Men's Ice Hockey

Saint Anselm and Saint Michael's to Meet in NE10 Ice Hockey Championship

No. 1 vs No. 2 To Meet in NE10 Final

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL


Saint Anselm and Saint Michael's to play in NE10 Championship Final next Saturday.

MANSFIELD, Mass. - No. 2 Saint Michael's and No. 1 Saint Anselm earned semifinal wins on Saturday night in the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Ice Hockey Championship to advance to Saturday's final at Saint Anselm. 
 

Saint Michael's beat No. 3 SNHU 3-1 at home thanks to two third period goals and 35 saves by goalie Evan Plunkett. Saint Anselm defeated No. 4 Assumption in OT after two goals by Richie Colarusso: the game tying goal in the third period, and game winner in overtime. 
 

No. 2 Saint Michael's 3, No. 3 Southern New Hampshire 1 - Box Score

SOUTH BURLINGTON, V.T. – The second-seeded Saint Michael's College men's ice hockey team defeated No. 3 Southern New Hampshire University, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon during a Northeast-10 Conference Championship semifinal at Cairns Arena, punching their ticket to the title game for the second time in three years.
 
The Purple Knights, who avenged a home semifinal loss to the Penmen in last year's semifinal round, will visit No. 1 Saint Anselm College for the championship game next Saturday. 
 
RECORDS

  • Saint Michael's (17-11-2), Southern New Hampshire (12-15-2)
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS
  • First-year Patrick Last (Derry, N.H./Twin City Thunder), 2 goals, 5-for-11 faceoffs
  • Senior Ryland Dukes (Nashville, Tenn./Walpole Express), 1 goal
  • First-year Evan Plunkett (Charlotte, N.C./Holderness School), 35 saves
  • Sophomore Ty Bloom (Helena, Mont./Helena Bighorns), 9-for-20 faceoffs
  • Senior David Ciancio (Scituate, R.I./Seahawks Hockey Club), 3 blocked shots
  • Senior Case Kantgias (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Northern Colorado Eagles), 3 blocked shots
OPPONENT LEADERS
  • Junior Ryan Pomposelli, 1 goal
  • Junior Brendan Lynch, 1 assist, 16-for-29 faceoffs
  • Sophomore Collin Berke, 20 saves
GAME FACTS
  • Last entered the day with one goal in 23 contests this season, while Dukes had no goals in 21 outings.
  • Senior Brennan McFarland (Greeley, Colo./Northern Colorado Eagles) increased his career point total to 99 while tying Ryan Mero '09 for ninth in program history with 68 assists.
  • Plunkett has made at least 32 saves in his last six of his last seven games.  
  • Saint Michael's tied the 1996-97 team for second in school annals in wins (17).
  • The Purple and Gold improved to 11-3 in home semifinals.
  • The Penmen outshot the Purple Knights, 36-23, and held a narrow 37-35 faceoff win advantage. The Purple Knights blocked 13 shots to the Penmen's 11.
THE ACTION
  • Last scored the first goal of the game at 11:23 in the first period on a shot in front of the crease to give the Purple Knights a 1-0 lead on a centering pass from first-year Roman Winicki (Setauket, N.Y./Philadelphia Hockey Club), whose strong stickwork along the end boards prolonged his team's possession.
  • Plunkett made 12 saves in the first period to keep the Penmen off the board.
  • Pomposelli scored for the Penmen at 18:51 in the second period to equalize just before the buzzer, converting after Lynch forced a giveaway behind the net.
  • Last picked the upper right corner for his second goal of the afternoon at 6:04 in the third period after a centering pass from McCarthy.   
  • After the Penmen pulled Berke for an extra skater at 18:32, Plunkett stopped all four shots sent his way in the next 1:02, and Dukes scored an empty-net goal with 14 seconds remaining to secure the victory.

-Recap provided by Saint Michael's athletic communications-
 

No. 1 Saint Anselm 3, No. 4 Assumption 2 - Box Score

MANCHESTER, N.H. - The number four-seeded Assumption University men's ice hockey team fell to the top-seeded Saint Anselm College 3-2 in overtime in the Northeast-10 Conference Semifinals Saturday afternoon at Sullivan Arena. 

THE BASICS
Score: Saint Anselm College 3, Assumption University 2 - OT
Records: Greyhounds (13-19-0, 9-11-0 NE10), Hawks (18-9-2, 16-3-1 NE10)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After a scoreless first period, Assumption was the first team to get on the board, as Ryan Decker scored off of a Jonathan Surrette rebounded shot at 7:44 of the second period. Leo Piandes doubled the Greyhounds' advantage with a breakaway goal with 5:48 remaining in the frame. Saint Anselm got on the board with 1:38 to go in the second, as Garrett Alberti scored on a backhanded shot.
 
The game would head to the latter portion of the third period, as Richie Colarusso scored a short-handed goal, tying the game with 4:22 remaining in regulation. Colarusso just under a minute into overtime, as his wrist shot beat the Assumption netminder. 
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

  • Thomas McLarnon 44 saves between the pipes for the Greyhounds. 
  • Saint Anselm outshot Assumption 47-36 while also winning 41-of-75 faceoffs. 
  • Neither team scored on the power play, as the Hounds were 0-for-3, while the Hawks were 0-for-1. 
  • Saint Anselm leads the all-time series 38-18-3. 

-Recap provided by Assumption athletic communications-
 

2025 NE10 Ice Hockey Championship
 

NE10 Points
Saint Anselm 16-3-1 50
Saint Michael's 12-8-0 35
Southern New Hampshire 10-8-2 31
Assumption 9-11-0 28
Post 9-11-0 27
Franklin Pierce 2-17-1 7


 First Round: Tuesday, February 18th  
Game #1: No. 3 Southern New Hampshire 1, No. 6 Franklin Pierce 0
Game #2: No. 4 Assumption 3, No. 5 Post 0
 
Semifinals: Saturday, February 22nd   
Game #3: No. 2 Saint Michael's 3, No. 3 Southern New Hampshire 1
Game #4: No. 1 Saint Anselm 3, No. 4 Assumption 2 (OT)
 
Championship Game: Saturday, March 1st
Game #5: No. 2 Saint Michael's vs. No. 1 Saint Anselm (at highest remaining seed) *
 
*Game times shall be subject to the availability of ice facilities. The preferred start time of the championship game is 1:00 P.M.

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 11 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season.  The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.