BOX SCORE

When and Where: December 11, 2016 – Hooksett, N.H. (The Ice Den)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 3, Lebanon Valley College 2
Records: SNHU 10-3-0, LVC 1-8-2

Senior Nathan Bergeron (Auburn, Maine) scored his first two goals of the season on Sunday, including the game-winner just over nine minutes into the third period to lift the Southern New Hampshire University ice hockey team to a 3-2 victory against Lebanon Valley College.

Bergeron opened the game's scoring late in the first period, as he buried his first of the season with 1:50 left to play in the frame. After catching a cross-ice pass to break from the Penmen defensive end, Bergeron raced through the neutral zone and unloaded a wrist shot from the top of the left wing faceoff circle. The shot sailed past the glove of Dutchmen goaltender Joel Eisenhower and just inside the far post to make it 1-0 at the end of one.

Southern New Hampshire doubled its lead in the early stages of the second when freshman Brett Strawn (Wareham, Mass.) deposited his fifth goal of the season into the back of the net. Senior Jay Sylvia (Acushnet, Mass.) was camped in front of the net, and after his redirect attempt was stopped, Strawn beat the LVC defender to the rebound on the doorstep and punched the puck into an open net.

The game was far from over, as the Dutchmen used a pair of powerplay goals to draw even. Cole Hepler trimmed the two-goal deficit in half midway through the second with help from Jared Karas, and Karas knotted the score at two four minutes into the third from Travis Acker and Brad Nolan.

The stalemate would prove to last just 5:03, with Bergeron playing the hero role. Bergeron blocked an initial shot attempt at the right point before sophomore Artem Efimov-Barakov (Khimki, Russia) corralled the ricochet at the top of the far faceoff circle. Efimov-Barakov then lofted a perfect pass from the Penmen blue to the far blue line, which hit a streaking Bergeron in stride. He shook an LVC defender before tucking a snapshot short side, beating Eisenhower and giving the hosts a 3-2 triumph. 

Junior Ryan Slatky (Manchester, N.H.) improved to 9-2-0 on the season with 34 saves, while Eisenhower stopped 26 shots in the setback.

Notes:
- Southern New Hampshire University held a signing day for 10-year-old Alex Gabree of Bedford, New Hampshire prior to Sunday's contest. Gabree was matched with the Penmen ice hockey team through Team IMPACT, a nonprofit organization aiming to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team.
-  SNHU is now 11-3-0 overall and off to its best start in program history. The Penmen's 11 wins through its first 14 games bests the previous mark of 10 wins in the first 14 games, set by the 2004-05 team. The '04-05 SNHU squad started 10-2-2, and finished the season 18-7-3, a program record for wins.
- The Penmen were outshot, 36-29, and won 27-of-72 faceoffs on Sunday. Southern New Hampshire was also penalized 11 times for a total of 41 minutes, while Lebanon Valley was whistled for 16 minutes on eight infractions. The Dutchmen were 2-for-5 on the man advantage, while the Penmen were 0-for-5 on the powerplay.

What's Next:
Southern New Hampshire is idle until January 5, 2017 when it welcomes Westfield State University to the Ice Den for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.