RYE, N.Y. – Freshman Matt Lippa (Richmond Hill, Ont./Oakville Blades (OJHL)) potted the game-winning goal with 1:01 left in overtime to cap another last-minute Valiant rally and send the Manhattanville College men’s hockey team to another thrilling 5-4 (OT) win over Neumann University in ECAC West Conference action on Friday night at Playland Ice Casino.
In a game that was eerily similar to the teams’ last meeting on November 14, Manhattanville (7-3-0, 4-2-0 ECAC West) managed to overcome a Neumann hat trick, tie the game at four with an extra-attacker goal with 58 seconds left in regulation, and then win the game in overtime.
After netting the game-tying goal back in November, Lippa provided the bigger heroics this time around, putting home the rebound of a shot from junior Tanner Hicks (Calgary, Alta./Brooks Bandits (AJHL)) for his team-leading sixth goal of the season. The freshman tied for the game high with three points, assisting on a pair of goals before his game-winner.
Lippa’s effort was just one of many excellent performances from the Valiants’ superb freshman class, which accounted for four of the team’s five goals on the night. Linemate and classmate Cory Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif./Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)) also had a goal and two assists while the third member of the all-rookie line, Eric Berglund (Sollentuna, Sweden/Islanders Hockey Club (USPHL)), also scored for Manhattanville. Fellow freshman Jared Martin (Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask./Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)) scored as well as junior co-captain Teagan Waugh (Nanaimo, B.C./Powell River Kings (BCHL)), as the home team fought back to earn the win and finish 2015 in second place in the conference standings.
Neumann (6-4-0, 2-4-0 ECAC West) dominated the early portion of the game, getting a goal from Ryan Luiten 2:00 into the contest and then the first of three on the night from Shayne Morrissey at 9:53 to take a quick 2-0 lead. Manhattanville got one of those back before the end of the period off the stick of Martin, who jammed home a shot from junior Adam Platt (Trumbull, Conn./Springfield Jr. Pics (USPHL)) for his second of the year at 15:11.
The Valiants came back with two more to start the second period, earning their first lead of the night. Waugh evened the score 4:29 into the middle stanza with a backhander that eluded NU netminder Matt Gibney. Berglund put the home team ahead with 8:25 left in the period with his third of the year, as he won a 50-50 puck in neutral ice and went in alone on Gibney for the score.
Morrissey did all he could to give his team a win, tying the game with a power-play rocket from the blue line late in the second period and then giving Neumann a 4-3 lead with 6:02 on the clock in the third.
But again Manhattanville had some last-minute magic up its sleeve, this time coming from another freshman. Lippa won the puck in the corner and passed back to the blue line for sophomore Thimmy Garbenius (Nykvarn, Sweden/Sodertalje SK (SWE)), who fired a shot from the point that allowed Anderson to get a great tip into the top corner of the net to even the score. The goal sent the Valiants to overtime for the third time this year, and for the third time Manhattanville skated off with a 5-4 victory.
The Valiants finished the night with a 32-29 edge in shots, as another freshman – Tyler Feaver (Whitby, Ont./Whitby Fury (OJHL)) – came up with 25 saves to pick up his fourth win of the year. Gibney made 27 saves in a losing effort for the Knights.
Manhattanville’s man-down unit killed off 2-of-3 Neumann power-play opportunities, while the Valiants did not earn a single man-up opportunity. It marked the first time in 430 games as a varsity program that a Valiant opponent was not whistled for at least one penalty.
Manhattanville has one more game left in 2015, as the Valiants will travel to Curry College for a non-conference tilt with the Colonels on Sunday starting at 4:45 p.m.
