Boxscore

UTICA, N.Y. – The #8 Manhattanville men's hockey team had a tough time getting going on Friday night at the Utica Memorial Auditorium, as the Valiants fell to Utica College by a 5-3 score in a wild ECAC West Conference matchup.

The Valiants could never get into an offensive rhythm against the Pioneers thanks to myriad penalties called on both teams, as the squads combined for 23 penalties that slowed the game to a halt and frustrated the visitors all evening long.

As a result of the infractions, Utica scored three power-play goals to take an early lead and then used the man advantage to hold off Manhattanville late.The Valiants also found success on the power play themselves, as all three of the visitors' goals came while up a man. Manhattanville went 3-for-8 on the power play in the contest, but the penalty kill unit allowed three scores on 10 chances to limit the team's opportunity to get into the game.

The shots were relatively even throughout the evening, as Utica posted a slight 33-30 edge over the course of 60 minutes. Utica freshman Evan Smith picked up the win by making 27 saves, while junior Pierre-Olivier Lemieux (Rimouski, Que.) suffered the loss despite turning aside 28 shots.

The first period was marred by penalties, as it took just eight seconds for the first infraction to be whistled and eight minors in total were called in the opening 20 minutes. The Valiants went 0 for 3 in the first period on the power play, including 42 seconds of 5-on-3 play in which sophomore Brett Skalski (Exton, Pa.) beat Smith through the five-hole only to have his shot barely deflect off the edge of Smith's skate to stay out of the cage.

The final penalty of the period resulted in the lone goal of the frame, as a pair of minors called on the visitors resulted in 34 seconds of two-man advantage for Utica. Just as the Valiants got one of their players back, junior Tim Coffman found the back of the net from sophomore Evan Chlanda and freshman Trever Hertz to put the Pioneers up by a score. That was the way the first frame concluded, with Utica holding an 11-6 edge in shots and a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard.

The penalties continued to stream in during the second period, during which time the two squads combined for five goals and 25 shots thanks to nine infractions whistled by the referees.

The middle frame got off to a bad start for the visitors, as two penalties in the first 61 seconds resulted in a prolonged two-man disadvantage and a subsequent man-up goal by freshman Chris Santiago that doubled the Utica lead. But Manhattanville returned the favor with a 5-on-3 goal of its own at the 10:33 mark, as senior assistant captain Mickey Lang (Reno, Nev.) took nice feeds from freshmen Luc Van Natter (Fort Erie, Ont.) and Adam Young (Edmonton, Alta.) at the back post and potted his 10th score of the year.

The one-goal deficit would not last long for the Valiants, however, as a power-play goal by Coffman and a 4-on-4 score by Chlanda less than three minutes apart put the visitors in a deeper hole, down 4-1 with 4:50 remaining in the period. Manhattanville was able to cut into the lead before the second intermission and it once again came on the man advantage, as senior captain Lem Randall (Yellowknife, N.W.T.) tipped home a shot from the point by freshman Brian Elser (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) with 2:38 left to send the Valiants into the second intermission down by two.

The Valiants fought hard to stay in the contest in the third period, killing off three man-down situations and getting back within a goal in the final minutes on a power-play tally by Skalski. With the team's man-up chance winding down, the sophomore corralled the rebound of an Elser shot and found the net with 2:19 left on the clock and two seconds left on the advantage.

The Valiants pulled Lemieux soon after in the hopes of finding the game-tying tally, but Utica freshman Jordan Hobaica spoiled the chance by scoring an empty-net tally that ended the visitors' chances of a comeback.

Coffman was one of the offensive stars for the Pioneers, scoring twice and adding an assist for a game-high three points. Santiago and Chlanda both had a goal and an assist for the home team as well. For Manhattanville, Elser was the lone player to record multiple points, netting a pair of assists for a two-point evening.

Manhattanville (5-3-1, 1-3-0 ECAC West) closes out the 2010 portion of its ECAC West slate with the loss, as the Valiants' next eight games will come against non-conference opposition. The Valiants' final home game of the fall semester will come Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Connecticut College, with the game video streamed live online at GoValiants.TV. Utica (7-3-0, 2-2-0 ECAC West) travels to Buffalo State College tomorrow night at 7 p.m.