UTICA, N.Y. – The Utica College men's hockey team fell short in a hard-fought battle to nationally-ranked No. 11 Manhattanville in ECAC West Conference play on Friday night at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The Valiants scored three special-teams goals, including the shorthanded game-winner by junior A.J. Mikkelsen (Chestermere, Alberta) in the second period.
Three of the game's eight goals came during even-strength situations. Senior Derek Lynden (Pickering, Ontario) and freshman Dillon O'Hara (Wallingford, Conn.) each scored power-play goals for Manhattanville. Mikkelsen's shorthanded tally gave the Valiants a three-goal lead they would not give up.
Sophomore goalie Sergiy Sorokolat (Kharkiv, Ukraine) came up big for the visitors by making 32 saves while Utica held a 35-24 advantage in shots on goal.
Utica freshman Russell Anderson (Alpena (NAHL)/Riverside, CA) netted two goals on the night giving him six total on the season. Vincent Nucci (Capital District Selects (EJHL)/Rochester, NY) scored the third and final goal for the Pioneers with 9:18 left in the third period. Goalie Justin Bolla stopped 19-of-24 shots to take the loss.
Manhatanville took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission capitalizing on their first power-play at the 13:29 mark. Forward Derek Lynden received a pass from fellow senior Chris Trafford with one second remaining on the Pioneer penalty and 6:31 left in the period.
Utica evened the score as Russell Anderson found the net 1:54 into the second period. Scott Wentworth took a shot from the right point which bounced off the Valiants goalie, bouncing to Anderson in front and he stuffed it home to even up the score.
Manhattanville did not allow the game score to stay the same very long. Only 24 seconds later Dillon O'Hara scored off a pass from Arlen Marshall. After Sean McKevitt was penalized for charging at the 2:14 mark, Reilly won the restart back to O'Hara, who fired a wrist shot past Bolla just four seconds later.
Junior Niklas Berntsson gave the Valiant's a 3-1 lead with 9:35 left in the second period. Berntsson and freshman Evan Michalchuk skated in on a two-on-one and a Berntsson's wrist shot beat the netminder high giving him eight goals on the season. Both Bolla and the goal judge thought the Pioneer netminder's glove kept the puck out of the net, but the referees conferred and ruled it a goal.
The Valiants killed off 1:17 of a five-on-three disadvantage, Mikkelsen coming out of the box just as Lynden gained possession and was able to score his second goal of the year with 2:33 left in the second.
Anderson brought the Pioneers back within two 4:25 into the third period, but the Valiants once again came right back to score 1:03 later. Evan Michalchuk tallied his third goal of the season from a pass from center Niklas Berntsson despite being ridden hard by a Pioneer defenseman.
Manhattanville (15-3-3, 7-3-2 ECAC West) and Utica (10-10-2, 4-8-0 ECAC West) will complete their weekend series tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
