UTICA, N.Y. – Utica College scored the only two goals of the game in the final period as the Pioneers defeated the Manhattanville College men's hockey team by a 2-0 score in an ECAC West Conference matchup on Saturday night at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
 
The first two frames were dominated by the goaltenders, as Valiant senior Brian Fleming (Saint John, N.B./Northern Cyclones (AJHL)) and Pioneer junior Dylan Wells combined to stop all 41 shots that came their way. But Peter LaFosse and Louie Educate managed to beat Fleming in the final frame, allowing Utica (8-5-3, 1-4-1 ECAC West) to earn the victory.
 
The first period featured no scoring but plenty of opportunities, as the teams combined for 25 attempts on goal over the first 20 minutes. Manhattanville (6-6-4, 1-4-1 ECAC West) held a slim 13-12 edge in shots during the frame, but neither Fleming nor Wells ceded a score.
 
Utica had the better of play in the middle period, taking 11 shots to Manhattanville's five, but again both goaltenders stood tall and the two teams went into the final period still deadlocked at zero.
 
The Pioneers finally broke the ice 4:03 into the third period, when LaFosse finished off an odd-man rush with his fifth goal of the season. The lead doubled with 5:32 remaining in the contest, as Educate took a feed from Justin Hogan and beat Fleming for an insurance tally.
 
The Valiants emptied the net with 1:13 left in regulation, but could not solve Wells the rest of the way. Utica finished the game with a 32-27 edge in shots, with Fleming turning aside 30 shots and Wells making 27 saves.
 
Manhattanville will be back in action next weekend, as the Valiants conclude their five-game road swing with two ECAC West Conference contests at Elmira on Friday and Saturday night. Both games are set for 7 p.m. faceoffs in Pine Valley.