MANCHESTER, N.H. - Forward Mike Richard (Derry, N.H.) recorded the lone goal of the game at 8:58 of the first period, granting the No. 1 Saint Anselm College men's ice hockey team a 1-0 victory over the No. 4 Saint Michael's College Purple Knights Saturday evening at Thomas F. Sullivan Arena in the semifinal game of the Northeast-10 Conference tournament. With the victory, the Hawks move on to the Northeast-10 Conference championship game for the third time in as many years with a 13-8-5 overall record. The Purple Knights see their season come to a close with a 6-18-2 overall mark.
Richard's goal, his team-leading 13th strike of the season, was the lone goal of the game for either side. Forward Johnny Daniels (Andover, Mass.) was hit by two Purple Knights entering the offensive zone with the puck. Maintaining possession, Daniels was able to force the puck forward to Richard in the slot. Between the hash marks, Richard's wrist shot eluded the grasp of Purple Knights goaltender Eric McGuirk for what would prove to be the game-winning goal.
Hawks goaltender Robert Kang (Glen Rock, N.J.) posted his ninth victory of the season alongside his first shutout of the season, turning aside all 32 shots on goal for his sixth victory in his last eight starts (6-0-2). McGuirk draws the loss, allowing only one goal on 30 shots on net for his fifth defeat of the year.
Saint Anselm was 0-for-4 on the power play. Saint Michael's was 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
NOTABLES: Saint Anselm's last 1-0 victory over any team came on Nov. 20, 1992 as they edged the Mules of Colby College by a 1-0 margin at home…The Hawks have not shut-out an opponent dating back to a 2-0 victory over Trinity on Friday, Jan. 28, 2010…Hawks goaltender Robert Kang picked up his second career shutout this evening…Across Kang's last eight games, he has accumulated a 6-0-2 record alongside a 2.21 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage…The Hawks have not lost in their last eight games, the longest such streak dating back to a 12-game undefeated streak (11-0-1) to begin the 2004-05 season…Forward Mike Richard scored his third game-winning goal of the season this evening and has 11 goals in his last 11 games.
The Hawks advance to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship game this Saturday, Mar. 3 as they face-off against the Skyhawks of Stonehill College in a 3:00 p.m. contest at Thomas F. Sullivan Arena. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by following the Hawks on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).
