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CARON, MULLINS HELP PURPLE KNIGHTS OUTSCORE PENMEN, 9-7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
February 1, 2005                                                                      Contact: Seth Cole
                                                                                                Phone: (802) 654-2537

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – Freshman Erik Caron’s (Kanata, Ontario/Smith Falls Bears) hat trick and junior David Mullins’ (Montreal, Quebec/Governor Dummer Academy) game-winner helped Saint Michael’s College edge Southern New Hampshire University, 9-7, in Northeast-10 Conference men’s ice hockey action on Tuesday at Cairns Arena.

For the Purple Knights, sophomore Derek Girouard (Methuen, Mass./Central Catholic) scored twice, while junior Alex Watts (Cheshire, Conn./Berkshire School) added a goal and three assists. Caron also added an assist for a four-point game, while sophomore Erik Smith (Warwick, R.I./Hill School) stopped 23 shots as Saint Michael’s (7-9-2, 3-0-0 NE-10) clinched a first-round bye and a home semifinal contest in the NE-10 playoffs.

For the Penmen, junior Brent Bousquet (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) scored twice, while senior Pat Doherty (Wakefield, Mass.) netted a goal and three helpers. Juniors Tim Fewster (Kitchener, Ontario) and Martin Stehl (Goldbar, Wash.) combined for 34 saves for Southern New Hampshire (12-5-2, 3-2-0 NE-10)

Both teams came out firing in a wide-open first period. Saint Michael’s opened the scoring just 32 seconds into the contest on an unassisted backhander from Girouard, but just 1:05 later, Bousquet countered with a goal from the point. The Penmen took a 2-1 lead at the 8:20 mark of the frame on freshman Brandon Hammermeister’s (Calgary, Alberta) 11th goal of the season, but Caron evened the score 10:48 into the game with an even-strength tally. Just 30 seconds later, the visitors retook the lead on a power play marker by sophomore Dominic Cavallaro (Revere, Mass.), and once again, Caron responded, as he scored with the man-advantage with 4:55 left in the stanza to knot the score at 3-all. Twenty-one seconds later, the Penmen grabbed their third lead of the period, as freshman Dan Acropolis (Brick Township, N.J.) completed the first-period scoring.

Saint Michael’s continued to click on offense in the second period, as the Purple Knights scored three unanswered goals in the first 4:02 of the frame to establish a 6-4 margin. Girouard, Watts and senior Matt Anctil (Wolfeboro, N.H./Exeter SnowDevils) lit the lamp for the hosts, with Anctil’s tally coming just 90 seconds after Stehl replaced Fewster in goal. Southern New Hampshire responded, however, as just 13 seconds after Anctil’s goal and a Penmen timeout, Bousquet cut the deficit in half on a blast from outside the blue line. The Purple Knights maintained their one-goal edge until 1:32 left in the stanza, when Doherty notched his league-leading 19th goal of the season just 17 seconds after a Purple Knights’ hooking penalty.

Caron gave the hosts a 7-6 1:22 into the third period, completing the hat trick just four seconds after a Penmen penalty expired. Southern New Hampshire again knotted the score 4:15 later on freshman Josh Goodman’s (Highland Mills, N.Y.) 4-on-4 goal, setting the stage for Mullins’ game-winner with 6:15 to play. Freshman Tim Dancey (Anaheim, Calif./Berkshire School) sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final minute.Southern New Hampshire returns to action on Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. home game versus Worcester State College, while Saint Michael’s next hosts 10th-ranked Bowdoin College on Friday at 7 p.m.

GAME SUMMARY
Southern N.H. 4 2 1 --7
Saint Michael’s 3 3 3 --9

First Period: Scoring: 1. SMC, Girouard (unassisted), :32. 2. SNH, B. Bousquet (Douglas, Doherty), 1:37. 3. SNH, Hammermeister (Douglas, Doherty), 8:20. 4. SMC, Caron (Watts, Thurston), 10:48. 5. SNH, Cavallaro (Russo, K. Bousquet), 11:18 (pp). 6. SMC, Caron (Watts, Silver), 15:05 (pp). 7. SNH, Acropolis (Russo, Olitch), 15:26. Penalties: DiMasi, SMC (hooking), 11:12; Williams, SNH (hooking), 14:45; K. Bousquet, SNH (hit from behind), 16:10.

Second Period: Scoring: 8. SMC, Girouard (Silver, Zimmermann), 1:05. 9. SMC, Watts (unassisted), 2:32 (sh). 10. SMC, Anctil (Perez), 4:02. 11. SNH, B. Bousquet (Porter), 4:13. 12. SNH, Doherty (Hurley), 18:28 (pp). Penalties: Zimmermann, SMC (hooking), 1:11; B. Bousquet, SNH (hooking), 11:48; Deppmeyer, SNH (hooking), 18:11; B. Bousquet, SNH (cross checking), 19:18.

Third Period: Scoring: 13. SMC, Caron (Watts, N. Dancey), 1:22. 14. SNH, Goodman (Doherty, Hammermeister), 5:37. 15. SMC, Mullins (Caron, Thurston), 13:45. 16. SMC, T. Dancey (Geragosian), 19:20 (en). Penalties: N. Dancey, SMC (tripping), 4:32; B. Bousquet, SNH (interference), 4:49; Lavery, SNH (obstruction-interference), 8:22; Cavallaro, SNH (high-sticking), 9:48; B. Bousquet, SNH (hooking), 14:12.

Shots on Goal: SNH (11 – 12 – 7 – 30), SMC (11 – 16 – 16 – 43).

Saves: SNH, Fewster (13 shots, 8 saves), Stehl at 2:32 of second (29 shots, 26 saves); SMC, Smith (30 shots, 23 saves).

For complete box score, click here.

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Last Revised: October 25, 2002