Senior Christopher Rogers capped Stonehill's comeback with a shorthanded goal with 1:55 remaining.

Stonehill Storms Past WNEC in Opener, 4-3

Skyhawks net four third-period goals to erase a pair of two-goal deficits

Boxscore 

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 3, 2009) - The Stonehill College ice hockey team opened its 2009-2010 season with a 4-3 comeback victory over Western New England College in non-conference action at Smead Arena tonight.

Senior Christopher Rogers (Westford, Mass./Pomfret School) scored a shorthanded goal with just 1:55 remaining in regulation to cap a Stonehill rally that erased a pair of two-goal deficits in the third period. Senior Zachary Cantin (Saugus, Mass./Xavarian Brothers) led the Skyhawks scoring with a goal and assist. Junior Andrew Todesca (Westwood, Mass./Catholic Memorial) and freshman Dana Borges (Taunton, Mass./Coyle Cassidy) also scored goals for Stonehill.

Junior Vinny Weyel (North Haven, Conn./North Haven) led Western New England with a goal and assist, while sophomore Kory Grahl (San Diego, Calif.) added a pair of assists. Sophomore Rory Hansen (Noblesville, Ind.) and freshman Nico Santaniello (East Longmeadow, Mass.) also scored for the Golden Bears.

Junior Michael Manna (Framingham, Mass./Xavarian Brothers) made 32 saves to preserve the win for Stonehill. Junior Justin Richards (Somers, Conn./Somers) posted 44 stops for WNEC, including 16 in the third period. The Skyhawks finished with a 48-35 advantage in shots, including a 20-9 margin in the third period.

Stonehill trailed 2-0 after two periods of play and were trailing 3-1 after a WNEC goal by Santaniello 4:27 into the third period. Cantin sparked the comeback less than four minutes later, assisted by sophomores Patrick Greene (Weymouth, Mass./Catholic Memorial) and Andrew Diozzi (Belmont, Mass./Deerfield) at 8:21.

Stonehill equalized the game 1:44 later with Todesca's goal, assisted by junior Andrew Webb (Jaffrey, N.H./Westminster School) and freshman George DeMello (Cotuit, Mass./Tabor Academy) at 9:45. Rogers' winning goal came unassisted with 24-seconds left on a WNEC power-play.

WNEC scored a goal in each of the first periods. Hansen opened the scoring with 1:55 left in the first period, assisted by Grahl and Weyel, the latter of whom doubled the Golden Bears lead with a power-play goal with just one second left in the second.

Borges opened the Stonehill scoring with his first collegiate goal on a power-play 3:30 into the third period, assisted by Cantin. Santaniello regained WNEC's two-goal lead less than a minute later, assisted by sophomore Mike Kaseloukas (East Longmeadow, Mass.) at 4:27.

Stonehill (1-0-0, 0-0-0 NE-10) is back in action on Friday when it opens the 2009 Becker College Ice Breaker Tournament against host Becker at 6:30 p.m. The Skyhawks open their home schedule on Wednesday, November 11, when they host Johnson & Wales University at 7 p.m. Western New England (0-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC-NE) faces Westfield State College for the Falcons Cup at the Mass Mutual Center on Friday at 4 p.m.

Stonehill 4, Western New England 3

                       1   2     3       -    T
Stonehill         0    0     4       -    4
WNEC             1    1     1       -    3

Scoring: WNEC: Rory Hansen (Kory Grahl, Vinny Weyel) 18:05; WNEC: Weyel (Grahl) 19:59 - PP; STO: Dana Borges (Zachary Cantin) 3:38 - PP; WNEC: Nico Santaniello (Mike Kaselouskas) 4:27; STO: Cantin (Patrick Greene, Andrew Diozzi) 8:21; STO: Angelo Todesca (Andrew Webb, George DeMello) 9:45; STO: Christopher Rogers (unassisted) 18:05 - SH.

Goaltending: STO: Michael Manna (60:00) 11-13-8=32; WNEC: Justin Richards (59:29) 14-14-16=44

Shots on Goal: Stonehill: 14-14-20=48; WNEC: 12-14-9=35

Power Play: STO: 1/6; WNEC: 1/5