Lebanon Valley 4, Bryn Athyn 3 (OT)

LVC Starters
Skerlick (LW), Thompson (C), Armbruster (RW), Yingst (D), Straub (D), Wilson (G)

Bryn Athyn Starters
Malvasi (LW), Congdon (C), Smirnov (RW), Perkett (D), Cacolice (D), Chalmers (G)

How It Happened
HERSHEY, Pa. – Brett Johnson scored a game-winning goal in overtime to give Lebanon Valley a thrilling 4-3 victory over Bryn Athyn on Friday night in non-conference men's ice hockey action. The Dutchmen jumped to 11-9-2, while the Lions dropped to 8-12-1.

Before tonight's game, LVC honored Zach McKown, Nick Skerlick, Cody Pessig, Russ Armbruster, Chase Wilson, Joel Eisenhower, and team manager Alex Buckingham on Senior Night. At the end of this article, check out what head coach Don Parsons had to say about his seven seniors.

Just past the midway point of the third period, Bryn Athyn's Connor Devereux evened the game at 3-3. From there until the end of the period, neither team was able to break the tie and the game went into overtime. At 2:31 of OT, Johnson scored the game-winner from Travis Acker and Brad Nolan to cap a fun night inside Hersheypark Arena.

The Lions got on the board early when Brycon Johnson scored a power-play goal just 4:23 into the game, giving Bryn Athyn an early lead. The Dutchmen weren't phased though, as less than two minutes later, Bryan Hovanec scored an even-strength goal from Acker and TJ Sneath to knot the contest at 1-1. The game remained tied after one period of play.

In the second, at 6:47, Sneath found the back of the net on the man-advantage from Skerlick and Acker, to put LVC ahead 2-1. The back-and-forth affair continued 2:02 later when Tanner Congdon netted a power-play goal to tie the game yet again. The 2-2 line stuck heading into the third, where Johnson scored his first goal of the contest at 4:10 from Jared Karas and Cody Pessig to put the Dutchmen up 3-2.

Inside the Numbers
 - Johnson now sits at 14 goals and 28 points on the season to lead the team.
 - Hovanec netted his 12th goal of the season, good for second on the squad.
 - Wilson got the start between the pipes and made 22 saves on the evening to pick up the win.
 - LVC out shot Bryn Athyn 29-25.
 - Acker picked up three assists on the night and was a 2, as were Nolan, Karas and Sneath.
 - The Dutchmen held a 37-22 advantage in faceoff wins.
 - Cole Hepler went 10-for-16 from inside the faceoff circle, while McKown was 6-for-7 and Johnson and Acker were 5-for-6 each.

Playoff Picture
Although tonight's game had no playoff implications, the Dutchmen have clinched a spot in next week's UCHC Championship Tournament. LVC's seed is yet-to-be-determined and the Dutchmen will know where they stand after tomorrow night's regular-season finale against Elmira.

Who's Next?
LVC hosts Elmira tomorrow at 5 p.m. in the Dutchmen's regular-season finale.

The Seniors
Zach McKown: "Zach is one of the most passionate kids about the game of hockey that I have ever coached. He loves the game and always wants to be a factor in the outcome. Through good times and bad, Zach has always kept a positive outlook and has shown an incredible heart for hockey. Zach, I will miss the toothless smile but wish you luck in all you do!"

Nick Skerlick: "What can I say Nick! You are truly irreplaceable with the intangibles you bring to this team and college campus.  You have encompassed as many roles as a forward here as anyone.  Although your main role was to be a fourth-line shut down guy who added energy, passion and a physical presence, I knew that I could always count on you to come up with a big goal that we desperately needed.  You practice as hard as you play and never take a day off. Your team-first attitude will be tough to replace. You are the glue that has held your teammates together through thick and thin! I could keep going but your head might not fit in your helmet now!"
 
Cody Pessig: "Cody has a do-whatever-it-takes mentality", said Coach Parsons. "He has played defense, power play, penalty kill and even forward on the infamous S.T.P line. Earlier this season he took a slap shot to the side of his head which landed him in a hospital in Buffalo for three days and I am sure he would do it again for his teammates!  Although he is a quiet kid, he speaks volumes with his actions on the ice."
 
Russ Armbruster: "I believe it was a snowstorm in January of 2014 that sealed your fate here at LVC and I thank God for that!" "You are an amazing person and do everything with such passion and emotion. When you graduate from LVC, a void will be left behind that will not be easily filled. You have been an incredible teammate, leader and campus ambassador that made us all better.  Your work ethic whether on the ice, in the classroom, for the Military Appreciation game and even as a SAAC President is immeasurable and probably will never be duplicated."
 
Chase Wilson: "Chase is a big, athletic goalie that has won some big games in his college career at LVC, most notably the 2016 game vs Ohio at Nationals where he absolutely stood on his head and won that game on his own." He earned the game puck unanimously, only to give that puck back to me saying that it was a big win for the team, not the individual. That says a lot about how much he has grown and matured during his time here at the Valley! He is a great kid with an unbelievable work ethic and is always ready when called upon."

Joel Eisenhower: "This kid wants nothing more than to improve every day of his life. He woke up at 5am to practice with the women's ice hockey team to face extra shots, spent countless hours on the ice by himself with a hockey stick tied to soup cans working on his angles, and would beg guys to go to the rink late at night because a thought just came to mind and he needed to act on it NOW! And probably right now is looking down to see if his five hole is covered! If work ethic alone was the key to success, Joel would be in the Hockey Hall of Fame already!  Without Joel, our program wouldn't have seen the early success we have enjoyed! Joel, I wish you the best of luck in all you do, even if you are the last one on the bus….AGAIN!"
 
Alex Buckingham: "Ah the life of an equipment manager…First one to arrive and last one to leave. From a young kid straight out of high school, not knowing much about hockey behind the scenes, to a guy who could no doubt run an NHL bench today!  You always put yourself out there for your team and did whatever it took to make them go, and I know we all appreciate that.  Sometimes we could have used three of you, but somehow, someway you always got the job done. From sharpening skates, designing jerseys, repairing uniforms and even the handing out of the "Stanley Cone" ……you always took pride in the task at hand. I will forever miss you standing in my door way at the end of the day and hear you say "Need anything Coach?" My interpretation of that was always, "If its ok with you coach, I'm going home now."

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