MANCHESTER, N.H. – Freshman Sean Connolly scored the game-winning goal 6:53 into overtime after scoring the game-tying goal with 2:09 left in regulation as the Saint Anselm College men's ice hockey team erased a three-goal deficit to down Southern New Hampshire in a Northeast 10 Conference Championship First Round matchup on Tuesday night at Sullivan Arena.

Highlights

• Connolly recorded three points (2-1-3) as he scored the eighth and ninth goals of his rookie campaign to propel the Hawks to victory.
• Senior Cam Collins registered a three-point outing, recording a pair of assists and one goal.
• Sophomores Conor Kelly and Keaton Richard each notched one goal apiece.
• Seniors Garrett Alberti and Luke Linart, sophomore Justin Tremblay, and freshman Isac Martins each notched one assist.
• Richards led the Hawks from the faceoff dot, going 10-for-15 (66.7%) on draws.
• Sophomore Brendan Manning led the squad with four blocked shots.
• Senior Tucker Hanson made 26 stops in goal to earn the victory.
• The Hawks outshot the Penmen, 44-30.
• Saint Anselm went 2-for-4 (50.0%) on the power play while limiting the Penmen to a 1-for-4 (25.0%) showing.
• The Hawks moved to 46-15-4 in the all-time series against SNHU, with a 3-1-1 record in 2025-26.

How it Happened

The Hawks found themselves trailing 3-0 following the opening 20 minutes of play as SNHU's offense scored three times on eight shots, with one power play goal.

Kelly got Saint Anselm on the board 1:23 into the second period, scoring on the power play. The Penmen regained their three-goal lead midway through the frame. With 2:49 to play in the frame, Collins scored a power play goal to cut the Hawks' deficit to 4-2 heading into the second intermission.

Richards used a second effort to knock in a loose puck with just 5:16 remaining in regulation to make it 4-3. Connolly took a zone-entry feed from Alberti and buried a breakaway opportunity to tie the contest with 2:09 to play, forcing overtime.

Connolly made no mistake with a feed from Collins as he fired a far-side wrister in for the game-winning goal 6:56 into overtime to clinch the Hawks' spot in the NE10 Semifinals.

Up Next

Saint Anselm (13-13-4) will face off against the No. 2 seed, Saint Michael's College (16-11-3) in an NE10 Semifinals showdown on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Cairns Arena, with puck drop slated for 3:00 p.m.