Stevenson men’s hockey secured the second seed in the inaugural Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championship tournament and hosted third-seeded Neumann University Saturday afternoon. After a hard-fought 1-1 tie in regulation, second-year Matt Yeager emerged as the hero, lifting the Mustangs to the championship game.
Stevenson knew going into this game it was going to be a physical one from the start of the battle.
The opening period featured 26 total shots, with Stevenson accounting for 16. With under a minute remaining, third-year Blake Benson sped past the Neumann defense and found the back of the net, giving the Mustangs a 1-0 lead heading into the second.
Benson’s conference-leading 17th goal of the season came off an assist from classmate John Musella, marking his fifth of the year.
Neither team found the net in the second period, but Stevenson continued to apply pressure, outshooting Neumann 14-8.
Just two minutes into the third, Neumann capitalized on a power-play breakaway to even the score at 1-1. Both teams recorded 11 shots in the final period, but strong goaltending on both ends kept the game deadlocked.
In the 20-minute, 5-on-5 overtime, Stevenson maintained the edge with six shots on goal, while third-year goaltender Ford DeLoss turned away all three of Neumann’s attempts.
Seven minutes into the extra frame, Yeager fired a sharp-angle shot past Neumann’s Cole DeFazio, securing the win. The game-winner marked Yeager’s third goal of the season, assisted by senior Graeme McCrory—his ninth of the year.
Yeager and his teammates went into a frenzy.
“It was pretty crazy because it all happened so fast. Hearing the crowd pop was unreal and what made it even better was the celebration with my teammates,” Yeager said.
DeLoss finished with 31 saves, including 10 in both the first and third periods. Benson led Stevenson with 10 shots, followed by third-year Caden Smith with seven and Musella with five.
In the face-off circle, senior Dylan Florit won 11 draws, while McCrory and first-year Aiden Lindley contributed nine and eight wins, respectively. The victory marked Stevenson’s 17th of the season.
As the team has prepared all week fourth-year Liam McCanney shared his thoughts about what the mentality of the team is going into this game.
“The key is staying focused and not letting the moment get too big for us. The MAC championship is always our goal every year, and we’re excited to be back in this position again,” McCanney said.
Stevenson men’s ice hockey has one thing in mind; win the MAC.
“If we stay locked in, execute and play the way we know how, we’ll put ourselves in a great position to win another title and punch our ticket to the NCAA tournament,” McCanney said.
Thanks to the expansion of teams joining the MAC conference, if Stevenson can capture the title, they receive an automatic qualifier into the men’s Division III ice hockey NCAA tournament.
The Mustangs will face No. 1 Wilkes University and will travel to Wilkes University tomorrow for a 7 p.m. puck drop and seek their fifth MAC title in seven seasons. It can be streamed here.
