Box Score HOOKSETT, N.H. – Senior Dane Caracino (Belmont, Mass.) scored two goals and handed out an assist, but the Southern New Hampshire University ice hockey team dropped its regular-season finale against SUNY Canton, 7-4, at the Ice Den on Sunday. The Penmen move to 10-12-2 while the Roos improve to 8-16-2.
Southern New Hampshire jumped ahead midway through the first when senior John Humphrey (Charlestown, Mass.) found the back of the net on the powerplay 9:03 into the contest. Senior Steven Berry (Ashburn, Va.) worked the puck up the right-side boards to classmate Casey Goll (Winthrop, Mass.). Goll fired a shot through traffic, and Humphrey redirected it past Chris Marsillo for his sixth of the season. Tyler Ralph evened the score with 1:55 left in the first with a shorthanded goal to send the teams to intermission deadlocked at one.
Caracino regained the one-goal advantage for the Penmen with a powerplay strike just over five minutes into the second. Sophomore Jay Sylvia (Acushnet, Mass.) carried the puck into the offensive zone before working it back to junior Jim Gabrione (Boca Raton, Fla.) at the blue line. Gabrione then fired a quick cross-ice pass over to Caracino, who then ripped a short-side wrist shot to the back of the net to make it 2-1 with 14:27 remaining in the second.
SUNY Canton responded with a Josh Sova powerplay goal 3:55 later and proceeded to score the game's next four goals. Eric Witzel and Davis Ferris gave the Roos a 4-2 edge at the end of two periods of play before Joe Casale and Jordan Grimsley made it 6-2 at 2:47 of the third.
The Penmen climbed back into the game with a pair of powerplay goals midway through the period. Junior Anthony Laperriere (Winchendon, Mass.) collected his sixth of the year with 8:16 left in regulation from Caracino and Sylvia. Caracino then netted his 14th goal, and 11th on the man advantage, off a feed from fellow senior Bryan Wright (Reading, Mass.). Canton added an empty-net goal late in the third to put the game out of reach and cap the scoring.
Freshman Ryan Slatky (Manchester, N.H.) stopped 24 shots in 42:47 for Southern New Hampshire before giving way to junior David Letarte (Salem, Mass.). Marsillo finished with 29 saves between the pipes for the Roos.
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