The Saint Anselm College men’s ice hockey team, the No. 1 seed in the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) Championship, fell to No. 2 seed Saint Michael’s College in a 5-1 loss on Saturday. The Purple Knights claimed their sixth NE10 postseason title, their first since 2009, and avenged their 2023 championship defeat at the hands of the Hawks. With this result, Saint Anselm ended an impressive season with an 18-10-2 overall record, closing out their 16th NE10 Regular Season Championship in program history.
The championship matchup started as a defensive battle, with both teams trying to make scoring chances but failing to get ahead in the early minutes. Saint Michael’s broke the deadlock late in the first period when Quinn McCarthy deflected a shot by David Ciancio past Saint Anselm’s goaltender, giving the Purple Knights a 1-0 advantage heading into the first intermission.
Saint Michael’s quickly extended their lead early in the second period making it a 3-0 lead. Saint Anselm, determined to fight back, gave a good offensive pressure midway through the second period. The Hawks ended up having seven shots on goal, but Saint Michael’s goaltender remained rock solid in the net. At the 11:40 mark, Saint Anselm came inches away from scoring when senior Hunter Brackett (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) backhanded a shot off the crossbar. The rebound attempt by junior Garrett Alberti (Wilmington, Mass.) nearly found its way in, but the purple knight goalie made an outstanding save to keep the shutout.
The Hawks finally found the scoreboard with 5:35 remaining in the period when freshman Justin Tremblay (Becancour, Quebec, Canada) forced a turnover in the offensive zone and quickly set up sophomore Chris Cordeiro (Barnstable, Mass.). Cordeiro’s one-time shot from the slot beat the goalie to cut the deficit to 3-1. Saint Michael’s swiftly silenced the crowd just 15 seconds later. They had a swift shot into the corner of the net to restore the Purple Knights’ three-goal lead at 4-1.
With a larger lead entering the third period, Saint Michael’s had a more defensive approach, which really restrained Saint Anselm’s offensive threats. The Hawks outshot the Purple Knights 10-3 in the final period, but the Purple Knight’s goalie continued his great performance, shutting out each shot. With just over five minutes remaining, Patrick Last put the finishing touches on the victory, scoring his third goal of the postseason to seal the 5-1 championship win for Saint Michael’s.
Saint Anselm outshot Saint Michael’s 28-23 but struggled to get scoring chances. Senior Will van der Veen (Duxbury, Mass.) led the Hawks with five shots on goal. Ciancio recorded two goals and one assist. The Purple Knights won 35 of 63 faceoffs (55.6%), with Ty Bloom dominating in the circle, winning 15 of 20 draws (75.0%). Saint Michael’s blocked 14 shots compared to just five for Saint Anselm. Goaltender Cam Carroll (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) made 18 saves for the Hawks, while they stopped 27 shots for the Purple Knights. The game featured no penalties from either team.
Despite the loss, Saint Anselm had two players named to the NE10 All-Championship Team: seniors Richie Colarusso (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Chase Reynolds (Middletown, Conn.).
The Hawks now hold an 11-8 all-time record in NE10 Championship games. While the Hawks fell short in their bid for back-to-back NE10 titles, their strong season and regular-season championship reaffirmed their status as a powerhouse in the conference. With several key players graduating, the team will look to rebuild and return even stronger next year, aiming to reclaim the NE10 crown.