Huskies Score Season High Five Goals

            LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Junior Chad O'Brien (Johnstown, Pa.) scored a pair of goals and rookie goalie Kyle Shapiro (Ocean, N.J.) stopped 37 shots to help the University of Southern Maine Huskies defeat the Saint Michael's College Purple Knights, 5-2, in the second day of play at the New Year's College Hockey Classic at Herb Brooks Arena.

            The win snapped the Huskies' 10-game losing skid and presented interim head coach Ed Harding with his first collegiate coaching victory.  The five goals were a season high for the Huskies.  The Purple Knights dropped their second straight game to slip back to .500 at 5-5-2.

            O'Brien sparked a three-goal first-period outburst that staked the Huskies to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.  O'Brien scored his first career goal at 1:45 tipping home a shot from junior Pier-Michel Lapointe (St. Georges, Quebec).

            Less than four minutes later, senior Lorne Miller (Montreal, Quebec) doubled the Huskies' lead with his first goal of the campaign off assists from rookies Patrick Magliano (Pelham, N.H.) and Alex Pantalone (Hudson, Mass.).  Senior Stephen Gallo (Barnstead, N.H.) made it 3-0 with what proved to be the game-winning marker at 17:21.  Rookie Jared Beckwith (Winthrop, Mass.) and sophomore Todd Bannerman (Georgetown, Ontario) picked up the assists.

            Shapiro provided the Huskies with another strong effort in goal to earn his second win of the season.  The rookie netminder stopped all 17 St. Michael's shots in the first period as the Huskies built their early lead. 

            O'Brien extended the Huskies' advantage to 4-0 just 48 seconds into the second period with his second goal.

            Sophomore Justin McKenzie (Hawthorne, N.J.) snapped the run of USM goals for Saint Michael's at 7:55 of the stanza with his third goal set up by junior Mike Schreiner (St. Albans, Vt.) and sophomore Anthony Maiuri (Boxford, Mass.).

            Senior Brad McGovern (Haverhill, Mass.) restored the Huskies' four-goal edge with a power-play marker at 17:19.

            Saint Michael's senior AJ Pieprzak (Barrie, Ontario) tallied the lone goal of the final period, a power-play marker, at 15:42.

            Junior Daniel Mattsson (Uppsala, Sweden) and Beckwith each had two assists for the Huskies.

            Senior Dave Donzanti (West Chester, Pa.) and junior Michael Comitini (Hudson, Quebec) split the goaltending chores for the Purple Knights.  Donzanti, who shut out the Huskies back on November 15, surrendered the first four goals and had eight saves before being lifted for Comitini.  Comitini allowed one goal over 39 minutes and stopped 20 shots.

            Southern Maine returns home next weekend to host New England College on Friday (7:00 p.m.) for an ECAC Men's East game.  Saint Michael's also will be at home on Friday (7:00 p.m.) hosting nationally ranked Babson College. 

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