Rams net eight power-play goals, double-up Seahawks in their season-opener 8-4

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. - Freshman Jon Stauffer (Landsdale, Pa.) scored three of Suffolk University's eight power-play goals to lead the Rams to an 8-4 win over Salve Regina University in Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast action Thursday night at Portsmouth Abbey Arena.

Senior Paul Weisser (Longmeadow, Mass.) racked up three assists for the Rams (3-2-0, 1-0-0 ECAC), who rallied back from a 4-2 third-period deficit with six power-play goals after SRU sophomore Isaiah Carlson (Kenny Lake, Alaska) and freshman Anthony Birbilis (Katonah, N.Y.) each received five-minute majors and a game misconduct for contact to the head. Senior Brett Pimental (East Falmouth, Mass.) (right) potted a pair of goals for the Seahawks (0-1-0, 0-1-0 ECAC), who were outshot 35-17 in their season-opener.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, Pimental scored at 9:12 and 19:26 of the second period to even the score at two. Goals by sophomore William Gomolinski (Western Springs, Ill.) and Birbilis 53 seconds apart early in the third put the Seahawks in front 4-2 before the major penalties were assessed and the Rams regained control of the game.

Stauffer's second goal of the contest at 9:14 of the third brought the Rams to within a goal at 4-3, and freshman J.M. Leach's (Reading, Mass.) first-career tally 1:17 later evened the game at four. Thirty seconds later, sophomore Andrew Flynn (Stamford, Conn.) netted his first goal of the season to put Suffolk ahead for good, 5-4. Goals by sophomore Jason Molle (Stoneham, Mass.) at 12:53, Stauffer at 15:44, and freshman David Seidell (Greenwich, Conn.) at 17:13 closed the scoring.

"I'm very proud of our guys. They worked hard and came to play," said Salve Regina first-year head coach Andy Boschetto. "Unfortunately, those types of penalties are going to kill you. I thought we were a lot faster than Suffolk, and their coach (Chris Gilonna) commented to me after the game that this was the best Salve team he's played in four years. We have great leadership from our seniors, so I didn't have to do a lot of talking when we fell behind early."

Freshman Max Barron (St. Louis, Mo.) registered a goal and an assist for the Rams, who saw 10 different student-athletes record at least one point in the win. Senior Kevin Sullivan (North Branford, Conn.) dished out a pair of assists for the Seahawks.

Suffolk finished the game 8-for-14 on the power-play. The Seahawks were assessed 15 penalties for a total of 71 minutes, compared to eight penalties for 16 minutes for Suffolk. The Seahawks converted on one of their four chances with the man advantage. Senior Jeff Rose (Collinsville, Conn.) stopped 13 shots en route to earning his third win of the season for Suffolk. Freshman Rob Campbell (Braintree, Mass.) got the start for the Seahawks and finished with 27 saves.

The Seahawks return to action on Saturday when they travel to Nichols for a 7:40 pm contest. The Rams host Johnson & Wales Sunday at 5 p.m.