Box Score STAMFORD, Conn. – The top line of senior Mark Rivera (Belmar, N.J./Springfield Pics (EJHL)), classmate Craig Simchuk (Winnipeg, Man./Winnipeg Saints (MJHL)) and sophomore Paul Allan Bamberg (Lulea, Sweden/Lulea HF J20 (SWE)) combined for three goals and eight assists as the Manhattanville men's hockey team won its 22nd straight game against SUNYAC competition with a 5-3 victory over SUNY Cortland in non-conference action on Saturday night at Terry Conners Rink.
 
Playing exactly six years to the day of the team's last loss to a SUNYAC squad, Manhattanville (8-5-0) relied heavily on its top line to pull out the victory, as the threesome combined for a +12 rating. Rivera and Bamberg both had a goal and assisted on three others, while Simchuk had a goal and two assists of his own.
 
Senior Luc Van Natter (Fort Erie, Ont./Aurora Tigers (OPJHL)) and junior Kevin Struempfler (Lincoln University, Pa./Springfield Pics (EJHL)) also scored for the Valiants, while Mike Henrici, A.J. Moyer and Kevin Antonik picked up the goals for SUNY Cortland (4-8-2) in a losing effort.
 
The Valiants set the tone for the night in a wild first period that saw five goals scored in the first 11 minutes and six goals scored overall, as the home team put home four tallies to take an early lead – all coming with its top line on the ice.
 
Simchuk opened the scoring 4:51 into the contest, when he one-timed a feed from Rivera into the back of the net on a two-on-one. Cortland came right back 2:01 later to knot the score on Antonik's first of the year, but it took the home team less than a minute to respond thanks to Struempfler, who picked up a loose puck in the slot and batted it home for his first of the season at the 7:49 mark.
 
The goals kept coming less than two minutes later when Moyer tied the score for the second time, but Manhattanville was not done either. The tie lasted a mere 72 seconds before Rivera put his team ahead again with another two-on-one rush, as this time the senior was on the receiving end of a pass from Bamberg and he wristed it home. Then, after the teams went a relative eternity without a goal, Bamberg got his goal with 1:58 left in the period with a tough-angle shot that went top corner for his second of the year.
 
After the dust had settled, Manhattanville had a 15-5 edge in shots after 20 minutes and entered the intermission with a two-goal edge. The action settled down considerably after that, beginning with a scoreless second period that saw both teams take eight shots.
 
Cortland seemed to gain some momentum early in the third period and got back within one on a power-play goal by Henrici, but as the Valiants did all night they responded quickly to quell the good feelings for the visitors. This time it was Van Natter who did the honors, finding the net for the seventh time this year at the 6:14 mark to regain the two-goal lead and send the Valiants to the victory.
 
Senior Alex Scola (Exeter, N.H./Woodstock Slammers (MJHL)) had another solid night in goal for the home team, making 20 saves on 23 shots to pick up his sixth win of the year. Lyle Rocker had a much more difficult night, allowing four goals on 15 shots before being pulled late in the first period; Mark Balkwill made 22 saves on 23 shots the rest of the way in relief.
 
Manhattanville, which is a sterling 43-1-1 in its last 45 games against SUNYAC teams, will play its final three non-conference games of the season on the road next week, beginning with a rare Tuesday night matchup at Nichols beginning at 8:10 p.m.