Manchester, N.H. (April 30) -- Junior Jack Harmatuk scored with 42 seconds left as No. 1 Le Moyne held off Saint Anselm by an 8-7 final in a Senior Day thriller at Melucci Field on Friday afternoon. The Hawks tied the game at 7-7 with 1:46 left in the third before the Dolphins converted the game winner for the only goal of the fourth quarter.

After a slow start, junior Jack Venditti got the Dolphins on the board at the 9:51 mark with an unassisted scored. After a Dolphin penalty, freshman Conor O'Donnell (Smithfield, R.I.) converted the man-up goal to tie the game at 1-1 just 44 seconds later. The score remained that way until late in the first when sophomore Tyler Steinetz (Sparta, N.J.) took a pass from senior Jeff Dunkle (Exeter, N.H.) to make it 2-1 Saint Anselm after one period. The deficit marked the first time in 18 Northeast-10 games that the Dolphins had trailed at the end of a quarter, dating back to March 25, 2009.

To start the second quarter, junior Corey Bulken took the opening faceoff and just five seconds later, tied the game at 2-2. The Dolphins kept up the pressure and just 1:18 later, Brian Craig converted an unassisted goal to give Le Moyne the lead back at 3-2 with 13:37 left in the period. Saint Anselm converted its second man-up opportunity of the day less than three minutes later as senior Matt O'Connell (Charlestown, Mass.), the leading point scorer in the Northeast-10, took a pass from Mike Ludlow (West Simsbury, Conn.) to tie the game at 3-3.

Le Moyne kept its focus though and converted on three scoring chances in the following 4:40 and with just 3:29 left in the second quarter, it was the Dolphins in control at 6-3. The Hawks made it a 6-4 game however heading into the third as this time it was Ludlow from O'Connell with 1:39 left. Saint Anselm had a chance to make it a one-goal game heading to the second half, but was unable to convert.

The third quarter began with three straight one-minute penalties for Le Moyne, which the Hawks converted into man-up goals to tie the game at 6-6 with 9:18 left in the third. Scoring in the man-up offense was O'Donnell and O'Connell as the Hawks finished the game 4-for-6 in the man-up offense. 

Senior Mike Rabbitt, one of eight different scorers for the Dolphins, gave Le Moyne the lead yet again however as he took a pass from teammate Matt Chadderdon and converted it for the 7-6 lead. The Hawks weren't going away though and with just 1:46 left in the third period, O'Connell scored unassisted for his third goal of the game.

The fourth quarter was scoreless for nearly the entire time as the Dolphins outshot Saint Anselm by a slim 8-5 margin in the period. Saint Anselm had a number of scoring chances with two minutes remaining before the Dolphins got the ball back with under a minute on the clock. With 42 seconds left, Venditti found Harmatuk for the shot and Harmatuk scored his lone goal of the game for the 8-7 lead.

Le Moyne won the ensuing faceoff and called timeout, but the Hawks got one last chance thanks to a caused turnover by senior All-American candidate Kevin DeBenedetto (Reading, Mass.) just to the left of the net. The Hawks got possession and called a timeout of their own with 16 seconds left on the clock and needing a goal to send the game into the extra period. Sophomore Colin Lacey (South Hadley, Mass.) moved the ball into the shooting alley in front of the net, but the Le Moyne poked the ball away as time expired for the thrilling 8-7 final.

Saint Anselm junior goalie Pat Acone (Bow, N.H.) was spectacular in net, making 11 saves in the defeat. Matt Krupka made nine saves in the win for the Dolphins as he is now 11-0 on the season.

Prior to the game, Saint Anselm honored the 2010 Senior Class for their contributions to the program during their four-year careers. Their career will continue though as the Hawks advance to the Northeast-10 Tournament for the fourth straight season, marking the first time in Saint Anselm history that the team has made postseason play in four consecutive years.

With the loss, Saint Anselm ends the regular season at 7-7 overall and 5-5 in the Northeast-10, while Le Moyne remains unbeaten at 13-0 overall and a perfect 10-0 in the league. Saint Anselm advances to the Northeast-10 Quarterfinals as the No. 6 seed and will take on the No. 3 seed on Tuesday, May 4th. That opponent is still to be determined, as the Hawks will travel to the winner of Saturday night's Bentley/Adelphi contest. That game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start in Garden City, N.Y.