HERSHEY, Pa. ­­– Artur Kondrashov found the net for the Lebanon Valley College men's ice hockey team in the third period, as the program dropped a 6-1 contest to Neumann University on Friday, Feb. 13 at Hersheypark Arena. 

The Knights (15-7-1, 14-4-1 MAC) opened the scoring 1:55 into the first period, taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by Shawn Eliav. The Dutchmen (7-13-3, 7-9-3 MAC) countered with a shot on goal by Dylan Miller, which was saved at the 2:34 mark. Neumann then went on a power play in the fourth minute, and LVC posted two blocks by Reece McDonald and three saves by goaltender Chris Branch. The Knights scored again 5:53 into the first frame, taking a 2-0 advantage on a power-play goal by Max Donohoe. 

Branch continued to battle as the first period progressed, delivering eight saves for Lebanon Valley over the next 10:38. During this stretch, Jordan Stear and Cameron Croteau, McDonald, and Jack Foote each came through with a block for LVC. The Flying Dutchmen also kept working to generate offensive opportunities, as Aidan Bright took a shot that was saved 18:22 into the first. Additionally, Stear, Konrashov, and Croteau each put a shot on target that was saved within six seconds in the final minute of the first frame.

Neumann started a power play in the first minute of the second period, and Lebanon Valley answered with a stop by Branch and blocks by Stear and McDonald during a successful penalty kill. The programs followed this by trading shots in the 5:04 after the end of the power play, as LVC outshot the opposition 4-3 in this span. During this stretch, Branch made three saves while Owen Ames, Cade Helmer, Tanner Tolliver, and Max Kontir each put a shot on goal. The Dutchmen also began a power play in the eighth minute, leading to shots by Helmer, Croteau, Kontir, Garret Jackson, and Foote.

Back on the defensive end, Branch proceeded to register 11 saves for Lebanon Valley during the 6:28 after the conclusion of the power play. The goaltender logged two of these stops while the opposition had a one-skater advantage. The Knights began this power play in the 17th minute, and the program went ahead 3-0 at the 16:46 mark on a power-play goal by Jared Coccimiglio. Branch then made three more saves during the rest of the second period, including a stop at the 19:16 mark when each team had four skaters on the ice. He later had another save as time expired when Neumann had a 4-on-3 advantage. 

The programs went back and forth at the beginning of the third period, as each squad put five shots on target that were saved during the first 6:01. During this span, Branch tallied two saves for Lebanon Valley within six seconds in the first minute, while the opposition still had a 4-on-3 advantage. Kontir also took a shot that was saved during this span, while LVC was on a power play. The Dutchmen began another power play in the eighth minute, and the program capitalized on this opportunity at the 8:43 mark, narrowing the score to 3-1. The team got on the board with a power-play goal by Konrashov, courtesy of assists by Helmer and Croteau. 

Neumann then scored on a goal by Jake Barkley at the 10:17 mark, a power-play goal by Zack Smith at the 13:03 mark, and a power-play goal by Donohoe at the 15:53 mark, making it a 6-1 game. The final goal of the night was scored when the Knights had a 5-on-3 advantage in skaters. The Flying Dutchmen kept battling through the remainder of play, as the team delivered a successful penalty kill with two saves by Branch and blocks by Jackson and Broden Wood. Lebanon Valley also worked to create scoring chances, as Ames took a shot that was saved while the team was short-handed. Kontir then put a shot on goal that was saved with just four seconds left. Ultimately, the score was maintained through the end of the contest. 

Inside the Box Score

• Kondrashov scored his third goal of the season, which marked his first career power-play goal.
• Croteau dished out his eighth assist of the campaign on Konrashov's goal, marking his eighth consecutive game with at least one point. The senior also tied a career-high with three blocks. 
• Helmer was credited with his team-leading 16th assist of the season on Kondrashov's goal.
• Branch made a game-high 44 saves during the contest.
• The Dutchmen recorded 28 shots on goal. 
• Kontir led the team with five shots on target, tying a career-high. The sophomore also led the program with 13 faceoff wins. 
• Defensively, Lebanon Valley had a 16-3 advantage in blocked shots.
• McDonald posted a game-high and career-high four blocks. 
• LVC tallied 27 faceoff victories.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will return to action tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 14, at 4 p.m., when the team will host Stevenson University for Senior Day at Hersheypark Arena. This will be the program's final home game of the season. 

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