NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (October 6, 2024) – The Stonehill College men's ice hockey team took down Merrimack College, 3-2, in an overtime thriller at Lawler Rink Sunday night. With the win, the Skyhawks open the season at 1-0, while the Warriors dropped to 0-1 overall.
Highlights
- Sophomore transfer Brady Hunter lit the lamp on his first career goal off graduate student Henri Schreifels' first assist of the season.
- Senior transfer Devlin O'Brien netted his first goal in a Skyhawk uniform, while sophomore Anthony Galante scored his first goal of the year.
- Graduate goaltender Connor Androlewicz tallied 27 saves and picked up the win during his Stonehill regular season debut in net.
- Freshman Joel Lehtinen, Leo Chambers, and Justin Gibson each made their collegiate debuts for the Skyhawks.
- The win also marked head coach David Berard's first win at the helm of the Skyhawks.
- Sophomore Ty Daneault found the back of the net for his first goal of the season off assists from graduate Harrison Roy and junior Trevor Griebel.
- Sophomore Seamus Powell also scored his first goal of the year for Merrimack.
- Senior netminder Spencer Marquiis made his collegiate debut for the Warriors and registered 22 saves throughout the matchup.
How It Happened
Stonehill's penalty kill unit would be tested early, as just 44 seconds into the competition, Merrimack would head on the power-play. However, the Skyhawks would hold tough on the defensive end of the ice, with sophomore
Devon Carlstrom and Schreifels each blocking a shot in front to keep the Warriors off the board early.
At the 14:38 mark of the opening frame, Merrimack would find the back of the net for the game's opening score when Daneault pounced on a loose puck in front and pushed it past Androlewicz in net.
Just four minutes after the Warriors took the lead, the Skyhawks would get their first power-play opportunity of the contest. Following a blocked one-timer shot off the stick of Schreifels, the graduate student would retrieve the rebound and send a pass into the slot for Hunter, who wristed a shot past Marquis in goal. Hunter's lamp lighter marked the first of his collegiate career.
Halfway through the second period of play, O'Brien narrowly joined fellow Merrimack transfer Hunter, lighting the lamp on his first goal as a Skyhawk. However, O'Brien's shot would glance off the crossbar and stay out of the net, keeping the game level at 1-1.
With just under five minutes left in the middle frame, Galante would be awarded a penalty shot after drawing a tripping penalty by graduate student
Colby Enns. However, Marquis would outlast Galante and hold his positioning between the pipes to stifle the Skyhawk's scoring chance and keep the game tied heading into the third.
Merrimack came out of the gates strong to start the third and final frame of regulation. Just two minutes into action, the Warriors tallied four shot attempts, two by Powell and senior
Michael Citara rocketed off the post at the respective 1:26 and 2:09 marks of the third.
With just over 12 minutes left in regulation, Merrimack would regain its early one-goal lead when Powell snapped a shot over Androlewicz's glove and into the back of the net.
As regulation was nearing an end, Stonehill emptied the net and went on the attack with sustained offensive zone pressure. With 10 seconds left, after a pass from the far side dot into the crease by Hunter, Galante redirected the shot past Marquis, evening the game at 2-2 and sending it into overtime.
Just 38 seconds into the five-minute three-on-three overtime period, a Skyhawk two-on-one rush would end with O'Brien sending the Skyhawks home with a win, rifling rebound off a Schreifels shot into the back of the cage, as Stonehill would walk away victorious by a final score of 3-2.
Up Next
Stonehill (1-0-0) makes its home debut at the Bridgewater Ice Arena on Friday, hosting Union College. Puck drop between the Skyhawks and Garnet Chargers is set for 7 PM.
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