CANTON – The Stoneridge Mountaineers stayed just ahead of a rally by Squires Hawks to preserve a 7-5 victory on Saturday at the Canton Ice House.
Stoneridge came out strong, amassing a 4-0, first half lead on a pair of goals each by Matthew Schulist and Luca Fernandez. A late shorthanded goal by Rocco Bianculli put Squires on the board and on the comeback trail heading into the halftime break.
Squires put together three-straight to open the second half and pull the game even at 4-4. Fully losing their lead, the Mountaineers were shaken back into the contest and went on a three-goal run of their own to reclaim their advantage.
Niles Iquselins netted his third goal in three tournament games to cut the Hawks deficit to two, but with just 36-seconds remaining in the contest, there was no second comeback to be had. The game ended 7-5 in favor of the Mountaineers.
Both Schulist (3G) and Fernandez (2G, 1A) were both credited with three points to lead the Stoneridge offense, performances seconded by teammates Teddy Puccini (1G, 1A) and James Patterson (1G, 1A).
Bianculli (2G, 1A) had three points to lead the Hawks, while teammate Jack Houser (2A) went home with a pair.
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