HOOKSETT, N.H. — Junior Joe Collins (Mansfield, Mass.) notched a goal and two assists to lead the Southern New Hampshire University ice hockey team to a 6-3 victory over Fitchburg State University in the Manchester Police Athletic League (PAL)/Stovepipe Tournament on Saturday. The Penmen improve to 3-3 on the season, while the Falcons fall to 1-5-2.

With the victory, Southern New Hampshire advances to its first Manchester PAL/Stovepipe Tournament championship game since the 2010-2011 season. The Penmen will face SUNY Cortland at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, as the Red Dragons scored a 3-0 win over the University of New England in Saturday's first semifinal.

Southern New Hampshire jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as freshman Timothy Baylis (West Haven, Conn.) potted his second goal of the season just 3:11 into the opening period. After senior Mike Durelli (Wrightstown, N.J.) drove the net and flicked a shot over the net, he grabbed the loose puck behind the cage and fed Baylis, who finished into an open net. Fitchburg State closed out the period with a pair of goals, as Stephen Carlette picked up his first of the season with 3:23 remaining before John Celli tallied a power play strike 1:22 later to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage at intermission.

The Penmen regained momentum to start the second stanza, as they struck for three goals within the first seven minutes of the period to take a 4-2 lead. Freshman Kyle Valliere (Goffstown, N.H.) collected his first career goal just over two minutes into the middle frame to knot the score at two. Durelli gained possession of the puck along the rightwing boards in the offensive end and slid a pass to a cutting Valliere, who one-timed a shot past Ryan Wysocki.

Southern New Hampshire regained the lead 2:13 later when senior Dane Caracino (Belmont, Mass.) was credited with his fourth goal of the season. Caracino took a feed from senior Steven Berry (Ashburn, Va.) and attempted to dump the puck into the right-side corner of the Falcons' zone. As Wysocki came out to make a play behind his goal, the puck bounced off the boards and ricocheted into the open net to push the Penmen lead to 3-2.

With 13:08 remaining in the second, Collins carried the puck down the left wing into the Fitchburg State zone before firing a shot on goal. After the initial attempt was denied by Wysocki, sophomore Jay Sylvia (Acushnet, Mass.) crashed the net and converted the rebound opportunity to make it 4-2 Southern New Hampshire. Celli brought the Falcons back within a goal less than four minutes later when he picked up his second of the afternoon with 9:30 left in the period.

The two teams traded opportunities throughout the majority of the third period before Collins notched an insurance goal with under five minutes to play in regulation to give the Penmen a 5-3 advantage. Junior Jim Gabrione (Boca Raton, Fla.) sealed the victory when he tallied an empty-net goal off a feed from Collins to provide the final margin of victory.

Collins led the Southern New Hampshire offense with three points, while Durelli (2A) and Caracino (1G, 1A) chipped in with two points apiece. Junior David Letarte (Salem, Mass.) picked up his third victory of the season between the pipes with an 18-save performance. Fitchburg State received a two-point effort from Celli and a 25-save outing from Wysocki in the setback.

Fitchburg State will return to the ice on Sunday at 1:30 p.m., as the Falcons face the University of New England in the Manchester PAL/Stovepipe Consolation game.

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