RYE, N.Y. – Sophomore Stephen Gaul (Downers Grove, Ill./Springfield Pics (USPHL)) scored twice, including the game-winning goal with nine seconds left in overtime, as the Manhattanville College men’s hockey team came back to defeat D3hockey.com #14 Neumann University, 5-4 (OT), in a thrilling ECAC West Conference contest on Saturday night at Playland Ice Casino.
Gaul had an excellent game to lead Manhattanville (4-1-0, 2-1-0 ECAC West), scoring twice and adding an assist for a three-point evening. The team also received a tremendous effort from the freshman line of Eric Berglund (Sollentuna, Sweden/Islanders Hockey Club (USPHL)), Cory Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif./Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)) and Matt Lippa (Richmond Hill, Ont./Oakville Blades (OJHL)), with all three players scoring once – including Lippa’s game-tying goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation that set up Gaul’s overtime heroics.
Heading into the third period down a goal, Manhattanville kept nearly continuous pressure on the Neumann defense and netminder Mitch Wiebe, outshooting the Knights 22-4 over the 20 minutes. Weibe turned aside the first 21 of those shots before the Valiants finally broke through. With less than minute on the clock, sophomore Kevin Loppatto (Atlanta, Ga./Springfield Pics (USPHL)) kept the puck in the offensive end as sophomore Kyle Redmond (Toronto, Ont./Northfield Mount Hermon) came off for an extra attacker, and he fed Lippa for a tough angle shot from the corner that got through Weibe to tie the score.
Manhattanville kept the pressure up in the extra frame, outshooting the visitors by an 8-3 margin. One final scrum in front of the net provided the game-winner, as a shot from the point by sophomore Anthony Ragone (Babylon, N.Y./Springfield Pics (USPHL)) eventually found its way in front to Gaul, who potted his second of the night to give the Valiants their second overtime win at home in three games this season.
The goal allowed the Valiants to overcome a great game from Neumann’s Jory Mullin, who scored three times and assisted on the Knights’ fourth goal as well. Linemate Mike Davis also had four points on a goal and three asssists.
The home team came back from a one-goal deficit twice in the first period, with Berglund scoring his second of the year on the power play at 10:54 to even the score at one and linemate Anderson following up Mullin’s first of the game just 35 seconds later at 16:10.
Gaul gave Manhattanville its first lead of the night a mere 32 seconds into the second period with his first of the game, stealing the puck from a Neumann defenseman and going in alone on Wiebe for the score. Mullin came back with the next two goals for Neumann, including his third of the night at 19:40 of the second that gave his team a lead headed into the third stanza.
After being outshot 33-15 over the first two periods, Manhattanville stormed back to fire 30 shots on goal over the final 25 minutes compared to just seven for Neumann. Redmond improved to 2-0-0 on the year by making 36 saves, while Weibe made 39 saves in a losing effort.
Manhattanville, which is off to its best five-game start since 2009-10, will remain in conference play and at home next weekend, beginning on Friday night with another key ECAC West clash with Nazareth College at 7 p.m. at Playland Ice Casino.
