Boxscore

RYE, N.Y. – Three Elmira College goals in a seven-minute span turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead and the Soaring Eagles held off the sixth-ranked Manhattanville men's hockey team down the stretch to escape Playland Ice Casino with a 4-3 victory over the Valiants in game two of the ECAC West Conference weekend series on Saturday night at Playland Ice Casino.

The loss puts Manhattanville (14-6-1, 2-6-0 ECAC West) into a big hole in the ECAC West standings with four games to go, as the Valiants are tied for fourth place with Hobart. Elmira (12-5-3, 6-2-0 ECAC West) remains in first place in the league standings with the win.

Saturday was a disappointing result for the Valiants, as the home team held a 2-1 lead entering the third period and seemed to have all the momentum going their way; however, three straight Elmira goals rocked the home team. Martin Lee knotted the score at two at 6:34 of the third with a rocket from the left point, and then assisted on Brendan Sanders' go-ahead tally 4:09 later. John Clewlow put the visitors up by two at the 13:34 mark with his fourth of the year, completing the three-goal swing.

Manhattanville tried to get back into the game soon after, as sophomore Jason Bowles (Elkhorn, Man./Waywayseecappo Wolverines (MJHL)) ripped a shot top-corner past Elmira keeper Darren MacDonald on the power play at 14:40. Senior Sasha Romanenko (Kharkiv, Ukraine/Hebron Academy) and freshman Adam Young (Edmonton, Alta./Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL)) picked up the assists on the goal, Bowles' fourth of the year. But unfortunately for the home team, Bowles' shot was Manhattanville's last shot on goal of the evening, as the Soaring Eagle defense collapsed inward and thwarted all Valiant offensive chances for the remainder of the game, including when the home team pulled the goalie in the final minute.

The Manhattanville defense for the most part did a good job of keeping the Elmira scoring opportunities to a minimum as well, as the Valiants held a 26-19 edge in shots for the contest. Junior Pierre-Olivier Lemieux (Rimouski, Que./Neepawa Natives (MJHL)) made 15 saves for Manhattanville, while MacDonald turned aside 23 shots for Elmira.

The game did not start well for the Valiants either, as Elmira's Kevin Willer scored a shorthanded goal 2:21 into the first period to put the visitors up early. That lead did not last until the first intermission, however, as sophomore Brett Skalski (Exton, Pa./Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)) scored his first of the night from Bowles at 14:06 to send the teams into the first intermission tied at one.

Skalski struck again in the second period, finding the net again off feeds from junior assistant captain Evan Michalchuk (Edmonton, Alta./Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)) and senior captain Lem Randall (Yellowknife, N.W.T./OCN Blizzard (MJHL)) at the 11:42 mark to put the home team up by a goal after 40 minutes.

Manhattanville will need to rebound immediately next weekend, as the Valiants take on nationally ranked Utica College for two games beginning on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Playland Ice Casino. The game will be carried live on GoValiants.TV starting at 6:45 p.m.