Junior forward Kevin Aufiero recorded his fifth assist of the season tonight, but Stonehill lost 3-2 to Plymouth State.

Tasiopoulos makes 42 saves in first start of season

FOXBORO, Mass. (November 7, 2013) – The Stonehill College ice hockey team was unable to recover from a 3-1 third period deficit, as visiting Plymouth State topped Stonehill 3-2 tonight in non-conference action at the Foxboro Sports Center.

Junior goaltender Chris Tasiopoulos (Norwell, Mass./Thayer Academy) stopped 42 shots to keep Stonehill in the contest until the final buzzer, but a two goal third period deficit was too much for the Skyhawks to overcome. Tasiopoulos was just two saves shy of a tying his career high, as he recorded 44 saves twice as a freshman.

Sophomore forward Robbie Dorgan (Ossining, N.Y./Boston Bulldogs) scored his third goal in the last two games, and junior forward Kevin Aufiero (Canton, Mass./Walpole Express) tallied his team-leading fifth assist of the season. Junior forward Stephen Balsamo (Atkinson, N.H./Brewster Academy) added his first goal of the season, and senior captain Bryan Rooney (Canton, Mass./New Hampton School) and sophomore forward Thomas DePoalo (Mendham, N.J./Morristown Beard School) each contributed an assist.

Plymouth State utilized three different goal scorers in tonight's contest, with freshman forward Dan Dupell (Collegeville, Pa./Port Huron Fighting Falcons) netting the first, classmate Ian McGilvrey (Omaha, Neb./Millard West) the second, and junior defenseman Zach Sarig (Wyomissing, Pa./Valley Jr. Warriors) scoring the game-winner with 7:28 elapsed in the final period.

Plymouth State got out to a first period lead 12 and a half minutes into the opening frame, as Dupell beat Tasiopoulos with the help of assists from sophomore forward Tieg Alward (Vail, Colo./New England Huskies) and freshman forward Ryan Callahan (Londonderry, N.H./Middlesex Islanders). Stonehill responded just under five minutes later with Dorgan's goal, and the game went into the first intermission tied at 1.

Plymouth State regained the advantage when McGilvrey scored twelve minutes into the second, and then the Panthers gave themselves a two-goal cushion with Sarig's eventual game-winner 7:28 into the third.

Stonehill attempted a comeback, sparked by Balsamo's first of the season with only 4:12 left in the contest, but Plymouth State senior goaltender Tyler Ingerson (Concord, N.H./New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs) was able to keep every shot in front of him the rest of the way. Ingerson made 24 saves in the winning effort, rebounding nicely from allowing eight goals in Plymouth State's season opening loss.

Stonehill (1-2, 1-0 NE-10) returns to the ice next Wednesday, when the Skyhawks host Northeast-10 foe Assumption College at the Foxboro Sports Center. Plymouth State (1-1, 0-0 MASCAC) will hit the road this Saturday for a non-conference test at Southern New Hampshire University.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market.