ASTON, Pa. - The Neumann University men's ice hockey returned to home ice for United College Hockey Conference (UCHC) action on Friday evening, dropping. 3-2 result to Elmira College.
 
Chris Caldwell and Ryan Swain were the goal-scorers for Neumann on the evening, while Sammy Bernard made 33 saves in goal in the loss.
 
Looking for its first conference win of the season, Neumann came out sluggish to open the game. The Knights dug themselves an early hole, conceding a goal just 4:39 into play to go down 1-0. The hosts' first period issues compounded midway through the frame, as Elmira tacked on two more markers just 34 seconds apart to take a commanding 3-0 into the first intermission. Shots were 14-6 in favor of the Soaring Eagles at the break.
 
Fortunately for the Knights, the team was able to respond with a much better final 40 minutes of play. The second stanza saw Neumann cut the lead to 3–1 after Caldwell collected a rebound off a Connor Annett shot at 15:23 and deposited the puck into the back of the net. The period also featured some excellent goaltending from Bernard, who made 14 saves to keep the Knights in the game heading to the third.
 
As the game moved into the final 20 minutes, Neumann began to play some inspired hockey. On the first shift of the frame, Swain cut the Elmira lead to just one with a nice finish. After solid work in the attacking zone from line-mates Joe Mitchell and Zac Boyle, the puck found Swain wide open in front of the Soaring Eagle net and he made no mistake to make it 3-2.
 
The Knights had numerous opportunities to knot the game at three, but despite nine third period shots and two power plays, they could not find the equalizer. Neumann finished the game 0-for-7 on the man-advantage. The hosts pulled their goalie late in the contest in a last ditch effort to tie things up, but Elmira held on to seal the 3-2 road conference win.
 
Neumann (0-4-1, 0-2-1) will have a day off before traveling to Lebanon Valley College for another UCHC matchup on Sunday afternoon. Puck-drop in Hershey is scheduled for 3:00 PM.