PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Despite generating 38 shots on net, totaling four goals, the Manhattanville College men's hockey fell to Chatham, 5-4, on Friday night at the Hunt Armory Ice Arena. In their first overtime action this season, the Valiants still collected a point, helping to clinch a postseason berth. Manhattanville now resides at 8-14-0, with a near-even 8-9 record in UCHC play. 

The Cougars netted the game-winning goal with 38 seconds to play in the extra period, as Chatham moved the puck around the ice, finding Milan Cermak who cut straight to the crease and shielded away any defensive effort to beat the Valiants netminder. 

Manhattanville found themselves tying the contest at 4-4 to eventually force the overtime period just 36 seconds in the third period, as Ryan McKenna (Spokane, Wash./Sheridan Hawks (NA3HL)) and Justin Fernet (Sherbrooke, Quebec/Taft School) set up Lane Paddison (100 Mile House, Canada/Canmore Eagles (AJHL)) to connect on his brace, tallying his seventh goal of the season. 

The Cougars started the scoring in the opening twenty minutes of play when Chatham found themselves with the man advantage, Nicholas Babbie fired home a pass from Nick Cyprian 7:25 into the contest. The Valiants would answer back from the stick of AJ Bella (Norwalk, Conn./Connecticut Roughriders (EHL)), as Bella netted his team-leading eleventh goal, finishing off a play from Artem Mateichenko (Kharkov, Ukraine/New Hampshire Avalanche (EHL)) and Raymond Speerbrecker (Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada/Revelstoke Grizzlies (KIJHL)), for Mateichenko's twentieth assist on the season, marking a career-high. The 1-1 score would hold as the first intermission buzzer sounded. 

The second period proved to be an explosive one, as five total goals were scored by both squads. Chatham once again kicked off the scoring in the period, as Bekk McClaine found the back netting 1:38 into the second stanza. The Cougars would light the lamp again four minutes later, when Carson Grainer buried his chance into the net, putting Chatham up 3-1. Paddison would then tally his first of the contest with 11:15 elapsed in the period to slice into the Cougar lead and pin the contest at 3-2. Chatham would swiftly answer back, as Cyprian finally found a goal of his own a minute after the Valiants tally, pinning the contest at 4-2 in the Cougars favor. Manhattanville would find themselves with the extra skater after a slashing penalty, leading to a Noah Bradley (Lancaster, Pa./Philadelphia Revolution (EHL)) goal, assisted by Bella and Fernet, to put the Valiants back within striking distance, with under two minutes to play in the second stanza. The second period ended at 4-3 in the Cougars favor leading to the aforementioned tying goal by Paddison to open the third period. 

Tripp Clarke (Cazenovia, N.Y./Northern Cyclones (USPHL Premier)) was tabbed with the loss in the crease, saving a career-high 42 shots. The sophomore made ten saves in the first period, 21 saves in the second, 13 in the third and three in the overtime period. 

It was a fairly even day in the circle, as the Cougars held the 34-29 faceoff advantage over their counterparts. Paddison paced the Valiants with ten faceoff wins, followed by Speerbrecker and Caden Eaton (Indian River, Mich./Cornwall Colts (CCHL)) with seven apiece. 

Manhattanville went 1-4 on their opportunities with the extra skater, firing seven shots in the 6:50 with the man advantage. The Valiant penalty kill went 3-4, allowing ten shots in the near eight minutes down a man. 

Up Next 

The Valiants return to the Hunt Armory Ice Arena tomorrow at 3 p.m. to wrap up the series. 

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