SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - The second-place Saint Michael's College men's ice hockey team trimmed Saint Anselm College, 2-1, in Northeast 10 Conference play on Friday evening in Cairns Arena. The Purple Knights, who played their fifth straight one-goal affair, remained one point short of first-place Assumption University while meeting the Hawks in a rematch of the 2025 NE10 Championship title game, won by Saint Michael's.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (12-6-3, 7-2-2 NE10), Saint Anselm (6-10-4, 5-4-2 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Nick Wracker (Columbia, S.C./Northeast Generals), 1 goal
• Junior Brayden Naumann (Boston, Mass./Dexter Southfield School), 1 goal
• Senior Jake Leale (Suffern, N.Y./Connecticut RoughRiders), 1 assist, 4 blocked shots
• Sophomore Evan Plunkett (Charlotte, N.C./Holderness School), 32 saves
• Senior Ashton Allain (Brentwood, Tenn./Walpole Express), 4 blocked shots
• Junior Ty Bloom (Helena, Mont./Helena Bighorns), 8-for-11 faceoffs
• Sophomore Jack Tuite (Shrub Oak, N.Y./Springfield Jr. Pics), 9-for-13 faceoffs
• First-year Marshall Thomas (Canton, Mass./Ironwood Lumberjacks), 8-for-12 faceoffs

OPPONENT LEADERS

• First-year Sebastian Rogles, 1 goal
• Junior Cam Carroll, 25 saves

GAME FACTS

• The Purple Knights have allowed two goals or less 16 times in 21 games this season.
• Since being swept in last year's four-game regular-season series by a 19-9 score, the Purple and Gold has won four straight over the Hawks by a 17-5 margin.
• Wracker scored his fifth goal in the last six games against Saint Anselm, accounting for exactly half of the 10 goals he has in 77 career games. The Hope Happens Here tri-chair also fittingly scored during HHH's Mental Health Awareness Game, when the Purple Knights wore custom jerseys.

THE ACTION

• After missing the last three games, Wracker returned to score the lone goal of the first period, with 11:08 gone. Wracker won a draw in the left circle back to Leale, who slipped a quick pass for sophomore Ian Wolanin (Pomfret, Conn./HC Rhode Island), whose shot from above the left circle was tipped in by an unmarked Wracker in front of Carroll.
• Plunkett snapped up 15 first-period stops without allowing a goal, including denying junior Chris Cordeiro's close-range backhander with a glove save at 17:03.
• Naumann made it 2-0 4:33 into the second period on a power play, sweeping home a rebound from the doorstep after sophomore Cole Douglas' (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) shot from the left point was stopped. Senior Quinn McCarthy (Melrose, Mass./Holderness School) also assisted for his 85th career point.
• Naumann nearly cushioned the advantage at 9:45 but had a slap shot denied from the left circle by Carroll's blocker.
• Plunkett made the lead stand up with 13:03 gone, sliding outside the left post for a pad save of Rogles after losing his stick.
• Rogles halved the deficit just 2:18 into the third period, taking a giveaway at the left point and lofting a shot that hit a Purple Knight on the way to the net.
• Tuite nearly added a third goal, slipping the puck under Carroll in the closing minutes, but first-year Sean Connolly cleared the puck out of danger before it could cross the goal line at 16:35.
• Plunkett made a blocker save of senior Cam Collins near the left post less than 30 seconds later, the final shot that got through to the net, as the Purple Knights blocked five bids in the closing 2:51, including as Carroll vacated the net for the final 1:44 in favor of an extra skater.
• In the waning seconds, Naumann laid out to deny sophomore Justin Tremblay's attempt from the blue line with five ticks remaining and Wolanin blocked a final Tremblay bid with his skate at the edge of the left circle as the horn sounded.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Saturday vs. Saint Anselm, 3 p.m.