Skyhawks head to the NE10 Championship for the fifth time in program history
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vermont (February 29, 2020) – The Stonehill College ice hockey team secured its spot in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Championship, as senior Ryan Meade scored the game winner in overtime, 4-3, against Saint Michael's College Saturday night in the semifinal round at Cairns Arena.
By the Numbers:
- Stonehill's (12-11-5, 8-6-4 NE10) Brendan Nehmer, Jack Scannell, Nicholas Godin, and Meade scored the goals in the victory, while senior goaltender Matthew Schoen stopped 34 saves in the game.
- Teddy McElaney, Mike Seoane, Colin Quinn, Michael Seibold, Kayser Raei, Charles Page, Jack Hall, and Zachary Frament all assisted in the goals.
- Saint Michael's College (15-9-3, 11-5-2 NE10) Jeremy Routh, Sel Narby, and Thomas Flack recorded the goals, while goaltender Tim Decker registered 28 saves.
- The Skyhawks were outshot by the Purple Knights 37-32, as Stonehill went 0-for-4 in power play opportunities and Saint Michael's went 2-for-6 in the loss.
How It Happened:
- During the first period, the Skyhawks tallied three shots to the Purple Knight's 17. Schoen was able to hold down the fort as he covered all crevices. The two teams battled it out in the 11th minute of play as they went four-on-four for one minute, 39 seconds.
- In the second period, the Purple Knights' Routh skated down the left board one-on-one with a defender sliding it under Schoen's pad for a 1-0 advantage 4:12
- Just over two minutes after Saint Michael's got on the board, Teddy dumped the puck in front of the net from the right side of the zone, as Nehmer collected it and jammed it home to tie the game 1-1 at 6:17 in the second period.
- Stonehill took their first advantage of the game at 11:59 in the second period as a cross from Quinn from the right side found Scannell for a one-timer in the crease on the left side for a 2-1 lead. This was Scannell's second goal of the season and 13th of his career.
- Stonehill skated three-on-five for a minute and 56 seconds, before Narby found the top shelf for a power play goal at the top of the key to tie the score for the second time of the game, 2-2, at 18:48.
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Nehmer scored his seventh goal of the season to tie the game 1-1 (PHOTO BY: James Buck) - Just under two minutes later, Muller had an initial shot that was stopped by Schoen. However, Flack was able to hammer it home to tie the game at three each, 3-3, at 5:21 for the Purple Knights' second power play goal of the game.
- On a two-on-two opportunity, two minutes into overtime, Stonehill charged down the ice as Hall sent the puck over to Wright who went for the initial shot. The puck then went loose and Meade skated between the circles finding the back of the net for his eighth goal of the season.
Outside the Glass:
- Stonehill will be making their fifth appearance in the NE10 Championship game next Saturday, March 7. This will be second time in five years that the Skyhawks have appeared, with the last time being in 2015-16 when Stonehill won their second NE10 Championship.
- This is the eighth season since 1999 that the Skyhawks have had a record at .500 or higher.
- Senior Ryan Meade was in the lineup for his 100th-career game played with the Purple and White. He is the fourth Skyhawk to reach this milestone this season, along with classmates Michael Seibold , Cameron Wright, Connor Jewett.
Up Next:
Following the other semifinal game, the fourth-seeded Franklin Pierce University upset the top-seeded Assumption College, 4-3 in overtime. Stonehill will now host the Ravens on Saturday, March 7 at Warrior Ice Arena in Boston, Massachusetts with a 6:40 p.m. puck drop.
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