Ice Hawks Skate Past Salve Regina

NEWPORT, R.I. - Freshman Patrick Bellow (Newington, Conn.) scored his fourth goal of the season with 5:13 remaining in the third period to lift Becker College to a 3-2 win over Salve Regina University in ECAC men's hockey action Wednesday night at Portsmouth-Abbey Arena.

Junior Jared Kersner (Rockville, Md.) scored a goal and added two assists for the Hawks, who improved to 6-10-0 (4-4-0 ECAC) with the win. Senior Chase Goodrich (Salisbury, Vt.) made 46 saves for the Seahawks, who dropped their fourth-straight game to fall to 2-11-2 (2-7-1 ECAC).

"That's about the seventh game that we've been within a goal with two minutes left that we haven't been able to win," said Salve Regina head coach Andy LeColst. "Those seven losses change the season. We just haven't been able to win the close games. We got outplayed in the second period, and that took the wind out of us. Chase really kept us in the game tonight, but when you take shifts off the way we did and our best guys are on the ice killing penalties , you're tired and pressing in the end. That's what it came down to."

Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, the Seahawks tied the game on senior Conor McCahill's (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) fifth goal of the season at 13:18 of the third period. Sophomore Ryan Petersen (Shrewsbury, N.J.) and freshman Danny Allen (Brookfield, Conn.) picked up assist on the goal. The assist marked the first point of Allen's collegiate career.

Just 1:29 later, however, Bellew took a pass from freshman Brian Murray (Manalapan, N.J.) and registered his first collegiate game-winning goal. Kersner picked up the secondary assist on the goal.

Becker opened the scoring just 24 seconds into the contest as Kersner converted a pass from Murray into his team-leading fifth goal of the season. The Seahawks tied the game late in the period on senior Jake Picard's (Wellfleet, Mass.) third goal of the season. Senior John Nogatch (Kirkland, Wash.) scored the only goal of the second period - a short-handed marker that beat Goodrich to the glove side - that put the Hawks in front 2-1 at 10:14.

Junior Tony Stoehr (De Pere, Wisc.) made 44 saves for the Hawks, including 19 in the third period. Goodrich was equally as good, making 19 saves in a second period which saw the Hawks outshoot the Seahawks 20-12.

Salve Regina returns to action on January 30 when they host Johnson & Wales at 5:45 p.m.

Pete DiVito
Salve Regina University -Sports Information Assistant