ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men's ice hockey team picked up a much needed two points in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) standings on Monday afternoon, tying Nazareth College 3-3, but picking up the extra point by winning a shootout.

Richie Brusco (2 a), Chris Ordoobadi (1 g, 1 a) and Mario Tropea (1 g, 1 a) led the Knights on the afternoon with two points apiece. Zac Boyle also lit the lamp for the Knights, while goalie Mike Cosentino stopped 29 shots in the draw and was also excellent in the shootout.

Hungry to claw their way back into the conference playoff race, Neumann came out firing in the opening period of play. Boyle banged home a rebound off a Brusco shot from the point at the 3:10 mark to give the Knights the early 1-0 lead. The one goal lead would remain intact until late in the period, when the hosts struck again. After a Tropea shot from the left circle caromed off the Nazareth net-minder, Ordoobadi corralled the rebound and deposited the puck into the net to double Neumann's lead at 2-0 heading to the first intermission. The Knights carried a 10-7 edge in shots to the break.

The first frame momentum would come to a screeching halt early in the second stanza. The Golden Flyers tallied twice in a 20 second span three minutes into the period to knot the contest at two apiece. Nazareth controlled the period and could have found another goal midway through the period were it not for Cosentino. The sophomore goaltender slid post to post to make an outstanding kick save with his pad at the 10:30 mark of the frame to keep the game tied. Neither team would break the deadlock the remainder of the period and the game moved to the third still tied at 2-2.

Both teams opened the final period of play with a sense of urgency looking for maximum points in the conference standings. Nazareth's resolve was rewarded with a tie-breaking goal just over two minutes into the frame, setting up a desperate final 18 minutes from the Knights. Needing points to keep its season alive, Neumann responded with some of its best play of the season. The hosts earned a power play at the 5:42 mark, then scored the equalizing goal via Tropea just 21 seconds into the man-advantage. A loose puck off a point shot from Barry Kneedler was jammed under the Nazareth goalie by Ordoobadi through the crease to a wide open Tropea, who tapped home his second goal of the season to tie the contest at 3-3. The game would remain tied the rest of the period and would head to overtime with the Knights holding a 34-25 advantage in shots.

Nazareth controlled much of the overtime session on the power play, but a superb Neumann penalty kill kept the visitors at bay. After killing off a 4-on-3 power play for the final 1:05 of the third, the Knights killed off another Golden Flyer man-advantage in the extra session to keep things tied. Cosentino was outstanding in the overtime period, making a fantastic save on a point blank chance with just under two minutes left to play to keep the hosts alive.

With the game still tied after the first overtime, the two combatants each claimed a point in the conference standings and were left to battle it out for the remaining point in a five minute 3-on-3 overtime session. Neumann had the best opportunity to win in the second extra session when Joe Mitchell went in on a breakaway, but an otherworldly glove save from the Nazareth goaltender kept things level as the game moved to a shootout.

In the shootout, both teams struggled to find traction. Each team missed their first three attempts as the skills competition remained tied heading to the fourth round. Nazareth came up empty on their fourth shot, but Neumann finally broke through. With the game on Tropea's stick, the freshman forward continued his stellar afternoon. After calmly working his way down the ice, he ripped a shot that ricocheted off the Golden Flyer goalie's blocker and into the goal to give the Knights the crucial extra point in the standings. With the two points, Neumann is now just four points out of a playoff spot with five games remaining in its season.

Neumann (3-13-4, 2-7-4 UCHC) will remain on home ice for two games this upcoming weekend. The Knights will take on Stevenson University in a must-win game on Friday, February 1^st at 7:00 PM before returning to the ice Saturday, February 2^nd for a senior day matchup with Chatham University at 4:00 PM.