The game got off to a slow start offensively, with the Bulldogs scoring two straight goals before UAlbany found the back of the net on a Ty Thompson goal with 3:07 to play in the first. Bryant took four shots late in the quarter, but UAlbany goalkeeper Blaze Riorden saved the only one on net, preserving the Great Danes' one-goal deficit at the end of the period.
The Thompson Trio led the charge in the second quarter to give UAlbany its first advantage. Miles Thompson scored his first of the day at 8:52 to tie the game, but Bryant's Shane Morrell put the Bulldogs back on top with a score just a minute later. UAlbany's Artie Marrapese won the ensuing faceoff, and Miles took an assist from brother Lyle just 20 seconds later to tie the game once again. Within another minute of play, Ty Thompson would score back-to-back goals to push the UAlbany lead to 5-3 with 6:17 left to play in the half. The Bulldogs ended the rally with a goal by Dan Sipperly, but Derrick Eccles put the Great Danes back on top by two, with 4:27 to go. With just over two minutes to play in the second quarter, Bryant tied the game at 6-6 with consecutive goals, before the Thompsons struck again, getting tallies from Lyle, then Miles, to give the Great Danes an 8-6 lead at the halftime break.
Lyle passed to Miles who scored to start the third, to keep the momentum swinging in UAlbany's favor. Bryant pulled back within two on a man-up opportunity, but it was the Miles Thompson show after that, as he scored the next four goals of the quarter to put the Great Danes on top, 13-7, heading into the final period.
Bryant would not go away quietly, however, as the Bulldogs responded by scoring the first four goals of the fourth quarter to pull back within two, 13-11. Miles ended the rally by netting his ninth of the day to set a new single-game record, which was previously set at eight by Merrick Thomson in 2004 and Corey Small in 2009. Eric Cantor pushed the UAlbany lead to 15-11 with his first goal of the season at 8:13 with the man-down unit, but Bryant capitalized on an extra-man opportunity less than a minute later with a tally by Colin Dunster. After the Bulldogs closed the gap back to two, Lyle Thompson scored back-to-back unassisted goals to push the Great Dane lead to 17-13 with less than three minutes to play. Bryant made a late rally with consecutive goals in the final 2:06, but the Great Danes held on for the victory.
"I am proud of the mental toughness we showed today," said UAlbany head coach Scott Marr, whose team has now won three straight games. "We continue to fight through adversity and came away with another road win. It also didn't hurt to have Miles back in the lineup with nine goals!"
Bryant outshot UAlbany, 62-32, but held just a 10-shot differential in shots on goal, 32-22. The Bulldogs also won the battle in the faceoff circle, holding a 24-11 advantage over the Great Danes. However, Riorden came up big for the Great Danes with 17 saves in goal, while Bryant's Tom Carey and Gunnar Waldt combined for just five saves for the Bulldogs.
UAlbany will return to action next Saturday, hosting Bucknell at 1 p.m. at John Fallon Field.
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