Worcester, Mass. (February 16) -- On Senior Day at Buffone Arena on Sunday afternoon, the Assumption College men's ice hockey team dropped a back-and-forth 6-5 final to visiting Southern New Hampshire University in Northeast-10 Conference play. The victory gives the Penmen a sweep of three-game regular-season series with the Hounds.

Prior to the start of the game, the team honored seniors Matt Calos (North Reading, Mass./North Reading), Mike Heyde (Natick, Mass./Natick), Nick Mattiello (Johnston, R.I./Bishop Hendricken), Kyle Zobler (Millbury, Mass./New Hampton), Garrett Lessard (East Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich), Ross White (Uxbridge, Mass./Uxbridge) and Bobby Bowden (Springfield, Mass./Williston-Northampton) for their contributions to the program during their careers.

The Penmen struck first just 1:47 into the first period as senior Zach Lubinski put the visitors up by a 1-0 margin. Off the ensuing faceoff, freshman Stephen Picard (Enfield, Conn./Loomis Chaffee) notched the equalizer for his first goal of the season off an assist from Heyde as the Hounds tied the game at 1-1 just 12 seconds later. With the Hounds on the penalty kill after a tripping penalty, Lessard took advantage of an SNHU miscue and tallied a shorthanded goal with 13:47 left in the period for his first goal of the season and second of his career for the 2-1 edge. Assumption went on the power play late in the period after a Penmen cross-checking penalty and sophomore Alex Erban (Attleboro, Mass./Mount Saint Charles) made the visitors pay with a power-play goal with 1:27 left for his seventh goal of the year and the 3-1 edge after one period. Bowden made 22 saves in the period to help stake the Hounds to the 3-1 lead after one period. Assumption connected on three of the 10 shots that it put on SNHU senior netminder Max Paluszynski in the opening stanza.

In the second period that featured eight penalties, the Penmen answered with a pair of goals within a span of just 1:35 to knot the game at 3-3 with 11:17 left in the second. Jim Gabrione scored an even-strength goal at the 12:52 mark, his 14th of the year, to get the Penmen within one. That goal was followed by a power-play tally from freshman Jay Sylvia for his ninth goal of the season to tie the game at 3-3.

The Penmen lead was short-lived however as Erban scored his second goal of the game off an assist from Zobler to put the hosts back in front 4-3 just nine seconds later. Over the next nine minutes, Paluszynski kept the Hounds off the scoreboard and finished the period with seven saves while setting the stage for his offense. Freshman Sean McTiernan tied the game with 9:13 left in the period, followed by the second goal of the game from Sylvia to give the Penmen the lead again. The goal was the second of the season for McTiernan and 10th of the year for Sylvia.

Assumption wasn't done though and fired a fifth goal past the SNHU goalie as freshman Paul Amarone (Hamden, Conn./Trinity Pauling) scored his sixth of the season off assists from Picard and Heyde with 1:51 left to send it into the final period tied up at 5-5.

The final period featured an 8-2 edge in shots on goal for the Penmen, but also contained 11 combined penalties as each team became increasingly physical. The deciding goal came on an even-strength situation with 6:15 though as Gabrione scored his second goal of the game off assists from McTiernan and Dane Caracino to account for the 6-5 final. Assumption had one late power-play chance with 3:21 left in the third period, but was unable to square the game as the Hounds dropped the one-goal final.

Bowden finished his final home game with 39 saves for the Hounds, while Paluszynski turned aside 14 shots in the win.

Neither team was particularly successful on the power play as the Penmen were 2-for-9 and the Hounds were 1-for-8 in the game. Assumption did finish the game with a power-play score, a shorthanded goal and three even-strength scores.

With the loss, Assumption falls to 4-18-2 overall and 0-9-1 in Northeast-10 play, while Southern New Hampshire improves to 14-8-1 overall and 6-4 in the league.

Assumption had its game at Stonehill, originally scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed with no make-up date announced at this point. When this game is rescheduled, the new date and time will be posted on www.assumptiongreyhounds.com.

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