Pine Valley, NY – The Elmira College Men's Ice Hockey came back from two goal deficits on two different occasions, but ultimately fell 4-3 to visiting Manhattanville College Saturday evening at the Murray Athletic Center. The win improves the Valiants to 12-6-3 overall and 5-3-0 in ECAC West play, while the loss drops the Soaring Eagles to 13-6-2 and 6-1-1 in conference competition.

Manhattanville got on the board first at the 5:05 mark of the first period when Mark Rivera fired a shot on net stopped by EC netminder Darren MacDonald '13 (Stittsville, ONT -- Nepean Raiders). However, MacDonald was sprawled out on the ice and Brett Skalski knocked it home for the first score of the game. Adam Young was also credited with an assist on the power-play goal. The Valiants struck again just eight seconds later when Rivera took the puck down the right side 2-on-2 into the zone. Rivera fed an open Brendan Turner at the left post, who knocked it in for a 2-0 Manhattanville lead. Elmira responded with a goal of its own with just two minutes left in the opening period. Wes Consorti '12 (Brantford, ONT -- Niagara University) registered the score with Brock Sawyer '12 (Toronto, ONT -- Powell River Kings) and Christian Morissette '12 (Beaconsfield, QUE -- RPI) tallying assists on the play, to bring the deficit to one at intermission.

The Valiants continued to pound on the attack in the second period, scoring just 1:35 in when Scott Hudson fed Brett Skalski to once again increase the Manhattanville lead to two. Elmira responded at the 16:18 mark of the second period when Brendan Sanders '12 (Mississauga, ONT -- Vaughan Vipers) fed John Clewlow '12 (Brampton, ONT -- Dixie Bee Hives) for a score. Clewlow took the pass to the left of Pierre-Olivier Lemieux and flipped the shot over Lemieux's shoulder as he was being hooked to the ground by a Valiant defender. Manhattanville took a 3-2 advantage into the second intermission.

The Soaring Eagles came out strong in the third period registering the game-tying goal 2:13 into the period when Kevin Willer '12 (Toronto, ONT -- North York Rangers) fed Darcy Vaillancourt '12 (Bonfield, ONT -- Innisfil Lakers) for a one-time slap shot from the point. Lemieux made the initial save, but D'Arcy Oakes '13 (Shanty Bay, ONT -- Quinnipiac University) put the rebound home from the right post to tie the game at three all. The Valiants didn't take long to regain the lead, as four minutes later Marc Zanoni took a shot and Hudson put back the rebound for a goal. Halfway through the period Elmira had an apparent game-tying goal disallowed as the net came off just prior to the puck crossing the goal line. EC had a couple chances to tie it late, but the Valiants pulled out the 4-3 victory.

MacDonald stopped 27 shots in between the pipes for Elmira, while Lemieux made 55 saves for Manhattanville. The Soaring Eagles outshot the Valiants 58-31 in the game.

The Elmira College Men's Ice Hockey team has a week off before returning to action February 10th at Hobart College. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m.