Schreifels is now tied for the team lead with six goals on the season. (Photo Credit Mary Gettens).

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (December 31, 2023) – The Stonehill College men's ice hockey team came up short during its New Year's Eve matchup at Merrimack College, 3-2, Sunday night. With the loss, the Skyhawks fall to 0-18 overall, while the Warriors improve to 8-9-1 on the season.

Highlights

• Freshman Justin Barker netted his first collegiate goal.
• Junior Henri Schreifels is now tied for the team-lead in goals after scoring his sixth of the season.
• Freshman Joseph Grainda and sophomore Dominick Campione's recorded their third and fourth assists of the year, respectively, on Barker's first career goal.
• Junior Cameron Gaudette and sophomore Dean Schwenninger dished out their respective fourth and fifth assists of the season.
• Sophomore netminder Dylan Meilun tallied 36 saves in between the pipes for Stonehill.
• The Skyhawks dominated the faceoff circle, winning 35 of the 56 draws during the contest.
• Freshman Ty Daneault led the Warriors with a pair of goals for the second time of his young collegiate career, while graduate student Ben Brar dished out a pair of assists.
• Junior Devlin O'Brien scored his second of the campaign, which proved to be the game winner.
• Senior netminder Zachary Borgiel picked up his fifth win of the season in goal for Merrimack after recording 14 saves on his 16 shots faced.

How it Happened

• After a back-and-forth start to the opening frame, Meilun would have to stand tall in net at the 15:10 mark, halting a grade-A scoring chance by Brar to keep the game scoreless early on. 
• Both sides would continue to trade shots over the next 10 minutes of action until, with just over five minutes left in the period, sophomore Frank Ireland whistled a shot just wide of the net before freshman Conor Ronayne rang a shot off the post, nearly opening the scoring for the Skyhawks.
• However, the two teams would play a scoreless game after the conclusion of the opening 20 minutes of action.
• Coming out of the break, Merrimack's offense would go on the attack, scoring the game's opening goal just over one minute into the middle frame, as Daneault scored his fifth goal of the season on assists by Brar and junior Mark Hillier.
• Daneault extended the lead for Merrimack at the 10:28 mark of the second, sending a one-timer shot into the back of the net for his second goal of the period.
• Stonehill responded with a goal of its own at the 12:01 mark after Grainda sent a cross-ice pass to Barker, who capitalized and lit the lamp for his first collegiate goal.
• The Warriors would regain their two-goal advantage at 3-1 less than 90 seconds later as O'Brien scored his second of the campaign.
• Schreifels found the back of the net in the second period's final minute after capitalizing on a bouncing puck after a carom off the corner boards found its way in front of the Warrior's goal.
• Coming off the late goal in the second, Stonehill looked to find the equalizer in the third. However, after Grainda nearly scored shorthanded, the Skyhawks would be held scoreless in the final frame of regulation, eventually falling to the Warriors by a final score of 3-2. 

Up Next

Stonehill (0-18-0) returns to action next weekend traveling to Moon Township, Pa., for a two-game series against Robert Morris University. Puck drop of Friday's series opener between the Skyhawks and Colonials is set for 7 p.m.

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