A school record six-goal performance by senior formward Chad Mitchell led the Fighting Knights to a comeback 10-8 victory over Florida Tech in front of a wild Saturday-night crowd at Palm Beach Skate Zone.

The win on February 4 was the program's first victory over the Panthers, which join Lynn University -- along with Embry-Riddle and Flagler College -- in the new East Florida Collegiate Hockey Conference, beginning later this month.

Lynn took an early lead in the contest, jumping out to a 2-0 lead by the midway point in the first period on goals by Alex von Svoboda and Mitch Sakic. After Florida Tech's Rob McIntosh scored to cut the Lynn lead in half, Mitchell scored the first two of his six consecutive goals in the last minute of play of the first period to give the Knights a 4-1 lead at intermission.

Lynn came out flying to start the second period, with Mitchell completing his first hat trick with a smooth goal just 34 seconds into the middle stanza. But a rash of Lynn penalties -- including a five-minute charging major, which drew the considerable ire of the partisan crowd -- gave Florida Tech a chance to get back in the game. The Panthers did just that, with goals by Ryan Antony, Rob Malachowsky and a pair from Devin Mize.

Three more tallies by Mize in the third period -- countered by a Chad Mitchell goal, off a beautiful pass from Hunter Wang, who had three assists on the night -- gave the Panthers an 8-6 lead with under seven minutes to play.

But Lynn University refused to go quietly, as Mitchell capped his double-hat-trick with a pair of goals, to tie the contest at an incredible 8-8 score.

After three acrobatic saves by goaltender and team captain Braden Rakovitch, the game appeared destined for overtime. But with under two minutes to go, von Svoboda took a pass from Daniel Newman, went end-to-end and flipped a top-shelf forehand into the Panthers net to give the Knights the lead.

Mitch Sakic sealed the deal with a three-line open-net goal, marking the 10-8 final score.