The UB Ice Bulls were caught in unfamiliar territory Tuesday night, trailing late in a game.
But the team battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a hard fought 5-4 win over the Monroe Community College Trojans at the Amherst Pepsi Center.
"We are an extremely confident team. We know that if we play the way we know how, like a team, we have a chance to win every game," said forward Bill Mosler. "We have come from behind in a few games this season. It takes a lot of heart to come back in the third period and win a game. We have been successful in doing so this season because we have so much heart."
Buffalo came into the game fresh off a 10-8 loss to Mercyhurst on Sunday, although that loss is not indicative of the team's success up to this point in the season.
Currently ranked No. 17 in the latest ACHA Division I rankings, the Bulls padded their 15-2 record with the support of freshman goalie Patrick Jones who turned in another strong performance and Robert Coles who contributed two goals.
"We are currently ranked 17th in the nation which is a huge success in itself, seeing as my first three years on the team we were never nationally ranked," said Mosler, who contributed with a goal and two assists. "It's nice to see some people realize all the hard work we are putting into this program."
The fans in attendance likely came to the game expecting to see a blowout win, a general trend for the team at home. The Trojans however would not fold.
Monroe capitalized on an early penalty by Brent Murchie, exciting the contingent of fans that made the trip from Monroe to the Pepsi Center.
"We did a great job of clearing the puck when we had the chance. We have a bunch of quick guys on the penalty kill such as Andre Chamberlain and Sean Smith who create a lot of scoring opportunities on the penalty kill," Mosler said.
Despite being the smallest player on the team at 5 feet 5 inches, Chamberlain was all over the ice delivering some big hits. The forward would register only one assist but played well on the penalty kill and was effective at back checking.
Louis Jacklin was also playing a rough, determined game. On one play he out-raced the defenseman into the zone, gained control of the puck and cycled it back to the point. The defenseman sent the shot towards the net and Brad Zawawa found the rebound for the score.
Despite a late misconduct by Murchie and although the Bulls were playing shorthanded for most of the third period, UB found a way to stay in the game.
"Our coaches knew what system they were running on the power play, so we adjusted to shut them down," said Mosler. "We played a passive box and let them work the puck around the perimeter of the rink which minimized their quality scoring chances."
After tying it up late, Mosler would finish off the Trojans. With about four minutes in the game, he beat a Trojan defender to the puck, raced past one defender and was one on one with another. Pulling a deke but running out of room, Mosler lifted a shot to the left of the goalie for the game-winning goal.
UB will play three more games including a rematch versus Monroe in Rochester before the December break. The Bulls will not return to the Pepsi Center until Jan. 21 versus Erie Community College.
"We feel as a team that we can win out the remainder of our schedule. We feel that there isn't a team on our schedule that we shouldn't beat," said Mosler. "Our ultimate goal is to make it to the national championship in Chicago. It has been our goal since the start of the season. With great coaching, many skilled players, and a lot of hard work, I feel we can make it."
