After a successful regular season as the top seed in the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League, Stony Brook entered the 2022 Playoffs as a heavy favorite to win its 13th league title in program history. By the time the weekend was over, the Seawolves had some new hardware to add to their already packed trophy case.
Stony Brook won its fifth ESCHL championship on Saturday, February 19 in West Chester, PA, capitalizing on the team’s many strengths just as it has all year. Coming off of a regular season finale against the Drexel Dragon in which the Seawolves lit the lamp 10 times, the two teams prepared for a rematch in the Playoff semifinal round. When the puck dropped, the result was more of the same for the No. 8 Seawolves.
Junior forward Matt Minerva opened up the scoring for Stony Brook early in the first period, kicking off a string of five consecutive goals for the Seawolves. Senior defenseman Brendan Pepe, junior forward Shawn Rainville, and junior forward Michael Conlin each found the back of the net before the first intermission, and then Minerva struck again in the opening minutes of the second period to make it 5-0 Seawolves.
The Dragons found their way onto the scoresheet around the midway point of the period, but that would not deter the Seawolves’ offense from applying more pressure. Freshman forward Brandon Avezov and junior forward Jesse Edwards each scored in the third period, followed by Minerva’s third goal of the night to secure his hat trick. Drexel managed to put one more goal past sophomore goalie Matvei Kazakov before time ran out, but Rainville made sure that Stony Brook got the last laugh when he scored his second of the night to secure the team’s 9-2 victory.
The Seawolves’ win qualified them for the League Championship game the next day where they faced the Delaware Blue Hens in a winner-take-all matchup. The Blue Hens slowed down the red-hot Seawolves offense, with both goalies heading to their locker rooms perfect after a scoreless first period of action. Delaware wasn’t able to hold Stony Brook at bay forever, though, as it was senior forward Conor Dempsey who picked up the first goal of the game in the second period to make it 1-0 Seawolves. Delaware responded with a tying goal of their own, but in the final minute of the second period senior forward Joseph Slevin scored to regain a 2-1 Stony Brook lead through 40 minutes of play.
After scoring in the dying seconds of the middle period, it was clear that the next goal would be a crucial one for both sides. Junior forward Scot Lawson rose to the occasion just 34 seconds into the third period, padding the Seawolves’ lead with an important insurance goal. Though Delaware eventually cut the Stony Brook lead to one goal, the Blue Hens needed to pull their goalie for an extra attacker late in the game in an attempt to even the score. With an open target at the other end of the ice, junior defenseman Davin Van de Zilver fired a shot down the ice and scored what would be the final goal of the game.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Seawolves’ bench erupted with elation as all of the players earned their first collegiate championship. Minerva was named the Playoff Tournament MVP for his efforts and moments later, team Captain Pepe and Assistant Captains senior forward Charles Peck, Slevin, and Van de Zilver skated forward to accept the championship trophy.
Now, with the league title in the rearview mirror, Stony Brook prepares to move onto the ACHA National Tournament in St. Louis, MO. The Seawolves go into Nationals ranked No. 8 in the country and will begin their National title run with a game against the No. 9 Jamestown Jimmies. Puck drop is scheduled for Saturday, March 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET at the Centene Community Ice Center.
