Box Score VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Back-to-back second period goals led the Southern New Hampshire University ice hockey team to its first-ever Northeast-10 Championship Saturday afternoon in front of a sell-out crowd. The third-seeded Penmen defeated No. 4 Saint Michael's by a score of 4-1 to capture the title, and to close out the season. SNHU wraps up a 17-win season, the most in program history since 2004-05, while the Purple Knights see their season come to an end with a 7-17-3 record.
The Penmen defeated cross-town rival, and four-time NE-10 champion Saint Anselm by a score of 4-1 last week to punch a ticket to their third-ever conference championship game, and first under Coach of the Year, Ken Hutchins. SNHU scored two second period goals, and held off Saint Michael's through the third, while also netting two empty net scores to secure the win.
All-Conference First-Team selection Jim Gabrione (Boca Raton, Fla.) notched the first score of the game, and 18th on the season, in the second frame after a scoreless first period. Jay Sylvia (Acushnet, Mass.) and Nick Riccio (Wilmington, Mass.) assisted on the goal to give the Penmen a 1-0 advantage just 2:47 into the period. Sylvia then upped the lead to two with his 13th goal of the season two minutes later from Trevor Nelson (Exeter, N.H.) and Riccio. SNHU held onto its lead for the first half of the period, but Kevin Altidor was able to sneak in a goal past Tyler Holske (Attleboro, Mass.) to put the visitors on the board and cut the lead to one, heading into the final period.
Holske fended off 13 shots from the Purple Knights in order to keep them scoreless in the third and to hold onto the 2-1 lead. With under a minute to play in the game, Saint Michael's pulled its goalie, Dave Donzanti, and SNHU capitalized on the empty net, scoring twice more in the final minute to secure the game, and take a 4-1 lead. Senior Brian Troy (Ashburnham, Mass.) scored the first empty-netter with 52 seconds remaining, and Dane Caracino (Belmont, Mass.) followed with his 11th goal of the season with 11 seconds to play.
Holske turned away 44 shots, including 14 in the first period, 17 in the second, and 13 in the final 20 minutes of play. The senior captain wraps up his career as a Penmen as the program's all-time career saves leader with 2,484 saves. Donzanti had 26 saves for the Purple Knights.
Three Penmen received NE-10 All-Championship honors after the game. Gabrione and Sylvia were named to the All-Championship Team, while Holske was named Most Outstanding Player of the Championship, totaling 98 saves in the last two games.
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