BOX SCORE

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - Third-seeded Saint Michael's College scored two goals in the game's final 8:26 to break a 5-5 tie and post a 7-5 win over No. 6 seed Southern New Hampshire University in the first round of the Northeast-10 Ice Hockey Championship at Cairns Arena Saturday.  The Purple Knights advance to Wednesday's semifinals against No. 2 seed Assumption College and improve to 7-16-3, while the Penmen see their season come to a close at 5-15-3.

Reave McKinnon led Saint Michael's with three goals, while Matt Rigtrup totaled a goal and two assists. 

Andrew Hildreth (Leominster, Mass.), Matt Farley (Halifax, Mass.) and John Frey (Westminster, Colo.) led Southern New Hampshire with a goal and an assist apiece.  Ryan DiBartolomeo (Leominster, Mass.) and Charles Wisniewski (Strongsville, Ohio) had the other SNHU goals, while Mark Lodge (Alfred, Maine) registered a pair of assists.

SNHU trailed 5-4 entering the third period but tied the game 8:45 into the third period when DiBartolomeo scored on a power play.  Troy Maybury (South Portland, Maine) and Hildreth assisted on the goal.  Ryan Nest broke the tie with his first goal of the season for Saint Michael's at the 11:34 mark, and MacKinnon would add an empty net goal with 57 seconds to play.

Trailing 2-1 after one period, the Penmen scored three times in a 1:19 span to take a 4-2 lead at the 7:54 mark.  Hildreth scored at 6:35, then Frey scored on a feed from Lodge 17 seconds later to give the guests their first lead.  Wisniewski made it 4-2 at 7:54 on another Lodge assists.

Saint Michael's would respond with two goals in a 32-second span to tie the game.  Higgins made it 4-3 at the 9:52 mark, then MacKinnon tied the game at the 10:24 mark.  The Purple Knights reclaimed the lead 2:28 before the second intermission on Rigtrup's goal.

The hosts jumped out to a 2-0 lead as they converted their first two power play opportunities of the afternoon.  Dave Vorozilchak got the Purple Knights on the board first with his goal 2:59 into the contest, while MacKinnon made it 2-0 6:45 in.  Southern New Hampshire got on the board when Farley scored 2:21 before the first intermission.

Brendan Rimmer turned aside 30 shots en route to the win for Saint Michael's.  Shane Brooks (Kennebunk, Maine) played the first 30:24 in goal and made 20 saves and allowed four goals before giving way to Mike Mastracci (Pittsburgh, Pa.).  Mastracci made a pair of saves in 5:05 before leaving due to injury.  Ryan Gleason (Westford, Mass.) went the rest of the way between the pipes for SNHU, making 15 saves and allowing two goals.  Saint Michael's, which was 2-of-5 on the power play, outshot the Penmen 44-35.  Southern New Hampshire was 1-of-7 with the man advantage.