The Rutland Herald (Vermont) reports on tonight's game...
Golden Eagles to face Castleton
The Golden Eagles want to play a Thanksgiving weekend tournament for a couple of reasons: They like to see some alternate competition and it preps them for league play before the semester break.
"For us, a Thanksgiving tournament is ideal," said coach Brian Dickinson, whose Eagles will face Castleton in the opening round today.
"We start a little bit earlier than the teams out East."We've consistently gone to Thanksgiving tournaments. What is does for us is keep us in the rhythm of our season."
Brockport is off to somewhat of a slow start at 3-4-1. They have beaten Lebanon Valley and Morrisville, split with Geneseo, lost to Hobart, Plattsburgh, Oswego and Cortland, and tied with Potsdam. They are 2-3-1 in the SUNYAC.
"I think we've left some better results on the ice, we've been hurt by mental letdowns," said Dickinson, whose Eagles have given up goals in spurts. "Oswego scored six in the first and Cortland five in the second. Those type of periods obviously take you out of hockey games. I told them it's OK to give up a goal but they've got to understand when a team scores on us, it's not the end of world. You've got to come out and play the next shift and not let teams get goals in bunches."
Brockport is fairly young compared to last season when the Eagles had 12 seniors. This year there are only six and the newcomers are still trying to find their stride. Two of the seniors are leading the team in scoring. Mike Gershon and Dave McNab each have five goals and two assists, while junior Sean O'Malley (1-6-7) leads the team in assists with six.
Junior Todd Sheridan had done the bulk of the goaltending, owning a 3-1-1 record. He has a .925 save percentage with a 2.48 goals-against average.
The Eagles and Spartans will square off at 6 p.m. tonight.
"We're excited to play some different teams," Dickinson said. "Playing Castleton will be a great test. They've been right on the edge the past few years."We're excited to play out East. Hopefully we can go out there and play our game and have some success for our program and our league."
Source:
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081129/SPORTS/811290305/1007/SPORTS
