RYE, N.Y. — The Manhattanville men's ice hockey team kicked off the first night of its senior weekend, facing St. John Fisher at the Playland Ice Casino on Friday evening. The high-stakes, physical match-up featured top-notch shots, hard hits, and an incredible defensive performance by William Billequey (Montreal, Quebec/Vermont Lumberjacks (EHL)), who earned a 94% save percentage despite the loss.
The contest opened with a strong amount of aggressive play on both sides of the rink. St. John Fisher controlled the puck for much of the first period, while Manhattanville broke through with shots from Jack Roberts (Middlefield, CT/Lyman Hall), Cameron Vassos (Caledon, Ontario/Navan Grads (CCHL)), and Mitchell Watson (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/Canmore Eagles (AJHL)). The Valiants put themselves at a disadvantage halfway through the period after a boarding penalty. The Cardinals capitalized on the man advantage at 11:17.
As the period continued, so did the aggression and the battle for the win. The one-goal deficit fueled the Valiants' offense, generating a series of back-to-back shots with contributions from Beau Depencier (Dresden, Ontario, Canada/LKCS), Tristan D'Elia (West Chester, Pa./Philadelphia Little Flyers (EHL)), Tyler Rolston (Newport, Pa./P.A.L Jr. Islanders (NCDC)), Lane Paddison (100 Mile House, Canada/Canmore Eagles (AJHL)), Johno Hoins (Telluride, Colo./The Frederick Gunn School / Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)), Ryan McKenna (Spokane, Wash./Sheridan Hawks (NA3HL)), and Caden Eaton (Indian River, Mich./Cornwall Colts (CCHL)). Despite the efforts across the roster, Manhattanville headed into the first intermission down by one.
St. John Fisher opened the second period with another strong wave of aggression and shots. However, the Valiants held strong, making their first mark of the period with a shot by Roberts, adding to his tally for the night. Despite the push, the Cardinals secured their second goal of the night just over five minutes into the period to take a 2-0 lead.
Manhattanville maintained consistent pressure against the Cardinals throughout the remainder of the period, adding a horde of shots shortly thereafter with new additions from Corey Popowcer (Parkland, Fla./Vermont Lumberjacks (EHL)), Parker Chadwell (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Bay Juniors (USPHL)), and Zach Turner (Eagle, Colo./Powassan Voodoos (NOJHL)). Both sides continued to generate chances, persisting through an evenly matched second period. Despite the efforts from the Manhattanville offense, the team left for the final period trailing 2-0.
The Valiants opened the final period with their strongest start of the game, fueling a ferocious drive to finish victorious. After earning a power play off an interference penalty, Paddison, Watson, McKenna, and Eaton each tallied shots on goal in an effort to close the deficit.
As time wound down, tensions rose to a new height, with both teams firing a flurry of shots at each other's goaltenders. Manhattanville held its own against the St. John Fisher defense, answering with a burst of shots of its own.
With just under three minutes remaining, the Valiants pulled Billequey to gain an extra skater. However, it did not work in their favor, as the Cardinals extended their lead with an empty-net goal at 17:19. Despite Manhattanville's best efforts, St. John Fisher secured the 3-0 win.
Regardless of the loss, Billequey turned in an impressive performance with 32 saves and a 94% save percentage against St. John Fisher.
Up Next:
The Valiants will return to their home ice at Playland Ice tomorrow afternoon to face St. John Fisher at 2 PM and also celebrate the senior class of 2026.
