NE10 Hockey Championship Central

EASTON, Mass. (February 28, 2022)- Coming off their big win against the number two seed, Saint Anslem, the Stonehill College men's hockey team looks to keep their strong play going heading into the semi-finals of the Northeast-10 Conference playoffs. The squad will continue their NE10 title defense when they travel to Assumption University on Tuesday, March at the Worcester Ice Center. 

Admission for NE10 Tournament games will be $5.00, with students from NE10 institutions admitted free of charge with ID. NE10 NOW coverage with Chris Lynch calling the action is available via portal.stretchinternet.com/stonehill/ with links for the game and live stats at stonehillskyhawks.com. In addition to watching online, NE10 NOW viewers will also be able to watch the action live on their televisions through Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.

The Skyhawks reached the NE10 semi-finals after taking down heavily favored Saint Anslem in a 5-4 overtime thriller Saturday night. In a game that saw three lead changes and two ties, Mike Seoane scored the overtime game-winner for the purple and white. Saturday's game marked the sixth time this season Stonehill scored five or more goals. Stonehill's five goals all came from different skaters too (Tim Grable, Kyle Heath, Ryan King, Max Pineo, and Seoane). Assumption reached the semifinals in an exciting matchup versus the sixth-seeded Franklin Pierce Ravens. The Greyhounds took a 3-0 early in the game with the Ravens storming back thanks to two power-play goals and sent the game into overtime. With just 10:49 left to play, the Hounds found the winner courtesy of a Robert Holyoke goal. 

Going into Tuesday's game, Stonehill will again look upon its usual top goal-scorers, John Peloso (13 goals), and Brendan Nehmer (12), however, Seoane will also be another skater to watch out for offensive firepower. Seoane now has ten goals on the year and has scored in four out of his last five games including a two-goal performance against Assumption University (February 21). Seoane's ten goals put him third on the team, while also ranking within the top-five for other team categories such as assists (fourth) and points-20 (third). In regards to conference rankings, Seoane ranks within the top-20 in goals (11th) and is tied for 21st in assists. For his three games against Assumption, Seoane has performed strongly as he scored twice in two of three matchups and has also dished out an assist as Stonehill finished 1-2 against the Greyhounds. 

Senior team-captain Charles Page is also seen as a key piece to help make the Stonehill offense go as the forward set a new career-high in assists (12) which currently leads the team. Page was a key factor in Saturday's win as he assisted on Seoane's game-winning goal. Along with being one of the team's best facilitators, he also added six goals during the regular season. Page had a career game when he scored twice against Johnson and Wales on December 3 and then earlier in the year, he tied his single-game career-high in assists when he dished out two at Assumption on November 5. Every year in his career, Page has scored five or more goals and handed out five or more assists. For his three games against Assumption, Page handed out two assists in two of the three matchups. When it comes to the conference, Page is ranked within the top-15 for assists (13th). 

Goalie John Day, a two-time NE10 Goalie of the Week, had yet another strong game against Saint Anslem on Saturday. In the victory, Day stopped 35 shots (the seventh time this season he made 30+ saves) and posted a save percentage of .897. Coming into Tuesday's matchup with Assumption, Day played against Assumption in two out of their three matchups. In his two games against the Greyhounds, Day made 58 saves (29 saves average) and has allowed an average of 4.5 goals in those matchups. Overall on the year, Day has made 443 saves, a save percentage of .904, and a goals-against-average of 3.42. In terms of the conference, Day is a top-ten goalie in multiple categories such as saves (sixth), save percentage (sixth), and goals-against-average (seventh). 

Assumption's offense is led by the 14-goal scorer, Devan Smith. In Assumption's overtime win, Smith assisted on the Greyhound's game-winning goal giving him 10 assists on the season. During his three games played against Stonehill this year, Smith scored in each game while handing out one assist. Smith leads or is ranked within the top-three in many Assumption categories such as goals (first), assists-10 (third), points-24 (third), and shots-90 (third), In terms of conference rankings, Smith is third in goals, 21st in assists, eighth in points, and eighth in points. 

Between the pipes for the Greyhounds is goalie, David Altman who is also an NE10 Goalie of the Week. In Saturday's game against Franklin Pierce, he finished the game with 28 saves and a save percentage of .903. Altman played in two of the three matchups versus Stonehill this year and made 38 saves (19 saves on average) and allowed five goals (2.50 on average). For the year, Altman has made 564 saves, a save percentage of .913 and a goals-against-average of 2.92. As for his rankings in the NE10, Altman is ranked within the top ten of multiple categories such as saves (third), goals-against average (fourth), and save percentage (third).

The winner of tomorrow night's semifinal round game advances to Saturday's NE10 Championship to face the winner of Tuesday's matchup between No. 1 Southern New Hampshire University (16-7-0, 14-4-0 NE10) and No. 4 Post University (10-14-1, 7-9-1 NE10) being held in Manchester, N.H.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook , and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.

NE10 ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

First Round - Saturday, February 26th: 
Game #1: #7 Stonehill 5, #2 Saint Anselm 4 (OT)
Game #2: #3 Assumption 4, #6 Franklin Pierce 3 (OT)
Game #3: #4 Post 3, #5 Saint Michael's 1 

Semifinals - Tuesday, March 1st (at highest remaining seeds):
Game #4: #4 Post at #1 Southern New Hampshire – 7:40 PM
Game #5: #7 Stonehill at #3 Assumption - 7 PM

Championship - Saturday, March 5th (at highest remaining seed):
Game #6: Game #4 winner vs. Game #5 winner (at highest remaining seed)