COLCHESTER, Vt. – The first official Saint Michael’s athletic events of 2011 are in the books, but the Purple Knights have yet to claim a win in the new year. After a handful of losses over the weekend, men’s and women’s basketball and men’s ice hockey will have a chance to turn things around in the coming week with several conference games.
Men’s basketball pulled within a point of nationally-ranked Bentley (53-52) midway through the second half on Sunday thanks to keen shooting by junior Tom Ward (Brighton, East Sussex, England/Saint Francis (N.Y.)), but the Falcons pulled away for their ninth straight win to exact revenge on the Purple Knights, who upset the national superpower back in February. Ward had a team-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from behind the arc, exactly a year after his career-best 21-point performance at Bentley, a game in which he netted seven three-pointers. The sharp-shooting junior sank trifectas on three consecutive possessions in the second half to bring Saint Michael’s back from a seven-point halftime deficit. Sophomore Travis Warech (Pine Brook, N.J./Montville) added 18 points and five rebounds, while senior Nate Birr (Burnsville, Minn./Saint Thomas Academy) dished out a career-high 13 assists in the loss. Saint Michael’s returns to action on Wednesday at home against Saint Rose at 7:30 p.m.
The women’s basketball team suffered its second overtime loss in the last month when the Purple Knights surrendered an eight-point first half lead before falling 82-79 to nationally-ranked Bentley at home on Sunday. Senior Logan Pintka (Schenectady, N.Y./Colonie Central) continued her stellar offensive play with a team-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while junior Coreen Hennessy (Chatham, N.H./Fryeburg Academy) added 14 points. Sophomore Megan Olsen (Glenmont, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) tallied a career-best 12 points off the bench in her first appearance of the season. The Purple Knights stormed out to an early 7-0 lead and maintained a 35-27 lead at the half, but Bentley caught fire after intermission and scored the first 10 points of the second half. Pintka hit two free throws to force overtime, but the Falcons used a 7-0 run in overtime to take the win. Saint Michael’s returns to action on Wednesday at home against Saint Rose at 5:30 p.m.
Men’s hockey took back-to-back 4-2 losses in the Saint Michael’s Holiday Classic, first to Johnson & Wales on Saturday and then to Morrisville State on Sunday. Freshman Petr Soustal (Unicov, Czech Republic/Gymnazium Unicov) netted his first two collegiate goals in Saturday’s loss, while senior Alex Higgins (Phoenix, Ariz./Kent School) had an assist and received All-Tournament Honors. On the previous Tuesday, Saint Michael’s earned a 3-2 exhibition win over the U.S. Men’s National University team, which beat nationally-ranked and would-be SMC Holiday Classic champions Castleton the previous day. The Purple Knights resume to ECAC East action when they play host to Colby on Friday at 7 p.m.
Women’s hockey lost 4-3 to Colby on Saturday and 4-2 to Saint Catherine on Sunday in the Saint Michael’s Holiday Classic. Junior Madelina Santore (Millington, N.J./New Jersey Rockets) scored twice in Saturday’s loss and received All-Tournament honors, while sophomore Allison Graf (Long Lake, Minn./Minnesota Thoroughbreds) joined Santore on the All-Tournament team with a goal and an assist on Sunday. Saint Michael’s will see some downtime until the Purple Knights travel to Salve Regina on Jan. 14 at 12:30 p.m.
This Week’s Schedule:
Wed. Jan. 5 Women’s Basketball vs. Saint Rose*, 5:30 p.m.
Men’s Basketball vs. Saint Rose*, 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Jan. 7 Men’s Hockey vs. Colby^, 7 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 8 Women’s Basketball at Le Moyne*, 1 p.m.
Men’s Basketball at Le Moyne*, 3 p.m.
*Northeast-10 Conference Game
^Eastern College Athletic Conference East Game
No comments:
Post a Comment