ASTON, Pa. -- The No. 15-ranked Elmira College men's ice hockey team held a 2-0 advantage early in the second period, but the Knights of Neumann University staged a fiery comeback and stole a 4-3 victory in United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) action. For the Soaring Eagles, their record dropped to 13-5-1 (9-4-0 UCHC), while the Knights improved to 7-13-0 (5-7-0 UCHC).
 
Nick Ford '20 continued his 19-game point streak with a two-point performance this evening. Ford scored the first goal of the game and assisted on EC's third tally of the contest. Fellow senior Christian Lloyd '20 enjoyed a fine game from the blue line with a two points, both coming on assists.
 
Connor Powell '20 and Andrew Pucci '20 both deposited goals for the Purple and Gold, while Spencer Carter '20 and Jake Russo '23 added assists.
 
Logan Bateman '23 got the start in net this evening and finished with 40 saves in 59:40 of action. Of his 40 stops, 19 were registered in the third period alone, while the final two periods saw him turn away 32 shots. It marked the second time this season Bateman has made 40 or more saves.
 
After a scoreless first period that saw Elmira kill a pair of Neumann power plays, the Soaring Eagles claimed a 2-0 lead in the second stanza behind scoring efforts from their seniors. Ford found the back of the cage just 39 seconds in the second frame on assists from Lloyd and Carter, while Pucci doubled the Elmira lead at 6:43 on assists from Lloyd and Russo.
 
It looked as though EC was in the driver's seat with a two-goal cushion, but a bevy of penalties opened the door for a Neumann comeback. Glenn Florczak produced back-to-back power-play goals in the second period at 9:38 and 18:53, which knotted the score at 2-2.
 
Then, in the third period, Barry Kneedler scored three seconds into another Neumann power play to give the Knights their first lead of the game.
 
Elmira killed another pair of Neumann power plays early in the third period, before tying the game on a tally from Powell at 10:17. The goal from Powell was his 10th of the season and was assisted by Ford.
 
The Soaring Eagles had a prime opportunity to take the lead late in the contest, as Neumann's Grant Universal was whistled for roughing at 16:21. During the power play, Elmira had several quality looks, but Neumann's Kyle Pantelone came up with clutch saves to keep the score knotted at 3-3.
 
The turning point came late in the game, albeit with a great deal of misfortune for EC, as a shot by the Soaring Eagles carried around the boards and set up a one-on-one between Clayton Boyd and Bateman. Bateman did all he could to prevent the score, but Boyd proved to be up for the challenge and buried the puck for the go-ahead goal.

In the closing seconds of the game, Elmira pulled Bateman from net to play with the extra skater. The move nearly paid off, as a shot on goal was padded away but was not covered up, allowing a scrum to develop in the mouth of the goal. Elmira's skaters jockeyed for position in hopes of punching the puck in for the game-tying goal, but a premature whistle blew the play dead with three seconds left on the clock, which all but sealed a one-goal victory for the Knights.
 
News and Notes

• Elmira is 11-2 in its last 13 contests.
• Neumann held a 44-to-38 lead in shots on goal.
• Elmira went 0-for-2 on the power play, while Neumann went 3-for-7.
• Ford extended his point streak to 19 games.
• Lloyd logged his second multi-assist performance of the season.
• Pucci scored his second goal of the year.
• Bateman recorded his second game with 40 saves.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to action on Friday, February 7, when they welcome the Pioneers of Utica College to the Murray Athletic Center for a UCHC showdown. The puck is set to drop at 7:00 p.m. in Pine Valley, New York.