WILKES-BARRE – Trailing 4-3, the Wilkes University men's ice hockey team scored twice in the back-half of the third period to complete a United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) come-from-behind victory over visiting Neumann University Friday evening at the Toyota SportsPlex. After Nick Fea (Oak Ridge, NJ/) tied the game with 6:35 remaining, Donald Flynn (Randolph, NJ) scored the game-winning power play tally with 3:05 showing on the clock.

The victory moves Wilkes to 16-5-1 overall this season. The Colonels are now 11-3-1 in the UCHC and will remain in at least a tie atop the standings with 35 points heading into Saturday's action. Neumann, clinging to the sixth and final UCHC playoff position, dropped to 5-14-4 overall and 4-8-4 with 20 points in the UCHC.

Michael Gurska (Revere, MA/) put the Colonels on the board just 1:47 into the first period with a power play goal. Gurska gathered a rebound from a Tyson Araujo (Oak Bluffs, MA/) shot in the slot and fired it to the back of the net for the blueliner's fifth goal of the season. Fea was credited with the secondary assist on the play.

Wilkes extended its early lead to 2-0 at the 12:02 mark when Flynn scored from the slot with assists again coming from Araujo and Fea.

The Knights cut the lead to 2-1 with 14 seconds remaining in the first on a goal by Chris Ordoobadi but the Colonels had an immediate response. Just 13 seconds later and with one tick left on the clock Jivan Sidhu (Burnaby, BC/) netted his fourth goal of the year off a give-and-go play with Gurska to find the open net and put Wilkes back up by two at 3-1 heading to the second period.

The second period belonged to Neumann as two power play goals by Tommy Dougherty (3:02) and Barry Kneedler (7:20) tied the score. The Knights then took a 4-3 lead when Dan Cangelosi scored at the 17:09 mark.

The Colonels turned their game around in the third period and the attack zone time paid off at the 13:25 mark when Fea received a pass from Flynn at the blueline and snapped a wrister from the right wing past the Knights goaltender to tie the game. Fea's goal was his ninth of the season while Flynn picked up his UCHC-leading 22^nd assist. Araujo also recorded his third assist of the game on the play.

Wilkes then headed to a late power play and took advantage of the Neumann penalty when Flynn netted the winner at the 16:55 mark. After taking a pass from Tyler Barrow (Massapequa, NY/), Flynn snapped a shot from the left side of goal at a bad angle but beat the goaltender to put Wilkes ahead 5-4. It was Flynn's team-leading 14^th goal of the season but the freshman's first game-winning goal.

The Colonels still had work to do and Brandon Gordon (Sault Ste. Marie, MI/) was up to the task. The Wilkes goaltender made a big save with 34 seconds remaining as the Colonels were whistled for an interference penalty. Already with the goalie pulled the Knights went to the power play and played with six skaters to four for the final half-minute. Gordon made back-to-back terrific saves on shots by Zac Boyle and Chris Caldwell with 12 seconds left and the Colonels defense was able to urge the puck outside the blueline after the next faceoff to preserve the comeback victory as time expired.

Gordon earned his 14^th win of the season with 24 saves. Mike Cosentino stopped 27 shots in the crease for Neumann.

The Colonels return to the ice tomorrow for a game that will act as the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championship. Wilkes can earn the title with a win or tie against visiting Manhattanville College at the Toyota SportsPlex with puck dropped scheduled for 5:00 p.m. The game will also be an important UCHC contest for playoff seeding.