MC Hammer would have been proud.

St. Bonaventure (24-4-1) was clearly legit entering the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 National Tournament having won 12 games in a row, and it’s refusal to quit propelled the Bonnies to a 4-3 win over Florida Atlantic (15-7-1) this evening in St. Louis in the first round of pool play.

Trailing 3-1 early in the third period, SBU scored twice within 18 seconds less than three minutes into the third to tie the game.

Cole Bailey, who scored midway through the second to cut a 2-0 deficit in half, ripped home a wrister for the game winner with 8:42 left and goalie Tyler Kirk made a brilliant blocker save with 2 seconds to play to preserve the victory.

“We didn’t have our best stuff today in the first period, really a little sluggish,” said Coach Mike Cosentino. “But we played better as the game went on, and even when we went down two early in the third, we didn’t panic.”

The Owls took a 3-1 lead less than two minutes into the third off a scramble in front of Kirk, but Brennan Mcdermott scored just 45 seconds later to jump-start the Bonnies offense.

Just seconds later, Jake Giordano banged home the tying goal after Tyler Kelley hit the crossbar and Ryan Berry shoved it from the scrum in front to Giordano, standing alone just to the right of the crease.

“In recent memory, I’ve never been with a team that’s had this level of relentlessness, but also composure. It’s unbelievable,” Cosentino said.

Gavan Schwenkbeck had a pair of assists for the Bonnies, while Mcdermott, Michael Robertson and Vinny Labella added the others.

The Bonnies (23-4-1), who defeated RPI in the ACHA Northeast Regionals to advance to nationals, play Utah St. (24-11) at 6 p.m. EST Friday and St. Thomas (20-4) at 7:30 p.m. EST Saturday to complete pool play.

Winners of each of the four pools in the 16-team tourney advance to the semifinals Monday, with the winners playing Tuesday, March 17, for the national title. Sunday is an off day.

All tournament games will be streamed here (subscription required).

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).