The Brockport Athletics Department offers this report of last evening's huge victory...
Senior Sean O’Malley (Lakewood, OH) scored the first goal of the game and sparked a power play unit that accounted for five goals as The College at Brockport Hockey team cruised to a 6-3 victory Sunday night over Nichols College in the championship game of the Skidmore College Invitational Tournament in Saratoga Springs, NY.
O’Malley, who also scored a goal in the first game of the tournament, was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Freshman Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) who scored a goal and added an assist against the University of New England Saturday and then notched two goals and an assist in the championship, was named to the All-Tournament team as was senior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) who made 27 saves in the shutout win over New England Saturday.
Against Nichols, the Brockport (4-5) power play unit took advantage of a five-minute major penalty called against Nichols late in the first period and scored three times before the end of the man advantage. O’Malley opened the scoring as he scored on a wrap-around shot with 5:03 to play in the first period and just 23 seconds into the five-minute power play.
Less than a minute later, James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) scored with a slapshot from the top of the face-off circle to make it a 2-0 Brockport lead. With just over a minute remaining in the penalty, Jason Gorrie (Etobicoke, ONT) added a third power play goal giving the Golden Eagles a commanding 3-0 lead.
Two minutes into the second period, Galiani took a lead pass from Cody and raced in on a breakaway beating the Nichols goalie over the shoulder with a backhand shot for the eventual game-winning goal.
Galiani added another Brockport goal 2:13 later on another power play opportunity as Brockport took a 5-0 lead.Nichols (4-2-1) finally got on the scoreboard midway through the second period but Brockport’s Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) made it a 6-1 Brockport lead with his first goal of the season.
Nichols scored twice in the third period but could not get any closer and Brockport won the 6-3 decision.
Finnerty finished with a goal and two assists while Cody added his goal and three assists. Gorrie chipped in a goal and an assist for the Golden Eagles. Sophomore goalie Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) made 21 saves.
