was 1-for-3 on the power play. Stonehill was 1-for-5 with the man advantage.
2012 Northeast-10 Ice Hockey All-Championship Team
F Taylor Larsen (Sr.), Assumption
G Eric McGuirk (Jr.), Saint Michael's
D Matthew Doherty (Sr.), Stonehill
F Bill Carey (So.), Stonehill
D Ryan Holley (Sr.), Saint Anselm
F Liam McKillop (Fr.), Saint Anselm
G Robert Kang (So.), Saint Anselm
Most Outstanding Player - Robert Kang
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 5,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 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.
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