HOOKSETT, NH (November 26, 2022) - Adam Mercer made a remarkable 63 saves and the Southern New Hampshire University men's hockey team held on for a 4-3 victory over Tufts University in the opening game of the Stovepipe Tournament on Saturday.
Tufts finished with a 66-30 advantage in shots on goal. Mercer had 30 saves in the first period alone when the Penmen took a 3-0 lead. The Jumbos tied the game at 3-3 in the second including two goals by
Tyler Sedlak. However, an SNH goal by Ryan Pomposelli at 12:51 of the middle stanza would hold up as the game-winner.
Mercer had 15 saves in the final period, including his last two after Tufts pulled its goalie in the final 1:49 of action.
Tufts will play in the tournament consolation game tomorrow at 1:40 pm against either Mass.-Dartmouth or New England College, who meet in today's other Stovepipe first round game. The Penmen will face the winner of that game in the tournament final tomorrow.
Trailing 3-0 after one period, Tufts tied the game in the second. Barely three minutes into the frame, the Jumbos caught the Penmen in a line change. Defenseman
Chris Throndson sent a pass from his own end up to
Joel Brandinger who drew the defenseman and then sent the puck across to Sedlak alone in front for the first Tufts goal.
Six minutes later, the visitors pulled within 3-2 on a goal by
Harrison Bazianos. A shot by defenseman
Sam Miller through traffic rebounded into the slot.
Max Resnick raced to the puck and sent it over to Bazianos open on the right side for his first goal of the year
Another long, pin-point pass by Throndsron from his own end to Sedlak at the Southern New Hampshire blue line resulted in a break-in that the sophomore converted for his second goal of the game tying the score at 11:31 of the second.
The Penmen would get the lead back just 1:10 later though following a Tufts turnover in their offensive end. Matt Monreal intercepted a pass and sent the Penmen away on a three-on-two. Ethan Rodriguez beat a Tufts defender and sent the puck left to Pomposelli who stuck it high into the net for a 4-3 advantage.
The Penmen had taken a 1-0 lead on an outstanding individual effort by George Thurston. Taking a pass at the red line, he went into the Jumbo zone and made a move to the right around a Tufts defender and scored on a power-play at 13:38 of the first period.
The hosts added to their lead at 9:56 when Travis Quigly picked up a loose puck at the bottom of the right circle and had space to net his first of the year. Ryan Coady then snuck one past Tufts freshman goalie Gus Bylin from the top of the left circle near the boards with 1:20 remaining and the Penmen led 3-0.
Bylin finished with 26 saves for the Jumbos, who were unable to convert on four power-play chances. SNH was 2 for 6 with the extra man. Tufts'
Mason Kohn was excellent on face-offs winning 20 of 33 (60.6 percent).
Â
