HENNIKER, N.H. - The Saint Michael's College men's ice hockey team fell to nationally-regarded New England College, 7-2, on Friday evening at Lee Clement Arena during New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) play. The Purple Knights are 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the league, while the Pilgrims, who are receiving a vote toward the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Division III national poll, moved to 3-1 and 2-1.

Sophomore Chris Johnson (Duxbury, Mass./Pomfret School) came up with 46 saves for the eighth 40-stop performance of his career, while senior Connor Mitchell (New Milford, Conn./Kent School) and sophomore Sam D'Antuono (Hingham, Mass./Dexter School) scored. Junior Eric Salzillo (Johnston, R.I./Boston Bandits) went 17-of-35 on face-offs with an assist, and classmate Keegan Finn (Yarmouth, Mass./Bay State Breakers) was 6-for-13.

Sophomore Connor Fries and first-year Patrick DeBlois both had a goal and two assists for New England College, which saw seven players account for its seven goals. First-years Carlos Fornaris and Adam Zöllner both contributed a goal and an assist, and senior Brett Kilar made 28 saves.

The hosts led 3:30 after the opening draw, as first-year Patrick Bartolomucci found the back of the net, but Mitchell converted on the power play at 7:12 of the first period, knocking home a rebound of Salzillo's saved shot. First-year William Santangeli (Oakville, Ontario/Saint Mark's School) extended his point streak to four contests on the play, registering an assist. Zöllner broke the deadlock at 11:28, but D'Antuono converted sophomore Colin Biebel's (Roxborough Park, Colo./Walpole Express) pass at 13:24. Classmate Nic Hermary (Coquitlam, British Columbia/Melfort Mustangs) also assisted. Johnson made four of his 18 first-period stops during a pair of man disadvantages prior to the end of the stanza.

Johnson had eight more saves in the first nearly seven minutes of the second period to keep the score 2-2, but DeBlois deposited the eventual winner at 8:54, kicking off a three-goal flurry in a matter of 6:06. Fries pushed the margin to 4-2 at 11:35, but the Purple Knights gained a power play only 1:15 later. D'Antuono and seniors Danny Divis (Media, Pa./Minnesota Wilderness) and Shawn Morrow (East Greenbush, N.Y./Kent School) all had shots stopped while trying to trim their team's deficit to one, and a second penalty gave the visitors a 5-on-3 edge for 25 seconds but yielded no shots. Eight seconds after the first penalty expired, Fornaris added to the lead with a shorthanded tally at 14:58.

In the final minute of the second period, senior defender Stephen Inman (Coventry, R.I./Odessa Jackalopes) had his team's lone shot during a power play, and Morrow fired two of his team's four shots on a man advantage that began 4:53 into the third, but Kilar denied all five shots in those stretches. First-year William Riise added to the Pilgrims' lead 8:21 into the final stanza, and junior Joe Osaka tallied during a 4-on-4 situation at 12:05.

The Purple Knights head to Saint Anselm College tomorrow for a 4 p.m. contest that will count toward both the NEHC and Northeast-10 Conference standings.