Canton, Mass. native powers Stonehill offense with three goals in two games

EASTON, Mass. (February 7, 2011) – Stonehill College freshman Bryan Rooney (Canton, Mass./Canton) was today named the Northeast-10 Conference Ice Hockey Rookie of the Week by the conference office.

Rooney earns the honor for the first time after leading the Skyhawks last week with three goals and four total points. He scored two unanswered goals over the final two periods against Framingham State on Thursday evening, helping Stonehill pull away to a 4-1 home victory in their first game of the week. After opening up a 3-1 lead for the Skyhawks when he put back a rebound from teammate Andrew Miller (Oxford, Conn./Notre Dame) midway through the second period, Rooney tacked on an insurance goal in the final seconds of the game with a long floater from the left faceoff circle.

He also picked up two points as Stonehill fell 6-3 to conference rival Assumption College on Saturday, netting the Skyhawks’ first goal of the game to tie the score at 1-1 early in the second period, and adding an assist on a late power-play goal as Stonehill attempted a rally in the third.

After doubling his season scoring total this week, Rooney now ranks second on the team in goals with six. Entering the final month of the regular season, he ranks fifth in scoring among NE-10 freshmen, and 13th overall in the conference.

Stonehill (4-13-1, 2-4-1 NE-10) will seek to improve on their 3-0-1 home record as they play the next four games on their home ice at Foxboro Sports Center, beginning with a non-conference matchup against Salve Regina University tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.