EMERY WARY OF BROCKPORT

This article ran in today's Press Republican, the North Country's newspaper...

Emery wary of Brockport

PLATTSBURGH — The Plattsburgh State men's hockey team's 22-1-2 overall record, 15-0-1 mark in State University of New York Athletic Conference regular season play and a current No. 1 Division III ranking in the country is all impressive to say the least.

But, starting tonight, games take on new meaning for the Cardinals.

Plattsburgh State opens up defense of its SUNYAC Tournament title when it hosts Brockport in semifinal action at 7 p.m. at the Stafford Ice Arena.

"It's one and done now," said Plattsburgh State head coach Bob Emery. "Come playoff time, anyone can win. The harder games to win are sometimes the ones you're supposed to win. Brockport is coming in with everything to gain and nothing to lose."

The fourth-seeded Golden Eagles (14-9-3 overall) are coming off Tuesday night's 3-1 victory over Potsdam in the SUNYAC Tournament quarterfinals where goaltender Todd Sheridan came up big, stopping 43 of 44 Bears' shots. Sheridan, a junior, sports a 10-3-3 record with a 2.37 goals-against average.

"As a coach, you want to go into every game playing your style of hockey," Emery said. "We have to go into a game prepared to win, 1-0, if we have to, and the Brockport game is no different. We will still play our offensive style of hockey where we will try and wear our opponents down by skating four lines and six defensemen."

Leading Brockport in scoring are freshman forward James Cody (10-12-22), junior center Sean O'Malley (5-17-22), senior forward Dave McNab (11-10-21) and senior forward Tim Crowley (8-12-20).

"Brockport has to be feeling good about themselves," Emery said. "Their coach (Brian Dickinson) has done a great job and they've had to work hard for everything. If I was their coach, I would be proud because this is the best season they've ever had."

Brockport has outscored opponents by a 93-83 margin.

"Our last loss was to Skidmore and Brockport is a better team than Skidmore," Emery said.

The Cardinals' last game was a 6-1 road victory over Cortland this past Saturday. Plattsburgh State enters the SUNYAC Tournament riding a 10-game winnning streak.

"I constantly remind our team that defense wins," said Emery. "And, hard work will beat skill because skill doesn't work hard. We have to stay in shape day in and day out, have to win in practices, in warm-ups and watch video so we can improve and get better all the time."

Plattsburgh State, which has outscored its opponents by a 119-43 margin, is led by sophomore goaltender Bryan Hince (20-1-2, 1.68 gaa).

The Cardinals have seven players with 20 points or more, including sophomore forward Dylan Clarke (15-23-38), senior forward Joey Wilson (21-13-34), junior forward Phil Farrow (10-23-33), senior forward Riley Hill (12-16-28), sophomore forward Eric Satim (11-17-28), senior defenseman Nick Rolls (5-21-26) and sophomore defenseman Ryan Corry (4-16-20).

"Everyone should be available to play," Emery said.

The Cardinals skated to a 5-0 win at Brockport on Nov. 14 and then had a tougher time in a 4-2 victory at the Stafford Ice Arena on Februay 6.

Tonight's other SUNYAC Tournament semifinal has second-seeded Oswego hosting third-seeded Geneseo. The Knights advanced with a 4-3 overtime win over Buffalo State.

Source:

http://www.pressrepublican.com/0300_sports/local_story_059055726.html?keyword=topstory

ANOTHER GREAT VIDEO

Here is yet another awesome video produced by Cam Noble, Justin Noble's brother....

CARDINAL POINTS PREVIEW OF THE BIG GAME

This article appeared in today's edition of Cardinal Points, Plattsburgh's student newspaper...

Cards entertain Brockport in SUNYAC semifinals

Brockport Head Coach Brian Dickinson said if there is one thing teams try to do when playing against the Plattsburgh State men's hockey team, it's keeping them off the scoreboard as long as possible.

Yet while that seems like an obvious goal for any team's opponent, it's especially true for the No. 1 team in the nation, and will be a focal point for the Golden Eagles when they face off against the Cardinals in the SUNYAC semifinals Saturday at Stafford Ice Arena.

"They are always good at scoring in bunches," Dickinson said. "The chances of shutting them out are pretty slim, but you can't give them multiple goals in a short period of time."

PSUC has done just that all season long, and in the most crucial times. Facing their first potential threat of an unbeaten season earlier in the year in Potsdam, the Cards rallied for three scores in less than 10 minutes to tie the game at four. Then, at home against Oswego, PSUC was down by two in the third period before scoring twice and again in the overtime period for a dramatic victory over a long-time rival. And the list goes on.

But a revamped Brockport squad that went from a 7-15-3 record last season to 14-7-3 this year is willing to do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening - which PSUC is well aware of.

"They are a hard-working team - they play very good defensively," PSUC Head Coach Bob Emery said. "The foundation of their team is from the goalie on out."

The Golden Eagles advanced to the semifinal game with a 3-1 victory over Potsdam Tuesday, while the Cards defeated Oswego Friday to clinch first place in the conference and a first-round by.

Dickinson said team chemistry has been the key to Brockport's success this season."We've gotten great leadership from our captains," he said. "These guys accepted the new guys in, put an agenda together and really followed through. They're as tight a group as I've ever had, and it's strictly business when they come to work every day."

A victory Saturday over Cortland put PSUC at its undeniable No. 1 slot in the USCHO.com national poll, which will pay dividends come NCAA Tournament time.

"Right now, from a national standpoint, we're sitting pretty at the No. 1 seed," Emery said. "It's going to take more than one loss in the SUNYAC to take us out of it."

However, PSUC still wants to repeat as conference champions this season, which would be a big boost before the national tournament.

Emery said it is still "anybody's conference," and PSUC goaltender Bryan Hince agreed.

"We know that in this league, anyone can beat anyone on any given night, so it is really important for us to be well-prepared," Hince said. "Brockport has a good all-around squad and they always play us tough. The important thing for us is to stay hungry and to stay healthy to maximize our chances of winning."

For Brockport, Dickinson said the only way to beat a team like Plattsburgh is to take time off of the clock and hope the Cards "tighten up."

SATURDAY'S GAME WILL BE ON WBSU

If you can't make it to Saturday's game, and there will be many of us who can't, make it a point to tune in to the Point. WBSU will be providing coverage of the game starting at 6:45 PM. Eavesdrop on the action on air at 89.1 FM or online at http://891thepoint.com

BROCKPORT-PLATTSBURGH PREVIEW

Russell Jaslow at USCHO.com has written a nice preview of this weekend's big game...


Brockport (14-9-3, 7-7-2) at Plattsburgh (22-1-2, 15-0-1)

If there is one goaltending match up everyone wanted to see, this is it: Bryan Hince versus Todd Sheridan. First against second team All-Conference. .937 save pct. versus .916 save pct. These two netminders have been the topic of a heated debate on the USCHO.com message boards. Whether it gets settled or not on Saturday, it will at least be fun to watch.

“They are going to rally behind their goalie and try to win the game starting from him on out,” Plattsburgh coach Bob Emery said.

“When we let him know he was second team All-Conference, he was a little perturbed at that,” Brockport coach Brian Dickinson said after the play-in game. “Although we have a lot of respect for Mr. Hince up at Plattsburgh, Todd is a competitor, and he thinks he’s the best guy for the job. Obviously, we’ll need a healthy Todd Sheridan to be on top of his game because it will be a game where most likely we’ll be outshot.”

Plattsburgh certainly has the stronger supporting cast, which Dickinson is fully aware of.

“They’re deep,” he said. “All you have to do is look at the first team All-Conference and see it’s basically all Plattsburgh. You just have to take care of the middle of the ice, force everything outside.”

Loaded may be more like it as the Cardinals have six of the top 13 scorers: Dylan Clarke (11-15-26), Joey Wilson (12-10-22), Riley Hill (9-12-21), Nick Rolls (5-15-20), Phil Farrow (6-14-20), and Eric Satim (9-10-19). This allowed Plattsburgh to have the top offense with the only team averaging over five goals a game. Oh, and they just so happen to also be the only team that lets up less than two goals each contest. Plus, they are the least penalized team, have the best penalty kill (85.9%) and the second best power play (26.7%), and they have not allowed a shortie all season.

“If we play the same game we did a couple of weeks ago and get a couple of timely scores when the game was close, we’ll take our chances,” Dickinson said.

Plattsburgh knows not to take Brockport lightly. The Golden Eagles in some ways seem to be a team of destiny. Just when people want to count them out, they perform an accomplishment the school has never seen before.

“I know we’ll run into a very hard working team,” Emery said. “They are going to come in and throw everything but the kitchen sink at us. They have a few former Plattsburgh players that will be coming in here with a lot of emotion.”

“We’ve got to work hard. We’ve got to be energized. We do that, we play our best hockey,” Dickinson said. “We have to tighten up our zone a little bit.

Leading the way for Brockport is Sean O’Malley (4-14-18), Tim Crowley (6-9-15), Dave McNab (8-6-14), James Cody (5-9-14), and Mike Gershon (6-6-12), along with two excellent rookie defensemen, Greg Amato and Andrew Simmons.

“You are only as good as your goalie in this game,” Emery said. “It’s like a pitcher in baseball. If you don’t have a good goalie, you’re not going to have a chance to win.”

“To advance in this league when it’s one and done, if you have a solid goaltender, you can go far,” Dickinson said.

Let the battle commence.



To read the rest of Jaslow's column, where he talks about Brockport's victory over Potsdam, go here: http://www.uscho.com/news/college-hockey/id,16728

BROCKPORT - PLATTSBURGH TICKETS

The Plattsburgh State Athletics Department has announced on Thursday, Feb. 26, the release of 200 standing-room-only and up to 200 reserved-seat tickets for this weekend's State University of New York Athletic Conference men's hockey tournament semifinal game between the Cardinals and visiting Brockport State. The tickets are $6 each. They will go on sale at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the Field House Box Office; the opening face-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Stafford Ice Arena. Phone orders will not be accepted on Saturday; tickets are available at the door only.

BROCKPORT GETS 3-1 PLAYOFF WIN AGAINST POTSDAM

Following last night’s game I had a smile on my face for pretty much the whole drive home. You can’t blame me. I was proud of the kids for what they accomplished. I’ve been following the team for 16 seasons (nearly as long as some of the team’s freshmen have been alive) and it was rewarding for me, as such a long-time fan, to see this magical season culminate in Brockport’s first-ever playoff win. The success of this season is no doubt the start of a new era of Brockport hockey and last night’s historic playoff win – hopefully the first of many – was the piece de resistance for this season.

The Golden Eagles took it to the Potsdam Bears all night long, who returned the favor in kind, making for an exciting game that was coast-to-coast for all three periods. When it was all said and done, Brockport came out on top 3-1, stifling one of Division III’s best offenses.

The first period was dominated by Brockport, the team skating into intermission with a 1-0 lead. Jason Gorrie’s goal was an impressive blast from the boards. The crowd was slow to recognize the score because it appeared that the Potsdam goaltender (O’Neill) had blocked it with his leg pad (you could hear the contact at the other end of the ice), but Gorrie put enough sauce on it that the puck careened off the pad into the net.

What really set apart Brockport in the first was the defensive style of play. Every man, be it a score-happy forward or a conservative defenseman, chipped in on blocking shots, hitting guys, and clearing the puck. I thought Mike Gershon dominated in the first period and for that period he was the best player on the ice. He was hustling and aggressive and did a lot to keep the puck moving. Dave McNab had a great special teams performance in the first, his play on penalty kill was key to keeping Potsdam away from the net. James Cody and Rick Stanek had mammoth hits in the first, dropping Potsdam forwards to the ice. Todd Sheridan had four glove saves alone in the first. But, the best save of the period was by Aaron Boyer, laying himself out to take the full brunt of a slapshot in the first two minutes of the game.

Following the first intermission, Potsdam finally gained a sense of urgency and they piled on the shots in the second and third periods. And, that’s when Todd Sheridan took control of the game and showed why he is among the very best in the nation --- and why he should have been SUNYAC first team. Over the final two periods he made ten spectacular saves that very few other goaltenders would make in a season, let alone in one game. Buried under a relentless flurry of shots, he kept the team alive. I really can’t provide enough superlatives for his performance. It was that good!

Todd’s second period saves were really out of this world. Six and a half minutes into the period he made a Hasek-save that stopped a for-sure goal. One minute later, he took one right in the manhood with a brilliant scissor-kick stop. At the half-way mark in the second he made an extraordinary save: A Potsdam winger broke free and was completely by himself. He was so grossly alone it looked almost like an NHL shootout opportunity. Todd tumbled and busted up the potential goal.

Not to be outdone, James Cody, who is truly a fun player to watch, took control of the offensive side of the ice in the second. Both of his goals were hustling. On his first one he flew in to take score on what seemed to be total confusion by the defenseman and goaltender. Both were out of position and he took advantage of that. His second goal, which occurred two seconds after a 5-on-3, was a direct result of Brockport’s hard work as a team and James’ ability to muscle the defense away from the net.

He had some quality shots in the period. As a matter of fact, the entire team did all game. In games past they’ve taken shots from all angles and put many shots on goal, and because of that need to shoot not all shots have been of the best quality. But, this week, Coach Dickinson got them into the mindset of focusing not on the fancy stuff but on making every shot meaningful. The attention to that paid off. The Potsdam goaltender faced very few chest shots and he himself made about 4 great saves.

Among the best team moments of the entire game was a Brockport penalty kill in the last minutes of the second period. They allowed Potsdam to take only 3 shots. 3 Shots from one of DIII’s best power plays!! Now, that’s why this team is something special!

Potsdam’s urgency was really heightened in the third, being down 3-0, so they sped up the tempo. They nearly scored a goal early in the period. A forward took Todd out while knocking the net loose. It was originally ruled a goal, but after a lot of discussion it was called off. Minutes later, at the 11:00 minute mark, one of their players took a run at Todd who was absolutely crushed. That did not throw him out of sync because what happened next was surreal: Todd faced a few shots on the next Potsdam power play and he had two consecutive saves that were unbelievable…sprawled out like a rug in front of the net, he, while face down, deflected one shot with his glove, and then, with his back turned, still in that same position, he used the back of his elbow to turn away a goal like he knew where the shot was going even though he was using only his peripheral vision! Insane!

Potsdam finally got on the scoreboard with just over two minutes left in the game, but Brockport’s attention to detail over the last eight minutes prevented it from becoming a game. James Cody upended people while Gregg Amato cleared away a bunch of shots (I thought Gregg had an awesome game. I’m glad Brockport has him for another 3 years). Lucas Schott was a brilliant defensive forward hitting people and intercepting passes like it was going out of style. And, Sean O’Malley continued to impress, intercepting numerous Potsdam passes.

An awesome performance all the way around! This game lived up to the hype and Brockport played like they’ve been here before. That bodes well for Saturday’s trip to Plattsburgh!



Here’s the Athletic Department’s recap of the game…

Freshman James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) scored two goals, junior Jason Gorrie (Etobicoke, ONT) had a goal and an assist, Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) had a pair of assists and junior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) made 43 saves as The College at Brockport Ice Hockey team skated to a 3-1 victory over SUNY Potsdam in the first round of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament Tuesday night at the Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.

Brockport (14-7-3) advances to play top-seeded SUNY Plattsburgh at 7 pm Saturday, February 28 in Plattsburgh. The Cardinals are the top-ranked team in the country. In the other half of the bracket, SUNY Geneseo defeated Buffalo State 4-3 in overtime and advances to play No. 2 seed SUNY Oswego at 7 pm Saturday.

Against Potsdam (9-12-5), Gorrie scored an unassisted goal midway through the first period to give the Golden Eagles the early lead. Brockport improved to 11-2-2 when scoring the first goal of the game.

In the second period, Cody made it a 2-0 Brockport lead with his first goal of the night two minutes into the period and then extended the lead to 3-0 with a goal two seconds after Potsdam had killed off a two-man advantage for nearly the full two minutes.

Potsdam added a late goal with less than three minutes left in the game for the final score.

Sheridan finished with 43 saves including 16 in each of the final two periods to earn his 10th victory of the season.

TWO BROCKPORT ICEMEN MAKE SUNYAC TEAM

Two of Brockport's hockey players made the SUNYAC's All-Conference Second Team.

Defensemen Mike Gershon and goaltender Todd Sheridan were awarded their respective slots on the team.

Mike and Todd led a defensive unit that allowed only 60 goals in conference play.

In SUNYAC play Mike had 12 points in 16 games as well as a hat trick. Todd posted a .916 save percentage and a 2.83 GAA in league games. Todd becomes the first Brockport netminder ever named to a SUNYAC team.

Congrats, men!

TONIGHT'S GAME

The College at Brockport Hockey team earned the No. 4 seed in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament and will host a tournament game for the first time in school history when the Golden Eagles face off against SUNY Potsdam at 7 pm Tuesday at Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.

Brockport (13-7-3) will face the Bears (9-11-5) for the third time this season skating to a 2-2 tie in Brockport in November and then winning a wild 8-6 victory in Potsdam on February 7.

The Golden Eagles return to the SUNYAC Tournament after qualifying last in 2006-07 and are led by four players with at least 20 points each. Junior Sean O’Malley (Lakewood, OH) leads the team with 22 points on five goals and 17 assists while senior captain Dave McNab (Hamilton, ONT) has a team-leading 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points. Freshman James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) and senior Tim Crowley (Brasher Falls, NY) each have contributed eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points.

Junior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) finished the regular season with a 9-3-3 record and is ranked among the top-4 goalies in the conference in both goals against average (2.47) and save percentage (.919).

GET THERE EARLY...GET IN FOR FREE

Brockport Student Government has announced that they will be paying for the first 100 student admissions to tomorrow night's game. So, get there early!

THE PLAYOFFS COME TO TUTTLE THIS TUESDAY!

The fruits of the labors of the Brockport hockey team will be realized on Tuesday night. Their efforts in this magical season are paying off as the Golden Eagles host a playoff hockey game for the first time in the program’s history.

The players have busted their butts for their entire hockey lives, hoping for a moment like this. It will be an exciting game, not only because of its historical importance, but also because of what will happen on the ice. When you see a playoff hockey game, you want a close, nerve-wracking game.

That’s what you’ll get with the Potsdam Bears.

Potsdam is 9-11-5 on the year, but realize they are 6-4-2 since Christmas and they stunned Oswego over the weekend. So, they are very dangerous.

The teams have faced each other twice this year and both games have been incredibly entertaining.

They skated to a 2-2 stalemate in the first match-up back in November. James Cody scored the most important goal of the season, tying the game with less than two minutes to go in the third. Had he not done so, the playoff picture would have changed considerably and Brockport would not be hosting a game.

Earlier this month, Brockport beat the Bears at Potsdam with an 8-6 victory that wasn’t sealed until the very last minute of the game. In that old fashioned shootout, 8 different Brockport players scored a goal.

So, this won’t be an easy one for Brockport to win.

You can expect that with Potsdam, one of the most dangerous offenses in DIII. They are the 15th highest-scoring team in the nation, putting up 4.12 goals per game. They are led by Connor Treacy who has 39 points and 19 goals. He’s complimented by Fraser Smith and his 16 goals and Luke Beck and his 26 assists. Gaudy numbers all the way around.

Their numbers are just as gaudy on defense, though not in a good way (for them). They are 58th in the nation in defense (4/game) and their number one goaltender, Trevor O’Neill, has struggled under the barrage of quality shots (.856 saves % and a 4.06 GAA).

Without a doubt this is the most meaningful hockey game ever held on campus and it could be one of the most exciting (multiple overtimes, anyone?). I predict that when the smoke clears, Brockport comes out on top.

The game begins at 7:00 PM. If you can’t make it, listen to coverage on WBSU…89.1 FM or http://891thepoint.com

VIDEO FROM SAVES FOR A CURE WEEKEND

After a really depressing weekend of Brockport hockey, players and fans need a pick-me-up. So, here's something for you: a new video posted by "JonJohnson" at YouTube. This one is a highlight reel from the Saves For a Cure weekend. His first video was awesome and this one is even better. Great production quality!

BROCKPORT IS BEATEN BY BUFF STATE 4-1

The story as reported by the Brockport Athletic Department...

Sophomore Ryan Silveira (Brampton, ONT) scored the lone goal for The College at Brockport Hockey team in a 4-1 loss to Buffalo State Saturday night in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game in Buffalo. The loss drops Brockport to the No.4 seed in the SUNYAC Tournament and the Golden Eagles will face SUNY Potsdam at 7 pm Tuesday in the first round of the tournament. The home tournament game will be the first in school history.

Buffalo State (10-11-4) scored in the first 20 seconds of the game and then took a 2-0 lead with a goal at the end of the first period with 30 seconds on the clock. There was no scoring in the second period and Buffalo State took a 3-0 lead midway through the final period which sparked several altercations and resulted in 19 penalties and nine 10-minute misconducts between the two teams. Brockport scored with the Silveira goal with 35 seconds left in the contest and Buffalo State added an empty net goal 19 seconds later for the final score.




The story as reported by Russell Jaslow at USCHO.com...


Buffalo State Romps Over Brockport

BUFFALO, N.Y. (Feb. 21) — The task was simple for Buffalo State: win, and except for one bizarre set of circumstances, they would be in the SUNYAC playoffs. Thus, Buffalo State did exactly that, scoring immediately en route to a 4-1 victory over Brockport and get to play another day.

“We wanted to take care of business,” Buffalo State coach Nick Carriere said. “I think we were ready to go tonight.”

“We’re disappointed with the way we played all weekend long,” Brockport coach Brian Dickinson said. “We didn’t play with much emotion all weekend long. Tonight, I thought we were a little better in the first period. We need to find a way in the next 72 hours to pick it up if we expect to advance in the playoffs.”

Buffalo State bookended the first period with a goal 20 seconds in and another with 30 seconds left. In between, they held off four Brockport power plays, including some five-on-three action. They also escaped an apparent Brockport score that was waved off because the net was knocked off just before the shot was taken. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Brockport, because they had Alan Fritch out of position and an open net to shoot at. The Golden Eagles also hit two posts in the opening period.

Nick Petriello scored an early goal on a quick counterattack. Petriello, from in-close on the right side, one-timed a centering pass past Oliver Wren.

“Just to get things going was huge for us,” Carriere said.

Jason Hill converted the late goal. He maintained control of the puck on the right side from close range before finally shooting through a small space into the upper near corner.

“That line of Petriello, Hill, and Sheppard, they really do some neat things with the puck,” Carriere said. “They make a lot of good things happen.”

In between those goals, Brockport had their goal called back.

“That’s frustrating,” Dickinson said. “We knew it was going to be called back, The net was clearly off.”

The second period went by without a goal, but not without a lack of trying. Both teams had excellent scoring chances and either shot wide, missed passes, or were stoned by two hot goaltenders.

Early in the third, Buffalo State had a chance to put the game away. With Wren out of position and the net open, the subsequent Bengals’ shot was saved by a diving Lucas Schott in front of the goal.

The Bengals did get that third goal to put the game away on their fourth power play opportunity at 11:37. Joel Sheppard knocked in a rebound at the goalmouth after Buffalo State applied consistent pressure.

Immediately afterwards, the game started to deteriorate. A scuffle after the goal resulted in two players from each team receiving a minor and a 10-minute misconduct. A minute later, that was followed by another scuffle, and another pair of offsetting minors and 10-minute misconducts. A few minutes later, Ryan Ramage received a major for high sticking as well as a holding minor.
With all those penalties, Brockport finally got on the scoreboard with a power play and their goaltender pulled. After Fritch stopped the initial shot, Ryan Silveira banged home the rebound.
However, Buffalo State came right back with 16 seconds left to score a long range short-handed empty-netter by Hill for his second of the night.

Fritch wound up with 31 saves.

“He’s a big square goaltender,” Carriere said. “When he does that he’s tough to beat. You see a lot of guys trying to pick the corners on him, and they hit the shoulder or miss the net.”

Buffalo State (10-11-4, 5-7-4) is the No. 6 seed in the SUNYAC playoffs and travels to Geneseo for the play-in round on Tuesday.

“We didn’t really do a good job,” Carriere said of their game against Geneseo yesterday. “Our guys in that room, they understand. They’re looking forward to going into Geneseo.”

Brockport (13-9-3, 7-7-2), despite losing both games this weekend, still gets to host a playoff game for the first time ever on Tuesday against Potsdam as the No. 4 seed.

“We need to get pucks into their corner, control the offensive zone, get pucks to O’Neill, and hopefully have the same success we had against them up north,” Dickinson said.

Source: http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20082009/m/02/21/brockst-buffst.php

WHY TONIGHT IS A MUST-WIN

To the passing observer, it would seem fit that Brockport take it easy tonight now that it's known they have a home playoff game on Tuesday.

This it not so.

The team needs to think ahead to the second round of the SUNYACs.

If Brockport wins tonight, they take control of third place in the SUNYAC, meaning that if they win on Tuesday, they'll play Oswego on Saturday.

If they lose tonight and Geneseo beats Fredonia, then Geneseo claims third place and Brockport, if they win on Tuesday, will end up playing Plattsburgh on Saturday.

Anyone will tell you that if Brockport looks to extend their season they'd be better off playing Oswego in the second stage of the playoffs, not Plattsburgh, a team that is a force to reckon with, and deservedly #1 in the nation. The Golden Eagles must delay playing them as long as possible.

TUESDAY'S TICKET PRICES

This Tuesday the Golden Eagles will be hosting their first-ever home playoff game. This historic match-up begins at 7:00 PM.

Unlike regular season games, there will be a cost. Neither students nor Golden Eagle Society members can get in for free for this game.

Ticket pricing in the postseason is regulated by the NCAA....and they get the money. Here's what you're looking at:

Adults $5
High School Students $3
College students (with ID) $2

In past playoffs for other sports, Brockport Student Government has come through to purchase some student tickets to give them out to our fans. This might happen again and if so the information will be posted here.

BROCKPORT IS TROUNCED BY FREDONIA....BUT...

The Brockport Athletic Department reports on last night's game and the playoff picture....

Junior Jason Gorrie (Etobicoke, ONT) scored both goals for The College at Brockport Hockey team in a 5-2 loss to SUNY Fredonia Friday night in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game in Fredonia.

Despite the loss, Brockport secured at least a top-four finish in the final regular-season SUNYAC standings by virtue of a SUNY Cortland loss to SUNY Potsdam and a Buffalo State loss to SUNY Geneseo on Friday night.

Brockport (13-8-3 overall, 7-6-2 SUNYAC) can finish no lower than fourth in the standings and a win over Buffalo State Saturday would secure the No. 3 seed in the SUNYAC Tournament, which begins Tuesday night. Brockport will host the fifth- or sixth-seeded team in the first round of the tournament. The game will be the first post-season hockey game played at Brockport since the program moved to the varsity level in 1973-74.

Against Fredonia (6-12-5, 4-7-4), the Blue Devils jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period before Gorrie put the Golden Eagles on the board with his first goal, 38 seconds into the second period.

Fredonia added a goal in the second for a 4-1 lead despite firing just five shots on goal in the period. The Blue Devils made it 5-1 seven minutes into the third period before Gorrie scored his second of the game with less than nine minutes remaining in the game.

Brockport finished with a 33-27 shots advantage and had nine power-play opportunities but found the back of the net on just one of the extra-man situations. The Golden Eagles were whistled for just two penalties in the contest.

Box score:

http://www.uscho.com/box/?date=20090220&vis=brockst&home=fredst&gender=m

THE PLAYOFF MESS

Here's what Russell Jaslow wrote about Brockport's situation in his SUNYAC column for this week....


Brockport is in the playoffs. That’s for sure because Cortland and Potsdam face each other, and thus one of those teams cannot get the four points necessary to catch Brockport. The question is, can Brockport hang onto home ice?

Geneseo can pass Brockport, but if they tie, Brockport wins the tie-breaker. If the Ice Knights do get by Brockport, then the Golden Eagles have to worry about whether any of the three teams who are four points behind can catch up.

Brockport wins the tie-breaker against Potsdam. Currently, they also hold it against Cortland, but that can change depending on the scores of the respective teams’ final two games. Buffalo State would have to beat Brockport in order to have any chance to tie them, and if that would happen, Brockport would win the tie-breaker based on total wins since they would have split their two games against each other.

Thus, Brockport is looking very good for their first home ice playoff game in school history. A lot of that is due not just to their play on the ice this year, but their newfound confidence and attitude.

Brockport coach Brian Dickinson said after the one goal lost to Oswego this past Friday:

“Last year when we lost 4-3, the guys were excited by the way we played. It was almost a win for us to lose by a goal to an Oswego and have them on the ropes at the end of the game. This year I go in the locker room and there wasn’t a guy in there that isn’t upset. We felt for 50 minutes we were as good if not a little better than the number nine team in the country, and we deserved to win the hockey game as much as they did. And that’s a good sign. We understand what’s at stake.”

As for what happens if there are multiple teams tied with Brockport, well quite frankly that’s when my head hurts. There are numerous possibilities, and I’ll either leave it for those with more time or simply wait till Sunday morning.



Read Russell's complete analysis of the playoffs here:

http://www.uscho.com/news/college-hockey/id,16672

BROCKPORT TO PLAY FREDONIA & BUFF STATE THIS WEEKEND

The Golden Eagles control their playoff destiny this weekend, travelling to Fredonia on Friday and Buffalo State on Saturday. If they win or tie just one of those games, the Golden Eagles host a playoff game on Tuesday. If they lose both, then there’s a very good chance that they might be visiting another team on Tuesday, depending on how all the other SUNYAC games play out. So, this weekend, just as the final weekends of the last two seasons (when Brockport was fighting to get into the playoffs), definitely has its drama.

Friday’s opponent is the most-beatable of the two. Fredonia does not look like the team of years past. They are only 5-12-5, a far cry from the successful team that at the end of last season had won 15 games in a season four years running. Coached by Brockport alumnus Jeff Meredith, they have always been dangerous under his watch: 18 seasons of double-digit win totals in his 21 year career. So, their sudden fall is kind of surprising to me.

It’s no doubt due to a cold offense. They have only 7 players with 10 or more points, only one with more than 13. They have one 8-goal scorer, one 7-goal scorer and, after those two, pretty much nothing.

Fredonia’s greatest strength is its goaltending, which is why the two teams skated to a 1-1 tie in December. Pat Street is one of the more athletic goaltenders in the SUNYAC and I’ll say he’s second-best in the league behind Todd Sheridan. Street sports a .914 saves percentage and a 3.24 GAA (the latter shows just how many shots he’s faced this year!).

Brockport is one determined team and I don’t see them settling for another tie against Fredonia…and the guys are hungering for a home playoff game. I say Brockport by 3.

Saturday looks to be a completely different game. If you like goals the Buff State match-up is your type of game. Buffalo State is 13th in the nation in scoring with 4.22 goals a game. The high-octane attack is led by forwards Jason Hill (5th in the nation with 1.86 points/game) and Nick Petriello (ninth with 1.68 points/game) and defenseman Tyler Soehner (14th amongst defenders with 1 point/game). Their brand of attack is relentless as their power play is third in the nation.

But as aggressive as their offense may be, their style of play is soft. Brockport physically pounded the Bengals when last they met, giving them a serious case of alligator arms which resulted in a 3-1 Brockport victory. If the Golden Eagles hit and check like mad again, the results should be the same.

I’ll be there Saturday with an entourage, all cheering on Brockport

If you can’t make the games, fear not. They’ll be broadcast on WBSU, on-air at 89.1 FM and online at http://891thepoint.com

SAVES FOR A CURE AUCTION IS A SUCCESS!

The Athletic Department's report....

The Brockport Ice Hockey team raised $2,585 during its "Saves For a Cure" jersey auction. The auction received 11 winning bids of over a $100.

The two highest bids on jerseys were Tim Crowley's #11 and Todd Sheridan's #35 each of which sold for $250.

The jerseys were worn on "Saves For a Cure" weekend against SUNY Oswego and SUNY Cortland. The entire weekend was dedicated to the fund raising effort with donations accepted at the door and all ticket sales being donated to the charity.

Sheridan, a cancer survivor, started the Saves For a Cure charity two years ago and it has grown each year. The money raised will be donated to help children better deal with the treatments associated with their cancer locally at the Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong in Rochester.

Results of the auction can be found on the Jersey Auction page link at the top of the Brockport Hockey page at http://www.brockport.edu/athletics/hockey

SAVES FOR A CURE AUCTION HAS ENDED

The auction for the Saves For a Cure jerseys worn by the team last weekend has ended. The winning bids can be seen here:

http://www.brockport.edu/athletics/jersey_auction.php

A NICE ARTICLE ABOUT MIKE GERSHON

This also appeared in today's Brockport Stylus...

Gershon keeps it all in the family
By Amanda Seef

An obstacle lay in front of the net on the ice, as the defenseman skated toward it, ready to put the puck in the back of the net. The goalie had blocked the defenseman's shots all night, much to the crowd's distaste. On the ice, it was the Brockport Golden Eagles versus Geneseo Knights. Off the ice, it was Mike Gershon versus Cory Gershon, brother pitted against brother.

The Gershons have met on the ice twice this season, with Mike scoring on younger brother and goalie, Cory, both times.

"It was pretty surreal," Mike, a senior at Brockport, said. His family came to support both Gershons at their latest game, Jan. 30. Mike's shot was the game-winning goal, where Brockport defeated Geneseo 5-2.

"I looked into the crowd, and my mom was smiling and crying at the same time," Mike said. "They are very supportive of myself and my brother."

The Gershon's mother was excited for the game, citing Cory's welcome attitude toward playing against Mike.

"We're always supportive of Mike and Cory," Mother Liz said. "We're very fortunate to have them as sons, they're wonderful young men. The college hockey experience has been amazing."

The family allegiance comes from Mike's high school days. Instead of the typical public high school experience, Mike attended Salisbury Prep School in Connecticut, where his brother joined him four years later. He lived away from home since he was 14, though his family visited each weekend.

"We're very close because I went away, so we didn't have the typical come-home-after-high-school' routine," Mike said. "We saw each other twice a week; they would drive up each weekend."

After high school, Mike left to play junior hockey in Toronto, playing for the St. Michael's Buzzers for the 2004-05 season. Brother Cory joined the same team for 2006-07 after Mike left for Brockport.

Mike made it to Brockport in the fall of 2005, majoring in broadcast communications and sports management. Though he liked the campus, there was a bigger reason for attending.

"I thought we were a team that had a lot of potential, and thought progress would be going on an up," he said. "It's nice to see it's happening now and I'm a part of it."

The brothers have faced-off against each other twice, the first time being at Geneseo in November. Mike was voted first star for that game for his stellar work, scoring on his brother once.

"With Mike, it's nice because he understands the game of hockey so well," assistant coach Mark Digby said. Digby says Mike is an offensively-motivated defenseman. "He's very fun to watch because he's always in the action."

The most recent game was held at Brockport in January, where Mike, once again, scored on his brother. He was voted first star for this game, yet again.

"I took the maximum shots, knowing it was my brother in the goal," Mike said. "I like having that [scoring on him] over him forever. He's the goalie, he's supposed to stop the puck."

Despite the rewarding feeling of scoring on his brother, the best part came from the fans at the game, where the record-breaking crowd of more than 1,700 chanted, "Mike is better."

The fans have been behind Brockport hockey this year, and the support does not go unnoticed. "Fans really started to come around and really helped out this year," Mike said. "The fans are great."

Though the season, and Mike's four-year college career, are both dwindling down, his mother remembers Mike's time at Brockport fondly. "Mike had a great experience at Brockport," she said. "I know he's very excited with how well the team has been."

Mrs. Gershon recalls Mike's sophomore year when the team was traveling through their New Jersey town, the entire team stopped to have dinner at the Gershon home. She says this was one of her favorite times with hockey and supports the entire team as much as she supports her son."He's had a great four years and as a family, so have we," she said.

The team will lose six seniors, but Mike is the only four-year defenseman the team has had.

"It's nice to have a guy back there with the leadership he has," Digby said. "He was a good learning tool for other defensemen, teaching them the ways of our level. It was nice to have a player of his ability and mentality."

Mike's teammates agree with the statement. "Mike is the kind of guy you can always feel confident in when he is on the ice," goalie Todd Sheridan said. "As a goalie, you need confidence in your defensemen."

Although regular season play is nearing completion, Mike hopes to continue playing hockey after graduation. He's been playing since he was 5 years old, and hopes his passion continues in his future.

"All hockey players just want to play more hockey," he said. "You don't grow up wanting to be a pro hockey player. If there is any shot of you being able to play pro, it would be worth all the work."

As of now, Mike has no definite plans, but is considering professional teams in Europe."There's opportunities out there," he said. "It's all about timing and who you know, as it is with any other job."

If he can't play, he hopes to coach or work on scouting for teams. Ultimately, he would like to be a General Manager for a team.

"You set goals in hockey like you set goals in life," he said. "So far, most of my dreams have come true."

Source:

http://media.www.thestylus.net/media/storage/paper1380/news/2009/02/18/Sports/Gershon.Keeps.It.All.In.The.Family-3633378-page3.shtml

STYLUS RECAP OF CORTLAND GAME

Here’s Dale Budzisewski’s assessment of last weekend’s game, from the pages of the Stylus….

For the first time in school history, students and fans of the Brockport Golden Eagle ice hockey team can witness SUNYAC playoff action from the confines of Tuttle North Ice Arena. Well, almost. With the 5-3 win over Cortland (8-13-2, 5-7-2 SUNYAC) Saturday, Brockport (13-7-3, 7-5-2) needs a single point in its next two games this weekend to clinch the third seed in the conference.

If you haven't paid attention to the action on the ice in Brockport, let me give you a quick update. In November, senior assistant captain Mike Gershon scored three times on Geneseo, and recorded the first known hat-trick by a defenseman in school history.

In the middle of a school record - see a theme here? - 10-game unbeaten streak, head coach Brian Dickinson earned his 100th career victory.

The Golden Eagles beat Geneseo again, Jan. 30, marking the first time since the 1999-2000 season that Brockport has swept their regional rival in the season series.

Their next win put them at 14 for the season, the most for any team under coach Dickinson. Their current 13 wins are the most since 17 in 1987-88, which coincidentally was the last time Brockport finished with a winning record.

This is all possible because of the aforementioned win over Cortland Saturday. During Senior Night, the senior line of Dave McNab, Tim Crowley and Aaron Boyer showed up in a big way.

Already up 1-0, Brockport started the second period on the penalty kill. An errant pass from the Red Dragons allowed McNab to show off his blazing speed. The captain withheld hacks, holds and slashes from a Cortland defender as he bested their goalie to give Brockport a 2-0 lead.

Cortland did score on a power play to make it a one goal game, but before the second period ended, the senior line scored again. Boyer found McNab, who slid the puck over to Crowley. Crowley then hit the top left corner, just over the goalie's right shoulder to give the Golden Eagles a 3-1 lead going into the break.

After another Cortland power-play goal, Boyer scored his first non-power-play goal of the season and his sixth of the year. McNab passed it to Crowley, who hit Boyer in close. Boyer was able to get the puck through a lot of traffic for the eventual game-winner goal. Another ongoing trend, Cortland scored their third power-play goal of the game in less than two minutes after Boyer scored to cut the deficit back to one at 4-3.

Brockport finally capitalized on a power play thanks to McNab. McNab passed to the end line for Boyer, whose pass or shot went up into the air. McNab was able to take a baseball swing at it and knock it into the back of the net.

Overall, McNab finished with a pair of goals and assists, with his fellow seniors Boyer and Crowley netting one apiece, and assisting on two others.

This weekend, each team in the conference has two games - or four points - to determine their playoff hopes. Plattsburgh needs a single point to clinch first place, and Oswego can do no worse than second. Both of those teams will receive a first-round bye.

Brockport's 16 points puts them three up on Geneseo's 13 for third place. Brockport owns the tiebreaker with Geneseo, thus only needing a tie to clinch the third spot.

With either a third or fourth-place finish, Brockport will be home next Tuesday, Feb. 24, to host either Buffalo State, Cortland or Potsdam, barring a complete disaster by Geneseo.

Brockport goes to Fredonia Friday and Buffalo State Saturday. Both games start at 7 p.m., and can be heard live on 89.1 FM or 891thepoint.com.

Source:

http://media.www.thestylus.net/media/storage/paper1380/news/2009/02/18/Sports/Golden.Eagles.Clinch.Playoff.Spot-3633386-page2.shtml

HOW TO GET A HOME PLAYOFF GAME

Brockport has 16 points in the SUNYAC standings and has clinched a playoff spot...but not yet a home playoff spot.

Geneseo has 13 points, while Buff State, Cortland, and Potsdam have 12. So, in order for Brockport to be able to host a home game, they need to win just one game on the road next weekend, be it Fredonia, Buff State, or both. I will be at the Buff State's game - since it's out in my neck of the woods - hoping for a victory.

THANK YOU TO THE SENIORS

Saturday was senior night for the hockey team.

I'd like to thank the seniors for all the great memories you've provided over their Brockport careers. You are a bunch of stand-up guys who play well and play the game the way it was meant to be played. Thank you for making the Golden Eagles so successful the past few years. You'll be missed.

Good luck in the playoffs and, most importantly, in your post-Brockport lives.


Brockport's seniors are:

#2 Mike Gershon
#4 Ricky Stanek
#7 Lucas Schott
#11 Tim Crowley
#18 Aaron Boyer
#22 Dave McNab

BROCKPORT BEATS CORTLAND 5-3

The recap from the Brockport Athletic Department....

Senior Dave McNab (Hamilton, ONT) scored twice and added an assist and fellow seniors Aaron Boyer (Calgary, ALB) and Tim Crowley (Brasher Falls, NY) each added a goal and two assists as The College at Brockport Hockey team scored a 5-3 victory over SUNY Cortland and clinched a spot in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament. The Golden Eagles won the SUNYAC contest Saturday night at the Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.

The victory for Brockport (13-7-3 Overall, 7-5-2 SUNYAC) gives the Golden Eagles 16 points in the latest SUNYAC standings and clinches at least a top-six finish in the conference standings assuring Brockport a spot in the six-team playoff format. It is the second time in the past three seasons that Brockport has earned a SUNYAC playoff spot.

Sophomore Chris Berardini (Batavia, NY) opened the scoring for Brockport early in the first period with his third goal of the season with less than five minutes elapsed in the contest. Within the first minute of the second period, McNab gave Brockport a 2-0 lead with an unassisted short-handed goal as he intercepted a pass and gloved the puck to the ice before skating in for the break away goal.

Cortland (8-13-2, 5-7-2) closed the gap with the first of three power play goals on the night two minutes later but Crowley regained the two-goal advantage for Brockport with six minutes left in the period as he took a pass from McNab and Boyer for the 3-1 lead.

In the third period, Cortland opened the scoring with another power play goal at the 2:48 mark of the period but 21 seconds later, Boyer scored with assists from McNab and Crowley for a 4-2 Brockport lead.

The Red Dragons closed to within a goal for the third time in the game two minutes later with their third power play tally but with 12 minutes left in the game, McNab scored again after a scramble for possession in front of the Cortland goal and Brockport had the 5-3 lead.

Cortland pressured late in the game but junior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) made 18 third-period saves to preserve the victory.

Box score:

http://www.uscho.com/box/?date=20090214&vis=cortst&home=brockst&gender=m

BROCKPORT FALLS TO OSWEGO 5-4

Here are some random thoughts and observations about last night’s game…

Even though Brockport lost, this was far and away the most exciting game of the season. For them to take it to the ninth best team in the nation right till the clock hit zero… that’s some pretty good stuff. The third period was especially exciting (and it looked exhausting) as both teams skated end to end for almost the entire 20 minutes. That period exemplifies why hockey is such a unique sport to watch. Non-stop activity like that is compelling and forces you to keep your eye on the game. No other sport is like that. As a matter of fact, in comparison, one could even say that football and baseball are burdened with excessively boring moments.

This game was lacking in boring moments and it had a little bit of everything from goals to saves to drama and hitting. But, the hitting seemed to stop after the first intermission. Brockport intimidated Oswego and checked them for the entire first period, keeping them off-tempo. Mike Gershon and Ray Tremblay put a couple of guys to the ice, while the rest of the Golden Eagles made the Lakers eat the boards. Oswego became confused and they put just 9 shots on goal in the first and Brockport skated in the intermission with a 2-1 lead. But, Brockport totally lost all of its physical aggressiveness in the second and third, and never again did we see a rousing hit, which allowed Oswego to get its goal scoring machine going as they outscored our boys 4-2 the rest of the way. Had Brockport maintained it’s checking – the very core of what has made them so good this year – they could have upset Oswego.

Oswego also got by with a couple of fluke goals. Their first one hung out in the open behind Todd Sheridan for what seemed like an eternity before the Oswego forward charged the net to put it in. Todd also beat by a floating slapshot from the blueline that moved like a knuckleball.

It was nice to see Sean O’Malley get a couple of goals in the first period. All year long he’s been assisting on everyone else’s goals and not getting the fanfare he deserves as a playmaker (he now has over 20 points on the season!), so it was good to see him in the spotlight. With the first goal he worked his way to the net to beat Oswego’s goaltender Tim Potter who was grossly out of position and then he went five-hole on Potter. He started the barrage that allowed Brockport to be the first team to really figure out Potter, a DI transfer from Clarkson who was 7-0 with a 1.79 GAA since joining the team. They made him look human. Not only was five-holed once, but twice, when Lucas Schott got him, too.

Both teams seemed to put just as many shots on the crowd as they did the net. Five pucks went into the crowd and one poor girl took on the walkway took one in the shoulder. She was lucky though…it easily could have been her face or her camera as she was photographing the game. It hurt, but it could have been a lot worse.

Another gal on the walkway was talking on her cell phone and a hard slapper just missed her. Don Cherry has this to say to her and others like her who are attached to their phones:






Cortland lost last night which leaves Brockport in third, but only one point ahead of Cortland who’s in town tonight. So, tonight’s game is, as Billy Fucillo might say, HUGE! If Brockport loses, they’re out of third place and have a tough fight to get back there against Fredonia and Buff State next week. So, tonight’s game is a MUST WIN.

Russell Jaslow was at Tuttle last night and here’s his recap for USCHO.com:

http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20082009/m/02/13/oswst-brockst.php

Here’s what the Athletic Department reports….

Junior Sean O’Malley (Lakeland, OH) scored twice in the first period and added an assist on a goal in the third period as The College at Brockport Hockey team held leads of 2-1 and 3-2 against SUNY Oswego, ranked No. 9 in the country, before the Lakers scored three times in the final four minutes of the second period and held on for a 5-4 victory Friday night in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game in the Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.

O’Malley scored two goals in the first period for Brockport (12-7-3 Overall, 6-5-2 SUNYAC) after Oswego (16-5-1, 10-2-1) had taken a 1-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. O’Malley’s first goal tied the score at the 6:36 mark of the period and his second goal gave the Golden Eagles a 2-1 lead with six minutes remaining in the opening period.

In the second period, Oswego tied the score at 2-2 with another goal in the early minute of the period with a goal at 4:25. O’Malley and Mike Gershon (Sparta, NJ) assisted on a Lucas Schott (Erin, ONT) goal midway through the period to regain the lead at 3-2.

Late in the period, Oswego took advantage of a 4-on-4 situation and tied the score at 3-3 with 4:04 left in the period. In the final 35 seconds of the period, the Lakers scored twice to take a 5-3 lead into the second intermission.

In the third period, Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) scored with seven minutes elapsed in the period to cut the lead to 5-4 but Brockport was unable to score the equalized despite increased pressure in the closing minutes of the game.

Junior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) made 35 saves for the Golden Eagles.

TONIGHT'S GAME ON WNYO RADIO

The Point won't be covering Friday's game, but you can still listen in. Oswego's radio station, WNYO, will be airing the game. You can hear the broadcast online at:

http://sports.wnyo.org/

Here's their pre-game analysis:

Oswego v. Brockport - 83rd Meeting

All-Time Series: Oswego leads 73-5-4

Records
Oswego 15-5-1 overall, 9-2-1
19 points SUNYAC 2nd place

Brockport 12-6-3 overall, 6-4-2
14 points SUNYAC 3rd place

Streaks:
Oswego 7-0-0
Brockport 1-0-0 (5-1-1 in last 7)

Recent Meetings
11-21-08: Oswego 11, Brockport 3
02-02-08: Oswego 9, Brockport 2
11-10-07: Oswego 4, Brockport 3

Who's Hot - Brockport:
Todd Sheridan 3-0-0, 1.65 GAA, 94.1 Save % in last 3
James Cody 2 goals, 4 assists in last 3
Sean O'Malley 5 game point streak (2 goals, 5 assists)

Who's Hot - Oswego:
Ryan Ellis 3 goals, 4 assists in last 4
Mark Lozzi 2 goals, 1 assist in last game
Tim Potter 7-0-0, 1.79 GAA, 92.9 save % since joining team

Who's Not - Brockport:
Oliver Wrenn 1-1-0, 5.02 GAA, 86.4 save % in last 2
Who's Not - Oswego:
Peter Magagna 0 goals, 2 assists, 16 PIM in last 6
Brendan McLaughlin 1 goal, 1 assist, 20 PIM in last 5

BROCKPORT MUST BE CAREFUL

In this week's SUNYAC column for USCHO, Russell Jaslow notes that Brockport must be careful in the final two weekends of play...

Even Brockport, still in third place and having a wonderful season, could just as easily see themselves out of the playoffs if they are not careful—especially since they play two of the teams still looking to get into the playoffs the last weekend of the season on the road against Fredonia and Buffalo State.

All Brockport has to do is take a look at Geneseo. The Ice Knights were tied for second not too long ago. They are now on the edge of the cliff, currently in a playoff spot, but with just a one point margin, thanks to losing their last four conference games.

Although Oswego has not clinched second place, barring a complete collapse, with their magic number at three points, they should be safe. Same with Plattsburgh in first.

So that leaves Brockport (14 points), Cortland (12), Potsdam (12), Geneseo (11), Buffalo State (10), and Fredonia (8) all fighting for the remaining four playoff spots and two home berths in the play-in round. And there are six games between these teams in the last two weekends.


You can read his entire column, in which he also writes about Todd Sheridan, online at:

http://www.uscho.com/news/college-hockey/id,16623

THE FINAL HOMESTAND OF THE YEAR!

This weekend features the final two home games of the regular season. If all goes well and Brockport holds on to third place, there will be another home game on Tuesday, February 24th. I am really hoping for that. But, for now, this is it. It will be an exciting weekend, too, as powerhouse Oswego and 4th-place Cortland come into town.

It all starts with Friday’s 7:00 match-up with Oswego.

Over the past 16 years of watching SUNYAC hockey I’ve always had respect for Oswego. Year in, year out they remain the best or second best team in the conference, consistently putting together great teams who play a physical brand of hockey and score goals in bunches. Oswego is right there near the top again this year. As a matter of fact, they are ranked ninth in the nation in the USCHO poll. Their record is a stellar 15-5-1.

They do a little bit of everything well. They score an average of 4.5 goals a game and allow only 2.76 a game. That’s the sort of goal differential that makes a great team.

They are led by a stellar senior class (which, come next season is bad for them, but good for Brockport). 7 of their top 9 scorers will graduate this May and they are led by Ryan Ellis and his 26 points. Four guys have 20 or more points. Their leading goal scorer is Mark Lozzi who’s put a dozen pucks into the net.

Earlier this year their most significant weakness was goaltending. Senior Hyk, then the #1, had some rough games, sporting a .889 saves percentage and a 3.39 GAA. Back-up Beckwith was no better. In recent weeks, though, Junior goaltender Potter has taken the #1 spot and he’s been unbreakable. He sports a .929 saves percentage and an awesome 1.79 GAA. He will be tough to beat! He’s definitely the piece to the puzzle that Oswego was missing to get them to the top. Had he started all year, things might be different in the SUNYAC and they’d be in first place, not second.

It’s definitely not the same team Brockport faced earlier in the season. Back then, Oswego was coming off a rough patch and I questioned their high ranking in the polls (2nd or 3rd at the time). Even so, they pounded the Golden Eagles 11-3. But, Brockport, too, is not the same team and has become a force to reckon with since then. Look at how well they handled Plattsburgh last week in their 4-2 loss. Plattsburgh is a little better team than Oswego, so I’ll predict that Brockport continues their style of intimidating the intimidators and the Golden Eagles win by 1 in overtime.

After facing Oswego, Brockport takes on Cortland on Saturday night. After faring well last year at 11-12-3, Cortland is back to its tragic losing ways, going 8-11-2. But…and this is a big but…they are 5-5-2 in the SUNYAC, and therefore are in fourth place with 12 points just behind Brockport’s 14. So, if Brockport loses to Oswego and Cortland beats Geneseo on Friday, Saturday’s game will be another battle of third place teams. You can’t get more dramatic than that!

But, the team is nothing to fear. They may score nearly 4 goals a game, but they’re pushovers as they allow over four goals a game. This would be a perfect game for Dickinson to release the hounds and bury a suspect defense. There’s no reason why Brockport can’t put up 5 against them.

If you can’t make the game, you can catch all the action from the comfort of your home…at least on Saturday when the game can be heard on WBSU. On the air at 89.1 FM or online at http://www.891thepoint.com/ No coverage on Friday.

My wife, Bernadette, is going to Saturday’s game with me, only her second game this season. When she tells her friends and coworkers that she’s going to a college hockey game for Valentine’s Day their jaws drop. That’s why she’s the best wife ever!

You should make it a point to be there, too, this weekend. This is a really special season and you should appreciate it while it while you can. I can’t tell you enough how great of a year this has been. In all my years following the team this is by far the most successful unit, one that grinds it out, makes things happen, and lives on a team-oriented, blue-collar style of play.

And speaking of special things, there is a special event taking place this weekend, too. It’s Saves For a Cure weekend. This year, the Golden Eagles have ordered special jerseys with the Saves For a Cure logo on the front to wear during the two weekend games. A jersey auction has been set up to sell the game-worn jerseys from the games. The auction can be found on-line at:www.brockport.edu/athletics/jersey_auction.php

Saves For a Cure is a great cause, one truly worthy of your support. Goaltender Todd Sheridan, a cancer survivor, started the charity to raise money to help children in the Rochester area better cope with the challenges of undergoing cancer treatments. When Todd speaks of the children he wants to help you can see the genuine emotion and love in his eyes and you know that he really wants to make a difference in the lives of those poor kids as the weather some of the most difficult days of their young lives. It tears you up inside to hear about their struggles, and here’s a guy who’s doing something worthwhile for them. So, give Todd and Saves For a Cure all your support…not only is he a great goaltender, but he’s a great person, too, one who is doing some truly great things for some really special people.

BROCKPORT VS. GENESEO VIDEO

Last night someone posted onto YouTube this nicely-produced highlight video from the Geneseo game...

THE TEAM SPORTS THE SFAC JERSEY

Click the image to see it in greater detail

TONY MARINELLO MOVES FROM THE RINK TO THE RING

Tony Marinello played in 77 games for Brockport from 2004-2005 through 2007-2008. In his hockey career on campus he amassed 5 goals and 13 assists.

He's taken the aggressive hustle that he developed on the ice rink and has put it to use in the boxing ring as this article from the Saratogian reports....


SARATOGA SPRINGS - As the night grew older, the fighters got bigger, the bloodstains on the boxing ring’s mat became more plentiful and the crowd got a whole lot rowdier.

It was another memorable night of boxing at the Holiday Inn on Broadway, as the 5th Annual Eastern New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions showcased some of the best amateur talent in the state Friday night.Fighting out of a number of different gyms from across the area, locals brawled for a sell-out crowd, proving that the sport of boxing is alive and well.

Catholic High School physical education teacher Shawn Miller kept his perfect record in tact, defeating Akeem Mouzon in a their 178-pound contest to improve to 21-0. Unavailable for comment after the bout, Miller, who boxes out of New York Boxing in Cohoes, illustrated his power throughout the bout with a number of devastating left hooks. NYB is owned and operated by Miller and his older brother, professional boxer Shannon Miller.

Clifton Park’s Tony Marinello also had a convincing victory in the 178-pound weight class, dominating NYB’s Matthew Liddick throughout a bloody three-round battle.

"I felt like I had a good chance against him," Marinello said. "I don’t think there is anyone around that is in the type of shape I’m in."

Currently enlisted in the Army Reserves Officer Training Corps through the University of Albany, Marinello, who is pursuing a Master’s degree, came into the fight prepared and focused, and he showed that inside the ring, wrapping up his second bout without a loss.

"Every single day I’m up either boxing or doing Army PT and boxing - so it’s like six hours a day, six days a week I’m either running miles or punching people in the face ... or getting punched in the face."

Marinello will advance to next weekend’s follow-up round of the Golden Gloves tournament at Turning Stone Casino in Western New York.

Source:

http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/02/06/sports/doc498d0c02e58e8357832941.txt

CATCH LAST NIGHT'S GAME ON CABLE

Last night's Brockport/Potsdam game is on Time Warner Cable channel 26 at 6:30 PM tonight. Be sure to watch this exciting game!

BROCKPORT BEATS POTSDAM 8-6

From the Brockport Athletic Department....

Eight different Golden Eagles scored goals on Saturday night to lead The College at Brockport Ice Hockey team to an 8-6 victory over SUNY Potsdam in a key State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game in Potsdam.

Sean O’Malley (Lakeland, OH), Lucas Schott (Erin, ONT), Tim Crowley (Brasher Falls, NY), Mike Gershon (Sparta, NJ), Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT), Aaron Boyer (Calgary, ALB), Dave McNab (Hamilton, ONT) and James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) all managed to find the back of the net at some point in the contest for the Green and Gold.

Brockport (12-6-3 overall, 6-4-2 SUNYAC) held leads of 3-0, 4-1 and 5-2 but took a 6-2 lead in the third period with a Boyer power-play goal with seven minutes remaining in the period. It was the fifth extra-man goal for the Golden Eagles in the game as Brockport went 5-for-7 on the power play.

One minute later, Potsdam scored to make it 6-3, and with three minutes left to play the Bears scored again to trim the lead to 6-4. Another minute later, Potsdam closed to within a single goal at 6-5 before McNab scored an empty net goal with 32 seconds remaining. Potsdam scored with eight seconds left to make it 7-6 but Cody scored another empty net goal off the ensuing face off to complete the scoring and a bring an end to a wild finish.

In the second period, Gershon took a pass at the point on a Brockport power play and whistled a snap shot past the Potsdam (7-10-5, 4-5-4) for a 4-1 Brockport lead five seconds into the man advantage for the Golden Eagles.

In the third period, freshman Gregg Amato (Ocean Gate, NJ) took a hard shot from the point that was deflected in at the net by Boyer for the 6-2 Brockport lead. The assist was the third of the game for Amato.

McNab and Cody each finished with a goal and two assists for Brockport as the Golden Eagles posted the most goals in a SUNYAC game since 1999 when Brockport scored a 9-3 victory over Buffalo State.

KUDOS TO BROCKPORT

A thread about Brockport/Plattsburgh has been started on the discussion board at USCHO.com, and so far everyone thought it was a great game. Considering exciting games are hard to come by in Plattsburgh (since they always steamroll everyone), that's saying something about how good the Golden Eagles are:

http://board.uscho.com/showthread.php?t=82345

SAVES FOR A CURE WEEKEND & AUCTION

Junior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) started the Saves For A Cure charity organization nearly two years ago and The College at Brockport Hockey team will help to boost the fund raising activity for the charity with a special weekend of events Friday and Saturday, February 13-14 when the Golden Eagles will play SUNY Oswego and SUNY Cortland at 7 pm each night in the Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.



Sheridan, a cancer survivor, started the charity effort to raise money to help children in the Rochester area better cope with the challenges of undergoing cancer treatments at the Golisano Children’s Hospital in Rochester. The junior net minder has solicited local businesses to pledge money for each save made by the Brockport goalies throughout the season. The Saves For A Cure Weekend was started last year with the Brockport Athletic Department donating all of the ticket sales revenue to the charity.

This year, the Golden Eagles have ordered special jerseys with the Saves For a Cure logo on the front to wear during the two weekend games. A jersey auction has been set up to auction the game-worn jerseys from the games. The auction begins February 8 and continues through February 19. The auction can be found on-line at:

www.brockport.edu/athletics/jersey_auction.php

THE IMPORTANCE OF TONIGHT'S GAME

Despite the blandness of Potsdam's record (7-9-5 overall, 4-4-4 SUNYAC), tonight's game now has significant meaning. The Bears beat Geneseo last night and now have 12 points in the conference. With Brockport losing to Plattsburgh, both teams are tied for third in the conference. That means that tonight's game is just as significant as last Friday's match-up with Geneseo...it's the battle for third place!

PRESS REPUBLICAN STORY ABOUT PLATTSBURGH GAME

From the North Country's newspaper.....

Cards overcome Brockport

The Plattsburgh State men's hockey team will gladly take the two points in the standings.

The top-ranked Cardinals, however, weren't at their best Friday night in a 4-2 State University of New York Athletic Conference win over Brockport at the Stafford Ice Arena.

"It wasn't a fun game to coach," said Plattsburgh State head coach Bob Emery. "I give Brockport credit — they worked hard. Brockport played fast and forced us into making mistakes."

The Cardinals (18-1-2, 11-0-1) never trailed in the game, but couldn't shake the Golden Eagles.

Defenseman Ryan Corry sent a slapshot from straight on into the net past Brockport goaltender Oliver Wren to give the Plattsburgh State the lead for good, at 14:46 of the first period.

Then, at 18:18, Wren knocked down Nick Rolls' slapshot, but Riley Hill tucked in the rebound for the power-play goal and a 2-0 Cardinal lead.

But, with 14 seconds left in the first, Sean O'Malley took Chris Berardini's pass following a Plattsburgh State turnover and put the Golden Knights on the board.

"We were playing pretty well at the time and should have taken a 2-0 lead into the lockerroom," said Emery."But, if we wouldn't have won the game tonight, that would have been the game changer. We can't afford to give up goals that late in the period, and we need to play smarter."

The Cardinals, however, regained their two-goal lead just 2:11 into the second period on the powerplay. Rolls sent a slapshot over Wren's shoulder and into the net.

Brockport, skating on a five-on-three, rallied back to within one, at 3-2, at the 15:52 mark. Plattsburgh State goaltender Bryan Hince made a couple of saves, but Ray Tremblay put in the rebound from in close.

It stayed a one-goal game until 16:19 of the third. Wren stopped Dylan Clarke's shot only to have Kyle Kudroch backhand a rebound into the net for an insurance marker.

The Cardinals held a 30-24 advantage in shots on goal, with Hince stopping 22 of 24 shots and Wren, 26 of 30.

"Hopefully, this game will be a wake-up call for us," Emery said.

Brockport had a 10-game unbeaten streak (8-0-2) come to an end and fell to 5-4-2 in the SUNYAC and 11-6-3 overall.

Source:

http://www.pressrepublican.com/0302_college/local_story_038003008.html?keyword=topstory

BROCKPORT'S STREAK ENDS TO PLATTSBURGH

From the Brockport Athletic Department...

Sophomore Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) and junior Sean O’Malley (Lakeland, OH) each scored goals for The College at Brockport Hockey team but it was not enough as SUNY Plattsburgh scored a 4-2 victory Friday night in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game in Plattsburgh snapping a school-record 10-game unbeaten streak for the Golden Eagles.

After a slow start, Plattsburgh (18-1-2) scored twice in a span of 3:30 late in the opening period to take a 2-0 lead but O’Malley scored with 14 seconds left in the period to narrow the gap to 2-1 at the first intermission.

In the second period, Plattsburgh added a third goal in the first two minutes of action before Tremblay trimmed the lead to a single goal again late in the period with four minutes remaining.

The Golden Eagles continued to apply offensive pressure but with less than four minutes left in the third period, the Cardinals scored for the 4-2 advantage and held on for the conference win.

Freshman Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) made 26 saves for Brockport.

LAST WEEK'S CROWD

If you're an alumnus who hasn't been to a Brockport hockey game in years, you'd be amazed at what the turnout has become at the home games. This photo, courtesy of Otto Isenberg, shows how large the crowd was during the Brockport/Geneseo game...

The actual numbers were released earlier this week: last Friday's game was watched by a record 1,748 in attendance!!

I've been watching the team for 16 seasons and I have to say that this is some amazing stuff. In year's past a "large" crowd was 500 fans. Now, the "norm" is 1,000-plus.

CARDINALS WEARY OF BROCKPORT

This was in the North Country's Press Republican....

Cardinals wary of Brockport

There's no question Plattsburgh State hockey coach Bob Emery likes what he sees from his team of late.

Emery, however, understands how quickly it can all change. "No doubt, we're on a little bit of a high right now," he said. "But, it's easy to get back on a low. We have to make sure we come to work every game. League play is what it's all about and we need to take care of business. We're looking forward to this weekend at home and it's a big weekend for us. And, it starts with Brockport."

The top-ranked Cardinals, who are 17-1-2 overall, lead the State University of New York Athletic Conference with a 10-0-1 record with five games remaining in the regular season.

Plattsburgh State, coming off Monday's solid 6-1 non-conference home victory over Williams College at the Stafford Ice Arena, host Brockport tonight (7 p.m.) and Geneseo on Saturday.

Improved Brockport, which is currently in third place in the SUNYAC standings with a 5-3-2 record, stands at 11-5-3 overall and is unbeaten in its last 10 games, going 8-0-2 during that time.

The Golden Eagles, coming off a 5-2 home win over Geneseo last weekend, have nine players with 10 points or more. Senior forward Tim Crowley leads the team in points with 15 and senior forward Dave McNab in goals scored with eight.Junior Todd Sheridan (8-1-3, 2.01 gaa) has done the majority of the goaltending for Brockport.

"Brockport has great team chemistry, they work hard and are buying into their coach is selling," Emery said.

"As a result, they have had good results. They are built from their goaltender on out and that gives them a chance to win every game."

The Cardinals are expected to be without the services of injured defenseman Ward Smith and forward Shawn Dennis this weekend.

"Our program is always based on depth, and this gives someone else the opportunity to play," said Emery.

BROCKPORT HEADS NORTH THIS WEEKEND

Looking ahead at this weekend’s games…

If anyone is primed to upset the Plattsburgh Cardinals, the number one team in the nation, it’s the Brockport Golden Eagles. Riding an unbeaten streak that dates back to November 30th, Brockport has the emotion and momentum to make a serious statement tonight by beating the Cardinals on their home ice in a 7:00 PM match-up in the Adirondacks.

When last they faced each other back in November, Plattsburgh beat Brockport 5-0. But, for more than half the game, Brockport put on a defensive show and held Plattsburgh to “only” a 2-0 score after 1.75 periods. If they can maintain that pressure all game they can stop the juggernaut…especially if Brockport can get its offense in gear.

In their first match-up Brockport’s usually relentless and violent offense looked bland and passive, letting the Cardinals defense and forechecking control the tempo. If Brockport brings the same offense that they have on the 10-game streak…one that’s as defensive as it is offensive, one that’s arguably the most physical in DIII…they’ll win. When it comes to playing Plattsburgh most team gets intimidated. Now, if Brockport turned the tables and physically pounded and intimidated them, as much as Brockport has to everyone else, they’ll win. So, my prediction is that Brockport wins in the upset of the year, 5-4.

What to watch for: Plattsburgh always seems to do everything right. Size, speed, strength…they’ve got it all. Year in, year out they make goal scoring look way too easy. They are at once aggressive and patient, swarming other teams, suffocating them and then finding their weak spot. They skate better and move the puck better than most teams and are as adept at sniping as they are at putting in close-range blasts. Last year they had five guys score 10 or more goals, led by now-sophomore Dylan Clarke and his 21 goals. This season’s leading scorer is Clarke once again, who already has 31 points. He’s aided by Joey Wilson and his 17 goals. Defenseman Nick Rolls is by far their best player. He’s smart, he skates well, he hits hard and is the best offensive defenseman in the SUNYAC. Last season he racked up 30 points, including 14 goals. Amazing numbers for a defender. This year, he has 19 points. The net is guarded well by Bryan Hince. He’s the third-best goalie in SUNYAC (behind Sheridan and Street). Lacking athleticism, he can be beat by chaos in front of the net….that is if their swarming defense allows anyone to get close.

Brockport continues its road trip to the North Country on Saturday, heading to lowly Potsdam who are 6-9-5 and nowhere near as competitive as they once were. When the season started they were ranked 21st in the polls, thanks to a recruiting class that was supposed to be spectacular but has not been cohesive. The team’s chemistry is a little off, too, this semester because one day into the post-holiday practice their #1 goaltender Rick Miller left the team. Now, they’ve had to lean on freshman Trevor O’Neill who just isn’t ready to backstop a team with a porous defense. He sports an .864 saves percentage and a 4.10 GAA. Despite their flaws, the team can still score some goals. Connor Treacy has 32 points on the season (with 15 goals) and rookie Fraser Smith has 11 goals. Brockport will beat them.

Both games can be heard on the point, on air at 89.1 FM or online at www.891thepoint.com

BROCKPORT IS HIGHLIGHTED IN SUNYAC REPORT

USCHO's Russell Jaslow wrote a very lengthy piece about how awesome the Golden Eagles are this year. It's a must-read for all Brockport fans. Check it out here:

http://www.uscho.com/news/college-hockey/id,16569

TODD SHERIDAN NOMINATED FOR THE HOCKEY HUMANITARIAN AWARD

It was announced this week that Brockport goaltender Todd Sheridan was nominated for the Hockey Humanitarian award thanks to his work with Saves For a Cure. Todd is one of 21 nominees, the finalists of which will be announced in mid-February.

The Hockey Humanitarian Award is awarded annually to college hockey’s finest citizen and seeks to recognize college hockey players, Division I or Division III, male or female, who give back to their community in the true humanitarian spirit. It has been said of the Hockey Humanitarian Award that they seek not to celebrate Hall of Fame athletes, but rather Hall of Fame human beings...someone like Todd!

This is a significant honor. Here's the mission of the award's foundation....

In an era of ever-increasing ego display, when so many of today's athletes are sending the wrong message to our children and when success often seems measured solely by dollar signs and contract signings, it is time to call attention to individuals who embody all that is, and can be, right with sport. While the media often seem preoccupied with the antics of players after the whistle or outside the game - all the while decrying the absence of better role models for our youth - the Hockey Humanitarians want to put sports, and all of its participants, in the proper perspective. And, while team games, by definition, encompass both teamwork and the contributions of the individual to the success of the group as a whole, we want to acknowledge the accomplishments of personal character, scholarship, and the giving of oneself off the ice to the larger community as well. The Humanitarian Award is meant to be seen as a true measure of a person's worth, not just as an athlete, but as someone who embodies those values that merit our recognition.

It is our hope that in some small way such a display will have a positive influence on future generations of hockey players. We feel an obligation to help our children find the proper balance as they confront deciding who their role models are and what values they should embrace in this increasingly complex world. Our foundation believes there are Humanitarians to be found in programs everywhere and that it is time for many in the media to reconsider their focus on the frequently destructive and selfish behavior of those athletes who often receive too much of our attention. We feel that the great majority of us share the values represented by The Humanitarian Award and that the time has come for this message to be more widely disseminated.

To learn more about the award, go here: http://www.hockeyhumanitarian.org/

STYLUS RECAP OF GENESEO GAME

From the pages of the Stylus...

Hockey buries Geneseo, extends unbeaten streak to 10

I won't even waste any ink (other than this sentence) on stating the importance of Friday night's Golden Eagle hockey game. It was probably the most important game in head coach Brian Dickinson's career at Brockport.

A win would give Brockport sole possession of third place in the SUNYAC, which comes a first-round home game. A win would mark the first time that Brockport sweept the season series against Geneseo since the 1999-2000 season. Since then, the Ice Knights have gone a combined 13-3 against the Golden Eagles and swept them in five of eight years.

A victory would also up Brockport's school record unbeaten streak to 10 games, dating back to Nov. 30.

If you weren't one of the 1,000 and change in attendance, you missed one heck of a game. Brockport (11-5-3, 5-3-2 SUNYAC) scored early and surged late to block any Geneseo (10-8-1, 5-4-1) comeback, defeating their local rival 5-2.

Much like the first game between the two teams where the Golden Eagles got some lucky bounces and won 7-2, freshman Andrew Simmons benefited from a deflection to get the scoring started. Simmons' shot bounced off a Geneseo defender's skate and took a strange hop over the glove of Knights goalie Cory Gershon (Brockport's Mike Gershon's younger brother) and gave the home team the lead, with four and a half minutes remaining in the first period.

In the second period, Geneseo came out strong, if not for Todd Sheridan, the Golden Eagles probably would have lost. Sheridan made highlight-reel plays capped off by a glove save while on his back. That four-or-five-minute stretch in which Sheridan single-handedly shut down the opposition, was a huge morale killer for Geneseo.

It took Brockport five chances with the man-advantage before they could finally capitalize. With time expiring on the penalty, Cory Gershon was peppered with shots, but couldn't hold onto the puck. Ultimately, it was one rebound too many, as the scramble in front allowed sophomore Justin Noble to get free for a one-timer after freshman James Cody threw him a cross-ice pass.

Brockport would not end the period unscathed though, as Geneseo was finally able to beat Sheridan on a nice passing play, with less than two minutes remaining.

The third period was back and forth until Mike Gershon put a charge into the crowd, snapping a wrist shot off from the blue line that beat his brother, putting Brockport up 3-1. In two games against each other this year, Mike has scored in each.

Six minutes later, Geneseo's undisciplined play put Brockport onto a 5-on-3 power play. One second remained on the first penalty when Cody's slap shot beat Gershon to put the Golden Eagles up 4-1.

Just as it seemed Brockport would cruise into third place, a sloppy play on the power play allowed Geneseo to score shorthanded and make the game interesting again at 4-2.Now down two, Geneseo started to press and got caught, thanks to a sacrificing play by Sean O'Malley. O'Malley took a pass on the near boards,. When he looked up, one of the Geneseo defenders was one stride away. Instead of dodging the contact, O'Malley was blasted onto his back, but in the process, he was able to feed the puck up to a streaking Chris Berardini.

With the one defender still standing, Berardini moved in two-on-one and went 5-hole on Gershon to finish the scoring, 5-2.

Each of the players that were interviewed during 89.1 the Points' recorded broadcast mentioned how thankful they were for the tremendous crowd at the game. The student section was rowdy the entire game, booing the Geneseo pep band whenever they played, shouting the appropriate chants when Brockport scored and even displaying some impressive crowd surfing after goals.Unfortunately for the Golden Eagle faithful, they will have to wait until Feb. 13 and 14 for the next, and final, regular-season home games of the year.

Brockport's 10-game unbeaten streak will face its greatest test playing the No. 1 team in the country in the Plattsburgh Cardinals Friday Feb. 6, and the Potsdam Bears Saturday, Feb. 7.

Both games start at 7 p.m. and can check out both games live on 89.1 the point or online at 891thepoint.com.

BROCKPORT CAN'T CRACK THE POLLS

I would have thought by now that Brockport would have raised some eyebrows nationally and cracked USCHO's DIII poll. After all, Geneseo did a few weeks ago...and look what the Golden Eagles have done to them this season.

But alas, Brockport cannot be found in the top 25 colleges that received votes this week. Check it out here:

http://www.uscho.com/rankings/?data=uscho3m

TODD IS SUNYAC GOALIE OF THE WEEK AGAIN!

For the third time this semester and the second week in a row, Todd Sheridan has been called the SUNYAC goalie of the week....

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Todd Sheridan - Brockport
Junior (Edison, N.J./Sarnia Blast)

In goal, Sheridan stopped 29 shots by the Geneseo Blue Knights on Friday and helped the Golden Eagles continue their 10-game non-losing streak (8-0-2) with a 5-2 victory. Sheridan holds a record of 8-1-3 for the year, with one shutout and a goals against average of 2.00.

I noticed an error in the SUNYAC's report: Todd has two - not one - shutouts.

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

The Golden Eagles are now an impressive 11-5-3.

How has Brockport made it's amazing ascension from the 55th best hockey team in the nation in 2007-2008 to its current position as the 18th best?

A look at the numbers show how...

Looking at one of Brockport's recurring weaknesses, the power play, the team is only slightly better than last year. In 07-08 the Golden Eagles ranked 55th. This year, they are 51st.

But, in terms of penalty killing, the team has made a huge leap, going from 48th to 22nd. That's quite noticeable when watching games: No longer do I see Brockport's goaltenders hung out to dry as they have been in recent years.

On to the most significant numbers....

Last year the team scored 3.40 goals a game and allowed 3.32, good for a .08 differential. That numbers is far too small for comfort and accounts for the team losing so many close games last year.

This season is quite different. The team has scored at a higher rate (3.58 goals) and has allowed far fewer goals (2.89 goals per game). That accounts for a positive differential of .69 goals per game. That's a very good number. It's not as good as Adrian's differential (6.33 goals scored vs. 1.71 goals allowed per game), but it's more than good enough to win a lot of games.