Contact: Ben Badua

HARTFORD, Conn. - Erik Hansen '14 netted the game winner with just 5:10 remaining in regulation to lift the Amherst men's hockey team to a hard-fought 3-2 victory over No. 13 Trinity College at the Koeppel Community Sports Center.

Sweeping the season series with the Bantams, the Jeffs improved to 10-6-1 on the season and 8-3-0 in NESCAC play, while Trinity fell to 13-4-0 (8-3-0 NESCAC) on the year.

Scoreless through the majority of the first, Amherst found the back of the net on its 13th and final shot of the frame, solving goaltender Benjamin Coulthard '14 at 19:42. Ryan Edwards '14 accounted for the Jeffs' first score, converting an Elliot Bostrom '14 assist into his fourth tally of the 2013-14 campaign.

Down 1-0 despite holding a 17-13 shot advantage over the first 20 minutes, Trinity continued to apply pressure, holding a 23-14 edge in shots-on-goal during the middle frame. On the power play just 3:13 into the period, Ryan Cole '17 put the home team on the board, netting his 11th of the year thanks to a Liam McKillop '15 assist.

Just 2:26 later Amherst responded with its second goal of the evening. Making good on a Ryan Edwards '14 feed, Andrew Kurlandski '14 put away his team-high seventh tally at 5:39 to put the Purple & White back on top. Less than five minutes later however, Trinity once again took advantage of a power play opportunity with John Hawkrigg '16 scoring his 12th of the year at the 10:30 mark.

Outshot 40-27 over the first two periods, Amherst turned the tables in the third, holding a 16-5 edge. Still knotted in the game's final moments, the Jeffs' persistence paid off, as Hansen found the back of the net on an unassisted goal at 14:50. With less five minutes on the clock, Trinity drew two more Amherst penalties, but the Bantams could not sneak an equalizer past sophomore goalie Dave Cunningham as the Jeffs skated off with a 3-2 triumph.

Winning 46-of-68 faceoffs, Trinity held a 45-43 shot-on-goal advantage, going 2-for-9 on the power play. Coulthard made 40 saves for the Bantams, while Cunningham finished with 43 stops to improve to 8-6-0 on the season.

Amherst returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 2 at Wesleyan University.