Utica, NY (2/14/15)- The Utica College men’s hockey team dropped a heartbreaker as it fell to visiting Elmira College 2-1 in overtime in ECAC West Conference action Saturday night.
The Pioneers drop to 11-9-4 overall (4-8-2 ECAC West) and will finish in fifth place in the conference, forcing a first round game at fourth-seeded Elmira on Wednesday, Feb. 25. UC has one regular season game remaining, as it travels to Nazareth on Friday (7 p.m.).
Utica jumped out to a 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the game as freshman Anthony McVeigh (Kemptville, Ontario/Carleton Place (CCHL)) scored his fourth of the year. Easton Powers (South Lyon, MI/Port Huron (NAHL)) and Dalton Carter (Toledo, OH/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) assisted on the short-handed tally.
Elmira rebounded at 16:33 as Jeremy Marginsky was sprung on a breakaway and slipped the puck inside the left post for his fourth of the year. Nick Okada assisted on the play. Despite a number of chances and each team trading power-play opportunities, neither was able to get to go-ahead goal, resulting in overtime.
Elmira netted the winner 3:33 into the extra frame, as Alexander Taulien blasted a slap shot into the top right corner. Okada and Michael Martin assisted on the play.
Dylan Wells (Nashville, TN/Bonnyville (AJHL)) and Mike Taffe (Moose Lake, MN/Amarillo (NAHL)) combined for 21 saves, while Taffe shouldered the loss. Elmira’s Ryan deMelo made 36 saves in net for Elmira.
