Though the weekend opened on a disappointing note, the No. 19 Stony Brook hockey team picked up a huge win on the getaway day.

On their first road trip of the season, the Seawolves (2-2-0, 1-0-0 ESCHL) traveled upstate to face off against the No. 8 Niagara Purple Eagles (5-1-0, 2-1-0 ESCHL). On Saturday, Stony Brook could not get its offense going against Niagara’s suffocating defense and fell 2-1, but it bounced back with a huge 5-3 win in the official league game on Sunday.

After a scoreless first period on Saturday, the Seawolves had three separate power-play opportunities in the middle frame but failed to convert on any of them. Though they spent six minutes with a man up in the second period, they only landed three shots on goal throughout the frame’s duration.

Head coach Chris Garofalo attributed their power play’s failures to an inability to crash the net and keep the puck in the offensive zone.

“We really could not get into the zone … and we were not moving the puck well,” Garofalo said in a postgame interview with The Statesman.

With just over four minutes remaining in the second period, Niagara scored the first goal of the game. Niagara center Tyler Gilberds won a clean faceoff in Stony Brook’s defensive zone, sending the puck right to right defenseman Connor Loft. He drove to the net through the left faceoff circle before slotting one past goaltender Matvei Kazakov to put the Purple Eagles up 1-0.

Early into the third period, Niagara attempted to carry the puck out of its zone, but left winger Matt Minerva stole it and drove towards the net from the right. Minerva passed it back into the slot and connected with right winger Justin Nakagawa, who sent his one-timer top shelf over the left shoulder of goaltender Grant Zell to tie the game at 1-1.

The Purple Eagles broke the tie for good with less than seven minutes remaining in the game. Niagara pinned the Seawolves’ in their defensive zone, and left defenseman Quinn Schneidmiller and left winger Lucas Fancy each took a shot that was blocked in the front of the net. Right winger Jakob Kalin collected the second rebound and buried it past Kazakov to take the lead and ultimately win the game for the Purple Eagles.

Garofalo said his team struggled to match Niagara’s pace of play in game one.

“They are a very, very good team,” Garofalo said. “They have a lot of speed, a lot of depth. The problem was getting acclimated to that speed. We hadn’t played at that speed level, even last weekend, and it took us some time to get adjusted.”

When it mattered most, the Seawolves finally made the adjustment.

Like Saturday’s game, the Purple Eagles drew first blood. With six minutes left in the first period, Niagara’s power play established possession in Stony Brook’s zone and worked the puck around. Coming off a feed from Schneidmiller, left winger Charlie Belanger let a wrist shot fly. Kazakov stopped the initial shot, but the puck leaked free behind him and Belanger circled him before tapping it in to make it 1-0.

With just over two minutes left in the first period, the Seawolves earned a power play which right defenseman Nolan Towne cashed in on. After Nakagawa fed him from down low, Towne ripped a long-range wrist shot that deflected into the cage for his first-career goal with Stony Brook.

Garofalo praised Towne for the instant impact he has made with his new team.

“He is a very intelligent hockey player,” Garofalo said. “He plays within his ability. He does not try to do more than he is able to do. He has really shown a lot to the boys.”

Within the next minute, the Seawolves received another two power plays after penalties by Loft and Schneidmiller, giving them a five-on-three advantage. Stony Brook got control of a faceoff and sent it out to Nakagawa, who drove towards the net and ripped it under Niagara goaltender Johan Nyborg to give his team a 2-1 lead.

With 8:42 remaining in the second period, center Devin Sanders grabbed the puck from behind his own goal line and carried it up the left wing before rifling it past Kazakov to even things up at two apiece. In the opening minute of the third period, a stretch pass from Loft made its way to Niagara left winger Austin Robinson, who rushed into the Seawolves’ zone. Robinson laid the puck off for Kalin, who beat Kazakov high on the blocker side to put the Purple Eagles up 3-2.

That score held up until just inside of nine minutes remaining when Nakagawa carried the puck through the neutral zone and into the Niagara’s defensive zone, drawing defenders to him. Nakagawa laid a pass off for Minerva, who drove towards the goal line before letting off a powerful backhand that squeezed past Nyborg.

After getting even, center James Kozicki took the game over. On the power play with just under six and a half minutes left, right defenseman Teddy Valenti played a precise pass to Kozicki from the blue line and found him at the doorsteps of the goal. Kozicki elevated the puck over Nyborg’s left shoulder and into the back of the net to make it 4-3.

Just over three and a half minutes later, center Jesse Edwards won the puck after a battle on the boards and quickly passed it to left defenseman Andrew Mancini. With Nyborg out of position, Mancini made the extra pass to Kozicki, who skated past the Purple Eagles’ netminder and shot it into the yawning cage to ice the game.

Garofalo was proud of his team for upsetting one of the best club teams in the nation on its own home ice.

“We were making plays,” Garofalo said. “We were not afraid. We were showing them we could compete with them. We can’t be intimidated and we really weren’t and that’s what made us have a better game today.”

Kazakov also had a dominant weekend, stopping 73 of the 78 shots he faced between the two games for a save percentage of .936.

Stony Brook earned its first two points in the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL) standings while missing several key players. Centers Nick Zarrilli, Will Kormanik and Nick Gallo, left winger Grant Ermellini and left defenseman Joe Trazzera all missed time.

Though the team would be in better shape with them healthy, Garofalo is pleased with the depth of his reconstructed team.

“All these guys would help a lot,” Garofalo said. “To see the other guys step up is a really positive note. It makes our job harder as coaches, but I love it. I love the fact that guys are pleading a case as to why they could be in the lineup.”

Nakagawa led the team with four points, scoring two goals and two assists. Minerva and Towne each tallied two points with a goal and an assist. Kozicki’s two goals were his first of the season. It was his second career multi-goal game; the first coming Oct. 21, 2022 at Davenport.

After going 12-for-12 last week on the penalty kill, the Seawolves wasted four of Niagara’s five power plays. On the power play, Stony Brook went 3-for-16, including a 3-for-11 performance on Sunday.

The Seawolves will now get a reprieve from familiar competition, as they will challenge the Manhattanville Valiants for an exhibition game next Saturday. The Valiants are an NCAA Division III school, and Stony Brook beat them 4-3 in a shootout last year at The Rinx. Opening puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.