SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - Saint Michael's College men's ice hockey junior Brennan McFarland (Greeley, Colo./Northern Colorado Eagles) scored his second goal with 1:19 left in overtime to lift the Purple Knights past Post University, 3-2, during Northeast-10 Conference play on Thursday evening in Cairns Arena.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (8-9, 6-3 NE10), Post (2-12-1, 1-8-1 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Junior Brennan McFarland (Greeley, Colo./Northern Colorado Eagles), 2 goals, +2
• Junior Jack Macdonald (Baraboo, Wis./Seahawks Hockey Club), 1 goal, 5 faceoff wins, +2
• Senior Marshall Murphy (Little Canada, Minn./Northern Colorado Eagles), 31 saves
• First-year Ty Bloom (Helena, Mont./Helena Bighorns), 11-for-19 faceoffs
• Sophomore Jake Lincourt (Smithfield, R.I./Walpole Express), 8-for-13 faceoffs

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior Patrick Murphy, 1 goal, 12-for-23 faceoffs
• Sophomore Jake Aloi, 1 goal
• Junior Zach Richards, 26 saves
• Sophomore Conner Murray, 16-for-19 faceoffs

GAME FACTS

• Saint Michael's won its school-record fifth overtime game of the season, but won in an extra session at home for the first time since Jan. 17, 2020, as the first four overtime victories this season were on the road.
• Junior Moseley Schwartz (Philadelphia, Pa./Phillips Academy) notched his first assist of the season, as every Purple Knight skater who has dressed this year now has at least one point.
• Marshall Murphy made seven of his saves in overtime alone.
• Saint Michael's has played four 3-2 overtime games this year, going 3-1, while winning four 3-2 decisions overall.

THE ACTION

• Marshall Murphy denied Patrick Murphy's wrister from the low right circle with his chest at 13:50 of the opening frame for the first challenging save by either netminder.
• The Purple Knights broke the deadlock soon thereafter. Senior Gabriel Gagnon (Mascouche, Quebec/East Coast Wizards) fired a shot wide of the left post and off the end boards, and Macdonald picked up the rebound and slipped a wide-angle shot inside the left post at 16:30.
• Richards kept it 1-0 thanks to blocker saves off of shots by McFarland and junior Case Kantgias (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Northern Colorado Eagles) at 17:35 and 18:41, respectively.
• Aloi tied the game 1:22 into the second period, taking a loose puck in neutral ice before skating in alone on Marshall Murphy during 4-on-4 play.
• McFarland put the hosts back in front at 3:50, as a rebound out front ricocheted off of his leg and into the net as junior Ryland Dukes (Nashville, Tenn./Walpole Express) lifted the stick of an Eagle trying to gain control.
• Marshall Murphy maintained the lead at 11:40 by turning away first-year Cameron Craig's shot through traffic from the blue line.
• Patrick Murphy found the equalizer at 14:24 of the third period, batting home sophomore Jacob Howell's centering pass into the crease during a power play.
• Marshall Murphy denied first-year Parker Norling's point-blank bid at 16:31 after a Purple Knight giveaway in front of the net and keyed the hosts killing a power play that began late in the third period and stretched into overtime. The netminder made four saves during 4-on-3 play in the opening 1:19 of the additional stanza, including holding the left post with his pad on junior Tommy Buis' try from the left circle with 35 seconds gone.
• Late in 3-on-3 overtime, junior David Ciancio (Scituate, R.I./Seahawks Hockey Club) carried from the Eagle zone behind his own net to reset the play and left the puck for McFarland, who carried end to end before handling around Richards' outstretched left pad to slip in the winner with 3:41 gone.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Friday vs. Post, 7:10 p.m.