Box Score
RYE, NY -- A late Manhattanville goal forced the Williams College Men's Hockey team (2-0-2) to settle for a 1-1 tie with the Manhattanville College Valiants (1-3-1) in the Ephs' first road match of the season.
The game-tying goal was scored with six minutes remaining in the game when forward Luc Van Wetter got his stick on a shot from defenseman Dillon O'Hara, deflecting it past goaltender Ryan Purdy '12 for the score.
Scoring the lone goal for Williams was forward Nick Anderson '14, whose unassisted score came with just over a minute remaining in the second period. The goal was Anderson's first of the season and first as a member of the Ephs. The sophomore from British Columbia attended Hamilton College as a freshman, where he finished fourth on the Continentals in points with 13 goals and 9 assists.
"Nick is a strong player, and he was able to pick things up right away," commented Head Coach Bill Kangas when asked about the sophomore transfer. "He plays hard every shift. He's a great teammate and a great addition to our locker room."
Anderson's score was the first goal from either side after nearly forty minutes of play, as neither squad could light the lamp in the first frame. The Valiants mustered ten shots on Purdy, while Williams managed only five shots on net in the first period.
The Ephs had several chances to score in the second period as a result of two Manhattanville penalties, but Valiant goaltender Pierre-Olivier Lemieux was up to the task, turning away several Eph shots to keep the game scoreless.
Williams finally broke through with 1:01 remaining in the period when Anderson won a battle for the puck in the neutral zone. Emerging from a scrum of players along the boards, the sophomore forward raced toward the net on a breakaway and fired a wrist shot past Lemieux to give the Ephs the 1-0 advantage.
Manhattanville turned up the offensive pressure in the final period, peppering Purdy with several scoring chances in an attempt to tie the game. Purdy denied several attempts, but the Valiants finally capitalized with six minutes to go in regulation on Van Netter's deflection goal.
Despite Van Netter's lone goal, Purdy turned in his best effort of the young season between the pipes. The senior netminder made a season-high 41 saves on 42 shots in 65:00 minutes of play. For the Valiants, Pierre-Olivier Lemieux stopped 28 of 29 shots in 65:00 minutes of action.
With the game tied at 1-1, Williams called a timeout with four minutes remaining to set up a final attack. Forward Cody Skinner '13 took full advantage of the final minutes and almost deposited the game-winning goal with less than ten seconds to go in regulation, but Lemieux turned him aside to send the game to overtime.
"When you're playing in someone else's barn, its a whole different atmosphere," noted Kangas. "Both goalies played very well; both teams were looking for a break [in the final minutes] and [Manhattanville] was fortunate enough to get one."
The tie was Williams' second in four games. The Ephs still have yet to lose on the season and are the only undefeated team remaining in the NESCAC. They are 1-0-1 in conference play and are fourth in the NESCAC standings behind Middlebury, Tufts, and Amherst.
The Ephs have a chance to improve on their NESCAC record next weekend as they travel to Tufts and Connecticut College for back-to-back conference matchups. They will take on the Jumbos at 7 PM on Friday in Medford, MA, then square off against the Camels on Saturday at 3 PM at Connecticut College.
