WORCESTER, Mass. – Junior
Garrett Alberti (Wilmington, Mass.) recorded his first career hat trick and the Saint Anselm College men's ice hockey team defeated Assumption in a Northeast-10 Conference road tilt on Friday night by a final score of 6-1. The Hawks improved to 9-3-1 in NE10 play this season and remain in first place in the league standings.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm faces Assumption in NE10 action on Saturday, January 25th in Worcester, Mass. at 2:20 p.m.
Score: Saint Anselm 6, Assumption 1
Records: Saint Anselm (10-8-2, 9-3-1 NE10); Assumption (10-13-0, 7-6-0 NE10)
Location: Worcester, Mass. (Worcester Ice Center)
Date: Friday, January 24th, 2025
Attendance: 260
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Alberti gave Saint Anselm an early 1-0 lead just 1:20 into the game. The forward stole the puck at the red line and skated towards goal on a breakaway. He finished into the top right corner to put the Hawks in front.
- Both teams generated several scoring opportunities throughout the first period. Saint Anselm forced eight saves out of Assumption goaltender Callum Welch. The Greyhounds responded with five shots on goal of their own, but sophomore goaltender Cam Carroll (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) made all five saves for the Hawks.
- With a little less than five minutes left in the opening period, Saint Anselm doubled its lead when junior Luke Linart (Holland, Mich.) lit the lamp for the ninth time this season. Linart received a gorgeous backhand pass from below the goal line by senior Chase Reynolds (Middletown, Conn.) and finished with a one-timer that made it 2-0.
- The intensity picked up over the next few minutes before the end of the period. The Greyhounds increased their attack with five more shots on goal, but Carroll was up to the task and denied each chance. The Hawks put four more pucks on frame and junior Michael Martignetti (Winchester, Mass.) sent one off the pipe, but the period ended with the visitors maintaining a 2-0 edge.
- Saint Anselm had the upper hand early in the second period and outshot Assumption, 11-2, in the opening nine minutes of action. Welch helped keep his team down by just two goals with a number of big time stops.
- With about seven minutes left in the second, the Hawks had two skaters sent to the penalty box after being called once for tripping and once for cross-checking. On the ensuing 5-on-3 advantage, Ronny Paragallo slammed one home from the top of the crease off a feed from Leo Piandes to cut the deficit to 2-1 for the Greyhounds.
- Less than two minutes later, Saint Anselm responded to regain its two-goal cushion. Alberti applied pressure in the offensive zone and forced a bad pass by an Assumption defender. The puck deflected off his skates and bounced to senior Hunter Brackett (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) in the slot. Brackett was able to reach his stick out and get a piece of the puck, which bounced up and over the goalie and into the back of the net to make it 3-1.
- The Greyhounds tried to get one back late in the second period with four more shots on goal in the final few minutes, but Carroll was able to keep his team in the lead by a pair heading into the third period.
- Assumption turned up the heat early in the third. The Greyhounds continued to create scoring chances and outshot the Hawks, 7-1, in the opening six minutes of the period. However, their efforts were unsuccessful as Saint Anselm maintained their two-goal edge.
- Midway through the third, senior Mark Blaney (Braintree, Mass.) blasted a slap shot from the blue line. The shot was deflected out in front by sophomore Patrick DeMarinis (Manasquan, N.J.) and found the back of the cage, giving the Hawks a 4-1 lead.
- With just over five minutes remaining, Alberti scored his second goal of the night to put his team ahead by four goals. The Hawks forced a turnover by the Greyhounds near the goal and used some quick passing to get the puck to Alberti, who ripped a shot that went through the pads of Welch and bounced just over the goal line.
- With under a minute left, Saint Anselm went on the power play after Paragallo was sent to the box for roughing. Brackett sent a perfect touch-pass to Alberti on the back side where he was able to finish into an open goal to complete his hat trick and seal the 6-1 victory for the Hawks.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm outshot Assumption in the game, 44-36. The Hawks recorded 13 or more shots on goal in every period, including 17 in the second.
- The Hawks, who ended the game with four unanswered goals, scored twice in the first, once in the second, and three times in the third. The Greyhounds scored once in the second period.
- Assumption controlled the faceoff dot, winning 44 out of 77 draws (57.1 percent). Saint Anselm won the remaining 33 out of 77 in the faceoff circle (42.9 percent).
- Reynolds, senior Max Burum (Marshfield, Mass.), and freshman Brendan Manning (Chandler, Ariz.) each won eight faceoffs to lead the Hawks. Paragallo led the Greyhounds by winning 13 of his 23 faceoff attempts (56.5 percent).
- On the defensive side, both teams blocked eight shots in the contest. Freshman Keaton Richards (Amarillo, Texas) blocked a team-high two shots for Saint Anselm.
- Both teams went 1 for 3 on the power play. The Hawks recorded three shots on goal, while the Greyhounds fired eight shots on goal during the man advantage.
- Four different players scored and nine different players finished with at least one point for Saint Anselm. Alberti led the Hawks with three goals for his first collegiate hat trick and first career multi-goal game.
- Other Hawks who had a multi-point night were Brackett with a goal and two assists and DeMarinis with a goal and an assist. Linart finished with one goal and is now second on the team with 20 points this winter.
- Brackett leads the team in goals and points and is tied for the team lead in assists this season. His 14 goals leads the NE10, while his 26 points ranks second in the conference.
- Paragallo scored the lone goal of the game for the Assumption with Piandes and Jonathan Surrette picking up assists.
- Carroll made 35 saves in goal for the Hawks to earn the win. Welch made 38 saves in goal for the Greyhounds in the loss.
- This marked the 57th all-time meeting between Saint Anselm and Assumption. The Hawks improve to 36-18-3 against the Greyhounds in the series that began in 1969.
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