HENNIKER, N.H. - The New England College men's ice hockey team fell 5-0 at home to Manhattanville University in a non-conference contest Saturday evening.
The Pilgrims applied immediate offensive pressure in the opening period, as freshman Matteo Viglino (Davos, Switzerland) and junior Martins Leps (Riga, Latvia) fired back-to-back shots that were saved by Valiants goaltender William Billequey. Manhattanville responded with a series of shots but were turned away by sophomore goaltender Anthony Beaulieu (Lawrence, Mass.). The teams continued to trade opportunities late in the period, as neither team was able to break through, with the 'Grims carrying a slight edge into the intermission, outshooting the Valiants 25-17.
Manhattanville set the tone early in the second period, peppering the net with multiple shots that were saved by Beaulieu. NEC pushed back with offensive pressure of their own, as freshman Wyatt Gibson (Pelham, Ont.) and senior Graham Hassan (Pinckney, Mich.) each tested Billequey, but the Valiants goaltender denied the shots. Manhattanville broke the deadlock at the 6:44 mark and followed with another goal minutes later to take a 2-0 lead. The visitors earned a power play late in the period, but the 'Grims's defense denied the shot attempts as the second period ended.
The Pilgrims continued to battle in the final period with shots from freshmen Serafin Hoerl (Innsbruck, Austria) and Jaeseok Lee (Suwon, South Korea). Manhattanville answered with several shots of their own, forcing Beaulieu to make the saves, but netted their third goal of the game at the 11:12 mark. The Valiants kept the pressure and netted two more goals to push their lead to 5-0. NEC continued to fight with shots from sophomores Vesse-Wincent Lampen (Espoo, Finland) and Egor Osipik (Minsk, Belarus) that were sent just wide, but Manhattanville secured the win.
Beaulieu finished the evening with 30 saves while sophomore Vladimir Maksimov (Yaroslavl, Russia) recorded two saves in relief.
The Pilgrims face a quick turnaround, returning to Lee Clement Arena on Sunday to host Middlebury College in a 4:00 PM non-conference matchup.
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