ASTON, Pa. - The Neumann University men's ice hockey team scored a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) West rival Stevenson University on Friday evening.
 
Johannes Sallila was the hero for Neumann on the evening, scoring the game winning goal in overtime for the Knights. Ryan Luiten tallied the other two goals for Neumann, while Shayne Morrissey added two assists. Anthony Pupplo was solid in net, stopping 24 of 26 shots in goal.
 
The biggest crowd of the season energized the Knights from the opening whistle as Neumann took the play to the Mustangs early on. The Knights would register nine of the game's first ten shots and play in the Stevenson zone for a bulk of opening minutes. Neumann's hard work would early on would result in two power plays in the first ten minutes. The Mustangs would keep the Knights off the board on the first man-advantage, but Neumann would cash in on the second opportunity. After a Stevenson cross-checking penalty at the 11:36 mark, the Knights would waste no time finding the back of the net. Just 30 seconds into the power-play, Luiten would rifle home a Morrissey pass through the Mustang goalie's five-hole to put Neumann ahead. The Knights would double up Stevenson in shots in the first frame by a count of 14-7, but would settle for a one goal advantage heading to the second period.
 
The second stanza was a much more tightly contested period with both teams creating several quality scoring chances. Neumann would hold a slight 13-9 edge in shots in the period, but it was Stevenson who would capitalize on its chances. Midway through the frame, the Mustangs would bang home a loose puck in the crease to knot the game up at 1-1. Pupplo made a fantastic sprawling pad save to keep an initial shot out of the net, but could not stop the second effort which squeaked by him to tie the game. Neumann had a chance to regain the lead later in the period, but a Collin O'Neil breakaway effort was saved by the Mustang net-minder to send the game to the third period tied.
 
Stevenson would use an early third period power-play to nudge their way in front. With Neumann killing a penalty to start the stanza after a late second period boarding call, the Mustangs would score to make it 2-1 just 21 seconds into the final frame. Despite going behind, Neumann continued to fire pucks at the Mustang goal and would find their way back into the game via another power play midway through the period. Much like the game's first goal, a nice passing sequence between Morrissey and Zac Lazzaro would lead to a Luiten one-timer from the slot that would beat the Stevenson goaltender to tie the game up at two apiece. Both teams pressed for a winner in what remained of regulation, but the game would head to overtime knotted at 2-2.
 
Neumann would catch a break early in the extra session as a Mustang player was whistled for a high stick to give the Knights a power play just 11 seconds into the overtime. Sensing that it could be their last great chance to break the deadlock, the Knights pounced on the opportunity. Midway through the penalty, Nick Perruccio gained the zone along the wall and found Shane Topf streaking towards the goal. Topf corralled the puck and slid it across the crease to an on-rushing Sallila who slammed it home to give the Knights a hard-earned conference win. Shots for the night would finish 44-26 in favor of the Knights.
 
With the win, Neumann (13-6-2, 5-5 ECAC West) moves a point ahead of Stevenson in the conference standings, up to a tie for fourth place. The team will look to continue to climb the ECAC West standings tomorrow as it hosts league rival Lebanon Valley College at 4:00 PM.