NORTHEAST-10 CHAMPIONS!!--Cantin's Goal 9:39 Into Second Overtime Of Mini-Game Follows Feole's Three-Point Effort In Second Contest As Ice Hockey Claims First-Ever Northeast-10 Tournament Title With 5-3, 2-1 Sunday Sweep At Top-Seeded Saint Anselm
March 4, 2007
STONEHILL ICE HOCKEY
2007 Northeast-10 Conference Championships – Game 2
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Sullivan Arena, Manchester, N.H.
GAME #2 FINAL: STONEHILL 5, SAINT ANSELM 3
MINI-GAME FINAL: STONEHILL 2, SAINT ANSELM 1 (DOUBLE OVERTIME)
(Stonehill wins series, 2-1)
1 2 3 Total
Stonehill (14-12-1) 2 1 2 - 5
Saint Anselm (13-12-3) 1 2 0 - 3
SCORING SUMMARY
STA: Colin Fitzpatrick (Mike Foley) PPG 2:27 1st
STO: Pete Roundy (Matt Curran, Brendan O'Brien) 13:01 1st
STO: Chase Feole (Zachary Cantin, Billy Ninteau) 13:44 1st
STA: Brian Hartigan (Pat Forshner, Fitzpatrick) PPG 4:49 2nd
STO: Matt Curran (Feole, O'Brien) PPG 17:13 2nd
STA: Danny Ohlson (Hartigan, Foley) 18:33 2nd
STO: Paul Reissfelder (James Killeen, Rob Carpenter) 2:57 3rd
STO: Feole (Unassisted) 17:28 3rd
GOALIE SAVES
STO: Matt Gorman-16
STA: Jason Rafuse-34
MINI-GAME STATISTICS: STO GOALS: Chris Rogers, Cantin
STA GOAL: Nick Sacca
GOALIE SAVES: STO-Gorman (26), STA-Rafuse (20)
MANCHESTER, N.H.-- It took over 100 minutes of action, but second-seeded Stonehill captured its first-ever Northeast-10 Conference ice hockey championship Sunday evening in dramatic fashion, as after the Skyhawks notched a 5-3 victory over top-seeded Saint Anselm in the second game of the 2007 league championship set at Sullivan Arena, the visitors received a goal from freshman Zachary Cantin (Walpole, Mass.) 9:39 into the second overtime to claim a 2-1 mini-game decision and take the series 2-1.
Though no official statistics are kept for the mini-game, Cantin lifted Stonehill to the playoff crown after tipping home a rebound off the stick of freshman Chris Rogers (Westford, Mass.), who had given the Skyhawks a 1-0 lead 1:42 into the regulation portion of the mini-game. Saint Anselm evened matters on senior Nick Sacca's (Arlington, Mass.) marker 9:44 into the mini-game regulation, and the two teams played scoreless hockey for the next 40-plus minutes until Cantin's heroics lifted Stonehill to the title.
Junior Colin Fitzpatrick (Westwood, Mass.) gave Saint Anselm a 1-0 lead just 2:27 into the second game of the championship series to begin the afternoon with a power play goal, but Stonehill grabbed a 2-1 advantage after the first 20 minutes of action after netting a pair of markers in a 43 second span, as freshman Pete Roundy (Simsbury, Conn.) evened matters at the 13:01 mark before junior Chase Feole (Windham, N.H.) gave the Skyhawks the lead just 43 seconds later. The Hawks evened matters 4:49 into the middle stanza on sophomore Brian Hartigan's (Saugus, Mass.) power play tally, and after Stonehill regained a 3-2 lead with 2:47 remaining in the period on junior Matt Curran's (Scarborough, Maine) power play goal, the hosts forged a 3-3 tie after two on senior Danny Ohlson's (York, Maine) tally just 1:20 later.
Sophomore Paul Reissfelder (Plymouth, Mass.) gave the Skyhawks the lead for good 2:57 into the final period when he tipped home a rebound from the right circle, and Feole's breakaway marker with 2:32 remaining helped ice the second game triumph for Stonehill to tie the series at 1-1, setting up a mini-game that fell just 10:21 short of being a regulation-timed contest.
Feole added an assist to finish with a three-point performance in the second game win for Stonehill, which also received a goal and an assist from Curran as well as a pair of helpers from sophomore Brendan O'Brien (Braintree, Mass.). Junior Rob Carpenter (Cohasset, Mass.), along with Cantin and sophomores Billy Ninteau (Litchfield, N.H.) and James Killeen (Derry, N.H.), added single assists in the win for the Skyhawks, while Hartigan and Fitzpatrick each finished with a goal and an assist in the second game setback for Saint Anselm.
Senior Matt Gorman (Southboro, Mass.) closed out his career by playing all 109:39 between the pipes for Stonehill, as he made 16 saves in the second game before making 26 stops in the mini-game, including three Hawk breakaways in the first overtime period alone. Senior Jason Rafuse (Nepean, Ont.) made 34 saves in the second game setback for Saint Anselm and added 20 stops in the mini-game for the Hawks.
"I'm so proud of this team and the heart that they showed tonight," Stonehill Head Coach Scott Harlow said immediately following the championship win. "After yesterday's game (a 9-3 Stonehill setback in the first contest of the championship series), we came out determined and really dug in. We created chances and took advantage of opportunities, and in the end our heart is what won this championship."
O'Brien, who finished the season with 12 goals and 33 assists for 45 points, was named as the 2006-2007 Northeast-10 Player of the Year, joining former Skyhawk standout Rob Pascale in earning the award, while Harlow was tabbed as the conference's Coach of the Year for the second straight season and fourth time in his career. O'Brien and Florentino, who was named as the Most Valuable Player of the Northeast-10 Championships, each earned first-team all-conference accolades, while Curran, Ninteau, Gorman and senior Josh Green (Mendon, Mass.) each earned second-team all-league honors for Stonehill.