ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men's ice hockey team dropped a hard fought contest on senior night versus United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) rival Stevenson University by a score of 5-2 on Friday evening.

Zac Boyle and Clayton Boyd each scored for the Knights, while Joe Mitchell and Barry Kneedler picked up assists. Senior net-minder Matt Gibney got the start in goal, making 34 saves in the loss.

Boosted by momentum from honoring its seniors before the contest, Neumann opened the game with a power-play goal at the 9:08 mark to jump out in front 1-0. Boyle found the back of the net off helpers from Mitchell and Kneedler to get Neumann off to a great start. The Mustangs looked to get the game tied late in the period, but strong goaltending from Gibney kept the Neumann lead intact heading to the second stanza. Shots after one period of play finished 16-8 in favor of Stevenson.

The Knights added to their lead just over four minutes into the second. Boyd captured his own rebound and ripped home the game's second goal to double the Neumann lead. Unfortunately for the Knights, it would be all Stevenson from there. The Mustangs tallied twice midway through the period to tie the score and send the game to the final period of play knotted up at two apiece.

Stevenson continued its momentum into the third period, scoring 2:39 into the frame to take a lead that they would never relinquish. The Mustangs would add a power-play goal at 11:56 of the period and an empty netter at 17:08, skating away with a 5-2 win in the crucial UCHC matchup.

Neumann (9-14-2, 8-6-2 UCHC) will await results around the rest of the conference to see where the team will head for its UCHC First Round matchup. The Knights will be the sixth seed in the playoff tournament and will play on the road on Wednesday, February 21^st. Check back later this weekend for updates on when and where Neumann will be playing.