GENESEO, N.Y. – SUNY Geneseo first-year forward Anthony Marra totaled three goals and an assist while junior forward Trevor Hills compiled two goals and three assists to lead the Knights to a 7-1 victory over Salve Regina (R.I.) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Saturday at Wilson Ice Arena.

With the win, Geneseo (19-4-6) advances to host a second-round contest next Saturday (March 19) opposite Williams, which defeated Salem State, 7-1, in the night's other action. The Knights defeated the Ephs, 3-0, on Nov. 28 in Williamstown, Mass.

Geneseo took a 1-0 lead 27 seconds into the game after Hills scored on a short back-hander crossing from left to right. Hills notched his second goal, collecting a rebound off Seahawks' first-year goalie Blake Wojtala's pads and flipping a back-handed shot inside the right post with 7:46 remaining.

Geneseo struck again 36 seconds into the second period after Marra took a nice cross-ice feed from Hills on the left wing and stuffed his first goal of the night inside the right post.

Following a Salve Regina penalty for having too many men on the ice, Marra was the recipient of some strong passing by Hills and junior forward Stephen Collins, finishing off an open shot inside the left post with 5:22 on the clock.

Salve Regina (17-11-1) got on the board with 3:12 left in the period after senior defenseman Lucas Sousa slipped a pass from behind the Knights' goal out front to junior forward Jonathan Felteau, who scored from a crowd in the low slot.

Marra completed his first collegiate hat-trick on a shot from the right face-off dot during another power-play with 40 seconds left in the period as the Knights built a 5-1 lead after two periods.

In the third period, first-year forward Arthur Gordon took a feed from behind the Seahawks' net from senior forward David Ripple and scored in the low slot as he was being knocked to the ice to make it a 6-1 lead with 5:43 left in regulation.

Senior defenseman Nate Brown tacked on the final goal off an assist by senior forward AJ Sgaraglio with 49 second left in regulation to seal the win.

"They just took the momentum and ran with it," said Seahawk head coach Andy Boschetto. "They just capitalized on all the opportunities they got, their goalie made a couple of good stops, they're a very good team. We're proud of what we accomplished. Obviously we would have liked to finish a little bit better tonight, but that's sometimes how it goes. We just gotta go back to the drawing board and keep getting better; that's what we've done the last five years."

First-year goalie Devin McDonald was credited with 28 saves, while Wojtala, who came into the game after posting three-consecutive shutouts during Salve Regina's run to its first ECAC Northeast Championship, finished the night with 22 stops.

Courtesy of Geneseo athletics