Monsey, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Ice Hockey team advanced to Sunday's Metropolitian Collegiate Hockey Conference Championship Final, for a third straight season, with a 9-3 victory over SUNY Maritime College on Friday evening at Sport-O-Rama Ice Rinks.
STAC moves to 17-4-2 with the semifinal round victory over the Privateers, and sets a new program mark for wins in a season under head coach Matt Schuster.
Jason Desalvo tallied a hat trick for the Spartans, while teammates Gage Parnell and Jeremy Poggi scored two goals apiece, and Andrew Fenninger and Noah Barr chipped in a goal each in the postseason contest. In net, Theo Morris (W, 6-2-2) got the start and turned aside 23 of 26 shots faced to help the maroon and gold move on in the tournament.
Game Summary
First Period Scoring Summary
SUNY Maritime College - Cody Sousa (Patrick Frietas, Joseph Ricca) 1:44, Cody Sousa (Steven Goridovsky, Gavin Lam) 12:26
St. Thomas Aquinas College - Gage Parnell (Andrew Fenninger) 2:43, Jason Desalvo (Unassisted) 8:27, Jason Desalvo (Nicholas Delia, Andrew Fenninger) 13:56, Andrew Fenninger (Nicholas Delia, Jason Desalvo) 19:59/PP.
First Period Penalty Summary
SUNY Maritime College - Vincent Parente (High-Sticking/2:00 Minor) 15:10, Mike Korn (Tripping/2:00 Minor) 18:08.
St. Thomas Aquinas College - No Penalties.
Second Period Scoring Summary
SUNY Maritime College - Patrick Frietas (Vincent Parente) 17:05/PP.
St. Thomas Aquinas College - Jeremy Poggi (Nicholas Delia, Andrew Fenninger) 10:19/PP, Jason Desalvo (Nicholas Delia, Gage Parnell) 10:38/PP, Gage Parnell (Nicholas Delia) 19:39.
Second Period Penalty Summary
SUNY Maritime College - Vincent Parente (Hooking/2:00 Minor) 8:28, Patrick Philbin (Kneeing/2:00 Minor) 10:30, Brady Miller (Cross-Checking/2:00 Minor) 11:34.
St. Thomas Aquinas College - Christopher Smith (Interference/2:00 Minor) 15:28, Jeremy Poggi (Elbowing/2:00 Minor) 15:28, Gage Parnell (Holding/2:00 Minor) 17:34.
Third Period Scoring Summary
SUNY Maritime College - No Scoring.
St. Thomas Aquinas College - Jeremy Poggi (Nicholas Delia) 1:06, Noah Barr (Jeremy Poggi, Allen Magie) 9:56.
Third Period Penalty Summary
SUNY Maritime College - No Penalties.
St. Thomas Aquinas College - John Brennan (Roughing/2:00 Minor) 3:39.
Goalies
SUNY Maritime College - Christopher Simms (Loss, 60:00), 40 Saves.
St. Thomas Aquinas College - Theo Morris (Win, 60:00), 23 Saves.
Shots on goal
SUNY Maritime College - 26
St. Thomas Aquinas College - 49
Up Next
No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas College battles top-seed Sacred Heart University for the MCHC Championship on Sunday, February 22. The Spartans and Pioneers will face off beginning at 8:00 p.m. at the Martire Family Arena in Fairfield, Connecticut. Sacred Heart beat No. 4 Western Connecticut State University, 8-0, in the other semifinal matchup on Friday evening.
2026 METROPOLITAN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
Semifinals – Friday, February 20 at Sport O-Rama Ice Rinks (Monsey, N.Y.)
8:00 PM - No. 4 Western Connecticut State University 0 vs. No. 1 Sacred Heart University 8
8:40 PM - No. 3 SUNY Maritime College 3 vs. No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas College 9
Final – Sunday, February 22 at Martire Family Arena (Fairfield, Conn.)
8:00 PM - No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas College vs. No. 1 Sacred Heart University
TICKET INFORMATION
*ALL SPECTATORS MUST PAY ADMISSION FEE TO GAIN ACCESS TO MARTIRE FAMILY ARENA*
$5 - General Admission (CASH ONLY)