Box Score Box Score
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Wesleyan scored four unanswered goals over the final 40 minutes of play to overcome an early deficit and defeat the Manhattanville men's hockey team by the score of 4-1 in a testy non-conference matchup on Saturday night at the Spurrier-Snyder Rink.
Sophomore Craig Simchuk (Winnipeg, Man./Winnipeg Saints (MJHL)) gave Manhattanville an early lead in the first period, but as the game went on the Valiants showed some fatigue in playing their third game in the last five days. In the final 40 minutes, the Cardinals posted a 24-10 edge in shots, giving the home team a 36-20 edge over the course of the night.
The first period saw just one goal, coming off the stick of Simchuk at the 13:36 mark. The sophomore intercepted a Wesleyan pass in the neutral zone and looked ready to curl behind the Cardinal net before stuffing the puck under the pads of Wesleyan netminder Matt Hadge and in for his third of the year.
The Valiants easily could have had a much bigger lead heading into the second if not for a pair of shots that found a pipe. Senior co-captain Bill Silengo (Madison, Conn./South Kent School) found the metal first early in the contest on a shot from the point through a screen, while fellow senior co-captain Evan Michalchuk (Edmonton, Alta./Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)) found the post on the Valiants' lone power play of the opening frame.
The second period was a complete role reversal for the two teams, as Wesleyan held a decisive 14-4 edge in shots and scored the only two goals of the frame to take a lead into the third.
Keith Buehler got the Cardinals on the board 4:20 into the middle stanza, as he took a shot from the neutral zone and, after senior goalie Pierre-Olivier Lemieux (Rimouski, Que./Neepawa Natives (MJHL)) could not adequately control the rebound, poked the puck under an outstretched Lemieux for his fourth of the year. Just over two minutes later, John Guay tallied his fourth of the year to put the home team up for the first time.
Manhattanville, meanwhile, had trouble finding shots all frame long, not putting one on goal until junior Brendan Turner (Tisdale, Sask./Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL)) did so 9:52 into the frame. The Valiants also could not convert on nearly two full minutes of five-on-three action during the period as the home team took a lead into the third.
After killing off four straight penalties to begin the game, the visitors finally fell victim to the nation's best power play early in the third period, as Brad Improta scored from the blue line 18 seconds into a Cardinal man advantage to give his team a two-goal edge and lead them to a victory.
The Valiant penalty kill still performed well, holding the potent Wesleyan unit to one goal in seven chances. The power play unit for Manhattanville went scoreless on five opportunities.
For the game, Lemieux made 32 saves for Manhattanville in a losing effort, while Hadge turned aside 19 of the 20 shots he faced in earning the win.
Manhattanville (4-4-1) will take the rest of the 2011 calendar year off before starting up 2012 on January 3 with a 7 p.m. matchup against #14 Amherst at Playland Ice Casino. The game will be video streamed live on GoValiants.TV beginning at 6:50 p.m. Wesleyan (5-3-0) will take on Becker on day one of the Saint Michael's Tournament on December 30 at 1 p.m.
