How We Got Here
The Valiants hosted the inaugural No. 4-5 First Round matchup on Tuesday night, outlasting Mount Saint Vincent in a 12-11 decision. Manhattanville opened the night on a 5-0 run, but the Dolphins would close the gap to just a one goal difference on four separate occasions. Holding an 11-10 advantage with two minutes left in regulation, Tyler Berch (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) scored his third goal of the game to give Manhattanville a crucial insurance goal as the Dolphins responded to make it a one-goal game with 1:09 left to go. Mount Saint Vincent won the ensuing faceoff but turned the ball over in the offensive zone, allowing Manhattanville to run out the clock and survive.

Jack Roberts (Middlefield, CT/Lyman Hall) recorded his first collegiate hat trick alongside Berch's three tallies, while Jack Strobel scored twice. Joe Ulzheimer (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) made 17 saves to pick up the win, becoming just the third goalie in program history to surpass 700 saves in his career.

Merchant Marine earned the No. 1 seed and a first round bye after going 6-1 in Skyline play. After suffering their lone conference loss to Maritime on April 11, USMMA went on a four-game winning streak to enter the postseason. The Mariners outscored their opponents 82-12 as part of the stretch, with the most goals surrendered being just five in their 22-5 victory over Mount Saint Vincent on Apr. 22.

The Mariners feature ten All-Conference selections, led by Skyline Coach of the Year Dan Paccione. William Badeer, Tucker Kuhn, Michael Hofstetter and Michael Valentine IV represent USMMA on the First Team as the Mariners look to make a second-straight appearance in the finals.

Last Time Out
The Valiants were the first victim of USMMA's current win streak, dropping an 18-3 decision at Kings Point on Apri 14. Manhattanville's goals came from Frank Tallerico (Monroe Township, N.J./Monroe Township), Anthony Cozza (West Harrison, N.Y./Byram Hills) and Michael Karabinchak (Piscataway, N.J./Saint Joseph Metuchen), while Ulzheimer made 20 saves.

Postseason History
The Valiants are now 1-2 in postseason play over the last three years since making the playoffs for the first time since 2018 in 2024.

Manhattanville and USMMA previously met in the postseason all the way back in 2003 in the ECAC Metro/South Tournament, a 15-6 win for the Mariners.

Team Leaders
Manhattanville