Men's Hockey | 2/19/2018 11:20:00 AM
PURCHASE, N.Y. – For the 11th time in the last 13 years, the Manhattanville College men's hockey team will begin its quest for a conference championship on home ice, as the fourth-seeded Valiants host fifth-seeded Elmira College in the first round of the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Conference Tournament on Wednesday night at Playland Ice Casino.
WHEN: Wednesday, February 21 - 7 p.m.
WHERE: Playland Ice Casino (Rye, N.Y.)
Tickets for the game are $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for children. All Manhattanville students and staff (with valid ID) will be admitted free of charge courtesy of the Athletic Department, while a fan bus will leave Spellman Hall at 6:30 for all Manhattanville students. Fans who cannot make it to Rye for the game can follow live stats and live video at
http://www.govaliants.com/live.
POSTSEASON HISTORY: Manhattanville is appearing in the postseason for the 19th straight year, and will be looking to reach the conference tournament semifinals for the 17th time during the span. The Valiants are 12-14 all-time in conference tournament play, and captured four tournament championships as a member of the ECAC West Conference (2005, 2007, 2008, 2010). In postseason play, Manhattanville is 6-5 on home ice in conference tournament games, including a 5-4 mark at Playland.
SEASON SERIES: Manhattanville was unbeaten against Elmira in two games this season, earning
a 5-3 win in Pine Valley on November 10 and settling for
a 4-4 (OT) tie at Playland on January 19. Junior
Matt Lippa (Richmond Hill, Ont./Oakville Blades (OJHL)) had a goal and two assists and sophomore
Ryan Jackson (Montreal, Que./Hawkesbury Hawks (CCHL)) scored in the road win, as the Valiants scored the final three goals of the game to erase a 3-2 deficit. The Soaring Eagles then came back from 4-2 down in the third period to salvage a tie in Rye, with junior co-captain
Eric Berglund (Sollentuna, Sweden/Islanders Hockey Club (USPHL)) leading the Valiants with a goal and an assist. Jackson and sophomore
Kenny McLean (New Rochelle, N.Y./New York Bobcats (EHL)) both scored a team-leading two goals in the two games against Elmira this year.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Manhattanville has dominated Elmira in recent years, as head coach
Arlen Marshall is an impressive 12-2-3 against the Soaring Eagles in six seasons behind the Valiant bench. As a result, the Valiants have stormed back to take a 26-25-7 lead in the all-time series after having never led in the series until this year. The two teams have not met in the postseason since Marshall's first year at the helm, when the
Valiants crushed Elmira 9-1 in the first round of the ECAC West Tournament on February 20, 2013 at Terry Conners Rink in Stamford.
MATT MAKES HIS MARK: Lippa has followed up an excellent sophomore season with a better junior year, as he enters the postseason 18th in Division III in goals per game with 16 goals and 14 assists in 24 appearances. He currently is tied for 10th in school history for goals in a single season, having scored the most goals by a Valiant since All-American
Mickey Lang '11 scored 16 in 2010-11. The junior already ranks eighth in school history with 39 goals with at least one game left in his third season with the team.
TAYLOR-MADE: Freshman
Taylor Bommarito (Sterling Heights, Mich./Charlotte Rush (USPHL)) has been one of the team's top scorers as a freshman, scoring nine goals with eight assists to tie for second on the squad with 17 points. He ranks 19th in Division III and fifth in the UCHC with a team-leading six power-play goals this year, and his 17 points are tied for 27th in the country among rookies.
FEELING THE FEAVER: Junior netminder
Tyler Feaver (Whitby, Ont./Whitby Fury (OJHL)) is having his best year as a Valiant in 2017-18, posting new career highs in all statistical categories. The three-year starter ranks fourth in the UCHC with a 2.42 goals against average and fifth with a .914 save percentage, helping Manhattanville to the second-best scoring defense (2.56 goals per game) in the UCHC this year.
PLAYING FROM AHEAD: Manhattanville is unbeaten when leading at the end of two periods this year, posting a 9-0-4 mark when ahead on the scoreboard after 40 minutes, and have lost only once in 19 games in which the team was not losing after the second stanza. Conversely, the Valiants have lost all six games in which they were trailing headed into the final frame.
A POTENT OFFENSE: Manhattanville boasts the 17th-ranked scoring offense in Division III this season, averaging 3.60 goals per game to rank second in the UCHC. The Valiants are 11-2-3 when scoring three goals or more this season.
ABOUT THE SOARING EAGLES: Elmira has been one of the hottest teams in Division III since mid-January, going 6-0-2 in its last eight games before a 4-1 loss to Lebanon Valley College on Saturday dropped the Soaring Eagles into fifth place in the UCHC standings. Elmira's top line is as potent as any in Division III this year, with Nick Ford, Connor Powell and Matthew Cuce all ranking in the top-22 of the country in points. Ford ranks seventh in D-III with 40 points and fourth with 21 goals, while Powell (13-24-37) is 12th in the country in assists and 15th in points, and Cuce (14-21-35) sits 23rd in helpers. The trio have also combined for 16 power-play goals, helping Elmira to the ninth-ranked power play in the country at 24.1 percent (26 of 108). Freshmen Gennaro Anzevino and Jake Sabourin have largely split time in goal this season, with Anzevino earning 13 starts and posting a team-best 7-4-2 record with a 2.37 goals against average and .919 save percentage.
WHAT'S AT STAKE: The winner of Wednesday's game advances to the UCHC Tournament semifinals on Saturday, where either top-seeded Utica College or second-seeded Stevenson University would await depending on Wednesday's results. If the winner heads to Utica, it would be a 2 p.m. start on Saturday, while a trip to Stevenson would result in a 7 p.m. faceoff.
