Box Score GENESEO, NY. – A promising upset bid from the Amherst College men's ice hockey fell just short on Saturday, Nov. 30. Facing down a nationally-ranked opponent in the form of No. 4-ranked State University of New York (SUNY) Geneseo on the road, the Mammoths lost a heartbreaker to the Knights 3-2 in overtime. 

With the loss, the Mammoths slip to 1-3-1 this season, while SUNY Geneseo improves to 8-0. Amherst will finish Thanksgiving break with one more game, on Sunday, Dec. 1 against local out-of-conference foe Babson College. Puck drop versus the Beavers is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Orr Rink.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* The Mammoths started the game strong, outshooting the Knights 27-11 in the first period and threatening on two early power plays. This offensive effort paid off at the 15:43 mark; After withstanding Geneseo's best attacking sequence of the game to that point, Matt Toporowski recovered a loose puck on the left side of the net. He rushed forward, sending the puck across the Knights' blue line to first-year Magnus Gadowsky, who controlled the pass and sent a laser to the top right corner for the 1-0 lead.
 
* The second period looked like it would start much like the first: both teams came out of the locker room fast; this time, however, Geneseo was able to capitalize. After a clearance from a Mammoths' defenseman was gloved down at center ice and played forward into a three-on-two opportunity. The Knights got a shot off from the middle of the zone that beat Palena low to his glove-side to level the game at 1-1.

* Despite outshooting the Knights, the Mammoths entered a decisive final period down 2-1 after a power-play goal from the home side at 17:36 in the second. Geneseo's power play executed their break-out to perfection, navigating the Amherst forecheck and skipping into a gap in the Mammoth penalty kill. From there, the Knights' forward tucked his one-on-one opportunity away for the lead late in the second.
 
* Amherst came into the third period with a lot of work to do --- down a goal and on the penalty kill to start the frame, they fought their way back to five-on-five without conceding. They kept themselves in the game with strong defense, weathering attack after attack from the Knights to give themselves a chance late. They capitalized with just 2:30 to go, with a breakout finding its way to first-year Ray Hou. Hou slotted the puck to the low slot, where Toporowski finished with authority to send the game to overtime.
 
* However, the Mammoths' upset bid fell just short, with a wrap-around feed into the low slot with 0:47 to go in the extra period finding the back post, where a Geneseo player finished the game with the golden goal and shut the door on the Amherst, 3-2.
 
BY THE NUMBERS:

* Toporowski's goal was his second of the season. Gadowsky's goal was the first of his collegiate career.
 
* Amherst outshot the Knights 62-58 in the contest, but Geneseo led 37-33 in shots on goal.

* Palena made 34 saves in his first start of the year.