NASHUA, N.H. – #6 Saint Joseph's College of Maine (11-9, 7-4 GNAC) saw its postseason run come to an end in a tightly contested GNAC Championship game, falling 8-7 to top-seeded Rivier University (18-0) on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's came out firing in the opening quarter, building an early lead behind junior Nicolas Michaud (Wales, Maine), who scored at 6:05 and 0:33, and junior Joseph Kiedaisch (Westminster, Mass.), who added a goal off a Brandon Cavicchi (Kingston, Mass.) assist at 4:23. Rivier answered with a man-up goal from Conor Walsh at 2:27, but the Monks carried a 3-1 lead into the second.
Rivier opened the second quarter with a pair of goals to even the score, as Aiden Conley scored at 13:33 and Andrew Nee followed with a man-up tally at 13:00. The Monks responded with three unanswered goals to close the half, as Cavicchi scored off a Jon Elliott feed at 12:06, sophomore Noah Schaeffer (Gray, Maine) converted a Chase Ranger assist at 7:12, and freshman Aidan Byrne (West Newbury, Mass.) added an unassisted goal at 1:19 to give Saint Joseph's a 6-3 advantage at halftime.
Rivier seized control in the third quarter, scoring five unanswered goals to flip the game. James DelPrete started the run at 10:40, followed by Mason Schultz (8:10), Aiden Conley (5:45), Henri Brochu (2:21), and Liam Conley (1:10), turning a three-goal deficit into an 8-6 lead entering the fourth.
Saint Joseph's cut into the deficit when Michaud completed his hat trick off a Cavicchi assist at 7:36 of the fourth quarter. The Monks generated several chances late, including a Kevin Wood (Danvers, Mass.) shot as time expired, but two attempts missed wide and the final bid was stopped by Rivier keeper Jake Lydon as the Raiders held on for the 8-7 victory.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Rivier controlled possession throughout, holding advantages in shots (43-26), shots on goal (21-11), ground balls (30-20), and face-offs (12-6). The Raiders also capitalized on both extra-man opportunities, while Saint Joseph's went 0-for-3 in power play chances.
THE KEEPERS:
Sophomore Jake Dernier (Marshfield, Mass.) made 13 saves in a strong effort for the Monks.
Rivier goalkeeper Jake Lydon recorded four saves to earn the win.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
LEADERS – RIVIER:
- Aiden Conley – 2 goals, 2 assists
- Andrew Nee – 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 ground balls
- James DelPrete – 1 goal, 2 assists
- Conor Walsh – 1 goal, 1 assist
- Owen McDuffie – 7 ground balls, 12-of-16 face-offs
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 10-8 all-time against Rivier University.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
Freeman Johnson, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Dominic Oakes, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Drew Fleury, Norwich
Jake Marcotte, Norwich
Kevin Wood, Saint Joseph's College (Maine)
Jason Dernier, Saint Joseph's College (Maine)
Tony Samiotes, Saint Joseph's College (Maine)
Owen McDuffie, Rivier
Mason Schultz, Rivier
Conor Walsh, Rivier
Logan Layton, Rivier
Jake Lydon (MVP), Rivier
