HENNIKER, N.H. – Freshman Nick Leonard (Methuen, Mass.) and sophomore Tyler Estee (Bow, N.H.) each scored the first goals of their careers and Saint Anselm senior netminder Robert Kang (Glen Rock, N.J.) made 33 saves, allowing just one goal, as the Hawks nearly shut out the Pilgrims of New England College, 4-1, Friday night in ECAC Men's East hockey action.
The Hawks capture their third straight victory to jump to .500 at 3-3-2 overall and 2-3-2 in the league, while the Pilgrims drop to 6-3-0, 4-3-0 ECAC East.
The Hawks wasted no time jumping on the board when Estee struck for Saint Anselm as he flipped in a loose puck at the left post at 6:24. Freshman Paul Ramieri (Smithfield, R.I.) began the sequence with a shot on the right that was saved by New England College goaltender Sebastian Anderson, before Estee picked up the puck on the left. Also assisting on the play was sophomore Mark Meads (Middleton, Mass.).
Saint Anselm was ahead 1-0 heading into the locker room after the first period, despite being outshot 12-7. Saint Anselm squandered its power-play chance, while the Pilgrims missed the boat on all three of their opportunities. Kang stopped all 12 shots he faced in the first.
Saint Anselm began the scoring in the second with a power-play goal at 4:28 as Leonard connected with senior Eric Czapka (Holland, Pa.), extending the lead to 2-0. Sophomore Bryan Sullivan (Burlington, Mass.) initiated the play to earn his fifth assist of the season.
The Hawks tripled up the lead with 13:02 remaining in the middle frame when junior Johnny Daniels (Andover, Mass.) sent the rebound of a Matt Buckley (Canton, Mass.) shot top shelf on Anderson. Sullivan was also credited with a helper on the play.
Just after the goal that put Saint Anselm up 3-0, the Pilgrims made a push down the ice and got off a series of shots, two of which were saved by Kang and another that was pulled out of the crease by senior defenseman Greg Merrill (Brighton, Mich.).
Both teams wrapped up the second stanza with the Hawks up 3-0 and holding a 21-20 edge in shots on goal.
The Hawks pushed their lead to four with 3:24 remaining in the contest as senior Joe Tebano (Glastonbury, Conn.) picked up the puck from Leonard and beat Anderson. Leonard initially received the puck from Sullivan to begin the sequence.
The Pilgrims had the answer for Saint Anselm's fourth goal just over a minute later as Kevin Marceau found Jesse Ostring at the back door and he tossed the puck over Kang's shoulder to make it a 4-1 game.
Kang made 33 saves, while Anderson stopped 27 of 31 shots on goal.
The Saint Anselm penalty kill proved to be successful on the evening as it burned off a pair of 5-on-3's and kept the Pilgrims 0-for-7 with the extra man.
This is the last contest for the Hawks before the winter break. They will return to action Friday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. when they travel to SUNY Potsdam. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.
