The Seawolves are back in the Top 10 of the ACHA’s National Rankings following their sweep of the Ohio University Bobcats on the road. After a convincing 5-2 victory on Friday, January 14, Stony Brook completed an incredible comeback on Saturday, January 15 to earn a 4-3 shootout win.
Stony Brook pulled away early in game one and never looked back, scoring a trio of first period goals. Junior forward Matt Minerva opened the scoring just over seven minutes into the game. Under a minute later, freshman forward Brandon Avezov lit the lamp to earn his first goal as a Seawolf and he later struck again to make it 3-0 Stony Brook through 20 minutes.
The Bobcats cut into the Seawolves’ lead in the early stages of the second period, but junior forward Michael Conlin extended the lead back to three goals later in the period with his first goal since returning to the team. The third period followed a similar script, with Ohio picking up its second goal of the game before senior forward Conor Dempsey scored to finish off the 5-2 win. Sophomore goalie Matvei Kazakov played well, turning away 33 of 35 shots on goal.
Ohio came out in game two determined to make up for the previous night’s performance. The Bobcats took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but Minerva tied the game in the second period with his fourth goal in as many games. The Bobcats kept their pressure on throughout the remainder of the game, however, and they held a 3-1 lead with under two minutes to go.
As the clock approached one minute remaining in regulation, junior defenseman Dominick Molfetto fired a shot that was deflected into the net by Conlin to cut the lead in half. Then with just over 30 seconds to go, Avezov brought the puck back into the Bobcats’ zone and found the back of the net on a wraparound to send the game into overtime. Neither team managed to end the game during the five-minute three-on-three period and a shootout was needed to decide the game. Junior goalie Thomas Sullivan was perfect in the shootout, stopping all three Ohio shots, and in the end it was Avezov who finished off the 4-3 comeback victory with a goal.
Stony Brook’s 4-0 start to the second half has resulted in the team moving back up to No. 9 in the National Rankings. The Seawolves will face another big test this weekend when they host the No. 3 Liberty Flames. Game one will be on Saturday, January 22 and game two will be on Sunday, January 23. All home games are played at The Rinx, 660 Terry Road, Hauppauge, NY 11788.
