Box Score Boxscore

ASTON, Pa. – Behind a career-high four points from junior Brendan Turner (Tisdale, Sask./Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL)), the Manhattanville men's hockey team came back from an early two-goal deficit to knock off #12 Neumann by a score of 7-4 in an ECAC West Conference matchup on Friday night at Ice Works.

The top line of Turner and classmates Brett Skalski (Exton, Pa./Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)) and assistant captain Ron Smith (North Delta, B.C./Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL)) had a stellar outing for the visitors, combining for four goals and five assists on the night. In addition to Turner's four points, Skalski had a goal and two assists while Smith chipped in a goal and an assist of his own. Junior Scott Hudson (St. Albert, Alta./Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)) and sophomores Craig Simchuk (Winnipeg, Man./Winnipeg Saints (MJHL)) and Luc Van Natter (Fort Erie, Ont./Aurora Tigers (OPJHL)) also found the back of the net for Manhattanville as well in the win.

Host Neumann started the game strong in the opening period, scoring twice in 56 seconds to take a two-goal lead. Jake Kratz tallied his first goal of the year at the 10:36 mark of the game to open the scoring, and Jordan Zalba capitalized again less than a minute later by putting the puck past Valiant netminder Pierre-Oliver Lemieux to extend the Knights lead to 2-0.

The first period was a very physical period as Manhattanville kept on nailing Neumann with hits. The Valiants' physical play managed to pay off as Turner tallied a power-play goal at the 13:03 mark that cut the deficit in half at the end of the first period.

In the second stanza, the Valiants kept up the physicality and put a lot of pressure on Neumann, outscoring the Knights by a 4-1 margin in the frame to take control of the game. Just past the midway point of the game, the Valiants once again capitalized on the power play, as Hudson tallied his third of the year just 11 seconds into a man advantage to tie the game. The Valiants again went on the man advantage a few minutes later and once again Neumann's lack of discipline led to a Valiant goal, this time recorded by Skalski at the 14:36 mark off a feed from Turner; as a result, the Valiants had their first lead of the game.

Neumann quickly tied the game back up less than a minute later when Zalba scored his second goal of the game, but Manhattanville came back with two more scores of their own in the final four minutes of the second stanza to take a two-goal lead into the third frame. With the game tied up at three, Turner potted his second at the 16:47 mark and Van Natter followed with 90 seconds left in the period to give the visitors a cushion headed into the third.

In the third, Simchuk extended the team's lead with his first of the year 1:39 into the final frame. After Neumann pulled within two 20 seconds later, the goaltending of Lemieux took over as he made great save after great save to make the lead hold up. Smith added his first of the year with just 1:14 left to go to make it 7-4.

Lemieux stopped 27 out of 31 shots he faced on the night to pick up his first win of the year, as Manhattanville outshot Neumann by 38-31 margin in the wide-open contest. The Valiants forced Neumann netminder Ross MacKinnon to the showers early after allowing five goals in 29 shots over the first 40 minutes, while backup Matt Tendler allowed two goals on nine shots in the third period.

Manhattanville (1-2-0, 1-2-0 ECAC West) will play its first non-conference game of the year on Tuesday night, as the Valiants travel to Western New England for a 7:40 p.m. matchup that will be streamed live on WMVL 88.1 FM beginning at 7:30 p.m. Neumann (2-2-0, 1-2-0 ECAC West) will host #7 Utica tomorrow night beginning at 7 p.m.