POSTSEASON AWARDS

The Golden Eagles had their annual postseason get-together and awards ceremony this past weekend at which the coaching staff issued the following awards:

Bob Pedersen Coaches Award: Matt DeLuca

EJ McGuire 7th Player Award: Shane Cavalieri

Jimmy Mac’s Most Improved Player Award: Michael Zagari

Brian Cavanaugh Most Valuable Player Award: Mike Hayward

Chris Palin Rookie of the Year Award: Jesse Facchini


A well-deserving bunch of student-athletes! Congratulations to them!

NOBLE NABS DYNAMO AWARDS

Brockport alumnus and former Golden Eagle captain (one of only a few to man the helm for 2 seasons) Justin Noble was named the Invicate Dynamo's Player of the Year and was also awarded the Player’s Player of the Year honor at the team's annual awards ceremony.

In a season that saw the Dynamos finish fourth in the league and make the semi-finals, Noble was a dynamic Dynamo, amassing 95 points with 57 goals and 39 assists.

Read about it here:

http://www.kentsportsnews.com/noble-scoops-dynamos-awards-06-05-2013/http://www.kentsportsnews.com/noble-scoops-dynamos-awards-06-05-2013/

RYAN JOHNSON NETS KEY OJHL GAME WINNER

It's always good to see Brockport recruits playing at a high level. It gives players, coaches, and fans some real excitement and hope for the future of the Golden Eagles.

Consider Ryan Johnson, whom, as we blogged in November, made a commitment to Brockport.

The quicksilver Johnson saw a mid-season change of scenery to the OJHL Newmarket Hurricanes. It was a great decision by all parties because he has been instrumental in the Hurricane's run that now has them sporting a 2-0 lead in the OJHL Championship Series.

Last night, he netted the overtime game winner! That's clutch! We can't wait to see such performances at Tuttle North.

ROTHFUSS FOCUSES ON HEALTH AND HOCKEY

For this week's Brockport Stylus, Corey Desiderio wrote about Brendon Rothfuss's decision to forgo the 2013 lacrosse season to focus on his health and hockey....


We all come to points in our lives where we have to sacrifice something we love in order to greater benefit ourselves in the end. For Brockport junior Brendon Rothfuss, that came in 2012 when he gave up playing lacrosse in order to continue playing hockey at a high level for the Golden Eagles.

Rothfuss made the decision after missing the first six weeks of the 2012-13 hockey season with a dislocated shoulder.

He said the injury allowed him to reflect and gave him the idea to sit out for the 2013 lacrosse season.

“The trainers were all telling me that they didn’t know how my body would hold up this year,”

Rothfuss said. “I think it was the right decision to heal up and get my body back to where it needs to be as opposed to where I put it the past two years playing two sports.”

This isn’t the first time Rothfuss had to make this decision. A two-sport star coming out of Webster Thomas High School in Webster, Rothfuss had to choose between hockey and lacrosse in 2007.

“Originally I had a scholarship for lacrosse,” Rothfuss said. “I was pretty much set on going to Le Moyne [College] until March of my senior year of high school when I got a couple of contracts to play for junior [hockey] teams.”

Rothfuss, who started playing hockey when he was 2 years old, said he just couldn’t leave the game he put 16 years of his blood, sweat and tears into.

“I didn’t want to give up hockey,” Rothfuss said. “I knew if I were to choose lacrosse I would never get to play competitive hockey again. But if I did go play juniors, I’d maybe get a chance to play lacrosse again.”

After bouncing around three different teams in three years of junior hockey, that chance came in 2010.

“Ever since my first year of juniors, [coaches/recruiters] were coming to my games so I built a relationship with Coach [Brian] Dickinson,” Rothfuss said. “That guy was at everything. So from the standpoint of someone getting recruited, I saw the coach a lot.”

Dickinson said he was initially attracted to Rothfuss’ offensive ability, but once they started to talk more, he knew Rothfuss had all the characteristics he was looking for in a player.

“He’s dedicated, well spoken, solid academically and all his previous coaches raved about him as a person,” Dickinson said.

Rothfuss said he felt the same attraction toward Brockport as well.

“It had a good hockey program,” Rothfuss said. “They have a physical education program and then with the opportunity to get to play lacrosse again it was just like, OK, well absolutely I’ll do it.’”

As soon as Rothfuss chose Brockport, he said he thought he was going to play lacrosse for the school as well.

“The day I committed to Brockport for hockey, [Head] Coach [Ben] Wineberg texted me if I was interested in playing [lacrosse] and I absolutely was,” Rothfuss said. “It had been awhile since I’ve played in season, but I was really anxious to get the opportunity to play again.”

From the moment he set foot on campus, Rothfuss has shined on the ice, field and classroom.

In three seasons with the hockey team, Rothfuss has scored 17 goals and has 18 assists. In 2010-11 and 2011-12, Rothuss earned a spot on the All-Academic SUNYAC Team for hockey.

As for lacrosse, Rothfuss was second on the team in goals his freshman year, with 21, behind Andy Hilton. Rothfuss was third on the team as a sophomore with 19.  The only two Eagles to outscore him as a sophomore were Jesse Elliott (37) and Riley Austin (26).

Rothfuss said stepping away from lacrosse was a tough decision for him, but it was made easier by the way his coach handled it.

“Last year was really tough on my body and Coach [Wineberg] knew that,” Rothfuss said. “There were days that I could barely get out of bed. He was more than supportive. He thanked me.”

Dickinson said he was pleased to hear Rothfuss decided to step away from lacrosse to focus more on hockey.

“Brendon has had numerous injuries throughout his tenure here at Brockport,” Dickinson said. “I believe he would like to let his body heal and put his best foot forward toward winning a SUNYAC Championship during his senior season.”

While Dickinson said he is looking forward to having a memorable season with a healthy Rothfuss in 2013-14, Rothfuss said he has not ruled out returning to the lacrosse field for one final go his senior season.

“We’ll see,” Rothfuss said. “Depending on how I feel and the timing and stuff with student teaching, I may play again.”

Source: http://www.thestylus.net/sports/golden-eagle-makes-athletic-sacrifice-1.3023620?pagereq=1#.UWfP08qrGwI

STYLUS REPORT ON THE TEAM'S NEW CAPTAIN

For this week's edition of the Brockport Stylus, managing editor Brandon Wood penned this article about Matt DeLuca's rise to the captaincy of the Golden Eagles...



Matt DeLuca remembers playing hockey in the driveway of his home in Skippack, just outside of Philadelphia, wearing his Flyers Eric Lindros jersey with a ‘C’ emblazoned on it. He remembers all the hard work he had to put in from that moment on to be where he is now: a junior defenseman on the Brockport Golden Eagles ice hockey team. All of that hard work is going to pay off with his own ‘C’ sewn into his jersey next season.

DeLuca tweeted from his personal account April 1 about becoming the next captain for the Golden Eagles, writing “I couldn’t be more proud to be named the next Captain of #BrockportHockey. It’s all about the team and I have the best teammates in the world.”

Many current and former players have since reached out to him through social media to congratulate him and wish him luck in the position.

Early in his career, DeLuca played three seasons for the Philadelphia Junior Flyers before moving to Syracuse to play with the Syracuse Stars, another junior team. DeLuca said while playing for the Stars, he was being recruited by Brockport, Buffalo State, Fredonia and Utica College along with several colleges outside of New York.

But after he came to Brockport for its 2009 home opener against Morrisville State, a game the Golden Eagles won in overtime, he didn’t need to continue his search for where he would play hockey in college. He was going to become a Golden Eagle.

“I made the trip to watch the game and I fell in love with the whole atmosphere,” DeLuca said. “As soon as I left Tuttle North after the game I came out to see I said, ‘I’m coming here, there’s no way I’m not coming here.’”

DeLuca said his freshman year was tough for him, as Brockport was winless through its first 11 games and won only four games total that year. While some players pondered quitting the team, DeLuca never wavered in his drive to stay at Brockport and help rebuild the program.

“Somewhere along the line I felt like I was supposed to be here for one reason or another,” he said. “I feel like the stars are finally starting to line up. Freshman year was a tough year, a lot of guys were thinking about leaving and I made the decision to stay here and that I was going to turn this program around. I feel like I have finally been given the opportunity.”

His opportunity now includes mentoring a young team that had 14 freshmen this past season and has seven players committed to begin playing at Brockport in the fall, according to collegecommitments.com. DeLuca said he wants to make all of the new members feel like they’re part of Brockport hockey, just like his predecessor Mike Hayward did. Hayward, a former defenseman, is graduating this year.

"When it boils down to it Matt is a vocal guy,” Head Coach Brian Dickinson said of his decision to make DeLuca captain. “Moving forward, we need somebody who is going to take charge of the locker room and really take charge of the details in the offseason and keep everybody working and we think Matt can do that.”

Throughout his three-season career at Brockport, DeLuca has four goals and 12 assists. Despite having played in 72 games, he has never played in a SUNYAC playoff game. The last time the Golden Eagles made the playoffs was back in 2010, the season DeLuca came to watch the Morrisville game.

When practice starts in the fall, not a single player in the locker room will have played in the SUNYAC playoffs. That’s the main thing DeLuca said is his goal.

“Flat out, make the playoffs,” he said.

“After three seasons that I’ve been here, not making the playoffs makes for a long offseason and it’s something that you think about for seven or eight months,” he said.

DeLuca said he is honored to be the captain of the team for his final season of NCAA eligibility, but his legacy could be defined on whether he can lead this team back to the SUNYAC playoffs, which would be his biggest honor of all.

Source: http://www.thestylus.net/sports/brockport-hockey-announces-new-team-captain-1.3023614#.UWfNlcqrGwJ

DeLUCA IS BROCKPORT'S NEXT CAPTAIN

Carrying on Brockport's rich tradition of great captains, Matt DeLuca has been designated as the team's leader by example and by title for the 2013-2014 season. Matt is a high-character leader both on the ice and off off it. The junior blueliner has 72 NCAA games under his belt and sports a 4-12-16 stat line. An extremely well-disciplined player, he has only 36 penalty minutes in 3 seasons.

PARKER FAMILY LIVES, BREATHES ICE HOCKEY

Brockport hockey alumnus Mickey Parker has made a name for himself in coaching of youth hockey. Among his most recent achievements is having coached the Syracuse Nationals 14-and-under girls hockey team to the New York State Tier One championship. The Nationals will now represent New York State at the USA Hockey National Championships in San Jose, California.

That team features his daughters, Sydney and Grace. The hockey family was featured in today's Leader-Herald. Read about their adventures here:

http://www.leaderherald.com/page/content.detail/id/554914/Parker-family-goes-great-lengths-for-hockey.html?nav=5014

GOLF TOURNAMENT: JULY 20th

Mark your calendars! The Brockport Ice Hockey Alumni and Friends Golf Tournament will take place on Saturday July 20, 2013. Tee time is at 10:30 am at Salmon Creek Country Club in Spencerport, NY.

This will be a great opportunity to reconnect with old teammates, recent and distant alumni, parents, current players, friends and fans of Brockport hockey. This opportunity will include 18 holes of golf with a cart, lunch at the turn, steak dinner along with prizes and giveaways.

The coaching staff hope you will join them for a lot of fun and a great opportunity to raise funds to provide the players of the Brockport hockey team the resources and opportunities needed to achieve great success out on the ice.

To reserve your spot in this tournament send your information along with a check for $80 made out to the “Golden Eagle Society” to:

Nick Unger
350 New Campus Drive, Athletics
Brockport, NY 14420

NEW CAREER FOR ALUMNUS GALLIVAN

In Western New York there isn't a former Golden Eagle hockey player who's more recognizable than Pete Gallivan ('87).

Pete began working at WGRZ Channel 2 in February 1996 as a general assignment reporter. Then, in February of 1999 Pete was named co-anchor of Channel 2 News Daybreak, promoted from a two-year stint as weekend anchor. Under his care, Daybreak became the #1 morning show in the Buffalo market. In 2009 he became left the Daybreak chair and became a reporter.

Today is Pete's last day at WGRZ. He's moving on to a role within Governor Andrew Cuomo's communication department and will be based out of Buffalo.

Good luck to Pete in his new endeavor!

AWESOME VIDEO BY THE STYLUS' ROB FERRIES

BROCKPORT'S NEWS RELEASE ABOUT LOCKHURST'S AWARD

Freshman goalie Jared Lockhurst (Caledon, ONT/Wellington Dukes) of The College at Brockport Men's Hockey team has been named to the All-Rookie team, voted on by the nine head coaches of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC).

Lockhurst was the only player on the team not a member of the Geneseo or Plattsburgh squads. The rookie netminder posted a 3-8-2 record on the year, including a victory in his first career appearance in net. Lockhurst led all rookies in both goals against average and save percentage. His 3.02 goals against average was good enough for sixth in the league while his .919 save percentage was the fourth best mark in the SUNYAC.

Lockhurst stopped 42 shots in a 4-2 victory against Buffalo State on Oct. 26 to open up his career. The freshman stopped a career-high 46 shots in a 2-2 tie against then No.7 Hobart on Nov. 9. Lockhurst recorded eight games of at least 35 saves on the year.

LOCKHURST IS ALL-ROOKIE PICK

Brockport's stellar goalie Jared Lockhurst -- who set the new school record for saves percentage this past season -- made the SUNYAC All-Rookie team, selected by the conference's head coaches.

A well-deserved honor. Here's hoping he makes more SUNYAC postseason lists in the future!

WALKER COMMITS TO BROCKPORT

Trenton Golden Hawks defenseman Dillan Walker (photo credit - Brian Watts/OJHL Images) has confirmed his commitment to join The College at Brockport Golden Eagles beginning with the 2012-13 SUNYAC season.

After spending three seasons with his hometown Junior 'B' squad, the Brantford Golden Eagles, forward Dillan Walker headed out west, joining the Coquitlam Express of the BCHL. After 21 games out west, Walker was picked up by the OJHL leading Trenton Golden Hawks, helping to solidify an already deep defensive corp, as well as anchor the club's power play with his heavy shot from the point. Despite only playing 27 games for the Hawks, Walker finished third among rearguards on the team in scoring with 19 assists and 22 points.

BROCKPORT RECRUIT OVERCOMES 2 BROKEN ANKLES

One of Brockport's newest recruits Jake Taylor was featured in the Durham Region press this weekend.

The young man has faced some serious adversity this past season...


He's spent more time on crutches than he has on skates, but somehow, Jake Taylor has been able to fulfill a childhood dream.

Not only was the Port Perry resident bitten by the injury bug this season, it broke him. Twice. Both ankles some four months apart.


According to the article, this had him second-guessing his future...


Heading into the season, Taylor didn't have a commitment from an NCAA school. Sitting at home on the couch nursing a broken ankle, and then doing the same for the other one just a few months later, wasn't helping.

"That definitely crossed my mind," he says. "Especially after the second time. I was pretty upset about it. The first one I thought was bad luck, but the second one really took a toll on me. I thought if a team wants me, I've been in the league for five years, they had their chance.


But, enter Coach Dickinson and friends...


Brockport had shown a lot of interest last season, stayed in touch through the injuries this season, and showed a sense of loyalty that impressed Taylor. When he went on a visit to the campus this season, he decided to sign on.

"When I went down I really liked it. I liked the area and the coaching staff.

"I liked that the head coach (Brian Dickinson) came down last year and watched me play, not just a scout who may not have a say when I get there. I feel like I'm going to a school that wants me there and has high expectations for me."



You can read the article in its entirety here:

http://www.durhamregion.com/sports/article/1583826--port-perry-s-jake-taylor-gets-scholarship-from-the-college-at-brockport



Some folks might see this as gamble or a bad move by Coach.

Is it?

Look at two "reclamation projects" that he had in recent years:

Ray Tremblay had a bad back injury that would have ended most careers. Ray became an assistant captain for the Golden Eagles and was instrumental in getting the team into the playoffs 2 years running.

Then, there was Todd Sheridan. Everyone else passed on the goaltender because of fears that he was damaged goods after battling cancer. Todd, of course, when on to become a record-setting goalie and he had one of the most storied collegiate careers of any Brockport hockey player.

Let's hope Jake turns out to be another success story like those gentlemen. He might just do that --- Dickinson certainly has an eye for the talent and character to make that work. 

HAYWARD LIVING THE DREAM

Mississippi RiverKings Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Derek Landmesser announced Friday that the team has signed defenseman Mike Hayward to a contract. Terms and conditions were not released.

Hayward, 24, was a teammate of current RiverKings' rookie Ian Finnerty during his time at SUNY Brockport. The 6'0", 200 lbs. native of Toronto, Ont. appeared in 24 games with the Golden Eagles last season, recording 14 points (6G, 8A).

Hayward made his professional debut Friday night as the RiverKings took on the Fayetteville FireAntz.

ALUMNUS GERSHON DOING WELL AS PORT HURON LEADER

Mike Gershon was a hard-hitting All-SUNYAC defenseman for the Golden Eagles during the playoff years. It's good to see he is doing well as General Manager and Coach of the Port Huron Fighting Falcons of the NAHL.

An article that ran in this week's Times Herald looks at how he has keenly positioned his team for the playoffs with some wise trades.

Read the report here:   http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20130219/SPORTS/302190020/

SPOONER: BROCKPORT ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Colby Spooner (Hilton, NY/Aquinas Institute) is the College at Brockport's Male Athlete of the week. Spooner scored his first three goals of the season and has been named The College at Brockport Male Athlete of the Week. In Friday night’s fifth annual Saves For a Cure game, Spooner scored his first goal of the season with a first period score against Morrisville. The Golden Eagles went on to win their final State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) contest of the year 4-2. In Spooner’s final game of his Brockport career, the senior scored two goals against Franklin Pierce as the Golden Eagles dropped the Ravens 6-2. Spooner scored the game’s first goal just 55 seconds into the contest. The senior finished off the Brockport scoring with a third period goal at the 10:50 mark. Spooner finished his Brockport career with 12 points on seven goals and five assists.

BROCKPORT CLOSES OUT SEASON WITH 6-2 VICTORY

The Athletic Department recaps Saturday's season finale...

Senior Colby Spooner (Hilton, NY/Aquinas) and freshman Chase Nieuwendyk (Georgetown, ONT/Trenton Golden Hawks) scored two goals each to lead The College at Brockport Hockey team to a 6-2 victory over Franklin Pierce University Saturday night in the season finale at the Tuttle North Arena in Brockport.

Brockport (7-16-2) needed a win or a tie by Cortland against Potsdam to qualify for the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament but the Bears posted a 2-1 victory which dropped the Golden Eagles out of the playoff bracket.

The Golden Eagles started quickly against Franklin Pierce (8-11-3) as Spooner scored 55 seconds into the contest on the first shift of the game as the senior , along with classmate Mike Hayward (Toronto, ONT/Vaughan Vipers) were both in the starting lineup for the Golden Eagles. Spooner was assisted on the goal by Troy Polino (Limerick, PA/New York Bobcats) and Michael Zagari (McKees Rocks, PA/Jamestown Ironmen).

The Ravens answered at the 14:36 mark of the first period to even the score at 1-1 but Nieuwendyk scored the first of his two goals one minute later to regain the lead for Brockport. Polino assisted on the goal to pick up his second point of the game.

Late in the first period, Chris Cangro (Holbrook, NY/New York Bobcats) made it a 3-1 Brockport lead scoring with 3:11 left in the opening period.

In the second period, freshman defenseman Chad Cummings (Caledon, ONT/Wellington Dukes) scored his first goal of the season for a 4-1 lead and Nieuwendyk added his second goal of the game 20 seconds later for a 5-1 Brockport advantage.

Spooner's second goal of the game with 9:10 left in the third period gave the Golden Eagles a 6-1 lead and Franklin Pierce scored with 7:26 remaining to end the scoring.

Aaron Green (Mt. Albert, ONT/St. Michaels Buzzers) made 18 saves for the Golden Eagles while Pat Dunn and Kyle Moran combined for 35 saves for the Ravens.

BROCKPORT BEATS MORRISVILLE 4-2

The Sports Information Desk looks at last night's victory...


Freshman Shane Cavalieri (Richmond Hill, ONT/Toronto Lakeshore Patriots) scored 6:41 into the third period to break a 2-2 tie sending The College at Brockport Hockey team to a 4-2 victory over Morrisville Friday night in a key State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game at the Tuttle North Arena in Brockport. The game was the Fifth Annual Saves for a Cure contest with money being raised to benefit the charity started by Brockport alum Todd Sheridan. The Golden Eagles will auction off the jerseys worn in the game.

The victory pushed the Golden Eagles to 11 points in the SUNYAC standings with five win and a tie and are currently one point ahead of Potsdam in the standings. Potsdam has one game remaining at Cortland Saturday. A Potsdam win would put the Bears in the final playoff spot while a tie or a loss at Cortland would put the Golden Eagles into the final playoff position. A Potsdam tie at Cortland would cause a tie between the two teams with the tie not broken until the fourth tiebreaker criteria and Brockport holding a lower goal differential against all conference opponents for the season.

Against Morrisville (4-18-2 Overall, 4-11 SUNYAC), freshman Chris Luker (New Hartford, NY/Buffalo Jr. Sabres) scored early in the first period with his second goal of the year 1:34 into the contest to give the Golden Eagles an early spark.

Brockport (6-16-2, 5-10-1) made it a 2-0 lead eight minutes later as Colby Spooner (Hilton, NY/Aquinas Institute) scored his first goal of the season.

Morrisville cut the lead to 2-1 on a power play goal with just less than five minutes left in the opening period.

In the second period, the Mustangs tied the score at 2-2 five minutes into the stanza with their second power play goal of the game.

In the third period, Cavalieri netted the game-winner 6:41 into the period with assists from James Ryan (Richmond Hill, ONT/Toronto Lakeshore Patriots) and Jesse Facchini (Mississauga, ONT/Mississauga Chargers).

With the Morrisville goalie out of the net for the extra attacker in the closing moments of the third period, Brockport added an empty net goal for the final margin of victory.

Freshman Jared Lockhurst (Caledon, ONT/Wellington Dukes) made 27 saves in the Brockport goal while Christopher Azzano was credited with 31 saves for the Mustangs.

BSG HANDING OUT RALLY TOWELS FOR THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES

WHAT'S SAVES FOR A CURE ALL ABOUT?

Students and families new to the Brockport College community may be unfamiliar with Saves For a  Cure. If you'd like to know more about the organization and its founder --- Todd Sheridan -- watch this 2008 episode of WNY Tonight. It's a one-hour broadcast spread over 5 parts...

THINGS TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEKEND

Brockport can make the playoffs only if they win Friday's game and Potsdam loses both of their weekend games. So, be sure to keep an eye on the Potsdam scoreboards. You can follow their Twitter feed at: https://twitter.com/PotsdamBears

Potsdam's demise notwithstanding, this weekend will mark the last games for team captain Mike Hayward and Colby Spooner, our last connections to the playoff years. Mike, who was Second Team all-SUNYAC last season, comes into his final 2 games with a 14-39-53 line in 97 career games. His fellow blueliner, Colby, sports a 4-5-9 line in 68 NCAA match-ups. 

In 2008-2009 Todd Sheridan set the Brockport single-season record for saves percentage with a stellar .917. Todd will be at Tuttle this weekend for the Saves For a Cure events and will likely see his record fall. Freshman Jared Lockhurst comes into the weekend at .919, facing a Morrisville squad with three 20-point forwards not afraid to attack the net. In such chippy conference affairs, Lockhurst has been dominant with a .922 saves percentage.

Freshman Jesse Facchini needs only 3 points to reach 20 on the season. He will become the first freshman to lead the team since all-time great James Cody did so in 2008-2009. If he doesn't hit 20, this will be the third Brockport squad of this century to lack a 20-point scorer (2001-2002 and 2005-2006 were the other two).

Shane Cavalieri has a team high 8 goals on the season -- 2 short of the magical 10 goal barrier. If he gets double digits he will join James Cody as the only Brockport rookies in the past 16 years to score that many.

Brockport has only 279 penalty minutes on the season. In DIII, anything sub-320 is awesome. If they come out of the weekend with 20 penalty minutes earned, it will be the first sub-300 Brockport squad in my 20 seasons watching the team -- and it may be the first ever on campus.      

STYLUS LOOKS AT WEEKEND THAT WAS & WEEKEND THAT WILL BE

In this week's Brockport Stylus there is an article by hockey writer Brandon Wood about last weekend's games as well as the playoff scenario that exists for this weekend's regular season finale...

Captain Mike Hayward guaranteed his team’s return last week to the SUNYAC ice hockey playoffs this season. However, after being swept on a road trip in Upstate New York, the Golden Eagles no longer control their own destiny.

They need to beat Morrisville at home and need a lot of help from other SUNYAC teams if they are to make the postseason tournament for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

Brockport (5-16-2 overall, 4-10-1 SUNYAC) opened its weekend of SUNYAC play Friday, Feb. 8 at Potsdam, who sat at the bottom of the conference entering the weekend.

With no scoring in the first period of the game, the Eagles struck first on the power play when Chase Nieuwendyk scored the third goal of his injury-shortened season seven minutes into the second period. The Bears answered back six minutes later to even the score at one.

Shane Cavalieri gave Brockport the lead once again just 22 seconds into the third period for his team-leading eighth goal of the season. Cavalieri is seventh in freshman scoring in the SUNYAC with 13 points.

“If you had asked me back in September who would be leading the team, Shane wouldn’t have been at the top but he would have been near the top,” Head Coach Brian Dickinson said. “We brought in Shane because we knew he is a goal scorer. I think that all of our freshmen have done a great job of coming in and trying to get better.”

Brockport’s lead held up until seven minutes remained in regulation, when Potsdam tied the game at two on a goal from its leading scorer Mike Arnold.

Brockport took its third lead of the game 41 seconds later when freshman Jeremy DeFazio scored his fourth of the season to make the score 3-2 Eagles.

In overtime, the Eagles never got a shot on goal. Potsdam outshot them 4-0. Billy Pascalli scored the game-winning goal two minutes into overtime to give the Bears the two crucial conference points. Jared Lockhurst made 37 saves in goal for the Eagles.

“It’s tough to lose a game like that,” Dickinson said. “It’s heart-wrenching to give up a game-tying goal with four seconds left.”

In its second game of the weekend Saturday, Feb. 9, the Eagles faced No. 9 Plattsburgh on the road. 

Once again, the Eagles held the lead only to have it erased. Freshman Jesse Facchini scored his third goal of the season four minutes into the game, but Plattsburgh answered to tie the game one minute later.

Ten minutes later, Dillan Fox gave Plattsburgh the 2-1 lead when he beat senior Aaron Green. Green got the start over Lockhurst against Plattsburgh.

“We just felt like a night off for [Jared] would be beneficial after what happened the night before,” Dickinson said.

Green made 33 saves, including 16 in the second period when the Cardinals had their only two power plays of the game.

Brockport’s penalty kill was one of the bright spots throughout the weekend, as it did not give up a goal while shorthanded in five total kills. The Eagles have the fourth best penalty kill in the SUNYAC, stopping their opponents 81.1 percent of the time.

Plattsburgh scored the game’s final goal midway through the third period, as Brockport’s offense struggled in the last period of the game, when it managed just five shots on goal.

The Eagles have one game remaining in SUNYAC play as they host Morrisville Friday, Feb. 15 at Tuttle North Ice Arena. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. They have a game at home Saturday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. against Franklin Pierce for Senior Night that will have no effect on the SUNYAC playoff race.

Morrisville kept Brockport from making the SUNYAC playoffs in the season’s final game last year, and has a chance to repeat that feat this season. Whichever team loses this game will be eliminated from SUNYAC playoff contention.

“You never totally forget about what happened in the past, but at the end of the day we need to focus on playing a solid game against Morrisville,” Dickinson said. “If we play with a passion like we played in Plattsburgh, we win those hockey games against any other team [in the SUNYAC] that isn’t Plattsburgh or Potsdam.”

If Brockport does win, that doesn’t mean they will make the playoffs, as Potsdam upset No. 14 Geneseo in overtime Saturday, Feb. 9 and now controls its own fate. If Potsdam wins either of its remaining two home games, the Eagles cannot make the postseason.

“We told them going into Saturday we couldn’t control anything in any arena but the one we are in,” Dickinson said. “There’s a reason why we play the games and upsets happen.”



Source:

http://www.thestylus.net/sports/brockport-hockey-captain-s-guarantee-in-jeopardy-1.2988828?pagereq=1#.UR4JPWd0hwZ

SAVES FOR A CURE BENEFIT LUNCHEON

There will be a chicken BBQ dinner benefiting Saves For a Cure this Saturday afternoon, February 16th, at 58 Main Restaurant and Smokin' BBQ in Brockport, just north of the lift bridge. The BBQ is available from 11:30 to 2:30.

Dinner tickets are available from any of the hockey players and will also be on sale at Friday's game. The tickets are $10 each and meals can be dine in or take out.

The meal will be served by the Golden Eagles hockey team.

The Facebook event page can be found here:


https://www.facebook.com/events/525171004193665/

TAYLOR COMMITS TO BROCKPORT

Lindsay Muskies forward Jake Taylor (photo credit - Andy Corneau/OJHL Images) has confirmed his commitment to join The College at Brockport Golden Eagles beginning with the 2013-14 SUNYAC season.

The Port Perry, Ontario native is currently completing his fifth OJHL season after joining the league as a 16-year old member of the Port Hope Predators in 2008-09.  After recording 10 points in 30 games played as a rookie, Taylor joined the Peterborough Stars in 2009-10 and would up his offensive output to 7 goals and 15 points in 34 gams played, while also getting his first taste of OJHL playoff action.  Year three saw Taylor as one of the Stars leaders, finishing second on the club in scoring by notching 50 points in 38 games played, but he would be on the move to Whitby following the 2010-11 season.  After 15 points in 23 games with the Fury, he would be traded to Lindsay, finishing sixth on the Muskies in scoring with 14 goals and 34 points in 40 games played.  Despite missing a large portion of the season, Taylor has already tied his career-high with 15 goals and sits seventh on the club in scoring with 27 points in 24 contests.