Three minutes changed everything. 

Down 7-3 in what was essentially a play-in game at Hood this past Saturday, Eastern's undermanned offense needed to find something. WIth less than three minutes to play, it needed to come quickly. 

Frankie Fanelli got things started with a dodge-and-dunk from behind the goal with 2:40 on the clock. After a Hood penalty, the sophomore then put away a man-up goal for his 100th career point. When Gavin Stark scored to cut the deficit to a single goal with 33 seconds on the clock, the belief on the Eastern bench started to grow. 

Though they did not win the next faceoff, the Eagles got the ball back and cleared well. Stark found Andrew Collins on the doorstep with seven seconds on the clock. Eastern rode that momentum to an overtime win and a spot in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. 

Though the Eagles will still be short-handed and will be heavy underdogs in tonight's test at York, they hope that they can continue to ride the momentum from Saturday to a deep run in the tournament. 

With one exception, the No. 6 Spartans have owned the MAC Commonwealth Tournament since joining the league. Several current players on both rosters remember that exception. Two years ago, the fourth-seeded Eagles went toe-to-toe with the top seeded Spartans and got an 11th-hour game-winner to earn the opening round win by an 11-10 score. 

To recapture that magic, the Eagles will need to close the gap at the faceoff-x and win the turnover battle while being efficient on offense. With outstanding wing play, the Spartans won 22-of-31 faceoffs when the two teams met earlier this year. Though the Eagles cleared well and got 12 saves, the possession edge helped York to jump to big early lead and hold on for a 20-7 win. 

The 16-1 Spartans' closest results in league were three games against the three playoff teams that they won by exactly 13 goals. Their average margin of victory is 17.4. They have won 159-of-204 faceoffs for a 78 percent possession advantage in league play.

Though the task is tough, the Eagles are not going into the evening blind. Eastern's schedule over this year and the past few years has included top-ten teams at every turn. They will rely on that experience as they attempt to slow the Spartans. Tonight's match will be the fourth test against a team in the top-10 for the Eagles. 

First faceoff will be at 7:00 pm. Fans can follow the game on MACtv or livestats. Links for both are on the schedule page. 

The winner of tonight's test will take on the victor of the other semifinal between second-seeded York and third-seeded Messiah.