Rooney, Greene each strike for two points to power Skyhawks; Jackson posts strong outing in net

Bryan Rooney scored twice to lead Stonehill. (PHOTO BY Ian Thomas)

FOXBORO, Mass. (February 3, 2011) – Stonehill College held on to an early lead to come out on top 4-1 in a tense matchup with Framingham State University in non-conference men’s ice hockey action Thursday at home.

Freshman Bryan Rooney (Canton, Mass./Canton) led the Skyhawks with a pair of goals on the night, while classmate Bill Carey (Weymouth, Mass./Catholic Memorial) and senior Angelo Todesca (Westwood, Mass./Catholic Memorial) each added one and junior Patrick Greene (Weymouth, Mass./Catholic Memorial) picked up two assists. Junior goaltender Tyler Jackson (Little Silver, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) finished with 19 saves to earn the decision as Stonehill improved to 3-0-1 at home on the season.

The Skyhawks got out in front early as Carey netted the first strike at 2:30 of the first period. After Greene brought the puck down the right side and fired an attempt from the faceoff circle, Carey collected the rebound from Rams goaltender Terence Sullivan (Shirley, Mass./Exeter Freeze) and put it away from the top of the crease. Minutes later, Todesca drilled home a one-timer from the left dot from Greene and sophomore J.J. Sabin (Milton, Mass./Milton), converting Stonehill’s first power play of the evening for a 2-0 lead ten minutes into the game.

Patrick Greene set up the Skyhawks' first two goals of the night. (PHOTO BY Ian Thomas)

Framingham State junior Al Cutts (Avon, Mass./Avon) sliced the deficit in half at 13:04 with a shot from the right point that slipped through a scramble in front of the net to beat Jackson, but Rooney and the Skyhawks pulled away again midway through the second period after Rooney stuffed an Andrew Miller (Oxford, Conn./Notre Dame) rebound through traffic for his first goal of the night.

Jackson and the Stonehill penalty kill squad shut out the Rams on power-play attempts, wrapping up the sixth and final to preserve the lead after Todesca, Greene, and Framingham State’s Eric Ward (Haverhill, Mass./Valley Jr. Warriors) were tossed following a late second-period skirmish in front of the benches. The Rams managed only six shots on target in the third period against an aggressive Stonehill defense led by Sabin, junior Matthew Doherty (Milton, Mass./Thayer Academy), and senior John Yokow (Windsor, Conn./Northwest Catholic), and Rooney closed out the night with his second goal of the game. He flung a last-second attempt from the left circle with a second remaining on the clock, and the puck deflected off the skate of a Rams defender and into the net as time expired.

Stonehill (4-12-1, 2-3-1 NE-10) visits conference rival Assumption College on Saturday at 7:35 p.m., and will host Salve Regina University on their home ice in Foxboro on Tuesday, February 8 at 7:00 p.m.