HOOKSETT, N.H. – Troy Maybury (South Portland, Maine) scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner with 4:50 remaining, as Southern New Hampshire University held off the University of New England for a 5-4 win in the first round of the Manchester Police Athletic League (PAL)/Stovepipe men's ice hockey tournament Saturday. The Penmen improve to 2-4 and advance to Sunday's tournament championship game where it will face the winner of Saturday's second game between UMass Boston and Salve Regina at 4:30. The Nor'Easters are 0-3 and will play in Sunday's 1:30 consolation game.
UNE trailed 3-0 3:32 into the second period and 3-1 after two periods, but scored three times in a span of 6:32 in the third to take a 4-3 lead. Scott McManaman made it 3-2 on a power play goal 2:45 into the third frame, then Tyler Fleurent would tie the game at 6:22 on an even-strength goal. Fleurent would add another power play goal at the 9:17 mark to give the Nor'Easters a 4-3 lead.
New England's lead was short-lived, as Bill Toomey (Reading, Mass.) scored for the Penmen just 29 seconds later on an assist by Bobby Bryant (Nashua, N.H.). Maybury's game-winner came at the 15:10 mark on a power play. Toomey took a pass from Kevin Danie (Feeding Hills, Mass.) and fired a shot from the left point that was stopped by UNE's Mike Roper. Maybury, standing in front of the goal, collected the rebound and fired it home for the eventual game-winner.
The Penmen got on the board 3:57 into the contest when Maybury registered his first power-play goal of the game, with Toomey and Bryant assisting. Southern New Hampshire took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, then scored twice early in the second as Doug Boulanger (Beauport, Quebec) scored at 1:32 and Chris Hickey (Gilford, N.H.) scored exactly two minutes later. The Nor'Easters got on the board at the 11:02 mark when Matt DelGuidice scored.
Tyler Holske (Attleboro, Mass.) made 35 saves for Southern New Hampshire between the pipes as UNE outshot the Penmen 39-28. Roper made 23 saves for the Nor'Easters. UNE was 2-4 on the power play while the Penmen were 2-5 with the man advantage.
Southern New Hampshire is making its first PAL/Stovepipe championship game appearance since 2007 and will be looking for its second tournament title and first since 1998.
