Ice Knights weekend sweep of Manhattanville University ends thrillingly
Photo courtesy of Geneseoknights.com
The Geneseo Ice Knights continued their stellar season with a clean sweep this past weekend against Manhattanville University, boasting an impressive 16-2-1 record.
The Geneseo’s Men's hockey team continued their impressive season as they swept Manhattanville University in a doubleheader over the weekend. The first game on Friday, Jan. 31, saw the Ice Knights take down the Valiants in a highly competitive contest, in which Geneseo escaped with a 5-4 victory. The following game on Saturday, Feb. 1, was a similarly thrilling game that concluded once again with an Ice Knights victory, with the final score being 4-3. The team now sports a gaudy record of 16-2-1 and is second in both the Empire 8 and UCHC conference standings.
In the first period of Friday night's game, senior winger Zach Purcell struck first for the Knights at 14:48 of the opening period. Purcell’s goal marked his fifth straight game with at least one goal. Sophomore winger Carter Diceman’s seventh goal of the season would double Geneseo’s lead just as the period was about to come to a close. The Ice Knights largely dominated the first period, as they held a 22-7 advantage in shots on goal.
The Ice Knights’ momentum carried into the second period, with sophomore winger Luke Panchisin burying the puck past Valiant goaltender William Billequey off a feed from Purcell to make it a 3-0 game. The Valiants would respond quickly; however, just minutes after Panchisin’s tally, sophomore defenseman Tyler Rolston scored at 7:05 of the second to get Manhattanville on the board. Geneseo’s confidence didn’t waver in the slightest as Panchisin tucked in a powerplay goal at 16:04 for his second goal of the game. The Valiants, though, remained resilient and finished off a chaotic period with their second goal of the game to make it 4-2 in the closing minute of the period.
Manhattanville would continue to mount their comeback in the third and final period, with a power play goal at 10:07 of the third. The Knights tallied their fifth goal as freshman defenseman Nicholas Kovacs found the back of the net. The Valiants would score again in the third, but the Knights held onto their lead and came away with the 5-4 victory. Sophomore goalie Jacob Torgner recorded his eighth win of the season as he stopped 21 shots.
In the second game of the weekend on Saturday, the Valiants would be the ones to score first as they took a 1-0 lead at 11:59 of the first period. Fortunately, senior captain forward Peter Morgan would get the Ice Knight’s afternoon started with a wicked wrist shot to tie the game at one goal apiece before its end.
The Valiants came out of the second period eager and energized, with two goals in the first twelve minutes of the second to make it a 3-1 game. The Ice Knights, however, did not quit, as sophomore forward Luke Munroe picked a great time to score his first goal of the season for the Knights, making it a one-goal game. Despite being outscored in the period, Geneseo controlled play throughout the period, with 18 shots on goal compared to the Valiants' nine.
It seemed as though the Knights were gonna fall to Manhattanville, but the Knights' resilience showed through in the game’s final moment. Sophomore center Filip Wiberg was able to deflect Peter Morgan's shot on goal to send the game into overtime. Wiberg’s ninth goal of the season was most definitely his most monumental goal as an Ice Knight. Senior goalie Adam Harris kept the Valiants off the scoresheet in the third with six saves in the final period.
Geneseo wouldn’t be denied in overtime after Zach Purcell won an offensive zone faceoff. He was able to connect with senior defenseman Tommy Winn, who slotted the puck past Valiants goaltender Sebastian Woods to seal a thrilling victory for the Ice Knights. Adam Harris made 24 total saves for the Ice Knights for his eighth win of the season.
The Geneseo Ice Knights will be back in action when they go on the road to face their UCHC and Empire 8 conference rival, the Brockport Golden Eagles, on Friday, Feb. 7, at 7:00 pm.