PALLADIUM TIMES LOOKS AT SATURDAY'S GAME

From the pages of today's paper:

Oswego State at Brockport

Saturday, 7 p.m.

Seniors Ian Finnerty (11-19) and James Cody (13-13) will lead Brockport into Saturday’s contest against Oswego State.

“Cody and Finnerty are pretty dynamic players. They’re dangerous players. We have to take away their time and space,” Gosek said.

Other players to watch for the Golden Eagles (3-6-1 SUNYAC, 7-10-2 overall) include senior Adam Shoff (4-14), junior Nick Panepinto (6-8), and senior goaltender Oliver Wren (4-7-1, 3.92).

Brockport has won three of its last four games, including a 4-2 win over third-place Buffalo State.

The Lakers crushed Brockport 7-1 earlier this season in Oswego, and they’ll need a big effort to post another win in the Eagles’ nest.

After this weekend, the Lakers will play just one more regular-season road game, leading up to four home contests to end the campaign.

“We’re in a position where we control our own destiny as far as the league is concerned,” Gosek said. “We want to be peaking at the right time and getting momentum going into the playoffs.”

Source:

http://palltimes.com/articles/2012/01/25/sports/doc4f20789d31370085822494.txt


___

SATURDAY'S GOALIE

The Oswegonian is reporting today that Oswego's starting goaltender on Saturday night will be junior backup goaltender Dan Jones. He's 3-0-0 with a .938 saves percentage and a 1.68 GAA.

___

ROTHFUSS IN TODAY'S D&C

Brockport's own Brendon Rothfuss is in the spotlight for today's Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:


Brendon Rothfuss plays hockey and lacrosse for the College at Brockport. The forward has five goals and six assists in hockey. He finished second in goals (21) and third in points (26) for the lacrosse team last spring.

Age: 22.

Hometown (high school): Webster (Webster Thomas).

Major: Physical education teaching certification.

How long have you been playing hockey? Since I was 2.

How about lacrosse? I started playing in sixth grade but had to take a few years off after high school while I played junior hockey.

Which do you prefer — and why? I would have to go with hockey. Every time I step on the ice during a game its an adrenaline rush. You can't get that feeling anywhere else. Plus I've pretty much played my entire life and I couldn't imagine not playing hockey.

Favorite food: Garlic Parm hot chicken wings.

Least favorite food: Anything my teammate Christian Cangro has a hand in making.

I'll scream if I hear one more time about: Taylor Swift winning an award. I've had enough of her.

Opponent I love to beat: Geneseo

Celebrity I'd love to meet: Brad Paisley.

No. 1 pet peeve: When my roommate/teammate Mike Hayward snores louder than the TV.

Greatest moment in sports: My junior year at Webster Thomas. I scored the game winning goal in double overtime vs. the defending state champions McQuaid in sectionals for hockey.

Worst moment in sports: When we lost to Aquinas in the sectional semifinals by a goal my junior year.

This year's Super Bowl winner: I wish I could say the Bills. But I'll go with the Giants.

Favorite pro team: Buffalo Sabres.

Favorite pro athlete: Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings.

Dream concert: REO Speedwagon.

If you could take three items to a deserted island: My iPod, a fishing pole and my guitar.

If you could take three people to a deserted island: (English model/actress) Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Jennifer Aniston and Kenny Chesney.

Invite four famous people to dinner (living or dead): Wayne Gretzky, Will Ferrell, Chris Farley and Gordie Howe.



Source:

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20120126/SPORTS09/201260320/In-spotlight-Brendon-Rothfuss?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports

___

PFEFFER COMMITS TO BROCKPORT

As announced today on the Ontario Junior Hockey League website...

Mississauga Chargers forward Logan Pfeffer (photo credit - Brian Watts/OJHL) has confirmed his commitment to join the SUNY-Brockport Golden Eagles beginning with the 2012-13 SUNYAC season.

The 5'10", 165 lbs. native of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania joined the OJHL as a 19-year old rookie after playing for Seneca Valley High School back home. Pfeffer would record four goals and seven points in 10 games with the Streetsville Derbys before being moved to the Dixie Beehives, where he finished the season tied for the club's scoring lead with 32 points.

After the Beehives suspended operations this past summer, Pfeffer joined the nearby Mississauga Chargers and has been one of the club's leaders throughout the season. He currently sits third in scoring on the club with 22 points in 43 games played.

___

BROCKPORT BEATS BUFFALO STATE 4-2

The Athletic Department's recap of the road game at Buffalo State...


Senior Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) scored the game-winning goal in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) upset win over the Buffalo State Bengals. Finnerty's 11th goal of the season came at the 2:25 mark of the third period to seal the victory.

Adding two assists to the night, Finnerty now has 30 points on the year, putting him in a tie for fifth place in all of Division III hockey. The 30 points also tie him for first place in the SUNYAC. James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) also added three points on the night to give him 26 on the season.

In a fight for the final SUNYAC Playoff spot, Brockport now has seven points, one point behind Potsdam and Geneseo. The Golden Eagles are now 3-6-1 while Buffalo State falls to 5-4-1 in the conference and are in a tie for third place.

Trailing 1-0 in the first period, Chris Cangro (Holbrook, NY) scored on a powerplay goal following a near-side faceoff with 2:50 to play. Finnerty got his first point of the night on the assist along with Colby Spooner. The Golden Eagles outshot Buffalo State in the first period 10-9.

Brendon Rothfuss (Webster, NY) connected on his fifth goal of the season in the second period on assists from Cody and Nick Panepinto (Tonawanda, NY) to give Brockport a 2-1 lead with 1:05 left in the period. The Golden Eagles skated into the second intermission with control of the game.

Following a penalty on the Brockport bench in the opening minutes of the third period, Buffalo State scored a powerplay goal at the 6:42 mark in the third period. The two teams traded shots for the next 10 minutes until Finnerty came through in the clutch for the Golden Eagles. Finnerty received a cross-ice pass from Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT) to put home the game winner. Cody was also credited with an assist on the play. One minute later, the Bengals added an extra skater as they pulled goalie Kevin Carr. Finnerty took control of the puck and skated down ice and found Cody as he found the back of the empty night to seal the victory.

Brockport freshman goalie Aaron Green registered 30 saves to improve his season record to 3-1-0.

Box: http://collegehockeystats.net/1112/boxes/mbfsbrc1.j21
___

BROCKPORT FALLS TO FREDONIA

The Athletic Department offers this recap of last night's game....


Senior Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) and Brendon Rothfuss (Webster, NY) scored two early goals for The College at Brockport Men's Hockey team but Fredonia State rallied back to take the hard-fought State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchup 4-2. The Golden Eagles are now 2-6-1 in conference play.

Finnerty's goal was credited with two minutes and 58 seconds remaining in the first period, but came with a bit of controversy. On a five on three power play advantage, Nick Panepinto (Tonawanda, NY) dumped a pass to the left side of the net to Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT) who crossed the puck in front of the net to Finnerty on the opposite side. Finnerty took the shot and the puck appeared to cross the line. As Brockport celebrated, Fredonia took the puck the length of the ice on a breakaway, but Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) made the save. After a blown whistle following the save and a scuffle in front of the net, the referees discussed Finnerty's goal and reversed their call and credited Finnerty with his 10th goal of the season. Shoff and Panepinto received the assists.

Just over two minutes later on a five on four advantage, Rothfuss received a pass from Colby Spooner (Hilton, NY/Aquinas) just inside the blue line. Rothfuss fired a shot on net for his fourth goal on the year to give Brockport a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period. Spooner and Bobby Chayka (Hardwick, NJ) were credited with the assists.

After a physical first period that resulted in multiple penalties and one game misconduct for Fredonia, the two teams came out in the second period looking for control. Fredonia struck first with a breakaway goal just over six minutes into the period. Brockport maintained possession throughout the next few minutes until Fredonia struck again with a goal at the 14:47 mark to notch the game at two.

Brockport opened up the third period on consecutive power plays. The Golden Eagles had a chance to take the lead as the puck skated across an open Blue Devil net four minutes into the period, but no Brockport icer could connect. Just over a minute later Fredonia converted on a puck in front of the Brockport net as the Blue Devils took a 3-2 advantage.

Brockport pulled Wren with a minute to play to add an extra skater to the offensive attack, but Fredonia put home an empty net goal to take the win.

Wren was credited with 18 saves on the night. Finnerty now has 27 points on the season, putting him in sole possession of second place in the SUNYAC in total points, just ahead of Fredonia's Bryan Ross.

Brockport returns to play tomorrow night as they take on the Buffalo State Bengals. Buffalo State is currently in third place in the SUNYAC with a 5-3-1 record.

____

BROCKPORT HEADS INTO WNY SERIES THIS WEEKEND

The road to the playoffs begins tonight when SUNYAC play returns for the second semester. The red hot Golden Eagles – who have been beating or hanging with some of the best teams in NCAA DIII – travel to Fredonia to take on the Blue Devils.

Fredonia is 7-7-3 overall with a 2-3-3 record in the conference, so it should be interesting. Their coach Jeff Meredith (a Brockport product), said as much in today’s Observer (Dunkirk, NY): "It is great to get back into the SUNYAC play. This weekend is a playoff weekend. We badly need these points to not only hang on to the sixth and last spot, but to move up and try to get a home ice game in the first round. I think that both Brockport and Geneseo are in the same boat, which should make this weekend pretty exciting."

Brockport will be facing a goaltender on a tear in Mark Friesen. He was named SUNYAC Goalie of the Week for last weekend’s efforts. He made 56 saves in two games against two nationally-ranked opponents. Friesen stopped 19 shots in the 2-1 loss to Elmira then he made 37 saves as Fredonia completed a dramatic 3-2 overtime win against Neumann. On the season, Friesen’s save percentage is 92.1 with a 2.62 goals against average.

In front of Mark is a solid team that averages 3.44 goals per game. Their Number One threat is Bryan Ross who has 25 points on the season, 1 less than our own Ian Finnerty. That speaks volumes about Ross’s skill levels. He has 8 goals and 17 assists. Also having 8 goals for the Blue Devils is Jared Wynia. In all, they have 6 players in double digits in points already.

In a tight game, Brockport comes out on top.

On Saturday, Brockport goes to Buffalo State where the Benegals will try to maintain their grip on the third spot in the conference (they are 4-3-1 in league play…and 8-7-2 overall). When last they played, Buff State demolished Brockport in a game that wasn’t so much Buffalo dominance as it was Brockport sloppiness. This Brockport team is much different than that early season mirage.

They are one of the higher-scoring teams in DIII, with the pace being set by superstar Trevor McKinney (13-10-23) and his linemate Justin Knee (8-13-21). Freshman Elijah Cohen was this week’s Rookie of the Week in the conference. Cohen netted a hat trick to defeat host Johnson and Wales Saturday afternoon.

Netminder Kevin Carr has helped buoy their efforts by sporting a .902 saves percentage to go with a 3.06 GAA. Carr is clutch, seeing his saves percentage rise to .918 in SUNYAC games. The Golden Eagles will have their work cut out to beat him and keep pace with the #1 line, but, Brockport too, has a #1 line that can produce with the best of them.

The crystal ball sees overtime in the Buffalo State affair.

The next 5 weeks should offer a great, exciting finish to the season, as Russell Jaslow notes in today’s SUNYAC report USCHO (http://www.uscho.com/2012/01/19/second-half-run-for-sunyac/): If anyone who is currently out of the playoff picture can get into it, I would put my money on Brockport. They seem to have gotten over the Todd Sheridan hangover, are playing good team hockey, and not afraid to apply pressure to their opponents. After this weekend, all but one game is at home, which could bode well for the Golden Eagles.

------

BROCKPORT BEATS NICHOLS 3-1

Sophomore Patrick Hayden (Springfield, PA) scored his second goal of the season midway through the third period and The College at Brockport Hockey team added an empty net goal to post a 3-1 victory over Nichols College Friday night in a non-conference game at the Tuttle North Arena in Brockport.

Nichols (3-10-1) took a 1-0 lead five minutes into the second period with a shorthanded goal but four minutes later, Brockport (6-9-2) tied the score as Steve Sachman (Medford, NY) netted his second goal in as many games with an assist from James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) and the two teams skated into the third period with a 1-1 tie.

In the third period, Hayden took a pass from Nick Panepinto (Tonawanda, NY) and Mike Hollander Thornhill, ONT) and scored to give the Golden Eagles a 2-1 advantage with 11:15 left to play in the period.

After Brockport killed off a four-minute penalty late in the third period, senior Brett Jendra (Bolingbrook, IL) took a pass from Hollander and put home an empty-net goal for the final score.

For Brockport it is the second consecutive victory and the fifth win in the last eight games. Senior Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) made 37 saves including 18 in the third period to post the victory.

____

BROCKPORT BEATS WNEC 5-1

Senior Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) scored one goal and had one assist as The College at Brockport Men's Ice Hockey team took care of Western New England College 5-1 at Tuttle North Ice Arena Thursday night. The Golden Eagles improve to 5-9-2 overall.

Finnerty collected his ninth goal of the season in the third period to put the game out of reach. Along with his assist, Finnerty now has a team-leading 26 points. His 26 points also puts him in a tie for first place in the State University of New York Athletic Conference for total points.

Brett Jendra (Bolingbrook, IL) started off the scoring for the Golden Eagles just over seven minutes into the first period on an assist from Brendon Rothfuss (Webster, NY). Exactly one minute later Nick Panepinto (Tonawanda, NY) found the back of the net for a powerplay goal on an assist from Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT) and James Cody (Schwenksville, PA). Brockport dominated the physical first period with a 19-6 shot advantage and kept the puck in their offensive zone for the majority of the period.

Western New England scored a goal five minutes into the second period to bring the score to 2-1. With 38 seconds remaining in the period, Finnerty won a faceoff that went out to Patrick Hayden (Springfield, PA). Hayden found Cody on the wing who fired a shot for his team-leading 12th goal of the season.

Brockport kept the momentum going in the third period. Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) dished a breakout pass to Panepinto on the opposite blue line. Panepinto found Finnerty open in front of the net for the goal. Steve Sachman (Medford, NY) closed out the game at the 13:25 mark with his fifth goal of the season to put the Golden Eagles up 5-1. Troy Polino (Limerick, PA) and Chris Cangro (Holbrook, NY) were credited with the assists.

Wren finished the game with 15 saves. His assist in the third period was the first of the season and the third of his career. Brockport is back in action at Tuttle North Ice Arena tomorrow night as the Golden Eagles host Nichols College at 7 pm.


Box: http://www.collegehockeystats.net/1112/boxes/mbrcwne1.j12

___

BROCKPORT HANGS WITH NEUMANN AGAIN IN 7-5 LOSS

Junior Nick Panepinto (Tonawanda, NY) scored two goals including a third period goal to cut the Neumann lead to just a single goal but the Knights held on for a 7-5 victory over The College at Brockport Tuesday afternoon at Neumann.

The Knights (11-2), ranked No. 6 in the nation in the latest USCHO.com poll, opened the game with four goals in the first period to build a 4-2 lead. After Neumann took a 2-0 lead, defenseman Matt DeLuca (Skippack, PA) cut the lead in half for Brockport (4-9-2) with assists from Mike Baxter (Bracebridge, ONT) and Brett Jendra (Bolingbrook, IL).

The Knights scored two more goals in the opening period, James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) added his team-leading 11th goal of the season with a power play goal and assists from Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) and freshman Bobby Chayka (Hardwick, NJ).

“We need to find a way to be more focused on hockey from the time we get off the bus of the road and the time we arrive at the rink at home,” said Brian Dickinson. “We are a dangerous team when our backs are against the wall and I told the players I was happy at the way they came back but we can't afford to get behind early.”

In the second period, Neumann extended the lead to 6-2 with a pair of goals in the first 7:16 of the period before Brockport mounted a furious comeback.

Colby Spooner (Hilton, NY) started the three-goal run for the Golden Eagles with a shorthanded goal with DeLuca picking up his second assist of the game and Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT) adding an assist on the play.

Less than four minutes later, Panepinto scored the first of two straight goals as he took a shot from behind the end line and deflected the puck off the back of the Neumann goalie and into the net to cut the Knight lead to 6-4.

Early in the third period, Panepinto struck again scoring on a rebound after a Chayka shot and Brockport trailed by just a single goal at 6-5 with 13 minutes remaining in the period.

Late in the game, Brockport pulled goalie Joe Reagan (Yonkers, NY) for the extra attacker but Neumann scored an empty net goal for the final score of 7-5.

___

GREEN NETS SUNYAC HONORS AGAIN

Freshman goalie Aaron Green of The College at Brockport Men's Hockey team has been named the State University of New York Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week following his performance against Neumann College. It is his second rookie of the week honor in the last three weeks. The Golden Eagles fell to the Knights 3-2.

Against Neumann, ranked No. 8 in Division III by USCHO.com, Green made a career-high 31 saves on 34 shots. He registered ten saves in the first and third periods and 11 saves in the second to finish the game with a .912 save percentage.

Green's record is currently 2-1-0. He was awarded rookie of the week following Brockport's upset victory in overtime over Elmira College on Dec. 9. In three starts this season Green's goals against average is 3.37.

___

HOBART BEATS GOLDEN EAGLES, 4-2

Sophomore defenseman Matt DeLuca (Skippack, PA) assisted on both goals for The College at Brockport Hockey team in the final five minutes of the third period but Hobart College scored twice in the second period and added an empty net goal for a 4-2 non-conference victory Saturday afternoon in Geneva.

After a scoreless first period with each team struggling to find offensive flow, the Golden Eagles (4-8-2) opened the second period on a power play and had a couple scoring chances early in the period before Hobart (7-6) opened up its offense and fired 22 shots at senior Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) in the period.

The Statesmen, opened the scoring with a power play goal 4:33 into the period and then 10 minutes later, after Brockport had killed off its second power play of the period, made it a 2-0 lead and took that advantage into the final period.

Midway through the final period, Hobart added to its lead with another power play goal at the 11:09 mark of the stanza. A little over four minutes later, sophomore Chris Cangro (Holbrook, NY) scored to put Brockport on the board with each team skating a man down. DeLuca and sophomore Mike Baxter (Bracebridge, ONT) picked up assists on the play.

“I thought we matched their level of play for a majority of the game,” said head coach Brian Dickinson. “ Unfortunately it was not as much as we needed to today.”

With less than a minute to play in the period, Brockport pulled Wren from the goal for the extra attacker but a turnover in the neutral zone led to an empty-net goal for the Statesmen to push the lead to 4-1.

Just 18 seconds later, sophomore Brendon Rothfuss (Webster, NY) took a centering pass from junior Nick Panepinto (Tonawanda, NY) and lifted a shot into the top of the net to trim the lead to 4-2. DeLuca added a second assist on the play.

“We had good scoring chances when we created 2-on-1 situations but we need to create more,” said Dickinson. “We will keep working on that and I hope to see it get better over the next few games.”

Wren finished with 38 saves after his 20-save effort in the second period alone.

___