BUFFALO, NY—Freshman Nick Berst (Depew, NY/Lancaster) netted the game winner just 2:04 into the third period to lift Buffalo State (6-7-3) to a 5-4 win over visiting Elmira (6-6) in a non-conference game tonight at the Ice Arena.
Dan Turgeon (Centennial, CO/Cherokee Trail) led the Bengals with two goals and two assists. Taylor Pryce (Newmarket, ON/Cardinal Carter) also had four points with a goal and three helpers. Sean Hrivnak (Laval, QC/College Laval) tallied his first collegiate goal, while Mike Zannella (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) and Ryan Salkeld (Suffolk, VA/Churchland) each picked up a pair of assists.
The Soaring Eagles started the scoring at 2:06 of the first period, but Pryce evened things just eight seconds later with his second goal of the season. Elmira would again take the lead later in the period with a power-player marker, but the Bengals answered again when Hrivnak scored with just two ticks left in the period.
Buffalo State held the lead twice in the second period, behind a pair of Turgeon goals, but Elmira answered back both times and the teams took a 4-4 tie into the final intermission before Berst found the back of the net early in the third to close out all scoring.
Elmira held a 39-38 advantage in shots and was 2 for 6 with the extra skater, while Buffalo State finished 1 for 7. Kevin Carr (Unionville, ON/Unionville) had 35 saves in the win, including two crucial stops in the final 10 seconds to preserve the win.
Buffalo State will return to the ice on Tuesday as the Bengals host Nazareth at 7 p.m.
