RYE, N.Y. — In a back-and-forth contest that saw lead changes and many momentum swings, the Manhattanville College men's hockey team won for the seventh time in their last eight games, defeating Trinity College (Conn.) 3-2 Sunday, Dec. 9 at Playland Ice Casino.

Trinity (4-2-2) got on the board first midway through the first period, when Barclay Gammill scored on a scramble in front of the net to give the Bantams a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.

The Valiants (7-2-2) would score the equalizing goal early in the second, when senior forward Matt Lippa (Richmond Hill, Ont./Oakville Blades (OJHL)) fired a shot past Trinity goaltender Teddy Loughborough to tie the game at one. The goal was Lippa's team-leading sixth goal of the season, with senior forwards Jared Martin (Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask./Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)) and Bryan Platt (Trumbull, Conn./Springfield Pics (USPHL)) picking up the assists. Manhattanville had a chance to take the lead minutes later when two Bantam penalties lead to a 5-on-3 opportunity, but the home team was unable to capitalize.

The Valiants would eventually break through on the power play later in the period, when sophomore forward Braeden Cross (Sechelt, B.C./Cochrane Crunch (CJHL)) picked up his fourth goal of the season, and second on the man advantage. Senior forwards Eric Berglund (Sollentuna, Sweden/Islanders Hockey Club (USPHL)) and Lippa provided the assists on the goal, giving the Valiants a 2-1 lead heading into the third period.

Following a bit of back-and-forth play to start the third, senior forward Cory Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif./Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)) scored what would turn out to be the game-winner to give Manhattanville a 3-1 lead, with Lippa and Platt providing the assists. Minutes later, Trinity would pull to within one when Cole Poliziani scored to cut the lead to 3-2, but that was all the offense the Bantams would come up with as the Valiants held on for a 3-2 victory.

Senior goaltender Tyler Feaver (Whitby, Ont./Whitby Fury (OJHL)) picked up his second win of the season, making 20 saves on the afternoon. The Valiants dominated in the faceoff circle, winning nearly 60 percent of all draws, and the team was a perfect three-for-three on the penalty kill in the game.

Following the holiday break, the Valiants will return to action when they take on Saint Anslem College in the first round of the Plattsburgh State W.B. Mason Winter Classic Jan. 4, with game time scheduled for 4:00 p.m.