Men’s Ice Hockey Skates Past Saint Anselm, 6-4

Highlights: Rivier Men's Ice Hockey vs. Saint Anselm

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Behind two-goal performances from sophomores Jake Laville and Damon Kiyawasew, the Rivier men's ice hockey team earned a 6-4 road victory over Saint Anselm in non-conference action at Sullivan Arena on Tuesday night.

The Raiders improved to 2-0-0, marking their best start since the inaugural season in 2021-22, while the Hawks fell to 3-1-1.

Saint Anselm took a 1-0 lead 2:51 into the opening frame as Chris Cordeiro finished on a breakaway opportunity off a stretch pass from Will Van Der Veen following a failed Rivier odd-man rush. The Hawks doubled their lead two minutes later as Van Der Veen netted a goal of his own.

The Raiders would answer at 11:48 as senior forward Nicolas Paolucci struck on the powerplay for his first goal of the season, with assists from Laville and Jon Tavella, cutting their deficit to one before the first intermission.

Riv would score twice in the opening 10:11 of the second period to take a 3-2 advantage into the dressing room after 40 minutes of action. Laville scored on feeds from senior Cormac Hayes and Kiyawasew just 1:31 into the period. Junior defenseman Carter Poulin slapped in a shot that squeaked through the slot to give Riv its first lead of the contest.

Saint Anselm scored 1:25 into the third to knot things up 3-3. Rivier would regain the lead as Kiyawasew fired home his rebound chance following a feed from Laville and junior defender Avery Arnold on the penalty kill. With nearly five minutes remaining in regulation, the Hawks would once again tie the contest. Riv responded less than a minute later as Laville lit the lamp for the second time to put the visitors back in front, 5-4. Kiyawasew buried an empty netter off a Hawks' turnover for his second of the night with 37 seconds to play, sealing the Raiders' second consecutive victory.

Nine different players recorded at least a point in the triumph as Laville led the way with four points (2-2-4).

Senior goaltender Luke Newell made 25 saves in between the pipes for the Raiders as he improved to 2-0-0 on the campaign.

Riv went 1-for-2 (50%) on the powerplay while the penalty kill unit stopped the Hawks on all six of their man-advantages.

Next, Rivier will look to defend home ice for the first time in its Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) opener against Salem St. on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 4:30 p.m. at Conway Arena.