Box Score Box Score
RYE, N.Y. - The Manhattanville men's hockey team continued its recent scoring surge on Saturday afternoon at Playland Ice Casino, as the Valiants defeated SUNY Potsdam for the second straight day, this time by a score of 8-0.
Eight different Valiants tallied a goal on the afternoon, as Manhattanville completed its five-game homestand unbeaten with a 3-0-2 mark. Freshman
Paul Sirignano (St. Catharines, Ont./Thorold Blackhawks (OJHL)) led all players with a career-high three points (all via assist), while five other Valiants had two-point days. The home team again featured a very balanced attack, as 15 players had at least one point just a night after 14 Valiants made the scoresheet on Friday night against the Bears.
Manhattanville struck first just 3:56 into the contest when senior co-captain Evan Michalchuk (Edmonton, Alta./Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)) and sophomore Craig Simchuk (Winnipeg, Man./Winnipeg Saints (MJHL)) set up junior Brett Skalski (Exton, Pa./Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)), who recorded his fifth goal of the year to put Manhattanville up early. It only took the Valiants 30 seconds to register their next goal as junior Brendan Turner (Tisdale, Sask./Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL)) netted his eighth goal of the year assisted by freshman Mark Rivera (Belmar, N.J./Springfield Pics (EJHL)) and sophomore Luc Van Natter (Fort Erie, Ont./Aurora Tigers (OPJHL)). Senior Dillon O'Hara (Wallingford, Conn./South Kent School) continued the early Valiant surge by scoring his first goal of the year at 8:57 to extend the Valiants' lead to 3-0.
The home team took that three-goal lead into the first intermission, as the Valiants finished with a 15-8 edge in shots.
In the second stanza, some chippy play began just over two minutes in when Potsdam's Aaron Hildreth received a five-minute major penalty for boarding. Senior Marcus von Sydow (Stockholm, Sweden/Djugarden J20 (SWE)) made the Bears pay less than a minute later by taking a feed from Turner and junior Scott Hudson (St. Albert, Alta./Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)) and blasting the puck into the net for his fourth goal of the year and the fourth goal of the game for the Valiants. Juniors Ron Smith (North Delta, B.C./Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL)), Jason Bowles (Elkhorn, Man./Waywayseecappo Wolverines (MJHL)) and Derek Serdachny (Yorkton, Sask./Yorkton Terriers (SJHL)) all added goals of their own before the second period concluded, with Smith and Bowles scoring just 31 seconds apart and Serdachny netting his second of the year with under a minute remaining in the period.
Manhattanville closed the game very strongly, posting a 15-3 edge in shots in the third period and scoring the only goal of the frame to make the final margin eight. Van Natter did the honors this time, scoring a power-play tally from Skalski with 7:12 remaining in the game.
Manhattanville senior netminder Pierre-Olivier Lemieux (Rimouski, Que./Neepawa Natives (MJHL)) had an active afternoon as he stopped all 26 shots he faced and even committed a roughing penalty while earning his second shutout of the year and the ninth of his career. Potsdam starter Dylan Ellis allowed seven goals before getting pulled at the end of two periods of play in favor of Kevin McFarland, who gave up one goal out of 14 shots he faced.
The Valiants finished the game with a 44-26 edge in total shots. Special teams were the key for the home team in the win, as Manhattanville scored two power-play goals on five attempts while killing all four penalties they faced.
Manhattanville (7-4-3) will play its first road game of 2012 on Tuesday, as the Valiants take to the road to Milton, Mass., for a 7:30 p.m. game against Curry College. The live audio broadcast can be heard on WMVL 88.1 FM beginning at approximately 7:20 p.m.
