PITTSBURGH, PA -- Visiting fifth-seeded Nazareth fell to fourth-seeded Chatham by the score of 4-2 in the UCHC men's hockey quarterfinals on Wednesday evening. The Golden Flyers received goals from freshman Joey Schaefer and sophomore Liam Beaudoin in the loss while freshman Matt Sayles made a game-high 41 saves.

With the loss, the Golden Flyers finish the season with a 9-15-2 overall record. With the victory, the Cougars improve to 10-12-2 overall and advance to the UCHC semifinals against second-ranked Utica.

Chatham scored once in the first period then twice in the opening minutes of the second period to take a 3-0 lead. Tristan Hillebert opened the scoring after the puck was stolen as the Golden Flyers tried to play it along the boards behind their net. Hillebert collected the puck near the right faceoff circle and put a shot past the stick side of Sayles with 6:38 left in the first period.

The Cougars scored their next two goals on rebounds to stretch their lead quickly in the second period. On Chatham's second goal, Sayles saved the initial shots from near the Nazareth goal before the puck was knocked out to the point. Aidan Girduckis collected the loose puck near the right point and found the back of the net on a slapshot attempt. About a minute later, Chatham won the faceoff in the Nazareth defensive zone. The quick shot after the faceoff was saved, but Liam Murphy batted the puck out of the air on the rebound for the goal, which was the eventual game-winner.

The Golden Flyers scored their first goal of the game with 5:17 to play in the second period to cut their deficit to two goals. Freshman Anthony Quinlivan set up the scoring opportunity after stealing the puck from the Cougars' defenseman inside the Chatham blue line. Quinlivan centered a pass to Schaefer, who buried a one-timer over the blocker of goalie Ricardo Gonzalez.

Chatham reclaimed its three-goal lead in the first minute of the third period. On a two-on-two rush, Sayles slid to his left to make the initial save at the right post, however, the rebound squirted towards the other side of the net and Carson Grainer was there to swat it into the open net.

Beaudoin scored with 12:57 to play in regulation to cut the Nazareth deficit back to two goals. The Golden Flyers had multiple shots from the slot saved before the puck came out towards the top of the slot. Beaudoin put the puck past Gonzalez's left side for Nazareth's second goal.

The Golden Flyers' best scoring opportunities in the first period came during power plays. On the first power play chance and with the game still scoreless, junior Henry McKinney's shot was blocked before freshman Josh Dressler had his attempt saved. Following the power play, McKinney had another attempt from the high slot that Gonzalez knocked out of play with his blocker. After Chatham's first goal, Nazareth had a second power play opportunity. Gonzalez made a pair of saves and another pair of shots were blocked. In the closing minutes of the period, freshman Matt Turse hit the post with an attempt.

In the second period, Nazareth had two more power plays but were unsuccessful and finished 0-4 with the man advantage for the game. After senior Cole Moore's wrist shot was saved, the Golden Flyers' power play was interrupted by a power outage over part of the rink due to a blown fuse. Following the delay, the Cougars' defense blocked multiple shots to prevent Nazareth from getting their attempts on goal.

Sayles made a number of difficult saves to keep Nazareth in the game. With 1:36 left in the first, Sayles sprawled on the ice to keep the puck out of the net to keep the Golden Flyers' deficit at 1-0. Then, he made tough saves on a one-timer and rebounds close to the Nazareth net to keep the Golden Flyers in striking distance at 4-2 in the third period.

Nazareth had opportunities in the closing minutes but could not find the back of the net. With 3:40 to play, Moore's shot from the left point was saved, and sophomore Matt Lakus's rebound attempt was saved. The ensuing rebound was swept away before the Golden Flyers could get another rebound attempt on goal. Turse had an opportunity a minute later, but Gonzalez was equal to the task. Nazareth played most of the final two minutes with the extra attacker, but Chatham consistently gained possession of the puck and knocked it out of the zone to thwart the Golden Flyers' rally.

Gonzalez finished with 34 saves in the victory for the Cougars.