Scott McManaman scored what would end up being the game-winner late in the third period
Box Score
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Junior captain
Scott McManaman (Amherst, Nova Scotia) knocked in an empty net goal with 52 seconds remaining to provide the University of New England men's hockey team with enough scoring to survive a late push from Trinity College (Conn.) for a 5-4 win in an ECAC East/NESCAC crossover game played Friday evening at Williams Rink.
Bantams forward Joe Tierney (Reading, Mass.) netted his second goal of the season with 15 seconds left to cut into the two-goal deficit, but the hosts could not find the equalizer before time expired. With the loss, Trinity (11-9-3, 9-8-1 NESCAC) saw its six-game win streak snapped.
For UNE (6-17, 3-15 ECAC East), which came out on the victorious side for the third time in the last four outings, first-year
Connor Brogan (Hershey, Pa.) posted 48 saves to move to 4-2 on the year.
The Nor'easters never trailed in the contest, as first-year
Matt Del Giudice (Oakland, Maine) got Big Blue on the board 3:25 into the first period. Sophomores
Paul Kashmanian (Grand Island, N.Y.) and
Adam Laite (Sydney, Nova Scotia) put home scores about a minute apart just past the midway point of the frame to give the visitors a 3-0 advantage at the first intermission.
Trinity broke through 20 seconds into the middle period on a goal by sophomore Chris Menard (Burlington, Mass.), and following a power play marker from senior Matthew Quigley (Pittsburgh, Pa.) as well as a short-handed tally from first-year Charlie Mullan (Buffalo, N.Y.), the match was even at 3-3.
UNE snuck in its own short-handed goal with 10 seconds to go in the second period to regain the edge for good. McManaman recorded his second helper of the night by setting up first-year
Nick Michaud (Kensington, N.H.) for the rookie's first goal of the season.
Big Blue maintained the 4-3 cushion for the majority of the final period, before McManaman's game-winner sent the Nor'easters off to their regular-season finale at Wesleyan University (Saturday, 3 p.m.) on a high note.
The Bantams, who entertain the University of Southern Maine on Saturday, received 25 stops from first-year Benjamin Coulthard (South Windsor, Conn.).
