RYE, N.Y. – Utica College's Justin Derlago tipped home the game-winning goal with 21.5 seconds left in overtime as the Pioneers outlasted Manhattanville College by a 3-2 (OT) score in an entertaining ECAC West Conference men's hockey battle on Saturday night at Playland Ice Casino.
The win keeps Utica (13-7-0, 8-1-0 ECAC West) in first place in the ECAC West Conference standings with three weeks left in the regular season, as the Pioneers now lead Manhattanville (10-9-1, 6-3-0 ECAC West) and Hobart by four points and also hold the tiebreaker over the Valiants thanks to a season sweep.
Sophomores
Bryan Platt (Trumbull, Conn./Springfield Pics (USPHL)) and
Matt Lippa (Richmond Hill, Ont./Oakville Blades (OJHL)) earned the goals for Manhattanville on the evening, while Utica also received a pair of goals from Riley Egan before Derlago's game-winner.
Manhattanville dominated play for much of the opening period, holding Utica to a single shot on goal for the first 17-plus minutes of the frame. The Valiants finished the period with a 10-3 edge in shots, but all 10 were turned aside by Patrik Virtanen and the teams went into the second stanza scoreless.
Utica took a pair of one-goal leads in the second period thanks to Egan, but each time Manhattanville managed to respond. After Egan gave Utica a 1-0 lead 3:29 into the second, Platt evened the score at 11:11 with a snipe from the side of the right circle, his third straight game with a goal. Egan again put the Pioneers ahead with 2:06 left in the frame, but the Valiants got back to even with less than 10 seconds to go, as Lippa potted his 11th of the year on the power play.
Both teams had eight shots on goal and one power-play chance in the third period, but neither side could find the net.
Utica applied most of the pressure in overtime, outshooting Manhattanville 6-1. Sophomore
Tyler Feaver (Whitby, Ont./Whitby Fury (OJHL)) made several excellent saves to keep the game going in extra time, but Derlago deflected a Mikhail Bushinski shot from the point into the back of the net with less than 22 seconds remaining for the game-winner.
Derlago's tip also was the one that swayed the balance of shots in favor of the visitors, as Utica held a very slight 32-31 edge in shots. Manhattanville held Utica scoreless on four man-up chances, but also managed to score only once on seven power-play opportunities.
Manhattanville will finish up its seven-game homestand next weekend with two more ECAC West Conference clashes, beginning on Friday night with a 7 p.m. faceoff against Lebanon Valley College.
