Box Score Box Score

RYE, N.Y. – It was another impressive performance by the Manhattanville men's hockey team against #7 Neumann on Saturday night, as the Valiants jumped out to a 4-0 lead and then held on the third period to extend their unbeaten streak to eight games with a 5-3 win over the Knights in ECAC West Conference action at Playland Ice Casino.

With the win, Manhattanville clinches the season sweep of Neumann for the first time since 2004-05 and improves to a very impressive 4-1-1 against nationally ranked teams with four more such foes on the immediate horizon. The Valiants also remained unbeaten in the New Year, moving to 6-0-2 since the calendars turned to 2012.

The Valiants again spread around the offense against the Knights, as five different players scored. Junior Brett Skalski (Exton, Pa./Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)) led the team with three points on a goal and two assists, while senior co-captain Evan Michalchuk (Edmonton, Alta./Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)) and junior Brendan Turner (Tisdale, Sask./Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL)) both had a goal and an assist and senior Dillon O'Hara (Wallingford, Conn./South Kent School) had a pair of helpers as well.

Just as they did the night before, the home team got off to a great start on Saturday evening, scoring twice in the opening frame to take a two-goal lead into the first intermission. Sophomore Luc Van Natter (Fort Erie, Ont./Aurora Tigers (OPJHL)) got things started at the 8:37 mark on the power play, when he picked up the rebound of an O'Hara shot at the left post and slid it into an open net for his team-leading 10th tally of the year.

The Valiant lead doubled with three minutes to go in the frame, when Michalchuk skated into the zone and let one fly past the glove of Neumann netminder Ross MacKinnon for his third of the year. Skalski picked up his second assist of the period on the goal, while sophomore Adam Young (Edmonton, Alta./Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL)) also received an assist.

Manhattanville completely dominated the first period of play, posting a 17-3 shot advantage.

Neumann came out with some more determination in the second frame, posting a 13-9 lead in shots, and yet it was Manhattanville that scored twice more to take a seemingly insurmountable four-goal edge into the final period. After assisting on the first two goals, Skalski did the job himself 4:08 into the period, as Turner was denied twice by MacKinnon before Skalski finally found the rebound and potted his sixth of the year. The lead grew to four thanks to sophomore Brian Elser (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./Bay State Breakers (EJHL)), who fired a wrist shot from the left circle that beat MacKinnon high with 3:44 left.

But Neumann would not go away in the third period, as the Knights took advantage of a Valiant lack of discipline to score three times in 45 seconds and get right back into the game. Mike Rey got the visitors on the board with a five-on-three score at the 3:26 mark, and Steve Gervais followed 28 seconds later with another rebound score on the subsequent five-on-four to get Neumann within two. To make matters worse, Ryan Dreger found the next on the very next shift, and suddenly it was a one-goal game in Rye.

But Neumann's Marlon Gardner took a tripping penalty just over a minute after Dreger's goal, and Manhattanville made the Knights pay with Turner's ninth goal of the year at the 6:41 mark. After senior Marcus von Sydow (Stockholm, Sweden/Djugarden J20 (SWE)) took a shot from the point, the puck deflected to the near post where Turner was there to put it into the empty net and give the home team some much needed insurance.

The Knights pulled the goalie for the final two minutes and even had a six-on-four advantage after another Valiant penalty was called with under two minutes remaining, but Manhattanville stood tall and preserved the two-goal victory.

Thanks in large part to a 20-8 third period, Neumann actually ended the evening with a 36-34 edge in total shots, but most of that was in desperation mode late in the contest. Senior Pierre-Olivier Lemieux (Rimouski, Que./Neepawa Natives (MJHL)) continued his great play as of late, making 33 saves to improve to 10-3-3 on the year. MacKinnon took the loss for Neumann, allowing four goals on 26 shots before Ben Curley made his collegiate debut in the third period, stopping seven of eight attempts.

Manhattanville (10-4-3, 4-2-0 ECAC West) will now head to Pine Valley, N.Y., for a showdown with #11 Elmira on Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. Both games will be audio streamed on WMVL 88.1 FM and WMVLRadio.com beginning at 6:45 p.m. Neumann (12-6-0, 2-5-0 ECAC West) will take next week off before returning to the ice on February 3-4 against Hobart.