RYE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College men’s hockey team was unable to skate by top-ranked Saint Norbert College Friday evening, falling 3-1 to the Green Knights at Playland Ice Casino.
It was the third matchup versus a nationally ranked team this year for Manhattanville (5-4-0), and the first matchup against a top ranked team since 2002. Saint Norbert (8-1-0) showed why they earned the top spot in both national polls this week however, outshooting Manhattanville 35-20 on the night and creating numerous opportunities on the offensive end thanks to a high pressured forecheck.
Sophomore netminder Tyler Feaver (Whitby, Ont./Whitby Fury (OJHL)) made 32 stops on the night, but it was not enough to stop the Green Knights, as Saint Norbert broke through three times to hand Manhattanville their first loss since November 5 and snap a four-game winning streak.
In a back and forth first period, neither team could find the back of the net and the game remained scoreless after the first 20 minutes of action. Sophomore Cory Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif./Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)) had a great chance for the Valiants midway through the period, skating in on a two-on-one opportunity but Green Knight goaltender T.J. Black made an excellent glove save to keep the score tied. Not to be outdone however was Feaver, matching his counterpart with a great kick save on a one-on-one breakaway opportunity against Noah Nelson late in the period.
It was all Saint Norbert in the second stanza however, as the Green Knights beat Feaver three times in the frame to take a commanding three-goal lead into the second intermission. Just under two minutes into the middle period, Roman Uchyn buried a one-timer from Brad Pung top shelf to make it 1-0 in favor of the green and gold. The Green Knights took advantage of a power-play opportunity midway through the period, this time deflecting home a centering pass and giving the visitors a 2-0 lead. Finally, with 6:12 to play in the period, Tyler Andrews blasted a one-timer from the slot past Feaver to give the Green Knights a three-goal lead heading into the final intermission.
In the third Manhattanville battled back, getting on the board when sophomore Matt Lippa (Richmond Hill, Ont./Oakville Blades (OJHL)) tipped in a centering pass from fellow classmate Eric Berglund (Sollentuna, Sweden/Islanders Hockey Club (USPHL)) to cut the deficit to two goals. For Black, it was the only goal he has surrendered in six appearances this season outside of three goals allowed to the former top-ranked UW-Stevens Point last weekend. The Valiants earned a power play with just over two minutes to play, but the Green Knights successfully killed off the man-advantage to hold on for the 3-1 victory.
The Valiants will get another crack at the top-ranked Green Knights tomorrow afternoon in the final leg of the two-game set with Saint Norbert. Faceoff is set for 3:00 pm at Playland Ice Casino.
