HERSHEY, Pa. - The Neumann University men's ice hockey team came up just short in a furious comeback bid on the road at Hershey Park Arena, falling by a score of 4-3 in overtime to Lebanon Valley College in United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) play.
 
Evan Hoey scored twice for the Knights, while Luke Croucher added a single tally. Cal Ambrose was strong in net, stopping 33 shots in the loss.
 
Neither team could get much going offensively early in the contest, as shots were hard to come by and goaltending for both teams was strong. The Dutchmen carried an 11-8 edge in shots in the frame, but Ambrose stopped every attempt he saw as the game headed into the first intermission knotted up at 0-0.
 
After a defensive struggle in the first frame, Lebanon Valley began to push the play in the second. Doubling up the Knights in shots by a count of 17-8, the Dutchmen tallied twice in the period to draw first blood in the matchup. The hosts broke the ice just 42 seconds into the stanza to take a 1-0 lead, then used the momentum from the goal to dominate play for much of the frame. Ambrose kept the Knights in the game with 15 saves, but Lebanon Valley would sneak one more puck by him late in the period to take a 2-0 advantage into the third.
 
A sluggish Neumann team would dig its hole even deeper early in the third. Despite being awarded a five-minute power play just  47 seconds into the final frame, the Knights could still not get anything going and actually conceded a short-handed goal by the Dutchmen at the 4:39 mark to make it 3-0 in favor of the hosts.
 
The game looked to be surely lost with the late three-goal deficit, but the visitors came alive thanks to another golden opportunity with yet another five-minute power play after a second major penalty was assessed to Lebanon Valley. This time Neumann made no mistake, as Croucher lit the lamp with 6:49 left to play to make it 3-1. The Knights could not find more goals on the major power play, but continued to attack late in the game at even strength. Hoey took center stage in the game's final five minutes, scoring at the 15:03 mark to make it 3-2, then three minutes later at 18:05 to stun the Dutchmen and equalize the contest at three goals apiece. Regulation would end at the same score, as Neumann took all the momentum into the overtime period.
 
The Knights could not keep things rolling in the extra session however, as Lebanon Valley thrived in the 3-on-3 play with a 4-1 shot edge in the overtime period. The Dutchmen were able to convert on their fourth attempt of the period, beating Ambrose at the 2:59 mark of overtime to take home the 4-3 win and deny Neumann an epic comeback.
 
Neumann (6-11-1, 3-8-1 UCHC) will look to rebound tomorrow night when it returns home to take on Arcadia University at 7:00 PM at IceWorks.