Posted: Feb 18, 2012
Sophomore Charlie McGinnis (Hanover, Mass.) netted a pair of goals and two assists, while senior Joe Greene (Weymouth, Mass.) added two tallies and three total points to lead Suffolk to an 8-4 victory over Becker in the ECAC Northeast ice hockey regular season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at Steriti Rink.
The host Rams (3-21, 1-13 ECAC Northeast) raced out to a 3-0 first period advantage on a McGinnis goal that was sandwiched by two power play markers off the sticks of sophomore David Seidel (Greenwich, Conn.) and freshman Dan Mazzei (Tewksbury, Mass.), but the visiting Hawks (9-14-2, 4-9-1 ECAC Northeast) stormed back to even matters with three scoring strikes in the opening 3:24 of the middle stanza, including tallies by senior Brian Murray (Manalapan, N.J.) and junior David Graham (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) in a 12 second span. Sophomore Korby Anderson's (Owantonna, Minn.) power play goal with 3:19 remaining in the second gave Becker a 4-3 edge, but Greene evened matters for Suffolk just 18 seconds later to forge a 4-4 draw after 40 minutes of action, and McGinnis netted what proved to be the game-winner just 1:52 into the final stanza to give the Rams a 5-4 lead and continue a string of five unanswered goals over the final 23 minutes of action. Junior Robbie Donahue (West Bridgewater, Mass.) and sophomore Wes Bonnell (Flenton, Del.) extended Suffolk's advantage into the closing minutes of the contest, and Greene's empty-netter with 44 seconds to play iced the hosts' triumph.
Bonnell , Seidel and Donahue each finished with a goal and an assist in the victory for the Rams, who also received a pair of assists from sophomore Jon Stauffer (Lansdale, Pa.) as well as single helpers off the sticks of seniors Joe Baglione (Hingham, Mass.) and Nate Linard (Brighton, Mich.) and freshmen Chris Rettig (Raynham, Mass.) and Tim Sprague (Plymouth, Mass.). Anderson finished with a goal and two assists for three points in the setback for Becker, which also received a marker and helper each from Graham and junior Branden Parkhouse (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) as well as single assists off the sticks of senior Jeremy Narducci (Apex, N.C.), junior Mark Lotito (Staten Island, N.Y.) and sophomore Dan Kane (Staten Island, N.Y.).
Freshman Brett Roman (Rock Tavern, N.Y.) picked up his first collegiate win in goal for Suffolk with a 31-save effort, including 14 stops in the opening period of play alone, while sophomore Shaun Millerick (Hampton, N.H.) made 20 saves in the setback for Becker as the Hawks outshot the Rams by a 35-28 margin for the contest.
Saturday's outing was the season finale for Suffolk, which posted its second victory of the season over Becker. The Hawks will be seeded sixth in the upcoming ECAC Northeast playoffs, which begin next week with quarterfinal round play, as Becker will travel to either Nichols, Johnson & Wales or Western New England for that post-season contest.