Assumption and Saint Michael's to Host Semifinals on Saturday.
MANSFIELD, Mass. - No. 3 Southern New Hampshire and No. 5 Saint Anselm earned first-round wins on Tuesday night in the Northeast-10 Conference Ice Hockey Championship to advance to Saturday's semifinal matchups with the two top seeds - Assumption and Saint Michael's.
SNHU shot past No. 6 Post by a 4-1 margin, while Saint Anselm defeated No. 4 Franklin Pierce on the road, 8-2. The Penmen will travel to play Saint Michael's on Saturday, while the defending champion Hawks will play at top-seeded Assumption.
All rounds of the NE10 Ice Hockey Championship will be available on NE10 NOW - the Conference's digital streaming platform - via NE10NOW.tv or by downloading the mobile app.
No. 3 Southern New Hampshire 4, No. 6 Post 1 - Box Score
HOOKSETT, N.H. – It was a hot start and strong finish for the Penmen. Southern New Hampshire was able to secure a first round win with a 4-1 win over Post. Two goals in the first period, and two goals in the third period secured a home victory at The Ice Den Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
An early power-play opportunity for Post gave them the chance to get the early momentum which they would be unable to seize as reigning NE10 Rookie of the Week Collin Berke kept them off the scoreboard. However, while the Penmen had a chance to take the momentum with a power-play of their own just under halfway through the first period, it would be Post who pounced on the opportunity instead. Stealing the puck in the defensive zone was junior forward Patrich Murphy who went the length of the ice and found the open side of the crease while falling into the net to put the Eagles ahead 1-0 with a shorthanded goal.
But only 32 seconds later, the Penmen would steal one right back on that same power play with sophomore forward Brendan Lynch. Junior defenseman Ryan Clear located senior forward Matt Amante who delivered a perfect dump-off pass to Lynch on the right side of junior goalie Zach Richards to beat him and tie up the game at one. Minutes after that, Southern New Hampshire took their first lead of the night when Lynch helped freshman defenseman Aidan Darby get his first collegiate goal off a faceoff win and shot from the left point which got by Richards and sent the Penmen into the second period leading 2-1.
Richards and Berke would be up to the challenge in the second period, stopping 10 shots apiece to keep the score the same. Both sides would get two man-up advantages each as well as a brief 4-on-4 opportunity thrown in there with nothing to show for it.
Junior forward Tucker Twardosky and sophomore forward Kurt Watson would each net one for the Penmen in the third period while Berke made 10 saves in the frame to secure the 4-1 win for Southern New Hampshire in the First Round of the Northeast 10 Tournament.
Southern New Hampshire will play at No. 2 Saint Michael's on Saturday at 4 p.m.
-Recap provided by Post athletic communications-
No. 5 Saint Anselm 8, No. 4 Franklin Pierce 2 - Box Score
GARDNER, Mass. - In a rematch of the final game of the regular season, the Saint Anselm Hawks had an offensive explosion. The Hawks had three players to register four points, and 12 total players recorded at least one point. Goalie Cam Carroll also made 49 saves to help Saint Anselm secure another trip to the semifinals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Ravens jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead thanks to a goal by Austin Pick just three minutes into the game. After that it was all Saint Anselm. After Patrick DiMarinis tied the game late in the first period, the Hawks would score four more unanswered goals in the second. Cam Carroll of Saint Anselm made 19 saves in net in the first period.
Max Burum would add two goals and an assist in the second period alone. Hunter Brackett had three assists in the period before adding a goal later in the third period. After 40 minutes the score stood 5-1. Luke Linehart had a goal and assist in the period as well.
Linehart would add a goal just 50 seconds in to the third period, and assisted on Brackett's goal less than thirty seconds later to make it 7-1. Devin Rohrich made it 7-2, which would be the final goal for the Ravens. The Hawks would add one more to make the final 8-2. Carroll was outstanding with 49 total saves, including 17 more in the third period. The defending NE10 Champions find their way back to the semifinals and their hunt to defend their title continues.
Saint Anselm travels to play top-seeded Assumption on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
NE10 ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round: Tuesday, February 20th
Game #1: No. 3 Southern New Hampshire 4, No. 6 Post 1
Game #2: No. 5 Saint Anselm 8, No. 4 Franklin Pierce 2
Semifinals: Saturday, February 24th
Game #3: No. 3 Southern New Hampshire at No. 2 Saint Michael's – 4:00 PM
Game #4: No. 5 Saint Anselm at No. 1 Assumption – 6:30 PM
Championship Game: Saturday, March 2nd
Game #5: Game #3 winner vs. Game #4 Winner (at highest remaining seed) *
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 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.
