RYE, N.Y. – In a back-and-forth affair welcoming them back to their home ice for the first time in 20 days, the Manhattanville College men's hockey team defeated Lake Forest College by a final of 6-5 on Friday night. With the non-conference win, the Valiants improve to 5-3-1 overall on the season.

Six total goals were scored in the second period in a game that had no shortage of offense. By the time that all was said and done at the end of the third period, the lead had changed on four separate occasions throughout the contest. The Valiants used three power play goals in the third period to tie up the game, retake the lead, and add some insurance before finally being able to close things out.

Trailing 4-3 after the scoring onslaught of the second period in which the visiting Foresters scored two power play goals, the Valiants gave Lake Forest a taste of their own medicine by capitalizing on man advantages. Alex Rowella (Ridgefield, Conn./Holy Cross (H.S.)) pulled the game even just 18 seconds after the period's initial puck drop as Bailey Brant remained in the penalty box for a slash in the second period. Five minutes later, Niko Happo (Kauniainen, Finland/Haukilahti Upper Secondary School) gave the Valiants the lead back for the rest of the night after Ben Perkins was sent to the sin bin for holding. Seven minutes into the frame, the Foresters were sent back to the box after Noah Furman handled the puck with his hands. The man advantage gave Manhattanville's Jarod Lavallee (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) enough open ice to fire one home and give the Valiants just enough breathing room to end the night.

With the final score indicating scoring coming at a fast and furious pace, the game played to a completely different tempo through the first period. Josh Fletcher (Calgary, Alb./Central Memorial) represented the lone goal of the period off an assist by Troy Crosson (Hatfield, Pa./Pennridge) four minutes into the game.

Nine minutes into the second period, the Foresters got on the board courtesy of a David Cohen power play goal, setting in motion the scoring eruption. Glynn Robitaille (Northville, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) gave the Valiants the lead back a minute and half after the Foresters' goal on a tally assisted by Crosson and Connor Boyce (St. Albans, Vt./The Winchendon School). With under four minutes left in the period and killing off a penalty, the Valiants extended the lead on a Kyle Miller (Bristol, Conn./Trinity-Pawling) shorthanded tally assisted by Happo and Jamie Dorsey (Wilbraham, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon).

Lake Forest rebounded immediately from the Manhattanville shorty, with Will Level pulling the visitors back to within one 17:25 into the second. Just 32 seconds later, the score was evened as Noah Furman scored on the power play opportunity. Lake Forest wasn't done, netting another goal just five second later off the stick of Jared Gerger to put the Foresters ahead for the first time in the night.

Manhattanville was able to bounce back from letting the lead slip away with their trio of power play goals in the third. Lake Forest pulled within one with just a minute remaining in regulation off of Tyler Nielsen's shot. On the goal scoring sequence, Dorsey was called for high sticking, giving the Foresters a two-skater advantage with the goalie pulled for the final sixty seconds. The Manhattanville defense rose to the challenge, snuffing out the final three shot attempts of the night to escape with the crazy win.

Making his first start of the season, Reid Robertson (Plano, Texas/Plano West) made 37 saves in net for the Valiants to earn the win. Lake Forest outshot Manhattanville 52-39 overall and by a 41-24 margin on target, but despite the higher volume of pucks fired on the Valiant net, the visitors were unable to get the equalizer late. Faceoffs were even at 37 wins apiece, with Rowella leading the way for the home team with 12 wins in the circle.

Up Next
The two teams will try to top tonight's performance with a rematch tomorrow afternoon. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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