SNHU and Assumption to play in NE10 Championship Final next Saturday.
MANSFIELD, Mass. - No. 3 Southern New Hampshire and No. 1 Assumption earned semifinal wins on Saturday night in the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Ice Hockey Championship to advance to Saturday's final at Assumption.
SNHU cruised past No. 2 Saint Michael's by a 5-1 margin on the road, while Assumption defeated No. 5 Saint Anselm in a fabulous comeback. The Penmen will travel to play Assumption next Saturday March 2nd. Assumption won three of the four regular season matchups between the two schools, but the teams split in the final two games of the regular season just last week.
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 5, No. 2 Saint Michael's 1 - Box Score
SOUTH BURLINGTON, V.T. – The Penmen keep their season alive with a road win at Cairns Arena. Coming off a dominant win over Post in the first round, the Penmen scored the first three, and final two goals of the game to clinch a trip to the NE10 Championship finals. This will be the first time in the championship game for SNHU since the 2018-19 season in which they defeated Saint Anselm in the finals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sophomore Kurt Watson scored twice and freshman Collin Berke made 30 saves to lead the Southern New Hampshire University men's ice hockey team to a 5-1 victory over Saint Michael's in the NE10 Championship semifinals on Saturday at Cairns Arena.
Southern New Hampshire went up, 1-0, on the power play with 6:33 left in the opening period when Anthony Marchant scored off assists from freshman Nic Dallaire and sophomore Alex Muthersbaugh. SNHU doubled its lead 6:51 into the second period on a Matt Amante tally that was set up by Brendan Lynch. The Penmen stretched their lead to 3-0 just under 10 minutes later, with Amante and Lynch setting up Kurt Watson. Saint Michael's made it on the board with 6:07 to play in the third on a power-play tally, but the Penmen added empty netters by Stone Devlin with 3:06 remaining, and another by Watson to seal it with 1:42 to go.
Matt Amante, Kurt Watson, and Brendan Lynch all had two points, while defending Rookie of the Week and goaltender Collin Berke had 30 saves, including twelve in the second period.
The Penmen punch their ticket to the NE10 Championship title game for the seventh time and first since 2019. This will be the first time they face Assumption in the final.
-Recap provided by SNHU athletic communications-
No. 1 Assumption 7, No. 5 Saint Anselm 5 - Box Score
WORCESTER, Mass. - It was a comeback for the ages in game two of the semifinals of the NE10 Championship. The Assumption Greyhounds found themselves down 4-0 in the second period, trailing 4-2 after 40 minutes, and 5-3 in the middle of the third period. The third period saw six goals scored between the teams, as the Greyhounds rallied from behind to win 7-5, with the game winner being scored with less than three minutes to play. Assumption will host the NE10 Championship final next Saturday looking for their second title in three seasons.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Assumption University men's ice hockey team rallied from four goals down in the second period to defeat Saint Anselm College 7-5 in the Northeast-10 Conference Semifinals Saturday evening at the Worcester Ice Arena.
Assumption controlled most of the action in the first period, as they outshot Saint Anselm 20-12. The Hawks were the first team to get on the board, as Tommy Schwartz opened the scoring at 16:33. Saint Anselm broke the game early in the second period as they scored three consecutive goals in the opening 5:05. The Greyhounds would not go quietly, as Jonathan Surrette and Camron Roberts capitalized on a pair of 5-on-3 advantages to cut the deficit to 4-2 heading into the third period.
In the third period, Jake Lavoie cut Saint Anselm's lead to 4-3, 45 seconds in as he redirected a Patrick McKiernanshot from the point. The game would remain a one-goal game until the 11:01 marker, as Max Burum recorded his second goal. Just over a minute later, Ryan Decker tipped in a John Woernie shot from the point, making it 5-4. Jake DiNapoli tied the game at 5-5 with 7:10 remaining in regulation. Sean Corliss gave Assumption their first lead of the contest at 17:47, with his wrist shot from the point finding its way through the traffic in front. Leo Piandes tapped in an empty net with 36.9 on the center ice clock to punch the Greyhounds' ticket to the NE10 Championship.
The Greyhounds went 4-of-6 on the powerplay, while the Hawks went 2-of-4. Assumption outshot Saint Anselm 45-39 and won 40 of 79 faceoffs. Thomas McLarnon and Callum Welch combined to record 34 saves in the crease for the Greyhounds.
-Recap provided by Assumption athletic communications-
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 5, No. 2 Saint Michael's 1
Game #4: No. 1 Assumption 7, No. 5 Saint Anselm 5
Championship Game: Saturday, March 2nd
Game #5: No. 3 Southern New Hampshire at. No. 1 Assumption - TBD
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.
