Your #5 ranked seawolves made a triumphant run at the ACHA Division I National Tournament this past week only to fall short in the championship game to the #2 team in the country, the University of Central Oklahoma by a score of 4-0, with an empty net goal. Stony Brook started off their weekend by beating 12th ranked, University of Rhode Island 1-0. The Seawolves next opponent, 4th ranked Robert Morris Illinois would prove to be the biggest nail biter of the tournament. Stony Brook pulled their goalie with 35 seconds left in regulation when junior forward, Nick Barbera tyed the game at 4 a piece with a shot from the high slot, over the blocker side of the RMU goalie. With just 6 seconds left in the game the Seawolves charged down the ice one more time and scored the game winner with a shot from Senior Assistant Captain Vinny Lopes, pushing Stony Brook into a rematch of last year’s semi-final game against the #1 team in the country, Arizona State University. The Seawolves would get their redemption this year and beat ASU 2-1, pushing them to their first National Tournament final since 2003.
Head Coach Chris Garofalo stated after the devestating loss to UCO in the final game, “Even though we didn’t win the final game of the season we had an extremely successful season. We had a 33 and 6 record, we won our third consecutive conference title, and we split the series 2 games a piece with the #1 team in the country Arizona state University who will be moving up to NCAA division I next year. I couldn’t be more proud of our team and the seniors who put everything into this season. They will be truly missed. I also wanted to thank all of the fans, family, friends, alumni and the University for all of the support this season. The returning players, recruiting class and the coaching staff look forward to coming back next year to take that next step and bring home a National Title to Seawolf Country!” The Seawolves finish off the 2015 season as the #2 team in the county. Be sure to keep up with Stonybrookhockey.com to see what the Seawolves are up to in the off season. See you in October!
