Black Division Semifinals: Stony Brook Blows Out NYCHC

In the first game of the Black Division semifinals, #1 Stony Brook took on #4 NYCHC. Nikita Vorotnikov got Stony Brook off on the right foot, weaving his way through several defenders to score his second goal of the tournament. Just over a minute after the opening goal, Jonathan Faktorovich buried a power play marker to quickly put the Seawolves up by two. 

In the second, Shawn Duan scored on a tough shot to take an even more commanding lead. Aidan Latham added the exclamation point with the Seawolves fourth straight goal scored at the 14:13 mark of the second. A third period goal by Lucas Puccia that featured some dirty dangles with the puck officially put this game out of reach. Johnny Cotton did manage to burst into the zone and finally light the lamp for NYCHC, but it wasn’t enough. 

Gene Castro and the Seawolves defense were dominant yet again, holding the opposition to one goal for the second straight game. Stony Brook’s 5-1 victory in the semifinal round was an exciting moment for the team, but they’re hungry for more. “It’s a long weekend, so we gotta stay focused for tomorrow,” said Antonio Arena after the win. Stony Brook will play the winner of the Sacred Heart vs. Farmingdale matchup in the tournament finals. 

3 Stars of the Game

1. Stony Brook, Gene Castro: 38 saves on 39 shots

2. Stony Brook, Steven Richardson: 2 assists

3. Stony Brook, Jonathan Faktorovich: Game-winning PPG