Skyhawks post season-high offensive output as Jackson keeps potent Greyhounds in check
Dana Borges led the Skyhawks with three points. (PHOTO BY Ian Thomas) |
FOXBORO, Mass. (January 22, 2011) – The Stonehill College men’s ice hockey team began the second half of their season with a dominant 6-2 home victory over Assumption College in Northeast-10 Conference action on Saturday.
Eleven players recorded points for Stonehill as the Skyhawks erupted for a season-high six goals in their return from a 43-day hiatus. After netting five goals in the first 19 minutes, Stonehill withstood a chippy third period to maintain the lead as junior goaltender Tyler Jackson (Little Silver, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) kept the game out of reach for Assumption with a 37-save performance in the net.
Sophomore Dana Borges (Taunton, Mass./Coyle Cassidy) led all scorers with two goals and an assist for the Skyhawks. Freshmen Bryan Rooney (Canton, Mass./Canton) and Bill Carey (Weymouth, Mass./Catholic Memorial) and sophomore forward George DeMello (Cotuit, Mass./Tabor Academy) each tallied a goal and an assist, and junior Patrick Greene (Weymouth, Mass./Catholic Memorial) added a goal.
Senior Patrick Fitzgibbons (Worcester, Mass.) netted a power-play goal for the Greyhounds in the third period, and junior Taylor Larsen (Blackstone, Mass.) extended his NE-10 scoring lead with a goal in the final minute of regulation. Three players split time in net for Assumption as junior Nick Blanchette (Stuart, Fla.) took the loss with two saves to open the game, freshman Jordan Sweigart (Reading, Pa.) stopped eight shots, and freshman Bobby Bowden (Springfield, Mass.) made 18 saves over the final two periods.
Tyler Jackson returned to the Stonehill net with a 37-save effort. (PHOTO BY Ian Thomas) |
Rooney scored just 1:51 into the first period to open the gates for the Skyhawks, and DeMello and Carey followed with a pair of power-play conversions before the ten-minute mark to chase Blanchette from the game. Borges scored his first of the day with help from Carey and junior Mario Ranalli (Lakeville, Mass./Coyle Cassidy), and as Greene extended the lead to 5-0 at 18:53 of the first period with Stonehill’s third power-play goal of the day, Jackson made 12 stops at the other end to preserve the advantage.
Bowden held the Skyhawks scoreless in his first 20 minutes in the net and Assumption turned up the pressure with a 15-7 advantage in shots, but Jackson was up to the task as he and the Stonehill defense killed off all four second-period penalties. Borges tacked on a power-play goal at 3:59 of the third period to make it 6-0 as Stonehill converted a season-best 4 of 7 power plays on the day.
Assumption broke through with a pair of goals in the final ten minutes, after a combined 64 penalty minutes shook up the lineups and Fitzgibbons converted the Greyhounds’ first power play in seven tries. Larsen added his 12th of the year at 18:57 from junior Pat O’Kane (Hollis, N.H.) for the final 6-2 margin.
Stonehill (3-10-1, 2-1-1 NE-10) continues NE-10 play next week with visits to Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday and Franklin Pierce University on Saturday, and will be back in action at home on Wednesday, February 2 to host Framingham State College at 7:40 p.m.
Below: postgame interviews with Dana Borges and Tyler Jackson.
