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| John Sommors scored the gamewinner for the Skyhawks |
Skyhawks Deny Comeback, Upset Westfield 4-2
Easton, Mass. - John Sommers (Manchester, Conn.) put home the gamewinner with just over eight minutes remaining as Stonehill withstood a Westfield comeback in the third, dropping the Owls 4-2 in an exciting game at the Foxboro Sports Center on Thursday evening.
The Skyhawks were aggressive from the onset and broke though just seven minutes into the period, as a Pat Green (Weymouth, Mass.) shot glanced off the goaltender and landed on the left side of the net near the stick of Frank Amato (West Springfield, Mass.), who fired home the rebound for the one goal lead.
The Owls tried to counter but were denied by Derek Chapdelaine (Granby, Mass.) who stopped 11 shots in the period. Stonehill added to their lead three minutes later as Brendan O'Brien (Braintree, Mass.) fired home a slap shot from the point for the two goal advantage.
In the second, Westfield came out the aggressor, but was denied multiple times by Chapdelaine. The Skyhawks also had their opportunities, as both Andrew Diozzi (Belmont, Mass.) and Greene were denied on shorthanded breakaway attempts by Ian Wilson.
The Owls finally broke through on a power play at the 4:45 mark when Dennis Zak ripped a shot from the point to cut the Skyhawks lead to 2-1. Westfield had a chance to tie the game two and a half minutes later, as a shot slipped under Chapdelaine's pads and hit the inside of the post before sliding out.
Westfield continued their momentum into the third and tied up the game at two on a Benny Schennach shot right in front of the net. Stonehill fought back, putting multiple shots on Wilson.
With only 8:57 remaining, and the contest knotted at two, Angelo Todesca (Westwood, Mass.) fired a shot on net. The puck bounced off Wilson's pads and Sommers was there to fire a shot over the right shoulder of Wilson for the eventual gamewinner.
The Skyhawks remained aggressive with the one goal lead, while the defense denied Westfield clean shots on goal. Chris Rogers (Westford, Mass.) scored an empty netter with just 12 seconds left for the 4-2 tally.
Chapdelaine had his second consecutive strong game in net, stopping 33 shots, while Wilson made 35 saves for the Rams.
Coach Garry Hebert was ecstatic with his team's win, "We're extremely proud of this win, as it represents the three most complete period of hockey we have played this season. The key for us is to sustain our dominant play the remainder of the season."
Stonehill improves to 7-9 with the win, while the loss drops Westfield to 11-6-5 on the season. The Skyhawks return to action on Saturday when they travel to Rindge N.H. to take on Franklin Pierce at 7:00 p.m.