RYE, N.Y. – Williams College scored three of the game’s first four goals and then held on down the stretch as the #11/10 Ephs defeated the Manhattanville College men’s hockey team in the Valiants’ final non-conference contest of the regular season on Friday night at Playland Ice Casino.
Senior Matt Coleman (Brentwood, N.Y./Springfield Pics (EJHL)) and freshman Cory Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif./Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)) scored the goals for Manhattanville (8-7-1), while Roberto Cellini, Colby Cretella and Alex Hagerty all found the net for Williams (9-3-1).
Cretella put Williams ahead at 16:25 of the opening period, when he gathered the puck in his skates and shuffled a shot under the pads of senior netminder Kurt Williams (Rocky Mountain House, Alta./Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)) for the game’s first goal. That was the only scoring of the opening frame, as the Ephs posted a 10-7 edge in shots.
The middle frame got off to a tough start for the Valiants as well, with Hagerty finding the net just 12 seconds in to double the Williams lead on a shot from the left circle. Coleman got Manhattanville on the board at 4:45 of the period with a great individual effort, taking the puck the length of the ice and stuffing it past Williams goalie Noah Klag while being hooked by an Eph defenseman.
But while the Valiants looked to continue the momentum and tie the score on the subsequent power play, instead it was the visitors who regained their two-goal lead when Cellini finished off a two-on-one with George Hunkele for a shorthanded marker at 6:44.
Manhattanville threw everything it had at Williams in the third period, outshooting the visitors by a 17-6 margin. Anderson got the home team back within one at 12:13 with a top-shelf wrister from the right circle, but the Valiants could not find the equalizer despite pulling Williams with 1:53 left and earning multiple good opportunities.
Klag turned aside 28 of 30 shots to earn the win for the Ephs, while Williams made 19 saves on 22 shots for the Valiants. Once again the home team had trouble on the power play, going 0 for 6 while also ceding a shorthanded goal that proved to be the difference in the game.
Manhattanville will play its final nine games of the regular season against ECAC West Conference foes, beginning next Friday night when the Valiants host Elmira College at 7 p.m. in a “Blackout” game. All fans are encouraged to wear black and Manhattanville students will receive a free black Manhattanville Hockey t-shirt when showing their College ID.
