Winter break meant plenty of work for Seawolves teams, which kept competing throughout the winter session. Here’s a look at how the men’s basketball and ice hockey teams did.
Men’s Basketball
Record since Christmas: 7-3 (6-2 in America East)
The Seawolves dropped their first game after Christmas but began the New Year in style, winning five straight games including the first three conference games of the season. Two road losses interrupted the streak but Stony Brook responded with two more wins and finished the break as the general student population returned on Sunday, edging the Albany Great Danes, 67-61. Behind clutch free-throws down the stretch and a stingy defense, the Seawolves improved to a 14-7 overall record.
Players To Watch:
Preseason first-team all-conference selection and senior guard Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) has been scoring at an impressive rate (15.1 ppg, 17.9 ppg in conference) despite drawing extra attention from defenders…Sophomore guard Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) has kept pace with El-Amin, scoring 15.0 ppg (19.0 ppg in conference) in addition to being charged with taking care of the basketball…Sophomores Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.,), with 7.9 ppg and 9.2 rebounds per game, and Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.), with 7.8 ppg and 7.6 rebounds per game, have been handling the inside game.
Key Games:
The Seawolves have eight conference games remaining before the postseason tournament. While each game will be important to a regular season crown, pivotal among them are meetings with Vermont (February 24) and Maine (February 10). Maine (4-1 in conference) has dealt the Seawolves one of their two conference losses, and Vermont (5-1) currently sits atop the America East. Both are home games.
Ice Hockey
Record since Christmas: 4-2
The Stony Brook ice hockey team, who during the winter session clinched a trip to the ACHA National Championships in March, is on a six-game winning streak and is the #19 team in the country. During that time, the team has outscored its opponents 43-9. Last week, the team won an exhibition game with local AJHL powerhouse New York Bobcats, 5-2. The squad finished off the break on a downward slant, however. After falling 6-4 to the 5th ranked Liberty Flames on Saturday night, the team struggled again on Sunday, succumbing to the Flames again by a score of 7-1.
Players To Watch:
All of them. A home game at The Rinx is well worth the drive and cheap cost of admission, as spectators are always treated to high-scoring, heavy hitting classic college hockey. Assistant captain Mauricio Torres (Fountain Valley, Ca.) leads the team in scoring with 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists) and winger Chris Ryan (Flushing, N.Y.) isn’t far behind with 33 (17 goals, 16 assists). Goaltender Chris Hausel (Kirkwood, Mo.) has handled the most time between the pipes for the Seawolves, earning a 7-1 record with one shutout and a 0.93 save percentage.
Key Games:
The Seawolves have one home game weekend left (February 6 and 7 against Robert Morris) before the ECHA playoffs begin on February 19 and the ACHA National Championships begin on March 6.
