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Hockey heads to Ohio

The Keene State College Men’s hockey team spent their spring break in Columbus, Ohio, competing for the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 2 National Championship.

The Owls finished their season with a solid (14-5-2) record. The offense was anchored by Andrew Pierce (42 points), Kurt Mitchell (34 points) and Kyle Carignan (28 points). Carlin Testa was a rock in goal all season, sporting a 10-4 record with a 2.24 goals against average and a .925 save percentage.

Crae Messer/ Managing Executive EditorCrae Messer/ Managing Executive Editor

Crae Messer/ Managing Executive Editor

KSC competed in the regional tournament and defeated Roger Williams University in the first game. With that win, they met their rival Northeastern University, and the winner of that game would punch a ticket to Columbus. Keene overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period and won in overtime, thanks to Tucker Johnson’s goal. The Owls made the 11-hour trek to Ohio and had matchups against Liberty University (Virginia), Williston State College (North Dakota) and Lindenwood University (Illinois).

In their first game, they faced off against Liberty. The Owls started off with a quick goal from Mitchell just 25 seconds into the game. Unfortunately, this was the only lead they would have in the game. The Flames went on to score four goals to build a three-goal lead. The Owls would claw back within one as Derek Clark scored two goals. The Flames added an empty net goal to put the game out of reach as the final was 5-3 in favor of Liberty. The Owls’ second game had them facing off against the top seed Williston State College. The first period had both teams deadlocked at one. The KSC goal came off Pierce’s stick.

Keene went up 2-1 in the second period, as Mitchell finished a pass from Clark. The Tetons managed to tie the score, but the Owls regained the lead. The Tetons would go on to score four straight goals and would win the game 6-3.

The Owls were eliminated from advancing at this point, but still had one game to play. They faced off against the Lindenwood Lions. The Owls struck first as Cooper Hines unleashed a rocket from the top of the circle that found its way into the back of the cage. The Lions tied the game at one, but the Owls quickly regained the lead with a power play goal courtesy of assistant captain Andrew Karlin.

Lindenwood tied the game once more, but this was the final goal that would elude Owls’ keeper Jon Fields.

Pierce scored what turned out to be the winning goal less than a minute into the third period. Josh Bell doubled the Owls’ lead with a goal of his own a few minutes later. Carignan made it 5-2 after he tapped home a pass from Pierce. The final goal came courtesy of Adin Sobel. He made a move on the goalie after receiving a pass from Ricky Panton.

“This was the best group of guys I’ve ever played with. From the get-go, the rookies fit right in and we were a team in every aspect of the word. The coaching staff was phenomenal and put us in a position to succeed all year long,” Pierce said.

He continued, “We started the season off absolutely electric and went 10-0-1 in our first 11 games. We had a swagger about us that we were better than every team we played. I believe that was a huge contributor to our nationals push late in the season. Going back to nationals for the second time was our goal at the beginning of the year and an incredible accomplishment for us. We didn’t get the outcome that we had hoped for, but we built on the previous year which is a positive. And finally, I want to the thank my family, my grandfather, coaches and especially my teammates.”

Austin Sanidas can be contacted at asanidas@kscequinox.com

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NFL commissioner seems to be avoiding New England

I am going to try and write this as unbiased as possible despite the fact I am a die-hard Patriots fan.

Do I think NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is purposely avoiding making the trip to Foxboro? Yes I absolutely do!

Do I blame him? Nope! If I was in his position, I probably would be apprehensive to come to a place filled with hatred and animosity, but he did that to himself.

Do I agree with his choice? No.

Samantha Moore/ Art Director

Samantha Moore/ Art Director

Goodell did this to himself by suspending Tom Brady for the first four games of the 2016 season due to the “deflategate” incident. He made it very clear that he felt the suspension was warranted

The biggest issue I have is the fact that he is returning to Atlanta for the second week in a row, which makes it extremely obvious that he is purposely avoiding New England. He is the commissioner of all 32 National Football League teams, including the New England Patriots. He shouldn’t favor any team over another. It is not professional and it makes people question if Goodell is fit for his job.

Now of course this is all speculation. We will never know for sure if he is purposely avoiding New England or if it is all just a big coincidence. Now the latter seems far-fetched at this point, but it still isn’t out of the question.

After going through two different appeals, the suspension was upheld and Brady decided he was just going to take the punishment and move on.

Patriots fans don’t forget stuff like that, but honestly, I feel like the suspension ended up benefitting the Patriots in the end. We went 3-1 without Brady, and when Brady came back he was well-rested and ready to dominate the league (which he did).

In the end, none of this really matters. Goodell attending the Sunday evening matchup with the Steelers will have no impact on the game whatsoever. I just think it comes down to being fair and approaching Goodell’s duties as commissioner with a little more impartialness. Don’t deliberately avoid coming to a city just because you aren’t wanted there. I think that is ridiculous.

Austin Sanidas can be contacted at Asanidas@kscequinox.com

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Owls hockey suffers first loss of the season

The Keene State College Owls had two games this past weekend against Bryant University and Northeastern University. The Owls beat the Bryant Bulldogs handily by a final of 7-3, but dropped a tough game to the Northeastern Huskies 7-1.

In Friday night’s game against Bryant, the Owls struck first with an early power play goal from assistant captain Andrew Karlin.

Andrew Pierce and Kurt Mitchell got the helpers on KSC’s first goal of the day. The Bulldogs fought back though as they managed to get one by Keene goaltender Matt Goss.

It took the Owls less than a minute to regain the lead, as Kyle Carignan fired home his seventh goal of the year from Mitchell and Pierce.

Not even two minutes later, Keene struck again, but this time it was Pierce scoring the goal and Carignan and Mitchell getting the helpers.

Bryant managed to get another to make it a 3-2 game by the end of the first period.

Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor

Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor

The second period was all Keene. Josh Bell scored his first of two goals about two minutes into the second period on an assist from Chris O’Hara.

A few minutes later, Cooper Hines rocketed home another goal for KSC. It was an unassisted, short-handed goal.

About two minutes later, Pierce exited the box after serving a penalty and found himself on a breakaway. After making a move to the backhand, he slid home the puck to put the Owls up 6-2. Mario Serra earned an assist on Pierce’s goal. Bell scored Keene’s seventh and final goal of the game with O’Hara and Tucker Johnson registering assists.

The Bulldogs scored their final goal with one second left on the clock in the third period, but the game was over at that point. Goss earned his first win of the season, making 16 saves on 19 shots. That game improved the owls to 9-0-1.

Saturday’s game against Northeastern didn’t have a positive result. The Owls scored early with Pierce jamming home a puck while Mitchell and Carignan earning the assists.

The lead was short-lived, as Northeastern would score two goals in the latter half of the first period, giving the Huskies a 2-1 lead entering the break.

In the second period, it was all Northeastern. They would tack on four more goals and by the end of the period, it was 6-1. They added another goal in the third period, and when the game ended it was 7-1.

The Owls record currently stands at 9-1-1. Next weekend, they face-off against College of the Holy Cross at Keene Ice on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Austin Sanidas can be contacted at Asanidas@kscequinox.com

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The Owls stay undefeated during their busy weekend

The Keene State College men’s hockey team played three games this past weekend. On Friday and Saturday, they played the University of Connecticut and Merrimack College at Keene Ice, and on Sunday they traveled to Worcester to face off against the College of the Holy Cross.

On Friday night, the Owls won big against the University of Connecticut Huskies. The Owls had four goals in the first period from Cooper Hines, Andrew Pierce, Kurt Mitchell and Kyle Carignan.

In the second period, the Owls added three more goals. Kyle Carignan and Cooper Hines each had another goal in the second period, giving them two goals each. Chris O’Hara added the final second period goal for the Owls.

In the third period, the Owls struck three more times. The first one was courtesy of Mitchell, his second goal of the game. The final two goals were scored by O’Hara, which gave him a hat-trick. Carlin Testa and Matt Goss were both in net for the Owls.

On Saturday night, the Owls played against the Merrimack College Warriors. KSC struck first again, and this time it was Pierce who lit the lamp. That would be the only goal of the period.

Colton McCraken/ Equinox Staff

Colton McCraken/ Equinox Staff

Keene had a five minute power play because a major penalty was given to Merrimack. The Owls threw three goals on the board during the man advantage. Pierce scored his second goal of the game early in the second period to put Keene up by two. Jeff Rossman added his first goal of the season to increase the lead to three. Finally, Carignan pushed the lead to four with a goal of his own. Derek Clark added a goal later on in the period. Merrimack managed to get one to make the score 5-1 after the second period.

In the third period, each team struck once. Mitchell scored to make it a 6-1 game. Merrimack added their second goal of the game with about two minutes to play. When the game ended, Keene was victorious with a 6-2 win. Jon Fields made 32 saves on 34 and earned his first win of the year.

On Sunday evening, KSC traveled to Worcester. Massachusetts, to play the College of the Holy Cross. Keene found themselves trailing 4-1 in the second period, but showed great resiliency by scoring eight unanswered goals. By the time the game ended, the scoreboard showed a 10-5 victory. Pierce added two goals for the Owls and the other goals were scored by Derek Clark, Cooper Hines, Tucker Johnson, Lucas Poulin, Michael Boldy, Kurt Mitchell, Kyle Carignan and Tyler Duquette. Jordan Puzzo earned his first career win, putting forth a performance in relief of Jon Fields.

It was a historic weekend for Pierce. On Friday night, he surpassed 100 points and on Saturday night, he became KSC’s all-time leader in points. The record was 103 points, held by class of 2013 player Ed Sullivan. Pierce had a total of 12 points this weekend, contributing five goals and seven assists. Pierce has a total of 111 points, 57 goals and 54 assists.

The Owls record is now 8-0-1. The next game is Friday at 7:20 p.m against Bryant University at Keene Ice.

Austin Sanidas can be contacted at Asandidas@kscequinox.com

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Owls continue to soar as they stay undefeated against RPI

On Saturday, Oct. 22, the Keene State College men’s hockey team found themselves facing off against the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers. The Owls took home a 3-1 win over RPI.

The Owls were riding a four game unbeaten streak, sporting a record of 3-0-1 in those first four games. Rensselaer had a record of 5-2 coming into the game.

In the first period, both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm early on. Both teams settled down and by the end of the first period each team had came close. RPI and Keene both hit the crossbar in the first period but scoreboard still showed zeros. The shots were in Keene’s favor, 10-6.

Crae Messer/ Managing Executive Editor

Crae Messer/ Managing Executive Editor

In the second period it was Keene who broke the tie. Leading goal scorer and alternate captain Andrew Pierce, lit the lamp with a beautiful shot over the goalies shoulder to give the Owls a 1-0 lead. It was a power-play goal, and Pierce’s 6th goal of the season. Captain Kurt Mitchell and Andre Karlin picked up the assists on Pierces goal.

Keene ran into some penalty trouble towards the end of the second, and it came back to haunt them as the Engineers managed to get one by Carlin Testa. The player tried to pass the puck in front but it ended up deflecting off a Keene defender, and the game was tied. The period ended with Keene holding the shot advantage 22-16.

It only took 14 seconds for the Owls to regain the lead in the third. Andrew Pierce zipped a nice, cross-crease pass to Kurt Mitchell, who jammed home the puck for his first goal of the season.

About five minutes later, Matt Girard scored the insurance goal for Keene. Josh Bell and Jeff Rossman picked up the assists on Girards goal. That goal stood as the backbreaker for the Engineers as they couldn’t put anymore goals on the board. The game ended with the final score 3-1 Owls.

Carlin Testa put forth another strong performance, making 22 saves on 23 shots.

The Owls next game is against Boston College, at Keene Ice on Friday Oct. 28 at 3p.m.

Austin Sanidas can be contacted at ASanidas@kscequinox.com

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Reflecting on Big Papi’s last game

When I found out I was going to the Red Sox game on Monday night, I was ecstatic. For starters, I hadn’t been to a Sox game all year, so I was really happy that I was finally going to make a trip to Fenway. What I didn’t realize is that I was going to witness a game that would forever sit in Red Sox lore, not because of the result, but because it was the final game of a special player. The final game of a Boston sports icon. The final game of David “Big Papi” Ortiz.

The Red Sox found themselves trailing the Cleveland Indians by two games in a best of five series. They lost their first two games in Cleveland by scores of 5-4 and 6-0. Monday’s game not only had the series on the line, but also Ortiz’s career as well.

When Ortiz came out on the field for the first time, Fenway Park erupted into thunderous applause and cheers. I could sense the love that everyone had for him.

Despite putting forth a solid effort, when the final out was called, the scoreboard showed four runs for the Indians and only three for the Red Sox. The Red Sox had officially been eliminated from the playoffs. Their season was over.

Charles Krupa/AP Photo

Charles Krupa/AP Photo

When that final out was caught, almost immediately the whole stadium started chanting “Papi” over and over. Their love and unwavering support for the man affectionately known as “Big Papi” was on full display. The fact that Boston’s season was over didn’t mean nearly as much as the fact that Papi’s career was over.

Everyone knew he was going to come back out on the field, I mean he had to. All of Fenway was chanting his name. Eventually, Ortiz made his way out of the dugout for one last salute to the crowd, and I must say it was one of the most moving events I have ever experienced.

I have been to my fair share of emotional sporting events. I was at the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park when Marco Sturm scored in overtime to cap the Bruins late rally. I was at game three of the Stanley Cup Finals, which was the first Stanley Cup game in Boston in 21 years. Those are only to name a few, but those are two of the most emotional events I had been to prior to this Red Sox game.

I can say, without a doubt, that this is the most moving thing I have ever seen. When the camera zoomed in on Ortiz’s face, I remember seeing one huge tear roll down his cheek and fall on the ground. I could sense the sadness in his heart that it was over. I also felt a sense of sadness in my own heart. I felt my eyes start to water. I am not an overly emotional person, but this was definitely tugging on my heart strings.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever witness anything that special ever again. I will be able to tell my kids and grand kids that I was at Big Papi’s last game. It’s something that I will forever hold in my heart. I love you Papi; thanks for everything.

Austin Sanidas can be contacted at Asanidas@kscequinox.com

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Late goal propels Owls over Wildcats

On Friday Oct, 14, the Keene State men’s club hockey team had their first game of the season at Keene Ice. They found themselves facing a tough UNH squad. Coming into the game, Keene sported a record of 2-0-1 while UNH was 2-2.

Keene found themselves on a power play less than two minutes into the game. The Owls wasted no time as Andrew Pierce banged home a loose puck to give the Owls a 1-0 lead.

Later in the first period, the UNH team tied the score with a power play goal of their own. The first period ended with the score tied and Keene having a 9-8 shot advantage.

With about 12 minutes left in the second period, UNH had another power play and a long wrist shot from the point eluded goaltender Carlin Testa.

Testa made a glove save on another UNH power play with less than two minutes left in the second period.

The second period ended with UNH holding on to a one goal lead. Each team had 16 shots through both periods.

In the third period, Keene managed to kill off a UNH two-man advantage.

With about five minutes left in the game and Keene on the power-play, Andrew Pierce made a rush and threw the puck on net. It just squeezed by the UNH goalkeeper and the game was tied. Andrew Karlin and Kyle Carignan picked up assists on Pierce’s equalizer.

With 11 seconds left in the game, Brian Mello of the Owls was the hero as he put home a loose puck to put Keene in front. Chris O Hara picked up the assist on Mello’s late goal.

Pierce added an empty net goal with less than a second remaining to complete the hat-trick. Cooper Hines assisted on the Pierce goal.

Carlin Testa put forth a strong effort for the Owls finishing the game with 26 saves on 28 shots.

Senior and forward Trevor Theroux said they work really hard to get to where they want to be. “We’re a team with an incredible amount of heart and dedication. Everyone puts in 100 [percent] all the time,” Theroux said.

Head Coach Bobby Rodrigue was very pleased with his penalty kill. “I certainly wasn’t happy to see our penalty kill so often, but… very satisfied with our penalty killers. The five on three kill was huge.”

Keene was also very proficient on the power play going 2-5 on the night. “Our power play has been clicking well and that’s in spite of missing a couple of pieces due to injury, so I think that speaks well to how the boys have worked in practice,” Rodrigue said.

The Owl’s next game is against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Saturday, Oct. 22 at Keene Ice. The puck drop is at 6:10 p.m.

Austin Sanidas can be contacted at Asandidas@kscequinox.com

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Former Clippers continue their bond as Owls

The Keene State College men’s hockey team added seven new players to the roster this year. One of those players is defenseman Joe Meloni, who hails from Falmouth, MA, but Meloni isn’t the only Falmouth native. Senior Trevor Theroux has been playing with the Owls for three years.

Head Coach Bobby Rodrigue had nothing but good things to say about both of his players from Falmouth.

“Trevor is a very positive kid. He’s a great team guy and he brings a deceptive level of speed to the ice,” Rodrigue said.

When asked about Meloni, he said, “Joe is a pretty rugged kid, so we expect that he is going to be a pretty tough defenseman for other people to play against.”

Crae Messer/ Managing Executive Editor

Crae Messer/ Managing Executive Editor

Having someone you know on the team definitely takes away some of the nerves one might have when joining a new team. “He [coach] introduced me to everyone, and I had a little buffer zone in there so I wasn’t all on my own. It’s nice to have a buddy looking after you,” Meloni said.

Meloni and Theroux grew up playing hockey together in Falmouth and they both agreed there is a certain culture around the sport in their hometown. “I definitely learned a lot about character more than anything,” Meloni said.

Theroux said some of his closest friends are the ones he has made through playing hockey in Falmouth, and many of them still remain close to this day.

Rodrigue agreed that growing up in a town with a good youth hockey program is critical.

“Sometimes you see kids who seem skilled, but maybe don’t think of the game very well or can’t be complete players. Obviously our lives here, as coaches, are easier here the better prepared the kids are when they arrive,” Rodrigue said.

Theroux talked about how having Meloni join the team boosts his confidence. He discussed how having someone that he has previously played with, on the same team for seven years, gives him a boost. “It brings up the confidence level a little bit knowing the chemistry level is there,” said Theroux.

Crae Messer/ Managing Executive Editor

Crae Messer/ Managing Executive Editor

Cyrus Wickersham is a close friend of both Meloni and Theroux. They all played on the Falmouth High School Varsity Hockey team until 2013, when they all graduated in the same class. He has been a close friend to them since their youth hockey days back in mites and squirts (youth hockey).

When asked about each player’s biggest asset, Wickersham cited Meloni’s tremendous strength on the ice and Theroux’s tenacity. “You don’t realize how hard Joe hits you until it is too late,” said Wickersham. Wickersham also mentioned how Theroux always gives 100 percent whenever he is on the ice and never quits.

The “Falmouth Connection” is not only going to have a positive effect on the team, but on both Meloni and Theroux’s families as well. Theroux mentioned how being on the same team as Meloni will allow both of their families to attend games together.

Austin Sanidas can be contacted at Asanidas@kscequinox.com

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Owls 2016-2017 season preview

Last season, the Keene State College men’s hockey team made it all the way to the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) national tournament for the first time in team history. It was a huge accomplishment for the program and Head Coach Bobby Rodrigue. “To come on at the right time and put it all together to win the league tournament, the regional tournament and to go to the national tournament, they’re all big steps for our team,” said Rodrigue.

With each new season comes the daunting task of replacing players who have graduated. Fortunately for Rodrigue, his leading scorer from last year, Andrew Pierce, is going to play a fifth year. “Piercy was our leading scorer last year and was the team captain, and after graduation decided that he was going to come back  and complete his masters degree this year.” Having Pierce on the team will be a huge boost for the Owls.

One player that isn’t returning is goaltender Dylan Strogen. Strogen was the starting goalie last season and was a huge part of the team’s success. Alternate captain Jeff Rossman, had very high praise for the former Owl. “Strogen was an outstanding goaltender, I think the defense will have to step up, I think the younger goalies will have to step up and I think as a team we will have to step up” said Rossman. Coach Rodrigue feels like the team is pretty deep at the goal tending position, which is definitely a nice luxury to have.

Crae Messer/ Managing Executive Editor

Crae Messer/ Managing Executive Editor

This season also marks the first time that the owls have a bona fide home rink. Last year when the season started, the Owls “home rink” was almost an hour away, but with Keene Ice being fully operational, they now have a genuine home rink.

Captain Kurt Mitchell was definitely excited about having a home rink. “I think it will be great because we have our own home now. We won’t have to borrow someone else’s rink and lug our bags. That’s our home, we have our own locker room and we leave everything in there. I think having our own spot will bring the team closer together and make it easier on everyone.”

The Owls open up their season on October 1st, at the University of Delaware. Their first home game is against the University of New Hampshire on Friday, October 14 at Keene Ice.

Austin Sanidas can be contacted at asanidas@kscequinox.com

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Men’s club hockey downed by UNH

Sporting a 2-0 record in the second half of their season, the Keene State College Men’s Ice Hockey club team was looking to continue their success on home ice against rival University of New Hampshire on Saturday, January 23. KSC was looking for revenge following a 4-2 loss to UNH back in October.

The first period featured some physical play and some good goaltending. The UNH goalie made two saves while Keene was on the power-play to keep the Owls off the board. UNH managed to strike when a low shot created a rebound that was easily tapped in for the first goal of the game. Assistant Captain Sam MacNicoll tied the game with only three seconds left in the first period and the period ended with the teams knotted at one goal a piece.

Crae Messer / Sports Editor

Crae Messer / Sports Editor

UNH regained the lead quickly when a pass from behind the net was banged home, but first-year Nick DeCristoforo floated one in from the blue line for his first career tally and the game was tied again. UNH took back the lead again with an offensive zone faceoff win and a shot that eluded goaltender Dylan Strogen. Their lead was doubled a few minutes later when a shot was redirected and it found its way behind Strogen. Chris O’Hara cut UNH’s lead back down to one with a beautiful snipe. Unfortunately, UNH would regain their two goal advantage and the second period ended with the score 5-3 in favor of UNH.

UNH would add two more goals in the third period to push their lead to four goals. The third period also featured a surplus of penalty minutes between the teams. With a little less than five minutes left, Keene was given a five minute power-play. The Owls scored two goals off the sticks of Andrew Pierce and Tyler Duquette. It was a hard fought battle between the two teams that featured a lot of good physical play, but ended with a 7-5 score in favor of UNH.

Austin can be contacted at asanidas@kscequinox.com

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