BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (October 11, 2024) – The Stonehill College men's ice hockey team dropped its home opener to Union College Friday night, 4-2, at the Bridgewater Ice Arena. With the loss, the Skyhawks fall to 1-1 on the young campaign, while the Garnet Chargers improved 2-0 overall.

Highlights

• Sophomore Conor Ronayne lit the lamp on his first goal of the season off sophomore classmate Anthony Galante's first assist of the year.
• Senior Henri Schreifels netted his first goal of the season shorthanded in the second period. Schreifels now leads the squad with three points through two games this season.
• Senior Cameron Gaudette blocked a team-high three shots for the Skyhawks.
• Freshman goaltender Linards Lipskis tallied 41 saves in his collegiate debut in between the pipes for Stonehill.
• Sophomore Jacob Jeannette scored his first collegiate goal as part of a two point night, while junior Parker Lindauer also dished out a pair of assists on the night for the Garnet Chargers.
• Junior classmates Carter Korpi and John Prokop lit the lamp for the second consecutive game, while senior Josh Nixon tallied his first goal of the season.
• Junior netminder Kyle Chauvette earned his second win of the season, registering 24 saves for Union College on the night.

 
How It Happened
Following an even start to the Skyhawks' home opener, Union would crack the scoresheet first at the 3:56 mark when a shot from just inside the blue line made it through the legs of Lipskis and into the back of the net off the stick of Nixon. After Nixon's lamp-lighter early on in the first period, both sides would go back and forth over the next 17 minutes of play in the opening frame, playing to a 1-0 score heading into the first intermission.
 
Stonehill went on the attack, outshooting the Garnet Chargers 10-1 over the first five minutes of action in the middle period. Just under halfway through the second, the Skyhawks would find the equalizer after a pass from Galante below the goal line made its way out front to Ronanye, who pushed a shot past Chauevette in goal to even the game up at one aside.
 
The Stonehill penalty kill unit would be put to work at the 14:54 mark of the second. Despite facing six shot attempts over the two-minute Union power-play opportunity, Lipskis and the Skyhawk's defense would stand tall, keeping the game knotted at 1-1.
 
In the second period's final minute, freshman defender Justin Gibson would force a turnover on his defensive end of the ice and create a loose puck in the neutral zone that Schreifels would retrieve and head on the breakaway. Into the offensive zone with pressure from behind, Schreifels would power his way toward the net and score a shorthanded 4-on-3 goal to give the Skyhawks a one-goal lead heading into the third period.
 
Despite Stonehill scoring the late goal in the second, Union came out with renewed momentum in the final frame of regulation, tallying four shot attempts in the opening 90 seconds of the third before tying the game up at the 1:54 mark off the stick of Korpi.
 
After Korpi lit the lamp on his second goal of the season, both sides would go back and forth on the ice; trading shot attempts until the 11:32 mark, where the Garnet Chargers regained their early advantage from the opening frame. Following a pass out in front off the boards by junior Colby MacArthur, Jeannette would be there to retrieve the pass and push a puck past Lipskis for his first career goal.
 
Prokop capped off the scoring and sealed the 4-2 victory for Union at the 18:31 mark with a shot over from the point that sailed underneath the crossbar and over the glove of Lipskis into the back of the net.
 
Up Next
Stonehill (1-1-0) returns to action on Saturday, traveling up to Boston to take on Northeastern. Puck drop from inside Matthews Arena between the Skyhawks and Huskies is set for 7 p.m.
 
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