Greyhounds Defeat Penmen 3-2 to Win Program's Third NE10 Title.
WORCESTER, MASS. – The top-seeded Assumption University men's ice hockey team battled to a 3-2 double overtime win over No. 3-seed Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Game, claiming the 3rd league title in program history, and second in three seasons. It was the first NE10 Ice Hockey Championship Final matchup between the two schools.
The Greyhounds grabbed their 25th win of 2023-24, a new program record for wins in a single season. The Penmen see their 2023-24 campaign come to a close at 14-14-2 overall.
The win marks the first for the program since the 2021-22 season. This was the first NE10 Final featuring overtime since 2018, and first with double overtime since 2007.
Assumption was the first team to score, as Leo Piandes struck on the powerplay at 3:26 of the opening period, with Jake Lavoie and Sean Corliss picking up helpers on the opening goal. Southern New Hampshire tied the game before the end of the opening frame, as Connor Ball tied the game at 13:35.
In the second period, Shane Sullivan regained the lead for the Greyhounds as he scored on the man-advantage at 8:07. Less than two minutes later, on a powerplay of their own, SNHU's Matt Amante scored off the feed from Brendan Lynch. Neither team could break the deadlock for the remainder of regulation and one entire overtime period.
The game would go late into a second overtime period, as the play would go back and forth. Following a Brendan Lynch shot that was saved by Thomas McLarnon, Sean Corliss found Jonathan Surrette on a breakout pass. Surrette would end the game with a wrister to the top blocker side, giving the Greyhounds a 3-2 win and the NE10 Championship.
McLarnon would record a career-high 56 saves, while Collin Berke of SNHU would match him and more with 72 saves. Each goaltender would only have one period with less than 10 saves. Assumption outshot the Penmen 75-58 and went 2-4 on the powerplay, while SNHU went 1-3.
Thomas McLarnon was named the NE10 Championship Most Outstanding Player for his .878 save percentage and 71 saves in the two games of the tournament.
Assumption won their first NE10 Championship back in the 2016-2017 season, and earned their second just two years ago in the 2021-22 season. They are now 41-40-5 against Southern New Hampshire, and 3-1 in NE10 Championship Finals.
-Recap provided by Assumption athletic communications-
Elite 24 Award:
James Minnig, Southern New Hampshire
All-Championship Team
Thomas McLarnon, Assumption*
Ronny Paragallo, Assumption
Jonathan Surrette, Assumption
Matt Amante, Southern New Hampshire
Collin Burke, Southern New Hampshire
Gabriel Gagnon, Saint Michael's
Tommy Schwartz, Saint Anselm
*Most Outstanding Player
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. 1 Assumption 3, No. 3 Southern New Hampshire 2
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.
