THE BASICS:

-Score: Assumption 2, Stonehill 5

-Records: Assumption (8-8-3, 2-4-0 NE-10); Stonehill (8-8-3, 4-0-1 NE-10)

-The Lead: The Assumption College ice hockey team fell to the visiting Stonehill Skyhawks on a snowy Saturday evening by a 5-2 margin to drop both points in the Northeast-10 Conference standings. Following the contest, both squads are now 8-8-3 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

-Stonehill fired off three goals in the first period to take a substantial 3-0 lead. The spree included one goal on a power play by the Skyhawks' Garrett White.

-In the second period Assumption's Brandon Bete (Greenfield, Mass. / Northfield Mount Hermon) scored on a power play, assisted by sophomores Matt Cowles (Farmington, Conn. / Avon Old Farms) and Brian Farrell (Island Park, N.Y. / West Boca), just 6:48 into the period to reduce the deficit to two, 3-1.

-Stonehill scored twice more at 10:55 and again at 17:06 to make it 5-1.

-At 17:56 in the second period, junior Kevin Murphy (North Conway, NH / Kennett) scored once more for the Hounds on a power play, assisted by freshman Dante Tomassini (North Branford, Conn. / Trinity Pawling), for the eventual 5-2 final. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

-Bete, Tomassini, Cowles, Murphy and Farrell each registered one point on the evening.

-Murphy, along with sophomore Tommy Mahoney (Braintree, Mass. / Braintree) led the Hound offense with seven shots on goal apiece.

-The Hounds came away with 44-of-80 faceoffs including 17 by Bete and 13 by Mahoney.

-Junior Nick Commesso (Marshfield, Mass. / The Governor's Academy) started in net for the Hounds, posting 16 saves in the first period. Commesso, who is now 7-4-2 on the season, was replaced by senior Chris Hemhauser (Old Saybrook, Conn. / Glastonbury) in the beginning of the second period.

-Hemhauser racked up 39 saves between the pipes in his 40 minutes. 

-Assumption was outshot by the Skyhawks 60-52.

-Both squads capitalized on 2-of-4 power play opportunities.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE:

-The loss to the Skyhawks marks the second of the season for the Hounds, thus awarding Stonehill both points toward the NE-10 standings. 

-Following the night's competition, Stonehill now ranks second in the league's standings while Assumption drops to fifth. 

-Assumption has five NE-10 games left in the season and has the potential to accumulate four more points toward the standings. The Hounds currently have two points while the lead squad, Saint Anselm, has six. 

UP NEXT:

-Assumption returns to action on Tuesday, Jan. 26, on the road at Amherst for a 7 p.m. contest.

STAY CONNECTED:

-For the latest on Assumption College Athletics, follow the Hounds via social media on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. For more information, contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 508-767-7240. 

-Fans can also sign up for email updates and text message alerts for the men's ice hockey team and all of the other 23 Assumption varsity sports by clicking here.