BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (November 15, 2024) – The Stonehill College men's hockey team dropped a 5-1 decision in the first of eight meetings this season against Long Island University inside the Bridgewater Ice Arena Friday night. With the loss, the Skyhawks fell to 4-8 overall, while the Sharks improved to 3-4-1 on the season.

Highlights

• Sophomore Anthony Galante netted his team-leading sixth goal of the season off assists from senior Henri Schreifels and sophomore Dominick Campione.
• Campione and Schreifels are now riding three-game point-scoring streaks, while Galante has registered a point in three of his last four games.
• First-year defenseman Justin Gibson blocked a game-high four shots on the night for the Skyhawks.
• Graduate netminder Connor Androlewicz tallied 34 saves between the pipes for Stonehill, marking his fourth game of the season making at least 30 saves in a game.
• Junior Riley Wallack and first-year defender Nick Bernardo paved the way for the Sharks, each posting multi-point games.
• Wallack registered his fourth career two-goal game, while Bernardo registered his first collegiate points, dishing out a pair of assists throughout the night.  
• Sophomore Carter Rapalje netted his team-leading fourth goal of the season, while junior Josh Zary and freshman Onni Leppänen scored their first goals of the year, respectively.
• Sophomore goaltender Noah Rupprecht picked up his second win of the season after holding the Skyhawks to one goal on 21 shots faced inside the crease for LIU.

How It Happened
LIU came out of the gates strong, opening the game by peppering Androlewicz and the Stonehill defense with five shot attempts over the first two minutes of action in the first period. At the 6:59 mark, however, the Skyhawks would gain the first grade-A scoring chance of the game when senior Cameron Gaudette skated down into the slot and rifled a shot off the blocker of Rupprecht in goal, narrowly opening the scoring less than halfway through the opening frame.
 
After Gaudette's scoring chance, the two sides would go back and forth, trading shot attempts and playing to a scoreless contest at the end of the first 20 minutes of play in Bridgewater.
 
Coming out of the first intermission, Stonehill and LIU would go back-and-forth, taking penalties over the first four minutes of action in the second, eventually resulting in a four-on-three skater advantage for the Skyhawks beginning at the 4:23 mark of the period. Just 20 seconds into the skater advantage, junior captain Frank Ireland would ring a wrist shot off the crossbar, nearly giving the Skyhawks the first lead of the game early on in the second.
 
However, after Ireland's chance would be held out by the post, Galante would not be denied as he capitalized on a pass from below the goal line from Campione and sent his team-leading sixth goal of the season past Rupprecht and into the back of the net, giving Stonehill a one-goal lead 5:32 into the second period of play.
 
Despite gaining offensive momentum with Galante's lamp-lighter, the Sharks would go on the attack, outshooting the Skyhawks 19-5 over the next 12 minutes of play in the frame until the 17:33 mark, where Zary scored on the power-play to level the game at one aside. With less than a minute to go in the period, Rapalje would light the lamp on what eventually proved to be the game-winning goal at the 19:03 mark of the second, sending the Sharks into the locker room with a 2-1 lead.
 
LIU carried its momentum into the third period, scoring three more goals, two off the stick of Wallack on the power-play and one first collegiate goal from Leppänen, while shutting out the Skyhawks to secure the 5-1 victory.
 
Up Next
Stonehill (4-8-0) wraps up its two-game weekend set against LIU on Saturday inside the Bridgewater Ice Arena. Puck drop between the Skyhawks and Sharks is set for 5 PM.  
 
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