MANCHESTER, N.H. – Tuesday began a new season for Post University Men's Ice Hockey with the Northeast 10 Tournament First Round kicking off. While the sixth-seeded Eagles would be the first to score in the opening period, four unanswered goals by three-seeded Southern New Hampshire would put an end to Post's season with a 4-1 defeat on the road.
THE BASICS
Post University 1, Southern New Hampshire University 4
Post University (3-25-1)
Southern New Hampshire University (13-13-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED
An early power-play opportunity for the Eagles gave them the chance to get the early momentum which they would be unable to seize as freshman goalie Collin Berke kept them off the scoreboard. However, with the Penmen having a chance to take the momentum with a power-play of their own just under halfway through the first period, it would be Post who pounced on the opportunity instead. Stealing the puck in the defensive zone was junior forward
Patrick Murphy who went the length of the ice and found the open side of the crease while falling into the net to put the Eagles ahead 1-0 with a shorthanded goal.
But only 32 seconds later, the Penmen would steal one right back on that same power play with sophomore forward Brendan Lynch. Junior defenseman Ryan Clear located senior forward Matt Amante who delivered a perfect dump-off pass to Lynch on the right side of junior goalie
Zach Richards to beat him and tie up the game at one. Minutes after that, Southern New Hampshire took their first lead of the night when Lynch helped freshman defenseman Aidan Darby get his first collegiate goal off a faceoff win and shot from the left point which got by Richards and sent the Penmen into the second period leading 2-1.
Richards and Berke would be up to the challenge in the second period, stopping 10 shots apiece to keep the score the same. Both sides would get two man-up advantages each as well as a brief 4-on-4 opportunity thrown in there with nothing to show for it. With under two minutes to go in the frame, freshman defenseman
Cameron Craig drew a pair of two-minute penalties on one play for tripping and then a roughing call for a late hit following the whistle to send the Penmen to a four-minute power play that would leak into the third and final period.
Junior forward Tucker Twardosky and sophomore forward Kurt Watson would each net one for the Penmen in the third period while Berke made 10 saves in the frame to secure the 4-1 win for Southern New Hampshire and end Post University's season in the First Round of the Northeast 10 Tournament.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Jack Engdahl finishes his Post University career having played in a program-record 110 career games
- In one-goal games this year, Post University finished 3-10-0 with five of those losses coming in overtime
- Post University has now lost six consecutive games to Southern New Hampshire University which ties their longest losing streak in the head-to-head series against them since losing six in a row from November 15th, 2019 until March 1st, 2022 – The Eagles were 0-5-0 against the Penmen this year and were unable to score more than one goal in each matchup
- Post University ends the season winless on the road going 0-15-1 away from the Sports Center of Connecticut – Their last road win came on January 27th, 2023 in a 4-2 victory over Saint Anselm College
