HENNIKER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College men's ice hockey game saw one goal apiece from senior Tucker Mullin (Andover, Mass.) and junior Greg Merrill (Brighton, Mich.) as they skated to a 2-2 tie with New England College on Sunday afternoon.
With the tie, the Hawks will move to 11-8-3 overall and 7-7-2 in the ECAC Men's East conference, while the Pilgrims now stand at a 8-12-3 overall record, and 6-8-2 in league play.
The Hawks were first to score at 4:44 when Mullin connected with a pass from classmate Andy Kacz (North Dighton, Mass.) and sent the puck over the shoulder of NEC netminder Shawn Sirman. Senior Brian Luther (Scituate, R.I.) also picked up an assist on the play.
The Pilgrims netted the equalizer at 12:37 when Johan Qvarfordt slipped the puck past Saint Anselm goaltender Robert Kang (Glen Rock, N.J.) off a pass from Jonathan Boxill.
The Hawks entered the second stanza at a 1-1 tie and exited the second period of play with the game knotted at two apiece after one goal from each team.
Merrill broke the 1-1 draw when he received a pass from senior Mike Richard (Derry, N.H.) at 7:09 of the second and sent the puck past Sirman. Freshman Bryan Sullivan (Burlington, Mass.) was also credited with an assist on the sequence.
The Pilgrims came from behind once more at the 12:43 mark when Qvarfordt potted his second goal of the contest as he picked up feeds from Ben Souders and Ivan Delic.
Neither team was able to snap the 2-2 deadlock throughout the rest of regulation or in the overtime frame. In the third period, Saint Anselm was outshot, 9-3.
In overtime, the Hawks took three shots as the Pilgrims recorded two.
Kang made 26 saves, while Sirman stopped 30 of 32 shots.
The Hawks will return to action Friday, Feb. 15 when they play host Southern Maine in a 7 p.m. puck drop at Thomas F. Sullivan Arena. 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 (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and following us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).
