RYE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College men’s hockey team climbed out of an early two-goal deficit early in the third period, but Nazareth College scored the game-winner with 10:37 remaining in the final frame as the Golden Flyers dealt the Valiants a 3-2 defeat in United Collegiate Hockey Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Playland Ice Casino.
Junior Oscar Arfelt (Stockholm, Sweden/Connecticut Oilers (EHL)) and sophomore Ryan Jackson (Montreal, Que./Hawkesbury Hawks (CCHL)) netted goals for Manhattanville (3-4-2, 3-3-0 UCHC) on the day, as the Valiants doubled up Nazareth (5-5-0, 4-2-0 UCHC) in the shot department on the day by taking 34 shots to their opponents’ 17.
Nazareth managed only four shots in the first period, but two of them found the net to put the visitors up 2-0 after 20 minutes. James McDonald opened the scoring at 11:10 with his third goal of the year, and Ray Falso followed 4:11 later by cleaning up the rebound of an Austin Romzek shot to give the Golden Flyers a two-goal edge despite being outshot 10-4.
Manhattanville got one goal back in the middle stanza thanks to a five-on-three goal from Arfelt. At the 9:21 mark, the blueliner took a feed from classmate Matt Lippa (Richmond Hill, Ont./Oakville Blades (OJHL)) and fired a rocket from the top of the left circle for his first goal of the season.
The Valiants tied the score 4:22 into the third period on an unassisted tally from Jackson, as the blueliner wristed a puck from the point that somehow eluded Nazareth goalie Michael Tilford for his fourth goal of the year. The stalemate would not last, however, as David Powlowski scored the game-winner at the 9:23 mark to put the visitors ahead for good.
Manhattanville held Nazareth to single-digits in shots in all three periods, including only four attempts in both the first and third frames. But Tilford turned aside 32 shots to pick up the win, while junior Tyler Feaver (Whitby, Ont./Whitby Fury (OJHL)) made 14 saves for the Valiants.
Manhattanville will look to get back on the winning track next weekend with its final two UCHC games of 2017, beginning with a Friday night meeting with Chatham University in Pittsburgh beginning at 7:40 p.m.
