MANCHESTER, N.H. – Goaltender Robert Kang (Glen Rock, N.J.) turned aside 29-of-30 shots on goal as the Saint Anselm College men's ice hockey team posted a 3-1 victory over Skidmore College at the Thomas F. Sullivan Arena Friday night in front of 820 fans. With the victory, the Hawks improve to 2-1 overall and within the ECAC Men's East. The Thoroughbreds fall to 1-2 overall and within conference play.
On the power play, Greg Merrill (Brighton, Mich.) scored at 18:08 of the second period to double up Skidmore by a 2-1 margin, potting what would eventually be the game-winning goal. Following a bench minor against Skidmore for having too many players on the ice, Merrill unleashed a blast from the right point that snuck past Skidmore goaltender Colin Bessey for the goal. Defenseman Ryan Holley (Bethany Beach, Del.) assisted on Merrill's second goal of the season.
Forward Joe Tebano (Glastonbury, Conn.) scored his first goal of the season at 4:15 of the first period to lift the Hawks to a 1-0 victory. Holley skated around a Skidmore defender and lifted a shot on goal that was turned aside by Bessey. Tebano, streaking in behind Holley, flipped the puck over the sprawling Bessey for the goal.
Defenseman Steve Mollo (Saunderstown, R.I.) potted his first goal of the year at 9:58 of the third period as Saint Anselm scored the lone third period goal for either side. On the power play, defenseman Alex Pascal (Blue Bell, Pa.) was stationed at the left point and sent a feed over to forward Kevin Vanous (Virginia Beach, Va.), stationed at the right point. A powerful blast on goal was turned aside by Bessey. The ensuing rebound spilled over to Mollo, positioned near the left post, who flicked the puck into the empty net for the strike.
David Limoges scored his third goal of the season at 1:37 of the second period to open the scoring on the evening. A Hawks defender turned over the puck behind the net as a result of an aggressive Thoroughbreds poke check. Limoges collected the puck and wrapped it around the cage and scored five-hole on Kang for the lone Skidmore strike of the evening.
Kang collected the victory, turning aside 29-of-30 shots on net for his second victory of the season. Bessey halted 30-of-33 shots on goal but drew his second loss of the season.
Saint Anselm was 2-for-4 on the power play. Skidmore was 0-4 with the man advantage.
NOTABLES: Saint Anselm outshot their opponent 33-to-30… Defenseman Ryan Holley (Bethany Beach, Del.) recorded his first multi-point game of the season, collecting two assists for two points (0-2=2)…Tonight's victory breaks up a two-game losing streak against Skidmore dating back to Nov. 21, 2009…The Hawks have a three-game winning streak on home ice, dating back to Feb. 24, 2011 against Stonehill.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Nov. 12 as they host Castleton State College in the Sullivan Arena at 3:00 p.m. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by friending us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and following us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).
