HARRISVILLE, R.I.—A goal late in the third period brought the Penmen within one but the Southern New Hampshire University men's ice hockey team fell short as the Nichols College Bison posted a 4-3 win against the Penmen at the Levy Rink on Thursday afternoon. With the loss, the Penmen drop to 2-8-2 overall, while the win boosts the Bisons above the .500 mark to 7-6-1 on the season.
Nichols College would tally the first goal of the game 5:49 into the first period as Will Munson found the back of the net to score his fourth goal of the season. Tautvydas Shalna (Williston, Vt.) would answer by stealing the puck at center ice and carrying it the distance to the goal at the 11:58 mark to tally a shorthanded goal. The goal marked the first of his collegiate career.
The Bison answered a minute later to take the 2-1 advantage on a power play goal by Andrew Ella. Tyler Pascucci (North Reading, Mass.) would round out first period scoring by tying the game a 2-2 at the 16:29 mark. Jeff Hall (Dracut, Mass.) and Troy Maybury (South Portland, Maine) recorded assists on the goal.
The two teams would play a scoreless second period, but Nichols wasted no time in the third as Zach Kohn connected on a pass from Robbie Sorrenti 41 seconds into the final frame. The Bison extended the lead to 4-2 at the 8:07 mark as Ella collected a rebounded shot from teammate Josh DeLoach and positioned the puck past Penmen goaltender Tyler Holske (Attleboro, Mass.).
The Penmen pulled Holske at the 18:30 mark to add the extra skater, and Chris Hickey (Gilford, N.H.) scored 27 seconds later to bring the Penmen within one. The goal marked the end of scoring for the game and finalized the 4-3 Bison win.
Holske went the distance in net for the Penmen and recorded 34 saves in the loss. Nichols goaltender Jacob Rinn stopped 18 shots in the win for the Bison as Nichols outshot SNHU 38-21 on the afternoon. The Bison also finished the day 2-6 on power play attempts while holding the Penmen scoreless in three attempts.
Southern New Hampshire returns to action on Saturday, hosting SUNY Potsdam at 5:30 p.m. in non-conference action.
