BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (January 3, 2025) – The Stonehill College men's hockey team dropped a 3-1 decision at home inside the Bridgewater Ice Arena to American International College Friday night. With the loss, the Skyhawks fell to 6-17, while the Yellow Jackets improved to 6-13-1 on the season.

Highlights

• Sophomore JJ Grainda scored the lone goal for the Skyhawks, marking his second of the season and fifth of his collegiate career.
• First-year defender Justin Gibson dished out his fourth assist of the campaign, as he now ranks second on the squad among rookies with five points on the year.
• The first-year center duo of Joel Lehtinen and Zach Aben paved the way for the Skyhawks at the dot, each winning eight total draws on the night.
• Graduate netminder Connor Androlewicz tallied 27 saves in between the pipes for Stonehill.
• Junior classmates Josh Barnes and Noah Serdachny led the way for the Yellow Jackets offensive output, each registering two points on the night.
• Barnes scored a goal and dished out an assist, while Serdachny added two helpers of his own throughout the contest.
• Juniors Timofei Khokhlachev and John Lundy notched their respective fourth and eighth goals of the season for AIC.
• Sophomore goaltender Peyton Grainer picked up his second collegiate win after holding the Skyhawks to one goal on 34 shots faced inside the crease.

How It Happened
Stonehill came out strong, outshooting AIC 13-5 in the opening 20 minutes, including an impressive stretch of 11 consecutive shot attempts midway through the period. However, AIC's goalie, Grainer, stood firm in his crease, preventing the Skyhawks from finding the back of the net in the first period.

Despite being outshot, the Yellow Jackets struck first, capitalizing on a late opportunity. With less than 15 seconds remaining in the opening period, Barnes received a pass from Serdachny at the high slot, and, after navigating through traffic, he floated a shot past Stonehill's Androlewicz to give AIC a 1-0 lead at the break.
 
The Skyhawks looked to quickly equalize as the second period began, with an early power-play opportunity following a tripping penalty on Lundy just 1:04 into the frame. However, Stonehill took a penalty of its own 40 seconds later, resulting in 4-on-4 play. Just moments later, at the 2:45 mark, Khoklachev seized an opportunity in the offensive zone, forcing a turnover and then sliding a backhanded shot past Androlewicz to extend the AIC lead to 2-0.
 
The Yellow Jackets continued to build on their momentum, and at the 11:42 mark of the period, Lundy increased AIC's advantage to three. Barnes, from below the goal line, delivered a no-look pass out front, where Lundy pounced on the loose puck and fired his fourth goal of the season into the back of the net.
 
Trailing 3-0 heading into the third period, Stonehill fought to claw back into the game. The Skyhawks found a breakthrough at the 5:41 mark when Gibson and Grainda capitalized on a Yellow Jackets turnover in their defensive zone. Gibson carried the puck into the offensive zone and dropped a pass to Grainda, who rifled a shot past Grainer's blocker for his second goal of the season, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
 
However, despite the back-and-forth battle throughout the third, the AIC lead proved too much for Stonehill to overcome, as the Skyhawks eventually fell to the Yellow Jackets by a final score of 3-1.
 
Up Next
Stonehill (6-17-0) will travel to Hamden, Connecticut on Monday to match up with the 2023 national champion and currently ranked #18 Quinnipiac Bobcats. Puck drop from M&T Bank Arena between the Skyhawks and Bobcats is set for 7 PM.  
 
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