Boxscore

RYE, N.Y. – Neumann University blitzed the fifth-ranked Manhattanville men's hockey team with three goals and 16 shots in the first period on the way to picking up a 5-1 victory over the Valiants in a fierce and feisty ECAC West Conference contest on Saturday evening at Playland Ice Casino.

Five different Knights scored goals and five players had multi-point games for the visitors. Michael Rey, Brent Tamane and David Gervais each had a goal and an assist for Neumann, while Ryan Dreger and Scott Farrell both recorded a pair of assists in the win.

For Manhattanville, senior assistant captain Mickey Lang (Reno, Nev.) netted his team-leading fifth goal of the season late in the third period off a pass from junior Dillon O'Hara (Wallingford, Conn.) to prevent the shutout and get the home team on the board.

Neumann came out of the gates strong on Friday night, as the visitors scored three times in the first 10:52 to take control of the contest early. David Gervais started the scoring 4:45 into the first period with his second of the year, and the Knights doubled their lead less than three minutes later when Michael Rey converted just 21 seconds into the team's first power-play chance of the night at the 7:35 mark.

Steve Gervais gave the visitors a three-goal edge at the 10:52 mark, and Neumann went into the first intermission with a three-goal lead. Neumann posted a 16-5 edge in shots on goal in the opening frame, putting Manhattanville behind the eight-ball early.

Neither team scored in the second period, as Neumann had a slight 9-7 edge in shots and the teams combined to kill off all three power-play chances of the frame. Things got more interesting – and a lot more physical – in the third period, as the teams combined for three goals, 22 shots and eight penalties.

After Sean Bianchini gave Neumann a 4-0 lead with 7:01 left, Manhattanville tried to make last-ditch effort to get back into the game, as Lang brought the home team back within three with a power-play tally with 4:11 remaining in the frame.

With the teams skating four-on-four after matching minors on both teams, head coach Keith Levinthal then took a gamble by emptying his net in hopes of getting a second score. The Valiants put some pressure on the Neumann goal, but the Knights eventually found a crack and Tamane scored into the empty net with 1:39 remaining to ice the contest.

Junior Pierre-Olivier Lemieux (Rimouski, Que.) made 27 saves in goal for Manhattanville before senior Steve Parry (Clearwater, Fla.) came on late, making one save on one shot in 3:07 on the ice. For Neumann, Matt Tendler made his first start of the season and did not have to make many great saves, yet still turned aside 25 of 26 shots to pick up the victory.

Manhattanville (3-2-0, 1-2-0 ECAC West) will have two days off before returning to the ice on Tuesday night with a pre-Thanksgiving clash with Western New England College at Playland Ice Casino starting at 7 p.m. Neumann (4-2-1, 3-1-0 ECAC West) hosts SUNY Cortland for the first of two games Friday night at 7 p.m.