MANCHESTER, N.H.—Keith Merluzzo (Billerica, Mass.) tallied three goals and an assist but it was not enough to carry Southern New Hampshire University, as the Penmen fell to Saint Michael's College by a score of 7-5 in Northeast-10 Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Larkin Field.  With the loss, the Penmen fall to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in NE-10 action, while the win boosts the Purple Knights to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in the league. 

The two teams would play evenly in the first two quarters, with the Penmen taking an early 1-0 lead in the first quarter on a goal by Merluzzo at the 12:52 mark.  Greg Reynolds (Scituate, Mass.) assisted on the goal.  The Purple Knights would respond in the second quarter with a goal by Paul Tortora to even the score at 1-1 entering halftime. 

Southern New Hampshire and Saint Michael's would exchange goals in the third period with the Penmen carrying the narrow 3-2 lead into the final quarter.  The Purple Knights would then score four-straight goals to take a 7-4 lead.  Merluzzo would add another goal with 13 seconds remaining in the game to set the final score at 7-5. 

In addition to Merluzzo's four-point performance for the Penmen, Reynolds added a goal and two assists. John Cuozzo (Norfolk, Mass.) added a single goal to round out scoring for Southern New Hampshire. 

Tortora scored twice for the Purple Knights, who also saw single tallies by Pete Donnally, Marty Vanzo, and Max Zuccarini.  Andrew Buccellato and Kevin Hunt each added a goal and two assists for Saint Michael's. 

Brendan O'Brien (Hopkinton, Mass.) took the loss in net for the Penmen and recorded 13 saves.  Chris Demairo played the first half in net for the Purple Knights and posted six saves before giving way to Theo Ferguson who also recorded six saves en route to the win.  The Purple Knights would post a 31-24 shot advantage on the afternoon and finish 1-for-1 on extra-man opportunities, while the Penmen would finish 1-for-6 with the extra man. 

Southern New Hampshire returns to action on Wednesday, traveling to face cross-town rival Saint Anselm College at 4:00 p.m. in Northeast-10 Conference action.