Vona goal lifts Ice Dogs past Stonehill, 5-4; clinches NE-10 bye

February 6, 2010

Assumption 5, Stonehill 4

FOXBORO, Mass. --- Assumption College held off a valiant Stonehill College comeback effort from three goals down to defeat the Skyhawks, 5-4, in a Northeast-10 Conference game Saturday at the Foxboro Sports Center.

The victory clinched second place for the Ice Dogs who will now draw a bye in the first round of the upcoming conference playoffs. Freshman right wing JAIME VONA (West Seneca, NY/Saint Francis) scored two goals, including the game-winner on a delayed penalty with 4:21 remaining in the third period, to lead Ice Dogs.

Assumption bolted to a 3-0 lead less than nine minutes into the game, withstood a three-goal rally from Stonehill, and came away with the win.

Junior left wing PATRICK FITZGIBBONS (Worcester, MA/Saint John's) and sophomore center TAYLOR LARSEN (Blackstone, MA/Worcester Academy) each added a goal and assist for the Ice Dogs, while senior defenseman JON RETELLE (Monmouth, ME/Kents Hill) had two assists. Sophomore right wing PAT O'KANE (Hollis, NH/Bishop Guertin) scored his 25th goal of the season.

Senior captain PETER ROUNDY (Simsbury, CT/Kimball Union) scored a pair of goals for Stonehill, extending his point streak to six games. Junior ANGELO TODESCA (Westwood, MA/Catholic Memorial) had three assists for the Skyhawks, while sophomore PATRICK GREENE (Weymouth, MA/Catholic Memorial) and freshman TYLER GORDON (Franklin, MA/Xaverian) each had a goal.

Sophomore STEVE DI DOMENICO (Lowell, MA/Lowell/Tilton) had 37 saves in goal for Assumption, including 22 in the second period as Stonehill recorded 36 shots (24 on goal). Sophomore TYLER JACKSON (Little Silver, NJ/Christian Brothers) stopped 18 shots over the final two periods, while junior DEREK CHAPDELAINE (Granby, MA/Cathedral) started and made four opening period saves .

Fitzgibbons opened the scoring just 1:30 into the game for the Ice Dogs, assisted by Retelle, with his sixth goal of the season. Larsen doubled the Greyhounds lead with an unassisted shorthanded goal at 6:39. It was his 15th goal of the season and third shorthanded. They extended the lead to three goals less than two minutes later as Vona bagged another unassisted goal at 8:36.

Stonehill started its comeback with a power-play goal by Roundy, assisted by sophomore MATTHEW DOHERTY (Milton, MA/Thayer Academy) and Todesca at 15:23. They tied it within the first seven minutes of the second period, starting with Gordon's first collegiate goal and then Greene tied it with his sixth of the season on the power-play at 6:39.

O'Kane put Assumption back in front just before the second intermission with his NE-10 leading 23rd goal of the season, assisted by Larsen and sophomore defenseman KEVIN GLANZMAN (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) at 17:42. Stonehill tied it again on Roundy's ninth goal of the year at 9:32 of the third, before Vona's late game-winner on his fifth goal of the year.

Stonehill is now 8-11-1, 1-5-0 conference) is off until Saturday when it opens a home-and-home NE-10 series with Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H., at 7 p.m. Assumption (11-9-1, 7-1-1 confernece) hosts non-conference rival Worcester State College Thursday at the Buffone Rink at 7:35 p.m.

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