REISTERSTOWN, MD – The Wilkes University men's ice hockey team fell short in a hard fought United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) Semifinal to host Stevenson University at the Reisterstown Sportsplex on Friday evening by a 4-1 final.

Third-seeded Wilkes ended its season with a 7-4-0 record, coming up just short of returning to the UCHC Championship Finals for a second consecutive season. Second-seeded Stevenson ran its unbeaten streak to 10 games and its record to 12-2-1 as the Mustangs advanced to their first UCHC Final.

The Colonels outshot the Mustangs 29-23 for the game but the home team capitalized on two power play opportunities in the first two periods and were able to grab a two-goal lead with 6:05 left in the game before adding an empty net goal to seal the win.

The Mustangs leading goal scorer, Mac Lowry, opened the scoring just eight seconds into the first power play chance of the game for either side. His goal came off an assist from Aaron Murray at the 8:46 mark of the first period.

The Colonels would tie the game on their second power play of the contest when Donald Flynn (Randolph, NJ) found the back of the net 11 seconds into the extra-man opportunity following an elbowing minor. Michael Gurska (Revere, MA) and Nick Fea (Oak Ridge, NJ) picked up the helpers on Flynn's sixth goal of the season at the 13:59 mark of the first.

Phil Erickson (Eau Claire, WI) almost put Wilkes in the lead with two minutes to go in the opening period but the iron kept the puck out. An early power play in the second period gave the Colonels another chance to go ahead but goaltender Ryan Kenny made stops on Tyler Dill (South Lake Tahoe, CA) and Flynn to keep the game tied.

Flynn would hit the post with an opportunity with 11:42 left in the second as Wilkes again nearly grabbed the lead. Stevenson however found the next goal on the power play after a high sticking call. Blake Colman picked up the eventual game-winner at the 13:52 mark of the second with assists from Houston Wilson and Chad Watt.

The lead was nearly shot-lived as Flynn again hit the post just 34 seconds later. The Colonels continued their pressure the rest of the period with Kenny making four more saves.

A boarding penalty on the Mustangs gave Wilkes a chance to tie early in the third period but Flynn hit the post for the third time in the game on that power play and Kenny made saves on chances by Fea and Tyler Barrow (Massapequa, NY/Saint Anthony's).

Wilkes was forced to kill off a five-minute penalty when a major penalty and misconduct was whistled on the Navy and Gold. Michael Paterson-Jones (Baldwinsville, NY) came up big as the sophomore goaltender made five saves. Dylan Kuipers (Andover, NJ) and Devon Schell (Scarsdale, NY) both blocked a shot during the penalty kill as well.

Austin Masters was able to give the Mustangs a two-goal lead at the 13:55 mark of the third when he found himself on a breakaway and was able to beat Paterson-Jones. Evan Beers was credited with an assist on the play that made the score 3-1.

Just 36 seconds later Dill hit the pipe as the Colonels again were denied by the iron at the Reisterstown Sportsplex for a fifth time in the game. Wilkes pulled the goalie for the extra-skater with 2:22 left in the game in a last ditch effort to find two goals but it was Chad Watt that sealed the game at the 17:59 mark with an empty-net goal. He was then penalized for an unsportsmanlike conduct which allowed the Colonels to skate with 6-on-4 the remainder of the game but shots by Fea and Schell were stopped by Kenny and the Colonels ran out of time.

Paterson-Jones finished with 19 saves for the Colonels while Kenny earned the win with 28 saves for the Mustangs.

Barrow led the offense with five shots on goal while Flynn and Fea added four. Barrow won 80 percent of his faceoffs as he went 8-for-10 at the dot in the game while the Colonels held a slight 46-43 edge in the faceoff battle.

Wilkes went 1-for-5 on the power play while Stevenson was 2-for-3 as they scored on the first two chances they had but not on the five-minute major during the third.

Stevenson advances to the UCHC Final against either No. 1 seed Utica College or No. 4 seed Elmira College on Monday while Wilkes sees their 2020-21 shortened season come to a close.