Niagara University methodically built a two-goal cushion through the first 40 minutes on Saturday and then leaned on freshman-caliber netminding from Jacob Dubinsky to close out a 3-1 victory over Stony Brook University at The Rinx – North Rink. The result snaps a tightly contested affair that saw both sides trade emotion but only one squad find consistent finish.
Charlie Belanger got the scoring started late in the first period, burying a feed from Alex Little and Aiden Kalin at 15:56 to give Niagara the lead heading into the first intermission. The visitors wasted little time extending that advantage in the second, as Johnny Wescoe struck just 50 seconds into the frame off a Belanger assist — a goal that would ultimately stand as the game-winner. Belanger’s two-point night (1G, 1A) set the tone for a Niagara attack that controlled long stretches of play, even as Stony Brook goaltender Steven Reganato kept his club within reach, turning aside 38 of 41 shots faced.
Stony Brook’s response arrived early in the third period when Paul DeSaro capitalized on a power play just two seconds into the frame, converting a feed from Lorenzo Marra and William Kormanik to cut the deficit to 2-1. The goal was DeSaro’s latest in a productive campaign that saw him enter the night with 11 goals and 13 assists in 14 games, and it briefly injected life into a Stony Brook squad looking to build on its 7-7 record. But Niagara answered decisively, as Jakob Kalin restored the two-goal cushion just over a minute later at 2:21, finishing a Cody Gudnason feed to push the lead back to 3-1 and effectively seal the outcome.
The physical edge showed throughout, with Connor Loft’s five-minute major for boarding at 13:06 of the second period standing out among seven total penalties called, alongside a pair of roughing minors exchanged in the first period’s dying seconds. Despite facing a stiffer workload — 31 shots against — Dubinsky was sharp when it mattered, stopping 30 of 31 for a .968 save percentage and denying Stony Brook any real momentum in the third. With the win, Niagara leaves Long Island having neutralized one of Stony Brook’s most dangerous offensive weapons in DeSaro for all but one sequence, while getting a balanced scoring effort spread across three different goal-scorers.
