
During a critical juncture of its season, the No. 24 Stony Brook hockey team swept an Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL) rival to extend its winning streak to three games.
This weekend, the Seawolves (10-8-3, 4-3-0 ESCHL) were back home at The Rinx for the first time in 2025 for a two-game series with the No. 23 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (13-10-3, 2-2-0 ESCHL). On Saturday night, Stony Brook prevailed 7-5 in a barn burner. During the official league game on Sunday afternoon, the team completed their first sweep in three months with a 6-2 victory.
During the series opener, Delaware struck first with 4:03 remaining in the first period. On a delayed penalty, Delaware winger Ryan Rodrigues threw a shot toward the net that pinballed off defenseman Anthony Marra, allowing winger Dom Guido to knock it over goaltender Scott Barnikow’s blocker and in.
Despite giving up a goal in the latter stages of the opening frame, the Seawolves responded 44 seconds into the second period. Off a defensive zone turnover, winger Kyle Smyth narrowly missed his first collegiate goal, as he beat goaltender Tyler Roesel but not the post. However, the puck caromed right onto center William Kormanik’s stick in front of the net, where he banged it into the unoccupied cage to tie the score at 1-1.
Just over three minutes later, Stony Brook pulled ahead. As a Blue Hens power play expired, winger Alex Scimeca stormed down the right side on a one-on-one rush, protected the puck, drove the goal and lifted a shot over Roesel’s blocker to make it 2-1.
The Seawolves’ continued their strong start to the second period 3:12 later. Winger Paul DeSaro blocked a shot off a faceoff, which sprung him on a breakaway. From the right faceoff circle, he fired a low wrist shot past Roesel’s blocker and in.
However, Delaware was down but not out. Just prior to the midway point of the period, Guido netted his second of the game on the power play, as he crashed the net from the left wing and roofed a backhander past Barnikow’s glove.
With 4:55 remaining in the middle stanza, the Blue Hens evened things up at three apiece. While on the power play, defenseman Colin Wenrich fumbled the puck at Delaware’s blue line, allowing winger Kade Cochlan to go the other way on a shorthanded breakaway. From there, Cochlan deked Barnikow out of position before backhanding it into the back of the net.
Nonetheless, Stony Brook quickly responded by making use of the rest of its power play. Just 1:38 later, defenseman Kiernan Gately wristed a shot from center point that Roesel kicked right onto winger Justin Nakagawa’s blade, who made no mistake depositing the rebound.
In the waning seconds of the middle period, Kormanik tallied his second of the night on a terrific individual effort to stretch the Seawolves’ lead to 5-3. Off a draw in the left circle, he pushed the puck forward, crashed the net and tucked a backhander through Roesel to cap off the five-goal period.
Undeterred by the two-goal deficit, the Blue Hens clawed their way back in the third period. In the opening five minutes, defenseman Joe Trazzera turned the puck over to Delaware center Justin Guelph in the left faceoff circle, who immediately bumped it over to Rodrigues in the slot. From there, he wired a one-timer through Barnikow’s legs to cut Stony Brook’s lead to 5-4.
With 5:36 remaining in the final period, Barnikow allowed a big rebound off a sharp-angle shot that ricocheted through the slot and onto Guido’s stick. From center point, he quickly released a seeing-eye wrist shot that eluded Barnikow and bodies in front to tie the game and complete his hat trick.
Unfazed by blowing a lead late, Smyth took over 45 seconds later. With the puck at left point, Wenrich threw a shot toward the net that Kormanik redirected. Roesel made the save but was not able to cover it, as Smyth banged the loose puck through his wickets for his first collegiate goal.
With a shade over a minute to go, Smyth scored the clincher by securing an empty-net tally to ice the game at 7-5.
“We locked it down and we battled back,” head coach Chris Garofalo said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “When we play our A game, it’s very hard to beat us. I loved seeing that we fought through adversity. Our players are adopting all the little things we’re teaching them and it’s fantastic.”
Stony Brook’s offense was able to overcome any defensive shortcomings, as it outshot the Blue Hens 43-39. In the crease, Barnikow stopped 34 of the shots that came his way.
In the special teams department, the Seawolves went 1-for-5 on the power play and killed off three of their four shorthanded disadvantages.
Flipping the script from game one, Stony Brook kicked off the scoring in the finale just past the halfway point in the first period. Off a faceoff in the right circle, Delaware center Alex Infanger outdueled center Hudson DiNapoli and won the puck back. However, winger Nate LeGrette got to it first and wired a snap shot over Delaware goaltender Jacob Snellenburg’s glove and in.
The Seawolves then extended their lead to 2-0 while on a power play 3:28 later. From center point, Wenrich wristed a shot toward the net that was blocked in front. After finding it, Nakagawa swept it to Kormanik in the right faceoff circle, who popped Snellenburg’s bottle on a one-timer.
Kormanik attributed his torrid weekend to his newfound connection with Smyth.
“I think playing with Kyle Smyth has helped a lot,” Kormanik said. “He’s really stepped up and I think our chemistry is really good. Just putting it together now this second semester and the team’s buzzing. I think guys are starting to mature a lot.”
In the final five minutes of the opening frame, the Blue Hens answered with a man-advantage marker of their own. When emerging from the left corner, Delaware center Cody Dias cut to the slot and left the puck for Rodrigues, who snapped a one-timer past goaltender Steven Reganato and into the top right corner of the net.
Early on in the second period, Stony Brook restored its two-goal lead and kickstarted a scoring parade. At the 4:55 mark, the Blue Hens tried breaking out of their defensive zone, but Wenrich pinched in and collided with winger Trevor Earley to keep the puck in. From the top of the left faceoff circle, winger Kyle Nestepny collected it and delivered a top-shelf snipe.
With 6:14 to go in the middle period, Kormanik once again bulldozed the puck forward on a draw and centered a feed to Smyth in front, who tapped it into the yawning cage. Less than two minutes later, Scimeca found his own rebound on the rush and backhanded it home. Finally, Nakagawa capped off the four-goal period with two seconds to go to make it 6-1.
Though Delaware defenseman Brady Burke buried his first collegiate goal in the third period, the Seawolves cruised to a 6-2 win.
“We finally have the right lineup and chemistry,” Garofalo said. “The buy in is there. It’s the first time we’ve won two games in a row clean, meaning not having to go to overtime, the whole season. That’s a positive.”
Despite the convincing win, Reganato was tested often, as he denied 39 shots. The Blue Hens outshot Stony Brook 41-37.
When not at even strength, the Seawolves’ penalty kill killed off two of their three penalties while their power play converted on their only chance.
In the offensive zone, the Seawolves’ depth was on full display. Kormanik led Stony Brook with three goals and three assists. Smyth added three goals and a helper while Scimeca and Nakagawa both netted a pair and notched an assist. Nestepny also tallied a goal and an assist. Wenrich racked up three helpers while Gately recorded two.
LeGrette and DeSaro each lit the lamp once. DiNapoli, centers James Kozicki and Nick Newman and defensemen Gavin Connelly and Dylan Kowalsky registered a helper apiece. Connelly’s assist represented his first collegiate point.
Stony Brook will look to continue its hot streak against a non-ESCHL opponent and one of the nation’s best next weekend when it heads to Bird Arena in Athens, Ohio for a two-game set with the No. 4 Ohio Bobcats. The Bobcats are 13-3-0 this season and are coming into the matchup having swept West Virginia over the weekend. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
Kevin Broderick also contributed reporting.