Stonehill Edges Salve Regina, 2-1

Skyhawks cruise into semester break winners of five-straight,
above .500 for first time in program history

Boxscore 

Sophomore Andrew Diozzi scored both Stonehill goals to mark his second multi-goal game in as many nights to lift the Skyhawks past Salve Regina for its fifth-straight win.

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (December 9, 2009) - Stonehill College closed out its first semester schedule winners of five-straight following a 2-1 victory at Salve Regina University in non-conference ice hockey action at Portsmouth-Abbey Rink tonight.

Sophomore goaltender Tyler Jackson stopped 29 of the 30 shots on goal he faced in notching his fifth-straight win.

Sophomores Andrew Diozzi (Belmont, Mass./Deerfield) and Tyler Jackson (Little Silver, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) led Stonehill to the victory for the second-straight night with their contributions on offense and defense, respectively. Diozzi notched his second-straight multi-goal game, scoring both Skyhawk goals, while Jackson remained on fire in goal, stopping 29 of the 30 shots on goal he faced to pick up his fifth-straight win in net. The Skyhawks also got two assists from senior Zachary Cantin (Saugus, Mass./Xaverian Brothers).

Jackson and the Stonehill defense has yielded just four goals over its current five-game winning streak (0.80 goals against average) to close out its first semester and move back above .500 for the second time this season. Salve Regina finished with a 30-24 advantage in shots on goal for the contest.

Stonehill converted on 1-of-3 power play chances on the night, while Salve Regina went 0-for-4 - coming up empty on a five-minute major power play late in regulation with a chance to force overtime. The Skyhawks special teams defense killed off all 23 of its opponent's power plays over its current five-game upswing and 27-straight overall dating back to the second period of its loss to the University of Massachusetts Boston back on November 28.

Freshman Bobby Bayliss (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) finished with 22 saves in goal for Salve Regina, including 11 in the third period to give the Seahawks a chance at the equalizer which wouldn't come. Senior Patrick Bambery (Braintree, Mass./Kent's Hill School) scored the lone Salve goal.

Bambery opened the scoring in fact, with his fourth goal of the season, assisted by senior Tyler Trott (Rehoboth, Mass./Tilton School) and junior Kevin Sullivan (North Branford, Conn./The Gunnery), 9:41 into the first period. Despite the goal, Jackson shined for Stonehill, posting 15 of his 29 saves in that stanza.

Diozzi turned the score line around with a pair of goals in the span of 1:38 in the second period. His first goal, assisted by Cantin and sophomore Bill Harris (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth), came on the power play at 13:07. Diozzi's team-leading eighth goal of the season came at 14:45, assisted by Cantin and sophomore Patrick Greene (Weymouth, Mass./Catholic Memorial), and put the Skyhawks in front for good.

Stonehill (7-6-1, 1-2-0 NE-10) enters its six-week long mid-season hibernation above .500 for the first time in program history. The Skyhawks return to action on Wednesday, January 21, when it visits Westfield State College for a non-conference contest at 7:35 p.m. Stonehill's next home game isn't until Wednesday, January 28, when it hosts Wentworth Institute of Technology at 7 p.m. Salve Regina (1-7-0, 0-4-0 ECAC-NE) visits Amherst College on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Stonehill 2, Salve Regina 1

                                    1      2    3       -    T
Stonehill                       0     2    0       -    2
Salve Regina                 1     0    0       -    1

Scoring: SRU: Patrick Bambery (Tyler Trott, Kevin Sullivan) 9:41; STO: Andrew Diozzi (Bill Harris, Zachary Cantin) 13:07-PP; STO: Diozzi (Cantin, Patrick Greene) 14:45.

Goaltending: STO: Tyler Jackson (60:00) 15-9-5=29; SRU: Bobby Bayliss (60:00) 6-5-11=22.

Shots on Goal: STO: 6-7-11=24; SRU: 16-9-5=30.

Power Play: STO: 1/3; SRU: 0/4.