UTICA, NY- The Utica College men’s hockey team scored four unanswered goals as it downed visiting Manhattanville College, 5-2, in ECAC West Conference action Friday evening. Sophomores Mikhail Bushinski (Woodbury, MN/Kenai River (NAHL)) and Adam Moody (Newmarket, Ontario/Cowichan Valley (BCHL)) each had three points to pace the Pioneers.
Utica improves to 10-8-3 overall (4-5-2 ECAC West) and picks up two crucial points in the conference standings. With the loss, Manhattanville falls to 10-9-1 overall and 6-4 in the conference. The teams will wrap up the season series Saturday at the Aud at 7 p.m.
The Valiants got on the board halfway through the opening frame as Matt Coleman found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season. Eric Berglund and Teagan Waugh assisted on the only goal of the first period.
Utica evened the score just over two minutes into the second period as senior Joel Wetmore (Horseheads, NY/Lindsay (OJHL)) took a breakout pass and skated down the left hand side of the ice. Wetmore cut to the middle and fired a shot from the top of the circle that beat Manhattanville goalie Tyler Feaver for his sixth of the year. Senior Kevin Kirisits (Buffalo, NY/Brockville (CCHL)) and sophomore Anthony McVeigh (Kemptville, Ontario/Carleton Place (CCHL)) assisted on the shorthanded tally.
Manhattanville regained the lead at 6:25 as Cory Anderson tipped in a shot from the point for his seventh of the year, off assists from Tanner Hicks and Axel Walltott.
Once again, the Pioneers were able to tie it up, this time as McVeigh put in a rebound off a shot from Easton Powers (South Lyon, MI/Port Huron (NAHL)) to make it 2-2 with 2:21 remaining in the second period. Wetmore was credited with the second assist on McVeigh’s fourth of the year.
The third period was all Utica as the Pioneers scored three more times, including twice in the first 4:16 of the final frame to all but seal the victory. Freshman Alex Roberts (Burnaby, British Columbia/Brooks Bandits (AJHL)) netted his fifth of the year as he put in a loose puck at 1:34 to give UC its first lead of the game, assisted by Moody and Bushinski. Then, just 2:42 later, Moody netted his first of the evening from Bushinski and Stefan to give the Pioneers a two-goal cushion.
After the Valiants got into penalty trouble, Moody capped off the scoring, on the power play, as he banged home a rebound at 9:50 for his third of the year. Bushinski and sophomore Brett Szajner (Novi, MI/Amarillo (NAHL)) added helpers on Moody’s second of the night.
Freshman Michael Fredrick (Lethbridge, Alberta/Brooks Bandits (AJHL)) made 28 saves in net, while his counterpart, Tyler Feaver, totaled 35 saves. The Pioneers were 1-for-7 on the power play, while they held Manhattanville scoreless on four opportunities with the man advantage.
