Garrett White scored his second goal of the season in the second period against Nichols.

Senior forward Garrett White scores second period goal for Skyhawks lone tally

HARRISVILLE, R.I. (November 11, 2015) – The Stonehill College men's ice hockey team fell to Nichols College, 4-1, in non-conference action on Wednesday night at Levy Rink.

Senior forward Garrett White (Wakefield, Massachusetts/Boston Bulldogs - AJHL) scored 11:12 into the second period, while freshman goaltender William Palmer (Cranston, Rhode Island/Boston Bandits - EHL) and junior goaltender Patrick Farrington (Sandwich, Massachusetts/Bridgton Academy) combined for 24 saves in net for the Skyhawks.

Nichols was led by senior forward Tyler Beasley (Indianapolis, Indiana/Rochester Ice Hawks - NA3HL) and classmate Paul Prescott (Oakdale, Minnesota/Aberdeen Wings - NAHL), who recorded two points each, Beasley on two goals and Prescott on two assists. Beasley paced the Bison a season ago in assists (28), points (35) and was number four in the nation in assists/game with 1.00.

Junior defender Rob Belger (Yorktown Heights, New York/Hartford Jr. Wolfpack - AJHL) contributed with a pair of assists, while freshman Matthew Menta (Lima, Pennsylvania/Soo Eagles - NAHL) registered his second goal of his rookie campaign.

After giving up three goals in the opening 11:25 of the first period, Palmer and Farrington were strong, stopping 14 of 15 shots that came their way over the final 40 minutes. Their counterpart, Nichols senior netminder Alex Larson (Madison, Alabama/Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks - NA3HL) made 24 saves in 25 opportunities.

The Bison wasted no time in scoring to open the game, as sophomore forward Chris Deming (Madison, Alabama/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights - EHL) found the back of the net with the help of Prescott and senior defender Steve Lecey (Cedarburg, Wisconsin/Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks - NA3HL) just 3:44 after the puck dropped. Beasley made it 2-0 at the 8:11 mark, and netted his second goal of the game just a little over four minutes later to stake Nichols to a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Stonehill ramped up the pressure in the second period, cutting into the Nichols lead when White scored his second goal of the season on an assist from senior forward Thomas DePoalo (Mendham, New Jersey/Morristown Beard School). The Skyhawks continued to try and chip away at the Nichols lead but Larson was able to hold them off long enough for Menta to reestablish the Bison's three goal lead, taking a pass from Belger and senior forward Shane Totten (Traverse City, Michigan/ Soo Eagles - NOJHL) and depositing a shot past Palmer to give Nichols a 4-1 advantage.

Neither team could find the back of the net in the third period as Farrington turned away six shots while Larson stopped eight. Stonehill was 0-for-1 on the power play, while Nichols was 0-2 with a man advantage. The home team also held a 28-25 advantage in shots, including a 13-9 margin in the first period.

Stonehill (2-1-1, 1-0-0 NE-10) will look to bounce back on Saturday, as the Skyhawks travel to Hookset, New Hampshire, to take on Southern New Hampshire University at 5 p.m. Nichols (3-1-0, 2-0-0 ECAC NE) returns to action on Saturday as well, when they host Western New England University at 6:40 p.m.

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