NEWPORT, R.I. (Jan. 29) – Sophomore Zach Kohn (Hartland, Wis.) and freshman Robbie Sorrenti (Wyckoff, N.J.) each recorded a goal and an assist to help Nichols College defeat Salve Regina University 5-4 in Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast action Saturday afternoon at Portsmouth Abbey Arena.

Senior Matt Sayer (Lowell, Mass.) dished out a pair of assists for the Bison, who led 5-0 in the third period before the Seahawks staged a late rally that fell short. With the win, Nichols moves to 11-7-1 (5-3-0 ECAC) while Salve Regina falls to 1-15-1 (1-7-0 ECAC).

The Bison led 4-0 after two periods of play and looked to be in complete control of the game when freshman Greg Strootman (Aston, Pa.) slapped a loose puck past sophomore goalie J.C. Turgeon (Sherbrooke, Quebec) to make it 5-0 three minutes into the third. However, Nichols was whistled for four-consecutive minor penalties which led to a pair of SRU goals that cut its lead to 5-2 with 12 minutes to go in the period.

Senior Brett Pimental (East Falmouth, Mass.) got the Seahawks on the board when he redirected a pass from sophomore Jacob Hutt (Menlo Park, Calif.) past junior goalie Jacob Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) at 4:00. Less than five minutes later, Pimental played the puck in front to senior captain Joe Colaianni (Monroe, N.Y.), who jammed it into the net at 8:15. The goal extended Colaianni's goal scoring streak to three.

Late in the third, senior Matt Roberts (Merrimack, Mass.) was assessed a minor penalty for boarding with 2:26 on the clock and Nichols still leading 5-2. With Turgeon on the bench to give Salve Regina a two-man advantage, the Seahawks cashed in to make it 5-3. Sophomore Mike Cenisio (Chadds Ford, Pa.) won a faceoff back to Colaianni, who slid the puck to Hutt at the top of the slot. Hutt wristed a shot that beat Rinn to cut the deficit to 5-3.
Just over a minute later and with Turgeon again on the bench for the extra attacker, Hutt potted his seventh goal of the season and sixth in three games at 18:44 to cut the Nichols lead to one at 5-4. The Seahawks finished the period with a 17-8 edge in shots but were unable to get the fifth and final goal needed to send the game to overtime.

“We made a tremendous comeback and played some of the best hockey we've played all year in the third period, but we failed to play a complete 60 minutes, and that's what did us in,” said Seahawks head coach Andy Boschetto. “We've proven this week that we can play with the best teams in the conference – the Curry's, the Wentworth's, and the Nichols'. When we start to put a complete game together, we're going to pick up points against those teams.”

The two schools skated to a scoreless tie through the first 20 minutes of play. Sorrenti's fifth goal of the season broke the tie 6:50 into the second period as he redirected a point shot from sophomore Wil Brown (Hershey, Pa.) over Turgeon's blocker and into the right corner of the net. Later in the period, Kohn one-timed a pass from Sayer past Turgeon to make it 2-0, and goals by sophomore Josh Moles (Fort Wayne, Ind.) at 15:09 and senior Will Munson (Corona, Calif.) at 16:26 gave the Bison a 4-0 through two periods.

Rinn made 31 saves to improve to 8-5-1 on the season while Turgeon made 26 saves. The Seahawks went 3-for-7 on the power-play while the Bison converted on one of their three chances with the man advantage.

Colaianni finished with three points (1-2-3) for the Seahawks, giving him eight points (3-5-8) in his last three games. Hutt, meanwhile, chalked up four points (2-2-4) against NC and now has 10 points (7-3-10) in five games since joining the Seahawks. With a goal and an assist on the afternoon, Pimental has four points (1-3-4) in his last two games.

The Seahawks return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Worcester, Mass. for a 7:35 p.m. game with Assumption. The Bison host Becker Wednesday at 8:10 p.m.

Story courtesy Salve Regina Sports Information

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