SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College ice hockey team utilized a strong special teams showing and an all-around quality performance top to bottom to defeat Niagara University 5-2 in Atlantic Hockey America play on Sunday, November 24.

AIC improves to 4-9-1 overall and 3-5-0-0-0-1 in the AHA.

It was a rugged first period, with chances at both ends, but the goalkeepers kept the net clean until the final minute when David Posma passed the puck down the left wing side to Casey McDonald. The duo switched off, with Posma cutting around the left circle and McDonald passing cross point to Tobias Larsen. The rookie defender fired a one-time pass diagonally to the onrushing Posma, who blasted the puck inside the right post at 19:30.9 for his first goal as a Yellow Jacket, giving his new team a much-needed 1-0 edge against his former squad.

An early penalty in the second gave AIC a chance to add to the lead, but it nearly turned sour as Glebs Prohorenkovs burst in on a shorthanded breakaway. Adam Manji made the save and kicked the puck out to Timofei Khokhlachev, who skated with speed across two-thirds of the length of the ice, entering the attacking zone on the right side before zipping a pass to Josh Barnes in the left slot. Barnes made one move to beat the last defenseman before snapping his fourth goal of the year through the five-hole at 1:38. Manji earned his first collegiate assist on the play.

The Yellow Jackets continued to add to the lead midway through the frame. Controlling the puck and moving it with ease, Lauri Sertti set up Dario Beljo at the mid-point area for a one timer. His shot ricocheted off the glass to the left of the net right to Noah Serdachny, who was able to flick the rebound in at 10:54 for his second of the season.

The Purple Eagles were on the ropes, but in the third they stormed back, as Trevor Hoskin scored at 3:10 and Jonathan Ziskie snuck a point shot through at 4:04, cutting the AIC advantage to just one. 

With the lead now minimal, AIC had to work, and the Yellow Jackets did. Beljo cut behind the net and fired a pass into the slot that was intended for Wilhelm Forsberg. He only barely clipped the puck with the blade of his stick, but Brett Bamber rushed toward the slot and one-timed it past the Niagara netminder at 9:25 for his second of the year.

AIC was able to fully restore its lead to three shortly after on the man-advantage. Barnes carried the puck from blueline to blueline and entered the attacking zone, laying the puck off to John Lundy, who was in on the right side. He fired a pass across the zone to Khokhlachev, who had driven down the slot and was in position to score his team-best sixth of the year at 13:17, closing out the offensive output for the game.

Manji made 26 saves to improve to 2-0-0.

The team will hit the road to Robert Morris University on Friday, November 29 for the first of two games in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.