Ice Hockey lights lamp often in Black Friday win at LIU

EAST MEADOW, New York - The goal light was on often in a second-period surge for the American International College ice hockey team as the Yellow Jackets scored three in a 52-second span as part of a 5-2 win over Long Island University in nonconference action on Friday, November 24.

AIC is now 7-5-0 overall and remains 4-1-0-0-0-0 in Atlantic Hockey Association play. 

The Yellow Jackets struck early in the game as Brian Kramer came over the line with a pass to the right to Josh Barnes and then drove to the netmouth. Barnes pulled up in the right circle and crossed a pass to Timofei Khokhlachev for a one-timer, and the rebound bounced right to Kramer for a putback, good for his fourth of the season at 4:39. 

A plethora of penalties followed over the next 25 minutes of play, bogging the game down, until the dam burst in a big way for the Yellow Jackets. Brett Callahan moved the puck out of AIC's zone to Brett Rylance, who was about to head off on a change, and he tipped the puck to Alexander Malinowski. The sophomore flew into the zone and whipped a wrister at the net that eluded Brandon Perrone for his third of the season at 10:09. Not half a minute later, AIC added another as John Lundy, Julius Janhonen, and Callahan moved the puck left to right to left across the zone, with Callahan blasting home his second of the season at 10:37, and then Barnes and Brett Rylance set up Blake Wells for a redirect in front at 11:01. Wells' second of the season made it three goals in 52 seconds for AIC and gave the visiting squad a 4-0 lead.

But AIC was not finished yet. Jordan Biro fired a pass down the left side below the goal line for Dustin Manz, who put the puck out in front for Alfred Lindberg to shoot. The rookie did not miss, cashing in his first collegiate goal at 13:12 to cap AIC's scoring.

The Sharks did notch two in the third to close the gap somewhat, but the Yellow Jackets held on, and closed the night with one final strong penalty kill to finish 9-for-9 and with the win.

Nils Wallstrom stopped 20 of 22 shots to improve to 6-5-0 on the season.

AIC returns to the MassMutual Center on Tuesday, November 28 to face Army West Point. Puck drop is 7:05 p.m.