LoCicero's hat-trick gives Seahawks 7-6 win in 3OT thriller

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – Nick LoCicero (Lynbrook, N.Y.) scored a hat-trick goal to give Salve Regina University a 7-6 victory over Clark University in the third overtime at Gaudet Field on Wednesday night.

The Seahawks earned their first win of the 2015 season in comeback fashion. Despite seemingly outplaying the Cougars the Seahawks trailed on the scoreboard because they kept committing penalties and putting the Cougars in man-up situations, which the Cougars converted. The Cougars jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the second and looked poised to carry the shutout into halftime until LoCicero broke through for the Seahawks first goal.

Holding the ball on the wing LoCicero hesitated for a moment then spun and fired a shot on net that sailed under the left arm of Cougars netminder Drew Riopelle-Tyrell (Northville, Mich.) and just inside the far post for the score.

The goal gave the Seahawks momentum heading into halftime and the team came out firing to start the third.

LoCicero added his second goal of the game 1:25 into the third, and then Jake Gonzalez (Tolland, Conn.) followed it up eight seconds later, scoring off the faceoff to tie the game.

The Seahawks would close the third, like they started it, scoring two more goals in the final minute and a half of the quarter.

LoCicero set up Andrew Fera (Cranston, R.I.) for his first of the evening to give Salve Regina the lead, then Fera scored his second with just six seconds left with the help of Sharp Jones (Scituate, Mass.).

The Seahawks led 5-3 to start the fourth after scoring five unanswered but penalties again were hurting Salve Regina. Gonzalez was called for pushing giving the Cougars man-up and they quickly capitalized to draw within a goal as Peter Christiansen (Seattle, Wash.) was able to snap a shot past freshman goalie Matt D'Amore (Duxbury, Mass.) to make it 5-4.

The Seahawks pushed the lead back to two when Fera scored his own hat-trick goal with 10:09 left in the fourth to make it 6-4.

However the lead did not last long. Only 35 seconds after Fera had extended the lead Nick Johnson (Amherst, Mass.) scored for Clark, then similarly to how Gonzalez had, Ryan Marsh (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) scored off the ensuing faceoff, and just like that the game was tied.

Both teams traded chances but neither could find the back of the net and the first home game of the season at Gaudet was headed for overtime.

Both sides traded blows but could not sneak a shot past the goaltenders. LoCicero had an opportunity at the end of the first overtime, but he could not convert, missing wide.

LoCicero then hit the post to end the second overtime with the ball sticking the pipe waiting to be tipped in, but no one could reach it before time expired.

The third time was the charm and LoCicero buried the game-winning goal just 90 seconds into the third overtime, racing from behind the net and twisting to fire the shot home.

With the win the Seahawks improve to 1-2 on the season while the Cougars fall to 3-2.

D'Amore made 17 saves on 23 shots faced for the Seahawks to improve his record to 1-1 on the season. Meanwhile Riopelle-Tyrell stopped 16 of 23 for the Cougars.

Next up Salve Regina will travel to play Gordon on March 21 at 12 p.m. and Clark will host Manhattanville College at 12 p.m.