Box Score STAMFORD, Conn. – Senior Luc Van Natter (Fort Erie, Ont./Aurora Tigers (OPJHL)) scored late in the first period and classmate Alex Scola (Exeter, N.H./Woodstock Slammers (MJHL)) played brilliantly to keep the lead for most of the game, but a late fluke bounce evened the score in the final 90 seconds and the Manhattanville men's hockey team had to settle for a 1-1 (OT) tie with Elmira in an ECAC West Conference matchup on Saturday night at Terry Conners Rink.
 
The tie keeps Manhattanville (11-9-2, 4-6-2 ECAC West) in the fourth spot in the conference standings, moving them one point closer to Hobart (13 points) for third place and keeping the team two points clear of fifth-place Neumann. Elmira (13-8-1, 8-3-1 ECAC West) falls two points back of first-place Utica in the standings with the tie.
 
Both goaltenders deserved better than a 1-1 draw, with both Scola and Elmira's Ryan deMelo doing everything they could to keep their respective squads in the game. Scola stopped no fewer than four clean breakaways to keep Elmira off the scoreboard over the first 59 minutes and finished the night with 23 saves, while deMelo was peppered all night by the Valiant offensive attack and finished with 40 stops.
 
The first period saw good chances on both sides of the ice, but it wasn't until six seconds remained before the first goal was scored. Senior Louie Balzano (Staten Island, N.Y./New York Apple Core (EJHL)) forced a turnover in the offensive zone by deflecting an outlet pass in the slot right to Van Natter, who skated in on deMelo and beat him over the shoulder for his team-leading 12th score of the year.
 
Neither team scored in the second period, but not due to a lack of opportunities. Manhattanville took 18 shots in the middle frame, including nine on a five-minute power play, but could not crack deMelo. Scola faced only six shots in the period but was forced to deny a pair of Elmira breakaway chances, including one from Jesper Strale late in the stanza that kept the Valiants ahead.
 
Scola continued to come up huge for Manhattanville in the third period until just 1:26 remained, when a fluke bounce evened the score. After Strale forced a turnover and fed back to the point, Taylor Love fired a high shot that caromed off the shoulder of Collins in front of the Valiant net and past Scola for the game-tying goal.
 
Helped by Scola, the Valiants did a superb job on the penalty kill, holding the top-ranked power-play unit in Division III to an 0-for-6 showing with only four total shots. Unfortunately, Manhattanville's power play was also unable to muster any offense either, going 0 for 4 with three shots.
 
Manhattanville and Elmira will do it all again tomorrow night, as the Valiants and Soaring Eagles complete their season series on Saturday night after the Valiants honor their six graduating seniors with Senior Night at Terry Conners Rink beginning at 7:30 p.m.