HAMDEN, Conn. -- It was another back-and-forth affair for Post University Men's Ice Hockey against Saint Michael's College on Saturday afternoon at the Louis Astorino Arena in Hamden, Connecticut. With three combined goals in the second period and an early goal in the third by junior forward Baxter Kimball, the Eagles would force overtime but with less than 15 seconds left and a power-play for the Purple Knights, senior defenseman David Ciancio helped Saint Michael's complete the weekend sweep with a 3-2 overtime win. 

THE BASICS

Post University 2, Saint Michael's College 3 (OT)

Post University (0-3-0, 0-2-0 NE10)

Saint Michael's College (4-0-0, 2-0-0 NE10) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Dueling in goal today for both teams would be sophomore goalie Benjamin Cunneen against freshman goalie Evan Plunkett and for Cunneen, he would have to stand on his head to keep the game scoreless after the first 20 minutes. Making 19 saves in net, Cunneen successfully kept the Purple Knights off the scoreboard while Plunkett needed to make just five saves in a period that saw Saint Michael's get three power-play chances while the Eagles had two.

But like he did a day ago, junior forward Jacob Howell lit the lamp first for Post, who has scored first in two of their first three games, with the help of freshman defenseman Aidan Canady just over four minutes into the second. Only five minutes would go by before sophomore forward Ty Bloom put one past Cunneen on the power-play getting assistance from senior forward Brennan McFarland and Ciancio to tie the game at one. It would not take Bloom long either to put his team in front as 1:50 after that, senior defenseman Case Kantgias and junior forward Quinn McCarthy aided the sophomore in beating Cunneen again as the Purple Knights marched into the third with a 2-1 advantage.

Less than a minute into the third, junior transfer forward Baxter Kimball beat Plunkett, who made 10 saves in that 20-minute period, with his shot, and with Cunneen making nine saves in the frame, the two teams would head to sudden-death overtime for the third time in their last six meetings. Fittingly as the last two matchups had ended, it would be a 3-2 overtime winner as the eighth power-play of the night for Saint Michael's led to Ciancio's game-winning goal with 13.9 seconds left to down the Eagles for their third straight game.

BY THE NUMBERS   

• Scoring again today, Jacob Howell has goals in back-to-back games and two of the first three to start the year for Post University -- The two goals this season tie his season-best with his freshman year when he also had two goals 
• Post University was 0-for-4 on the power play today and is now 0-for-11 to start the year on the power play 
• Going to overtime today, this is the third time in the last six matchups that Post University and Saint Michael's College have ended in sudden death with all three being 3-2 final scores 
• Post University has lost 12 consecutive games dating back to last season with their last win coming at home against Saint Anselm College in overtime, 3-2, on January 26th

WHO'S NEXT 
Post University will hit the ice late on Tuesday evening at 8:00 PM for their first game inside the Sports Center of Connecticut against Westfield State University. The Eagles are 1-5-1 all-time against the Owls and have dropped their last three matchups, including last year's overtime affair, 3-2, in Westfield, Massachusetts.