Ahead of facing the No. 15 Davenport Panthers in their home-opening series, the No. 14 Seawolves knew that this pair of games against a strong opponent would be an early-season test. After suffering a 4-2 loss in their first home game since February 2020, the Seawolves demonstrated why they are the higher-ranked team, bouncing back with a 5-2 victory on Sunday, October 10 to improve to 3-1 overall record.
Stony Brook got off to a good start in its home opener on Saturday, October 9 at The Rinx, firing 18 shots on goal through 20 minutes of play. Despite this offensive dominance, Davenport surrendered just one goal to senior forward Filip Pomianek in the first period. The Panthers broke through in the second period with a trio of goals and tacked on a fourth midway through the third period to take a 4-1 lead. Though Seawolves junior forward Devin Pepe found the back of the net on a power play with just over one minute remaining in regulation, Stony Brook’s deficit was too much to overcome.
In the wake of their 4-2 defeat, the Seawolves’ strong effort on Sunday afternoon translated to higher scoring and, ultimately, better results. Davenport held Stony Brook to a single first-period goal once again despite a convincing 20-11 lead in shots on goal, but this time it would be the home team who ran up the score in the second period. Freshmen lead the way for the Seawolves with forward Kyle Nestepny scoring his first two goals as a Seawolf and defenseman Andrew Mancini picking up his first with the team to grab a 3-0 lead. Though the Panthers quickly answered back with a goal of their own, Pomianek’s second of the weekend and a third-period tally from senior forward Charles Peck secured Stony Brook’s game two victory.
The Seawolves’ schedule does not get any easier in the weeks ahead, beginning with their trip to Adrian, MI this weekend for a pair of games against the No. 1 Adrian Bulldogs. Stony Brook will look to deal the defending national champions its first losses of the season on Friday, October 15 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 16 at 1:00 p.m. at the Arrington Ice Arena.
