RYE, N.Y. – Senior Marco Ferraro (Toronto, Ont./St. Michael’s Buzzers (OJHL)) scored two goals for the second time in his career and classmate Casper Dyrssen (Stockholm, Sweden/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) added one as well, but the Wilkes University Colonels scored three third-period goals to earn a 5-3 win in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) and United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) action Friday night, Nov. 30, from Playland Ice Casino.
Special teams was the difference in the game, as the Colonels scored on two of their four power-play opportunities, as well as one short-handed opportunity, while the Valiants could not cash in on any of their six man-advantage chances.
Ferraro netted his fourth and fifth goals of the season, a new single-season best, in the second period for Manhattanville (4-2-2, 3-2-2 UCHC, 1-1-1 MAC), but Wilkes (5-3-0, 4-1-0 UCHC, 3-0-0) got two goals each from Tyler Barrow, both on the power play, and Phil Erickson.
Dyrssen opened the scoring with his second of the season just over eight minutes into the game. The senior co-captain’s goal kept the Valiants in front until early on in the second period when Wade Novak and Barrow scored 1:18 apart, pushing Wilkes out to a 2-1 lead.
Ferraro tied the game, then put the Valiants in front with goals at 12:31 and 18:57 of the second period, while sophomore goalie Mac Vail (East Elmhurst, N.Y./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (EHL)) stopped 18 of Wilkes’ 20 shots through 40 minutes. Vail saved Wilkes’ first seven shots of the period before Barrow tied the game at 8:21. With the Colonels short-handed, Erickson put the visitors in front at 11:07, then added an empty net insurance goal with 41 seconds to play. Brandon Gordon finished with 18 saves for Wilkes, earning the win.
The Valiants are back on the ice tomorrow, Dec. 1, at 3:30 in another MAC/UCHC double conference game against the King’s College (Pa.) Monarchs.
