NE-10 CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: #3 Stonehill Takes On #1 Saint Anselm

Skyhawks to play in the NE-10 Championship for third time in program history

Bryan Rooney scored the eventual game-
winning goal for Stonehill against the
Greyhounds last Saturday.

EASTON, Mass. (February 29, 2012) – Third-seeded Stonehill College will participate in the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) Men's Ice Hockey Championship game for the third time in program history when it travels to first-seeded Saint Anselm College on Saturday, March 3 at the Thomas F. Sullivan Arena in Manchester, N.H. with the opening faceoff scheduled for 3 p.m.

Admission for Saturday's game is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for senior citizens and children and $1.00 for students with a valid student ID. Stonehill students who would like to attend the game can sign-up for the fan-bus at the infodesk in the Roche Dining Commons. Students who sign-up for the fan-bus will receive a free ticket to the game courtesy of the Stonehill Athletics Department. Stonehill's Spirit Committee has organized the event. Stonehill fans who cannot attend Saturday's championship contest can follow the action on the Skyhawks athletics website, www.stonehillskyhawks.com, live interactive blog. Saint Anselm will webcast the game live on www.saintanselmhawks.tv for free and provide live stats of the contest on www.saintanselmhawks.com.

Stonehill (10-11-13, 6-3-2 NE-10) enters the title game with a 4-0-1 record overall in its last five games including a 3-1 triumph over second-seeded Assumption College in the NE-10 Tournament semifinal round game last Saturday. The Skyhawks used its Canton, Mass. connection on the offensive end against the Greyhounds as All-Rookie Team honoree Kevin Aufiero (Canton, Mass.), Bryan Rooney (Canton, Mass./New Hampton School) and Sean McNeil (Canton, Mass./Canton) all netted markers in the victory. Senior goaltender Tyler Jackson (Little Silver, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) also turned away 40 shots to help advance Stonehill to its third championship game in program history.

Saint Anselm and Stonehill have met once in the NE-10 title game with both teams splitting the championships series, 1-1, before the Skyhawks earned a 2-1 double overtime victory in the mini-game tie breaker for their first ever conference championship. Overall in the playoffs, Saint Anselm holds a slim 3-2 edge over Stonehill in five meetings. Earlier this season, both teams skated to a 1-1 tie in overtime at the Foxboro Sports Center in the 2011-12 regular season finale.

The Skyhawks have seen greater success in the win column on the road this year as Stonehill has compiled an 8-4-1 mark overall away from the Foxboro Sports Center. At home, Stonehill put together a record of 2-5-2 overall but closed out its last five contests on home ice with a 2-1-2 showing.

Offensively this season, senior captain and NE-10 All-Conference first team selection Patrick Greene (Weymouth, Mass./Catholic Memorial) leads the squad in points with 28 total on seven goals and 21 assists. Greene ranks first overall in assists in the NE-10 and second overall in points. Sophomore forward Bill Carey (Weymouth, Mass.) ranks second on the team in points with nine goals and 12 assists while junior forward Dana Borges (Taunton, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy) is third overall with 20 points (four goals, 16 assists). Stonehill is also second in the NE-10 in scoring offense at 3.21 goals per game.

Chris Tasiopoulos made 40 saves in a
1-1 tie against Saint Anselm in the finale
game of the 2011-12 regular season.

Freshman netminder and NE-10 Rookie of the Year Chris Tasiopoulos (Norwell, Mass./Thayer Academy) anchors the Skyhawks defense with an 8-9-1 record, a .910 save percentage and a 2.99 goals against average (GAA). The freshman ranks second in the conference in GAA, third in save percentage and third in winning percentage. Tasiopoulos, along with the rest of the defense, currently ranks second in scoring defense at 3.25 goals per game and first on the penalty kill at 81.2 percent. With Rooney's and McNeil's shorthanded tallies against Assumption in the NE-10 Tournament semifinal game, the Skyhawks now lead the conference in shorthanded goals with eight on the season.

The Hawks (13-8-5, 3-0-2 NE-10), the two-time defending champion and six-time champion overall, enter Saturday's matchup with a 3-0-2 record overall in their last five games. Saint Anselm ranks first overall in the NE-10 in scoring offense (3.73 goals per game), scoring defense (3.04 goals per game), power play efficiency (24.2 percent) and combined special teams play (52.2 percent).

Freshman forward Johnny Daniels (Andover, Mass.) and junior forward Tim King (Weymouth, Mass./) lead the team in scoring with 27 points apiece. Daniels has scored eight goals and dished out 19 assists while King has potted seven markers and a team-leading 20 helpers. Freshman forward Sean Jenkins (Boston, Mass.) ranks third on the team in points with 24 (eight goals, 16 assists).

NE-10 Goaltender of the Year for the second-straight season Robert Kang (Glen Rock, N.J./Tabor Academy) guides the Hawks defense as he leads the conference in winning percentage (.750), ranks third in GAA at 3.07 and fourth in save percentage (.903). Kang has earned four NE-10 Goaltender of the Week awards on the season.

Saint Anselm advanced to the title game behind Kang's second-career shutout (32 saves) against fourth-seeded Saint Michael's College, 1-0, last Saturday night at Thomas F. Sullivan Arena.

Tyler Jackson and Patrick Leahy Preview the NE-10 Championship

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