GORHAM, Maine – Freshman Ben Aucoin (Moncton, New Brunswick) set a University of Southern Maine men's ice hockey record with six goals on Saturday evening as the Huskies defeated the Saint Anselm College Hawks 7-1 for their first win of the season. Aucoin's six goals beats the record of four held by three different players, Travis Bezio against Stonehill on Feb. 6, 1992, Franco Narcisi vs. Babson on Jan. 25, 2003, and Chris Sparkes against Colby on Dec. 5, 2006. His total is tied for 14th in NCAA Division III history.
 
Sophomore Gavin Simopoulos (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) and senior captain Cole Brennan (Sussex, N.J./ Pomfret School). each had a pair of assists in the game. Junior Kayde Kinaschuk (Calgary, Alberta) accounted for the other Southern Maine goal and seven other Huskies logged assists.
 
Freshman Loci Morin (Drummondville, Quebec) made 23 saves to pick up his first win as a Husky.
 
The Records:
Saint Anselm: 0-2-0
Southern Maine: 1-1-0
 
Series History:
The two teams have now played 36 times with Saint Anselm leading 18-13-5. Today's game was the first the Huskies defeated the Hawks 5-0 on October 31, 2023, in head coach Matt Pinchevsky's first game leading the Huskies.
 
The Goaltenders:
Saint Anselm: Cam Carroll (0-1-0), 49:59, seven goals allowed, 21 saves
Saint Anselm: PJ Benites, 9:54, no goals allowed, four saves
Southern Maine: Loic Morin (1-1-0): 60:00, one goals allowed, 23 saves
 
How It Happened:

• Kinaschuk scored the only goal of the first period when he maneuvered around a defender and ripped a shot past Carroll to give the Huskies a 1-0 head. Junior captain Ethan MacDuff (Lloydminster, Alberta) had an assist on the goal. Morin made nine saves in the period.
• The Huskies made the lead 2-0 43 seconds into the second period when Aucoin fired a shot that found its way into the net. Kadin Ilott (Kenora, Ontario/Beaver Brae Secondary School) and freshman Cam Gwatkin (Lyndonville, Vt./Proctor Academy) recorded the assists. The assist is the first career point for Gwatkin.
• Saint Anselm answered with a goal by Will Rosen two minutes later to cut the lead to 2-1. However, Aucoin would score two more times in the period to give the Huskies a 4-1 lead. The first goal came when Simopoulos grabbed a loose puck to set up Aucoin on a breakaway. The second goal, which came in the final minute of the period, was scored off the rebound of a shot by Brennan. Brennan also blocked a shot in the period that prevented a Saint Anselm goal.
• Aucoin scored three more times in the third period for the 7-1 final. The first came 40 seconds into the period after cleaning up a rebound of a shot by Simopoulos. Junior Owen Drummey (Falmouth, Maine) also had an assist. His next goal came shortly after he stepped out of the penalty box and grabbed a pass from senior John Hagan (Canton, Mass./Tilton School). Senior Conor Donovan (Nahant, Mass./Swampscott) also had an assist.
• The final goal by Aucoin was a shot from the blueline that tricked in off the goalie. Brennan had the assist.

 
Inside The Stats:

• The Huskies went 0-for-2 on the power play and the Hawks were 0-for-4.
• Southern Maine led 32-24 in shots on goal.
• The Huskies dominated the faceoffs at 44-28. Drummey led the team with 12 wins and Donovan was second with 11.

 
Up Next:
The Huskies will return to action on Friday, November 7 when they travel to face Western Connecticut State in their first ever Little East Conference game.