Seahawks advance to second straight ECAC Northeast Championship game

HARRISVILLE, R.I. - The Salve Regina University men's ice hockey team advanced to it's second straight ECAC Northeast Championship game with a 3-0 shutout victory over the defending champions, Nichols College. The Seahawks will now face Endicott College on Saturday to determine a new Conference Champion.

Freshman netminder Blake Wojtala (Trenton, Mich.) turned aside all 26 shots he faced to earn his third shutout of the season and sends the Seahawks to their third ECAC Northeast Championship contest in four years. Salve Regina – which will face top-seeded Endicott Saturday in the championship in Beverly, Mass. – extended its program-record for wins to 16 against 10 losses and one tie.

Senior Peter Gintoli (Shelton, Conn.) collected three assists and sophomore Pat Thompson (Hellertown, Pa.) scored the game-winning goal on the Seahawks fourth power play of the first period at 16:09. Junior Jonathan Felteau (Peabody, Mass.) and sophomore James Malone (Beachwood, N.J.) added second and third period goals for Salve Regina, respectively.

The Bison saw their run at a third-straight conference crown cut short and close the season 17-10-0. Senior Alex Larson (Madison, Ala.) made 30 saves in his final collegiate contest and graduates as the program's all-time leader in nearly every major goaltending category, including wins, saves, save percentage, and goals against average. 

Nichols spent nearly 11 of the first 20 minutes of the contest short-handed. The Bison managed to kill off the first three penalties – including a five-minute major – before Thompson's 13^th of the season gave the visitors the lead. Thompson took a pass from Gintoli from the right post and redirected it from the slot into the left side of the net.

Salve Regina doubled its lead 2:23 into the second when Malone broke down the right wing and wristed a shot past Larson. Gintoli was credited with the primary assist on Malone's fourth of the year. Minutes later, the Seahawks killed off a pair of Bison power plays – including 43 seconds of five-on-three action. Felteau's empty netter with 51 seconds remaining in the third sealed the win.

The Seahawks dominated the face-off circle, winning 62 percent of the contests draws (46-of-74).

So far this postseason the Seahawks have yet to allow a goal and now advance to their third Championship game in four seasons.