RUTLAND, Vt. – SUNY Brockport scored the final three goals of the game to overcome an early deficit and earn the 2014 Rutland Herald Invitational championship with a 4-3 victory over the Manhattanville College men's hockey team on Saturday night at Castleton State's Spartan Arena.
 
Junior Paul Allan Bamberg (Lulea, Sweden/Lulea HF J20 (SWE)) and sophomores Anthony Luzzi (Branford, Conn./The Gunnery School) and Phil Dinner (Simsbury, Conn./Connecticut Oilers (EJHL)) all found the net for Manhattanville (3-4-1), which jumped out to an early 3-1 lead 7:51 into the middle period as the team looked for its second straight Rutland Herald title.
 
But Brockport (4-5-1) got goals from Bobby Chayka and Troy Polino to even the score after two periods and the game-winner from Andrew Parks midway through the third period to post the comeback victory at the eighth annual event.
 
Luzzi helped the Valiants come out of the gates strong, finding the net just 100 seconds into the game to give the squad an early 1-0 lead. Dinner made it a two-goal lead at 10:50 of the opening period with his first of the year, but Brockport got one back less than two minutes later when Chase Nieuwendyk scored a power-play goal to halve the deficit after one period.
 
Bamberg got Manhattanville its two-goal lead back 7:51 into the second period with his second of the year from senior Jake Mooney (Toronto, Ont./North York Rangers (OPJHL)). However, two Brockport goals in less than three minutes knotted the score at three, with Chayka making it a 3-2 game at 14:14 and Polino evening the score with a power-play goal at 16:51.
 
Heading into the third period with the game in the balance, Manhattanville out-shot Brockport by a 12-6 margin over the final 20 minutes, and yet it was the Golden Eagles that scored the only goal of the game on Parks' first of the year at 10:35.
 
Both teams finished the night with 29 shots, with senior Brian Fleming (Saint John, N.B./Northern Cyclones (AJHL)) making 25 saves and Brockport's Aaron Green turning aside 26 shots. The game largely turned on special teams on the evening, as the Golden Eagles went a perfect 2-for-2 while the Valiants went 0-for-3 on the man advantage.
 
For Manhattanville, freshman Stephen Gaul (Downers Grove, Ill./Springfield Pics (USPHL)) and sophomore Tanner Hicks (Calgary, Alta./Brooks Bandits (AJHL)) were named to the All-Tournament team, as were Nieuwendyk (MVP), Green and Chris Luker from Brockport.
 
The Valiants will be back on the ice on Tuesday night, when the squad travels to Connecticut College for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Camels.