PLAYOFFS GUARANTEED, BUT.....

With the shake-up of the SUNYAC that has come about because of the indiscretions of Geneseo and Buffalo State, Brockport is guaranteed a playoff appearance this season because the SUNYAC playoffs feature the top 6 teams and only 6 remain eligible out of 9 total teams in the conference (Geneseo and Buffalo State have been suspended from post-season play this year and Morrisville is ineligible based on their “recent” move to the conference).

But that doesn’t mean that the Golden Eagles can rest. There’s still the fight for the fourth seed - and therefore a coveted HOME playoff game – to contend for. Fredonia is in third place with 14 points. With that hot offense, it’s guaranteed they will not give up that slot.

The Golden Eagles are currently in 4th place with 10 points while being trailed by Cortland (8 points) and Potsdam (7 points). The remaining games are against Buffalo State, Fredonia, Geneseo, Oswego and Cortland and, theoretically, I see the Golden Eagles getting 6 points out of those games (losing to Oswego and Fredonia) which would give them 16. I also see Potsdam getting 6 points this month, pushing them to 13. Cortland’s schedule has me predicting a 4 point finish which would give them 12 points. In that perfect world, Brockport hosts a playoff game on the 23rd.

But…this is hockey. Any team can get hot. Any team can get cold. If Brockport unexpectedly drops a game against say Buff State or, worse yet based on the impact to standings, Cortland, (and then Cortland finds a way to beat Geneseo…which can happen) the balance of power changes and Cortland -- or Potsdam -- could host the playoff game.

Brockport needs only to do what they do every game: Play hard and play motivated.

Remember, prior to the start of the season the SUNYAC coaches predicted the Golden Eagles would end the season in seventh place. It’s time to prove them wrong.

BROCKPORT BEATS MORRISVILLE 5-2

The Athletics Department's report on last night's victory....


Senior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) made 17 saves in the third period and The College at Brockport scored three times in the final 20 minutes of the game to lead the Golden Eagles to a 5-2 victory over SUNY Morrisville Friday night in Morrisville.

Brockport (11-9-0 Overall, 5-6 SUNYAC) scored in the first minute of the game to take the early lead as junior Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) found the back of the net. SUNY Morrisville 5-12, 2-7) answered midway through the period to knot the scored at 1-1.

In the second period, Brockport regained the lead with a power play goal at the 6:50 mark as defenseman Greg Amato (Ocean Gate, NJ) scored his second of the season. With less than a minute to play in the second, Morrisville tied the game again with a power play tally.

In the third period the Brockport offense took advantage of its opportunities with three goals as Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT), Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) and Brett Jendra (Bolingbrook, IL) each scored goals. The key to the win, however, was the play of Sheridan in the net especially in the third period. The senior stopped all 17 shots in the third as Brockport was outshot 17-13 in the period. He finished with 36 saves for his ninth win of the season and 27th of his career.

Brockport has won five of its last six games and moved into sole possession for fourth place in the SUNYAC standings with the road win.

NICE ANALYSIS OF AID VIOLATIONS

The blogger at Gross Misconduct Hockey has done a fine job in analyzing what the NCAA's crackdown on Geneseo and Buffalo State means...

http://grossmisconducthockey.com/2010/01/28/recruiting-violations-come-to-division-iii/

BUFF STATE AND GENESEO: BUSTED!

The NCAA made this stunning announcement yesterday that is sure to shake-up the SUNYAC...



The NCAA Division III Committee on Infractions has imposed one-year postseason bans on State University College at Buffalo and State University College at Geneseo for violations of financial aid rules.

The postseason ban for both schools applies to teams (primarily ice hockey) with student-athletes that had been awarded special grants for students from Canada. Both Buffalo State and SUNY Geneseo had awarded grants almost exclusively to student-athletes, particularly those in men’s and women’s ice hockey.

Though the committee found no indication that anyone in the institutions’ athletics department or administration intended to circumvent NCAA rules, the disproportionate awarding of grants to student-athletes resulted in more than a minimal competitive advantage to the athletics program.

Both cases were resolved through the summary-disposition process, a cooperative effort where the involved parties submit the case to the Committee on Infractions in writing. When the NCAA enforcement staff, the university and involved individuals agree to the facts of the case and penalties proposed by the university, they may use this process instead of a formal hearing.

The following penalties apply to both schools:

* Public reprimand and censure.
* Two years of probation from January 28, 2010, through January 27, 2012 (self-imposed by the institutions).
* Termination of the Canadian grant program for incoming students, beginning with the 2009-10 academic year (self-imposed by the institutions).
* Effective immediately, any of the institution’s athletics teams whose rosters include one or more student-athletes receiving Canadian grants shall end their seasons with the playing of their last regular-season contest and will not be eligible to participate in any postseason competition, including conference tournaments and NCAA championships. Further, any affected teams will not be eligible for regular-season conference championship consideration as long as their rosters include student-athletes receiving Canadian grants.

Both institutions determined that, beginning with the 2010 spring semester, the penalty will be applied by allowing student-athletes receiving the grants to choose either to continue receiving the grant and withdraw from the team or to forego further funds from the grants and remain a part of the team.

In the case of Buffalo State, since the 2009-10 men's and women's ice hockey teams have already played a portion of their seasons using grant recipients, those squads are subject to the provisions of this penalty. The other team at Buffalo State whose roster includes a grant recipient (women's lacrosse) will be subject to the same sanctions if the single grant recipient on the roster does not decline the award for the spring 2010 semester.

The members of the Committee on Infractions who reviewed these cases are Mary Jo Gunning, committee chair and athletics director at Marywood University; Keith Jacques, attorney at Smith Elliott Smith & Garmey; and Dea Shipps, associate commissioner and senior woman administrator for the Eastern College Athletic Conference.


See the news release here:

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/ncaa/ncaa/ncaa+news/ncaa+news+online/2010/division+iii/buffalo+state+suny+geneseo+penalized+for+aid+violations_01_28_10_ncaa_news

BROCKPORT TRAVELS TO MORRISVILLE TONIGHT

The Brockport Golden Eagles have only one game this weekend but, as with any SUNYAC game, it’s a big one. They are heading east to take on the Morrisville Mustangs.

The Mustangs are a very hard playing group of guys who every weekend do their best to play spoiler in the SUNYAC. They are 5-11 this year and only 2-6 in conference play, scoring 2.75 goals per game while allowing 4.5 on average.

When last they faced one another at Tuttle North in November Brockport barely escaped with a 4-3 victory thanks to an exciting overtime goal by Sean O’Malley.

The Mustangs are led by goaltender Caylin Relkoff who has a .880 saves percentage and a 4.39 goals against average. He’s played valiantly but he’s been peppered by 34 shots a game. He always makes the great initial save, but his weakness is his inability to control rebounds (and his defense isn’t helpful in that category). So, it would serve Brockport well to either have a trailer well-positioned by the net or ensure that the fellow taking the shot finishes off his goal by closing in after the first blast.

They are not a high scoring team. One player to watch is Rob Sgarbossa who has a team-high 14 points on 4 goals and 10 assists but is best-known for being one of the better defensive forwards in the SUNYAC. Bobby Cass leads the team in goals with 6. No one else has scored more than 4.

Morrisville also has a few pests to watch out for: Defenseman Matheson and forwards Hercules, Carnegie, and Salmon all have more than 35 penalty minutes on the season. If they can be led induced into committing a penalty, Brockport’s 16th ranked power play will do well against Morrisville’s 49th ranked penalty kill.

Brockport must also keep Morrisville off the crease. The Mustangs made November’s game such a nailbiter because they consistently put 2 guys right on top of the goal – mostly untested, too - as a way to keep Todd Sheridan from sprawling out and using his athleticism to stop the shots. They need to be muscled out of there.

Brockport must do everything possible to come out on top. The Golden Eagles are tied for fourth place with two others and points are at a premium, especially with the high-scoring Fredonia and Oswego teams coming up.

The game starts at 7:00 and can be viewed at www.FastHockey.com and heard at www.891thepoint.com

IAN FINNERTY IN THIS WEEK'S STYLUS

Stylus Editor Amanda Seef profiled Ian Finnerty in this week's Brockport Stylus. Here's her article...



A weekend of playing against Lebanon Valley pushed Ian Finnerty to the top SUNYAC Ice Hockey player of the week. Finnerty finished the weekend off with five goals and one assist, also being named Brockport's Elite Eagle.

The sophomore delved deep into the hockey world when he was 4 years old, working up to a junior hockey league and now as a center with the Golden Eagles.

Growing up in Ardmore, Pa., ten minutes outside of Philadelphia, Finnerty was signed up for the sport by his dad, who was a hockey fanatic. After playing for a year, and accidentally cutting his wrist on a skate blade, Finnerty thought maybe hockey wasn't for him.

"I picked it back up a year later and ever since then, I've been addicted to the game," he said.

He continued playing through childhood and high school years, keeping with the same team and coach - A.J. Smith. Smith says Finnerty is "one of the greats" that came through his hockey program.

"If you told him something once, you didn't have to go over it again," Smith said. "If I had to rate him from one to ten, he was a 12. An absolute joy."

That team went to playoffs eight of the nine opportunities they had while Finnerty was on the team, starting at age 8.

"He dedicated everything he had to ice hockey," Smith said. "He just fell in love with the game and decided that's where he wanted to go."

Once Finnerty graduated high school, he took off for the junior leagues, playing with the Philadelphia Little Flyers, a part of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League.

During his time with the juniors, he was faced with a feat that proved his dedication to the game. About a month before playoffs in his last eligible year of juniors, Finnerty tore the MCL in his left knee. The doctors said his season was over.

"Hearing that, I laced up the skates for the last time with the group of guys that I played with, with all my heart and soul all season long," he said. "It shattered me that I couldn't go to war with them in the playoffs."

Finnerty took matters into his own hands, asking his team trainer for help. For three hours a day, for three weeks, Finnerty met with the trainer who helped him get his knee back into playing shape.

"Being in the dressing room for the playoffs with my teammates was an unreal feeling, especially when I was I told I wasn't going to be able to," he said. "To top it off, we made it to the championship round."

But with the junior league eligibility running out, Finnerty had to choose a college, particularly one with a strong hockey program.

"At the end of the day, I realized I can't play hockey forever, so a solid degree is important," he said.

After visiting Brockport a few times, and talking with Coaches Dickinson and Digby, Finnerty enrolled at The College at Brockport.

As a 22-year-old sophomore Business Marketing major, Finnerty continues to enjoy his time at Brockport - particularly on the ice. Finnerty scored the game winning goal in the Jan. 16 match-up against Lebanon Valley, and leads the team with 16 points on seven goals and nine assists.



Source:

http://media.www.thestylus.net/media/storage/paper1380/news/2010/01/27/Sports/Right.On.Goal-3857994.shtml

PRESS REPUBLICAN STORY ON LAST NIGHT'S GAME

The North Country's newspaper offers this recap of Saturday's game...



BROCKPORT — Saturday night's State University of New York Athletic Conference men's hockey game between Plattsburgh State and Brockport took a major turn when the Cardinals went on the penalty kill early in the second period.

Kyle Taylor and Jared Docking scored short-handed goals within a 40-second span, at 7:22 and 8:02, to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. Plattsburgh State then went on to record a 7-1 victory.

"The two short-handed goals were really the turning point in the game," said Plattsburgh State head coach Bob Emery. "It took the wind out of Brockport's sails.

"On the first, Matty MacLeod gave a great pass to Taylor and he made a great shot, one-touching it into the net. On the second, Docking made a great play on a breakaway."

Frustration then set in for the Golden Eagles (10-9, 4-5), who spent too much time in the penalty box.

"They have a great goalie (Todd Sheridan) who was off his game tonight," Emery said. "We were able to get under their skin.

"But, we did a good job breaking the puck out of our zone quickly. When Brockport got the puck in our zone, we were able to get it out fast."

The Cardinals (12-2-4, 8-1-1) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first period on Greg Fosso's goal at 12:29.

The short-handed goals by Taylor and Docking made it 3-0 before Mike Grace tallied a power-play goal at 14:02 of the second for a 4-0 Plattsburgh State advantage.

Justin Noble, with Brockport skating on a five-on-three, put the Golden Eagles on the board at the 18:05 mark.

Dylan Clarke (10:03) on a powerplay, MacLeod (12:05) and Kyle Kudroch (14:38) then closed out the scoring for Plattsburgh State in the third.

The Cardinals finished with a 52-15 advantage in shots on goal, with Josh Leis stopping 14 of 15 shots in net for the win. Sheridan made 45 saves on 52 shots for the Golden Eagles.

"It was a good weekend for us," Emery said. "The guys rose to the occasion and we were able to get four points out of it. We're still a work in progress and we want to get better.

"Scoring goals is the key and we were able to score goals tonight."

The Cardinals head back on the road this coming weekend to play Cortland on Friday and top-ranked and SUNYAC-leading Oswego on Saturday.

In other SUNYAC games Saturday night, Oswego was a 3-1 winner over Fredonia, Geneseo bounced back from Friday's 4-3 loss to the Cardinals with a 5-3 victory over Potsdam, and Cortland skated to a 4-2 win over Buffalo State.


Source:

http://www.pressrepublican.com/0340_psu/local_story_024020049.html?keyword=topstory

BROCKPORT FALLS TO PSU 7-1

There’s something as a hockey team that you don’t want to do and that’s face a mad Bob Emery, the coach of the Plattsburgh Cardinals. Always - and I mean always - cool and calm behind the bench, his on-ice demeanor belies the competitive fire that rages within him.

On Friday night the Cardinals beat Geneseo 4-3, something 71 other teams in Division III would have been happy in doing. Not so at PSU…they aim to bury teams and a 4-3 win was too close for comfort for them.

Then on Saturday, they skated into the first intermission leading Brockport by only a score of 1-0. Whatever Emery said in the locker room really motivated the team and they were unstoppable in the final two periods, putting on a clinic that saw them score 6 goals, fire 41 shots at the net, and allow only 10 shots on goal over the course of the final two periods. They looked like the best team in Division III (yes, even better than this year’s supposed #1, Oswego) over the final 2 stanzas, carrying them to a 7-1 victory over Brockport.

They did everything right. After having their power play strangled by Brockport in the first when the Golden Eagles closed-in on them and forced them to make sloppy passes and sloppy shots, their special teams turned it up a notch. In the game they converted on 2 power plays and - worse yet – scored two shorthanded goals less than a minute apart, something that can really take the wind out of an opponent’s sails. They played like robots, swarming and charging in numbers (everyway breakaway turned into a man advantage), their trailers playing rebounds like experts. In total, they put 52 shots on the net versus Brockport’s 15.

It seemed that Justin Noble’s goal was the only quality shot of the night for Brockport as the swarming Plattsburgh defense forced Brockport into taking long-distance shots that made for an easy night for goaltender Josh Leis. There was no way to get any closer based on how well PSU was playing.

It didn’t help that Brockport was penalized 12 times for a total of 35 minutes. But some of those, including two clean hits by James Cody, were very questionable calls. Just as any sport (a la New England Patriots), it often seems that the best teams get the benefit of the doubt from the refs and calls seem to go in their favor for violations real or otherwise. That brought out the boo birds in the crowd, parents and students alike, the former typically quiet in that regard. The refs sure weren’t the most beloved men in WNY last night.

Another thing that was frustrating was the uncharacteristic dirty play of the Cardinals who ran the goalie numerous times throughout the game. Four times Todd Sheridan ended up at the bottom of a pile and on another play he took a knee in the temple. They’re a good team, no, a great team, that doesn’t need to do that to win.

But, not to sound like I’m making excuses by addressing the phantom penalties and goalie hits... Plattsburgh truly was unstoppable regardless. Brockport had their hands full and even if they were on their “A” game I don’t think they could have beaten them. If the Cardinals continue to play like this I can count on seeing them amongst the four teams at Lake Placid in March.

Brockport can only ignore this game and focus on their next opponent and the strengths of the Golden Eagles that have resulted in a 10-win season so far, the team’s fourth double-digit season of the past 20 years. It’s been a great season and you can’t let a game like this leave a bad taste in your mouth. There are a few more teams to beat out there and a playoff game to strive for.

(On a side note, some know that I wasn’t at Friday’s game because my dad was in hospital following an emergency quadruple bypass on Thursday. He’s in good spirits and doing so well that he may even go home today. Modern science is amazing!)



Here’s how the Brockport Athletic Departments saw the game…



SUNY Plattsburgh scored three goals in each of the final two periods to score a 7-1 victory over The College at Brockport Hockey team Saturday night in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game at the Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.

Brockport (10-9 overall, 4-6 SUNYAC) scored its only goal of the game near the end of the second period as Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) picked up a rebound and scored into the open side of the goal to make it a 4-1 score. Jason Gorrie (Etobicoke, ONT) and Tyler Davis (Queensbury, NY) had assists on the goal.

Plattsburgh (12-2-4, 8-1-1) scored midway through the first period for a 1-0 lead as Brockport killed off four full two-minute power plays in the period.

In the second period, the Cardinals scored two short handed goals in under a minute to take a 3-0 lead and added a power play goal with six minutes left in the period for a 4-0 advantage.

Noble’s goal made it 4-1 as the period ended before the Cardinals scored three more times in the third period including two on power plays for the final margin of victory.

Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) made 45 saves as Brockport was outshot 52-15 in the contest.

USCHO RECAP OF POTSDAM GAME

USCHO's beat reporter was on campus Friday night and he offers this recap of the 4-2 victory over Potsdam...


BROCKPORT, N.Y. (Jan. 22) — Brockport took advantage of a third period five minute power play to score the winning goal and added an empty netter to defeat Potsdam, 4-2, in a key SUNYAC game.

After falling behind 2-0, Todd Sheridan shut the Bears down the rest of the way for a total of 36 saves while also relying on a goaltender’s best friend, the goalposts.

“A great, great effort,” Brockport coach Brian Dickinson said. “To fall behind 2-0. To chip away for a goal at the end of the first period. We made some adjustments on the power play. We did what we do best. We just work hard and shut the door after they got those two. Everybody contributed one way or another.”

“I think we got away from what we did well,” Potsdam coach Chris Bernard said. “We tried to be a little too cute. We got a couple of goals early which is not easy against a goalie like Todd, and I think we thought okay we got his number tonight. We just didn’t do enough to stay the course and pour it on.”

With the score tied 2-2, Kevin MacLellan was called for a major and game misconduct at 2:47 of the third period. It took almost three minutes for Brockport to finally break through, but James Cody did. An outside shot by Ian Finnerty was stopped by Trevor O’Neill, but the rebound came straight out. Zack Juliano couldn’t handle the puck in front of the net, and Cody smacked it in just under the crossbar.

“He works hard up and down the ice banging bodies along the wall. He’s an unstoppable player,” Dickinson said of Cody. “We really wanted to concentrate on getting pucks on the net. We talked after the second period to come up off the wall, stop shooting for the far side, to shoot at the middle of his pads and get rebounds. And that was a prime example of that.”

“I don’t necessarily think it was a major but those guys have a tough job every single night,” Bernard said. “They called it, and from that point on it’s how we deal with it. We killed almost the entire thing off and all of a sudden they get a long shot and rebound comes off Trevor’s pads a little bit hot and a bad bounce off a D-man’s stick, and we’re fishing it out of the back of our net.”

With the major power play still on, a wild back-and-forth sequence nearly changed the complexion of the game. Potsdam broke out with a shorthanded two-on-one. Connor Treacy fired a rocket that smacked off the goalpost creating a ring that was probably heard across the Brockport campus. The puck quickly went the other way where Sean O’Malley had a breakaway. He fired it high, but O’Neill made an excellent blocker save. After all that, the score remained 3-2.

Midway through the final period, Potsdam had the power play, but their best opportunity was a shot that once again smacked off the goalpost with a ring that echoed through the arena.

Brockport thought they had an insurance goal with about seven minutes left after stealing the puck in front of the Potsdam net. However, the reason they stole the puck was because they committed a checking from behind penalty, and the goal was quickly waved off.

Potsdam pulled their goalie for the last minute, but could not convert. Instead, Adam Schoff got an unassisted empty netter with 1.7 seconds left.

Potsdam’s attempt to pull off yet another third period comeback fell short this time.

“We talked about it in between the second and third,” Dickinson said. “We wanted to really pay attention to our D-zone. We just try to protect the middle of the ice and not let a guy like Connor [Treacy] , Fraser [Smith] , or Todd [Hosmer] get control.”

The Bears took the 2-0 lead with goals at 3:28 and 11:42 of the first period. Mike Foy from the side threw the puck to the middle where it deflected off a defenseman and past Sheridan. Matt Rhymer got a power-play tally with a wrist shot from the middle of the blue line that floated in when Sheridan did not pick it up through a screen.

“It’s nice to not have to worry about ‘oh my gosh is this thing going to get out of hand,’” Dickinson said about falling behind early when having a goalie like Sheridan. “It’s nice for our guys to know that we can come back against a pretty good team. Having Todd back there settles everyone down.”

Brockport got one back before the period ended at 16:06 on the power play. After a Potsdam defender lost control of the puck, Justin Noble took shot from an angle that O’Neill got a piece of, but it still managed to cross the line.

“We’re a team when we score we get energized,” Dickinson said. “It’s almost like a light switch.”

Adam Korol tied the game at 4:29 of the second with a slapper from the right point that found its way through a screen.

“We just have to be better,” Bernard said. “With our team, it’s not about heart. We have a lot of heart. It’s a matter of channeling that emotion. Tonight is one we let get away.”

Brockport (10-8-0, 4-5-0) leapfrogs Potsdam to move into fourth place. The Golden Eagles remain at home to take on powerful Plattsburgh.


Source: http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20092010/m/01/22/potsst-brockst.php

BROCKPORT BEATS POTSDAM 4-2

The Brockport Athletics Department reports on last night's game...


Sophomore James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) scored early in the third period to complete a comeback effort for The College at Brockport Ice Hockey team as the Golden Eagles scored a 4-2 victory over SUNY Potsdam Friday night in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game at the Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.

Brockport (10-8 overall, 4-5 SUNYAC) fell behind early, allowing a pair of first-period goals, but started its comeback with a Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) goal late in the first period.

In the second period, freshman defenseman Adam Korol (Hurley, NY) took a pass at the point and skated in two strides before sending a slap shot into the back of the net to tie the score with less than five minutes gone in the period.

The score remained tied until the third period when Cody scored on a diving shot after the Potsdam goalie made the initial save on a Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) shot from close range.

Late in the period, Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT) stole the puck in the neutral zone and skated in for an empty-net goal for the final margin.

Senior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) finished with 36 saves including 13 in each of the final two periods to record the victory.

BROCKPORT BEATS ASSUMPTION 4-0

The Brockport Athletic Department reports the following...


Sophomore Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) made his third start of the season and stopped all 33 shots to post his first career shutout as he led The College at Brockport Hockey team to a 4-0 victory over Assumption College Wednesday night in the final non-conference game of the season for the Golden Eagles in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Brockport (9-8) recorded its seventh victory in the last 10 games and also represented head coach Brian Dickinson’s 100th career victory at Brockport. It is the final non-conference game of the season as Brockport returns to State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play Friday against SUNY Potsdam as the Golden Eagles will face eight straight conference opponents down the stretch.

The Golden Eagles took a 1-0 lead with a Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) goal in the final minute of play in the opening period for his eighth goal of the year.

In the second period, Brockport extended its lead with a pair of goals. James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) scored the first of two power play goals in the period at the 13:05 mark and four minutes later Ray Tremblay (Etobicoke, ONT) scored the first of two goals on the night with an assist from Cody to give the Golden Eagles a 3-0 advantage.

Brockport extended the lead in the third period as Tremblay added his second of the game with 5:30 left to play as Brockport scored its first shorthanded goal of the season.

Wren, starting in place of senior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ), made 33 saves including 13 in the second period to record his first career shutout in his 11th career start. Wren also added an assist on Cody’s power play goal.

Cody finished with a goal and two assists and Brockport won the shots on goal battle 56-33. The Golden Eagles were 2-for-5 on the power play.

Dickinson entered the season with 91 career wins as the head coach of the Golden Eagles. He also registered 19 victories as head coach at Buffalo State.

DICKINSON AIMS FOR WIN 100

Last year Coach Dickinson earned his 100th win as an NCAA head coach (including his time at Buff State). If the Golden Eagles are victorious tonight he will achieve the 100-win milestone as a Brockport head coach. May he reach the century mark tonight!

SAVES FOR A CURE GAME: FEBRUARY 19th

Senior goaltender Todd Sheridan started the non-profit charity Saves For A Cure two years ago and The College at Brockport Hockey team will help to boost the fund raising activity for the charity on Friday, February 19th when the Golden Eagles host SUNY Oswego at 7 pm 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 senior net minder has solicited local businesses to pledge money for each save made by the Brockport goalies throughout the season.

Last year, during Saves For A Cure Weekend the team wore a special jersey, all of which were auctioned off with proceeds going to Saves For a Cure.

This year, the Golden Eagles will do the same and have ordered special black jerseys, white on the shoulders, with a SFAC logo on the chest and Eagle logo on shoulders. A jersey auction will be set up to auction the game-worn jerseys. The auction begins February 15th and continues through February 20th. The website for the auction will be announced at a later date.

Also, all ticket sales from the game will be donated to Saves For a Cure.

The Golden Eagles are looking for T-shirt sponsors, as they would like to be able to give out 100+ t-shirts that resemble the SFAC jerseys to help raise awareness. If interested in sponsoring the shirts, please contact assistant coach Mark Digby at mdigby@brockport.edu

FINNERTY IS SUNYAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Sophomore Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) is this week’s SUNYAC player of the week for January 11-17.

Finnerty led The College at Brockport Ice Hockey team to a 2-1 record, including a sweep over Lebanon Valley, as he notched five goals and one assist for the Golden Eagles.

The sophomore forward assisted on a power play goal and scored the final goal in the 5-3 victory over Lebanon Valley Friday night. On Saturday, Finnerty scored four goals including the game-winner in a 6-3 victory over the Flying Dutchmen. He scored twice in the first period, completed his hat trick with 12 seconds left in the second period and notched his fourth goal midway through the third period. Three of his four goals were on the power play.

Finnerty currently leads the team with 16 points on seven goals and nine assists.

FINNERTY IS BROCKPORT ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Sophomore Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) is this week’s male athlete of the week after leading the Golden Eagles to a 2-1 record. Brockport lost to Utica College before posting back-to-back wins over Lebanon Valley as Finnerty notched five goals and one assist on the week.

Finnerty assisted on a power play goal and scored the final goal in the 5-3 victory over Lebanon Valley on Friday. On Saturday, Finnerty scored four goals including the game-winner in a 6-3 victory over the Flying Dutchmen. He scored twice in the first period, completed his hat trick with 12 seconds left in the second period and notched his fourth goal midway through the third period. Three of his four goals were on the power play as Brockport (8-8) was 5-for-10 on the extra-man situations.

Finnerty currently leads the team with 16 points on seven goals and nine assists.

THREE GAMES THIS WEEK!

The Golden Eagles have a busy week ahead of them, taking the ice on three occasions. On Wednesday they travel to Worcester, Massachusetts to take on Assumption. On Friday they host Potsdam and on Saturday Plattsburgh comes to town.

******

The Assumption Greyhounds (a rare DII opponent for Brockport) will be a perfect non-conference workout for Brockport prior to the nerve-wracking SUNYAC weekend. Both teams seem to match up well, Brockport sitting on an 8-8 record and Assumption a 7-7 record. But, Assumption’s success came against lesser opponents, the only team of any consequence they’ve faced is Manhattanville who beat the Greyhounds 6-1. So, it is difficult to really figure out just how good of a team they really are.

But, they do have some talent, especially on their top line. Sophomore Pat O’Kane, a small but lightening-quick right winger, has been one of the best players in NCAA this year. He already has 16 goals on the season and he has been dangerous on special teams, netting 6 power play goals and 3 short-handed goals. His linemate Taylor Larsen has 23 points on the season (9 goals and 14 assists) is another one who must be accounted-for. Assumption is solid in net, too, with Nick Blanchette posting a .909 saves percentage.

It should be an exciting game.

*******

Brockport opened the season against Potsdam and, after having dominated the Bears in a 3-1 playoff match-up only months earlier, expected a victory. The GE’s were upset, though, by a score of 6-3. But, the game was close for quite a while, Brockport having led 3-2 at the halfway point. The subsequent 4 goal deluge left a bad taste in their mouth they plan to eliminate this weekend by giving the Bears a taste of their own medicine.

Potsdam is 7-7-2 overall and best compared to 8-8 Brockport. While Brockport is 3-5-0 in the SUNYAC and sitting in 5th place, Potsdam is in 4th, sporting a 3-4-1 mark in conference play. Brockport has scored 50 goals on the season and Potsdam his lit the lamp 55 times. Brockport is slightly better defensively, allowing 55 scores on the year. Potsdam has allowed 64. So, it looks to be a close game, one that will carry huge importance for the February playoffs.

Their two best players are Connor Treacy (8 goals, 19 assists) and Todd Hosmer (11 goals and 13 assists). Fraser Smith is a pretty solid player, too (8 and 8) who had a 16-goal season last year. Trevor O’Neill mans the net and posts an .879 saves percentage. In his last appearance he allowed 7 Elmira goals in only 2 periods of work.

Brockport should be victorious on home ice but it will be hard-fought.

*****

The Plattsburgh Cardinals are their usual powerful selves and rated fourth in DIII. But, if it’s any consolation, they aren’t as indestructible as they have been in recent years, posting a 10-2-3 record. The Cardinals aren’t as offensively-frightening up front as in the past with Eric Satim their only player with more than 16 points (he has 23 points and has scored 10 times). But, they are more well-balanced in scoring than in seasons past: Everyone seems to chip in (19 players have 5 or more points), hence the 4.80 goals scored per game, 6th best in the nation.

It’s on defense where they shine…dominate actually. They have the second best defense in all of DIII, allowing a miniscule 1.73 goals per game. With a killer D like that, they play goal by committee with Williams and Leis having identical numbers of .935 and 1.53 GAA. Neither of them have been tested this year and it’s unknown how they can handle pressure.

Brockport can make it a close game – if not an upset – by taking it to the net and using their physical play to throw the defensemen off. If Brockport plays conservatively and contact-free, a Plattsburgh victory is guaranteed.

****

All three games can be heard on WBSU at 89.1 FM and online at www.891thepoint.com. They can also be watched at www.FastHockey.com

BROCKPORT ATHLETIC DEPT'S RECAP OF THE GAME

Sophomore Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) scored four goals including the game-winner for The College at Brockport Hockey team in a 6-3 victory over Lebanon Valley Saturday as the Golden Eagles completed a two-game sweep over the Flying Dutchmen in Pennsylvania.

Finnerty scored twice in the first period, completed his hat trick with 12 seconds left in the second period and notched his fourth goal midway through the third period. Three of his four goals were on the power play as Brockport (8-8) was 5-for-10 on the extra-man situations.

The win over Lebanon Valley (0-17) was the second in as many days as Brockport won a 5-3 decision Friday night.

In the first period, Brockport took advantage of the first Lebanon Valley penalty of the night as Finnerty scored with assists from Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) and Sean O’Malley (Lakewood, OH) 25 seconds into the power play to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later, Brockport was on the power play again and this time Tremblay scored with Gregg Amato (Ocean Gate, NJ) and Jason Gorrie (Etobicoke, ONT) picking up assists. Just 20 seconds later, Finnerty scored his second of the night to boost the Brockport lead to 3-0.

A powerplay goal by Lebanon Valley late in the period made it a 3-1 Brockport lead at the end of the first 20 minutes of action.

In the second period, the Flying Dutchmen cut the lead to 3-2 with an unassisted goal midway through the period.

Lebanon Valley was whistled for a hooking penalty with less than two minutes to play in the period and Finnerty took advantage with his third goal of the game with 12 seconds remaining in the period. Gorrie and Mike Hayward (Toronto, ONT) assisted on the third power play goal of the night for Brockport.

After a skirmish in the corner near the Brockport goal, both teams were penalized but Brockport ended up with a 1-minute power play and Finnerty scored with 22 seconds left in the 5-minute fighting penalty assessed to Lebanon Valley for a 5-2 Brockport lead.

Just 16 seconds after the goal, Lebanon Valley was whistled for two penalties – roughing and too many players on the ice – giving Brockport its 10th power play opportunity of the game. Only 12 seconds into the 5-on-3 power play, junior Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) scored to make it a 6-3 Brockport lead.

With less than five minutes to play, Lebanon Valley scored for the final margin.

For the game, Brockport was 5-for-10 on the power play while Lebanon Valley was just 1-for-7 with the extra man.

Senior goalie Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) made 25 saves for Brockport to earn his seventh win of the season.

FINNERTY'S 4 GOALS SINK LVC 6-3

Ian Finnerty had a huge afternoon, scoring four times in the contest as the Golden Eagles won 6-3 in a game marred by 28 penalties.

Here's the recap of the Saturday game as reported by LVC's athletics department...


HERSHEY, Pa. - Brockport scored five times on the power play as it topped Lebanon Valley, 6-3, in non-league ice hockey play Saturday at Hersheypark Arena.

The Dutchmen (0-17-0) outshot the Golden Eagles (8-8-0) 28-22, but poor special teams play allowed Brockport to convert on five of their 10 extra-man chances.

Ian Finnerty had four goals for the Golden Eagles, and Ray Tremblay added a goal and two assists. Sean Wilson, Brad Surdam, and Dan Dempsey all tallied for LVC.

Finnerty put Brockport out in front early with two goals sandwiched around Tremblay's, and Wilson cut it back to 3-1 when he scored on a two-man advantage at 17:03 of the first.

Surdam then made it a one-goal game with an unassisted goal to start the second period, but Finnerty got his hat trick when he scored with just 12 seconds in the period for the eventual game-winner, and he added his fourth in the third period. Tom Galiani scored on a 5-on-3 to seal the win, and Dempsey got a consolation goal with five minutes left for his sixth goal in a week.

LVC's RECAP OF FRIDAY'S GAME

HERSHEY, Pa. - Lebanon Valley carried a 2-2 tie into the third period, but Brockport slipped away with three third-period goals to win, 5-3, in non-league play Friday.

The Dutchmen (0-16-0) appeared to have a comeback on their hands in the final moments after Daniel Dempsey's goal at 17:24 of the third cut the Brockport (7-8-0) lead to 4-3, but a second LVC goal was called off due after the officials ruled it was played with a skate.

Dempsey continued his red-hot play, following up Tuesday's hat trick with two more goals and an assist as he was the game's #1 star. Anthony Longo added LVC's other goal in the first period.

Brockport spread around the scoring, with Ian Finnerty and James Cody each notching a goal and an assist.

Todd Sheridan made 29 saves to get the win; Daniel Rameriz, in his second straight start, stopped 27. Both faced 32 shots.

The Golden Eagles grabbed a quick 2-0 edge in the first when Justin Noble scored 3:24 in, and doubled up on Cody's power-play goal two minutes later. The Dutchmen shifted the momentum back before the end of the period when Longo tallied his first of the season off Dempsey and William Brown with 1:31 left before the break.

Dempsey tied it up at the tail end of the second period when he came barging out of the box and took a pinpoint pass from Matthew Kisiday to make it 2-2 at 19:12, but Brockport's Jason Gorrie put his team ahead again 4:20 into the third.

Adam Korol scored what would hold up as the game-winner at 12:00, but Dempsey made it interesting with a nice goal from Cole Bell and Brad Surdam at 17:24.

But any momentum the Dutchmen may have had was quashed when Finnerty shut the door 57 seconds later with a speculative shot from the blue line that got past Ramirez.

The two teams will skate again Saturday at 3 p.m. at Hersheypark Arena.

BROCKPORT BEATS LVC 5-3

Sophomore James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) scored one goal and added one assist to lead The College at Brockport Hockey team a 5-3 victory over Lebanon Valley College Friday night in the first of two non-conference games against the Flying Dutchmen in Pennsylvania.

Brockport (7-8) did not waste any time taking a lead with two goals in the first six minutes of action as Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) finished off a 3-on-2 break four minutes into the contest and then Cody made it a 2-0 lead with a quick shot to the upper corner of the net on a centering pass from Sean O’Malley (Lakewood, OH) two minutes later as Brockport was on a power play.

Late in the first period, Lebanon Valley (0-16) scored to cut the lead to 2-1 and a one-timer from in front of the Brockport goal.

The Golden Eagles were sluggish in the second period and Lebanon Valley took advantage with a goal to tie the game with less than a minute to play in the period.

In the third period, Brockport regained control with a pair of goals first by Jason Gorrie (Etobicoke, ONT) and the second by Adam Korol (Hurley, NY) to give Brockport a 4-2 lead.

The Flying Dutchmen did not give up and pulled to within a goal at 4-3 with two and a half minutes to play. Sophomore Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) gave the Golden Eagles their two-goal cushion again a minute later with his third goal of the season. Finnerty finished with a goal and an assist and Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) and O’Malley each dished out two assists.

Senior goalie Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) made 29 saves for Brockport to earn his sixth win of the season.

The same two teams play again at 3 pm Saturday afternoon.

BROCKPORT PLAYS AT LVC THIS WEEKEND

The Golden Eagles travel to Hershey Park Arena in Pennsylvania this weekend for a two-game series against the Lebanon valley Flying Dutchman.

LVC has been the losingest team in DIII over the past few years (though it’s not for a lack of trying). They are 0-15 this season after going 0-25, 1-23 and 2-22 the previous three years. They have scored only 1.6 goals/game this year while allowing an average of 5.87 per contest.

They are the seventh-most penalized team in DIII with 22.9 minutes per game. Brockport’s 30th ranked power play will feast on that as LVC stops only 71.9% of the man advantages they face.

Their leading goal scorer is freshman Dan Dempsey (5) and their point leaders are Brad Surdam and Rory Wilkowich (8 points each). They have a two-headed monster in goal with Drazin (.851% and 6.39 GAA) and Turner (.881% and 5.10) sharing time.

Brockport will be victorious in both games and the team must use the weekend to iron out the wrinkles that were shown in the Hobart and Utica games. The Golden Eagles must be at the top of their game when SUNYAC play resumes next weekend and Potsdam and Plattsburgh come to Tuttle North.

Friday’s game against LVC starts at 7:00. Saturday’s affair is a 3:00 matinee.

Both games can be heard on www.891thepoint.com and can be viewed at www.fasthockey.com

GOLDEN EAGLES HOSTING HOCKEY CLINIC

The College at Brockport Ice Hockey Team is offering a Martin Luther King Day, 1/18/10, clinic for Tri-County Youth Hockey Initiation, Mite and Squirt players from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM. Parents can contact Brian Dickinson, College at Brockport Ice Hockey Head Coach, at 585.395.5351 or bdickins@brockport.edu. Check can be made out to Recreational Services. Cost is $20.

OBSERVER-DISPATCH RECAP

The Observer-Dispatch, the city of Utica's newspaper, in today's paper features the following story about last night's game. Refer to the link at the bottom of this post to see 14 pictures from the game...

Tim Coffman is fun to watch.

He was again last night, scoring a goal and adding an assist to help the Utica College hockey Pioneers even their record with a 5-1 victory over Brockport State in a nonleague game at the Utica Memorial Auditorium Tuesday.

Matt Fitzgibbons had a pair of goals and an assist for UC (6-6-3). Sean McKevitt and Sean Dunn scored a goal apiece, Scott Wentworth had three assists, and Justin Bolla made 28 saves and just missed a shutout he should have had. James Cody scored the lone goal for the Golden Eagles (6-8), who took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play and then pulled their goalie to go three men up to get the score at 13:21 of the third period. Golden Eagle goalies Todd Sheridan and Oliver Wren combined for 22 saves, many of them eye-poppers.

It was a good win for the Pioneers even though coach Gary Heenan was not pleased with his team’s work overall. He couldn’t complain about Coffman, however, and he rarely if ever has reason to.

Coffman is a pleasure to watch, really, because he has a lot of skills – he can skate, he can shoot, and handle the puck – and because he is extremely heady and creative, consistently building opportunities and giving the opposition fits all game long.

“He good is he?” asked Heenan after the game, not needing an answer. “He’s dynamite. He competes. He has deceptive speed, great speed. Great instincts. He’s a player. There is a ‘Wow’ factor there. Anyone who comes to our rink and sees him play has to say, ‘Wow.’”

A sophomore from Elverson, Pa., an outer suburb of Philadelphia, the 5-foot-11, 176-pound Coffman scored 17 goals and added 10 assists last season. He’s headed for similar numbers this season – 11 goals, 10 assists so far – although he feels he is playing better than he was a year ago, a fair assessment.

“During the preseason I dedicated myself to lifting weights, running, and staying in shape,” he said. “That’s starting to pay off for me. I’m on roll.”

Coffman played for the Philadelphia Little Flyers, and then Laconia, N.H., in junior hockey, but he attributes much of his savvy to playing soccer in high school. He was a midfielder, so he can set up teammates and make plays.

“In hockey, the passes are tape to tape, but in soccer there are a lot of lead balls where you let your teammates run to it,” he said. “I try to see little areas I can float the puck to.”

He also appears to thinking a play or two ahead most of the time as well.

“I try to slow the game down in my head,” he said.

That all came together after McKevitt gave UC the early lead with a score just 3:23 into the game, which came after Bolla prevented Brockport from getting on the board first by getting a big stop on Tom Galiani in the opening minute. Not long after, Coffman got the puck at center ice, passed to Wentworth, and received a return pass in stride at the blue line. Then he blew past a defender, flew in on Sheridan, crossed the crease right to left and sneaked the puck into the net. Five minutes later, Bolla made another big save, and the Pioneers were on their way.

They’ll have to play better Thursday, however, when 12th-ranked Curry visits, and on Jan. 22, when Manhattanville comes in as UC begins a nine-game run that will determine its spot in the ECAC West playoffs. Heenan didn’t like it that Bolla didn’t get the shutout – “It’s awful,” he said. “His teammates let him down by going two down too many times.” – and he didn’t like his team’s overall effort.

“They outworked us; they outhit us,” he said. “If our competitiveness is like next Friday, or Thursday, we’re going to be embarrassed.”


Source:

http://www.uticaod.com/features/x1689202947/Coffman-leads-Pioneers-past-Brockport-State

BROCKPORT FALLS 5-1 TO UTICA

Sophomore James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) scored the only goal of the game for The College at Brockport Ice Hockey team Tuesday as Utica College scored a 5-1 victory over the Golden Eagles in a non-conference game in Utica.

Utica scored twice in the first period and twice in the second period before Cody scored a power-play goal with seven minutes left in the third. Utica scored with a minute to play in the contest for the final score.

Utica scored twice in a span of two minutes early in the first period and took a 3-0 lead midway through the second stanza. With less than three minutes remaining in the second period, the Pioneers scored a power-play goal to take a 4-0 lead.

Mike Heyward (Toronto, ONT) and Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) added assists on Cody’s goal.

WKTV RECAP OF UTICA GAME

USCHO RECAP OF HOBART GAME

The crew at USCHO.com reports on last night's game...


GENEVA, N.Y. (Jan. 7) — The Hobart Statesmen (6-6-2) dominated the first two periods of tonight’s game against the Brockport Golden Eagles (7-6), building a 3-0 lead, but then had to withstand a ferocious comeback. Brockport scored a pair of power-play goals in the third period, but couldn’t get the equalizer, and Hobart held on for a 3-2 victory.

“We got the win,” said Hobart coach Mark Taylor. “We had some guys that played well, but the third period wasn’t very good.”

“We came out in the third and played real hard,” added Brockport coach Brian Dickinson. “We were able to get to their young defensemen. We just ran out of time in the end.”

Hobart dominated play territorially during much of the first period. The Statesmen were unable to convert on two early power plays, but finally cracked the scoreboard at the 14:07 mark. Junior Christopher Bower took a pass from the corner and skated around behind the Golden Eagles’ net. As he emerged on the far side, he spotted freshman Frank Salituro on the far side of the crease. Salituro settled the pass on this stick and tucked the puck into the top right corner of the net to score his first collegiate goal and give Hobart a 1-0 lead.

“Frank has great poise, great hockey sense,” said Taylor. “He’s one of those guys who I think has an ability to slow the game down when he gets the puck on his stick.”

Brockport finally mounted significant offensive pressure in the final minutes of the opening period as they skated on their first power play of the game. The Golden Eagles best scoring opportunity came with only seconds left when a shot down the slot bounced off a defending player and trickled just wide of the net.

Hobart reestablished its territorial dominance in the second period and extended its lead. Sophomore Gregory Ciciola got the Statesmen rolling with a give-and-go goal at 7:12. Ciciola made a long pass across the neutral zone to freshman Bobby Hannah and then broke hard to the net. Hannah hit Ciciola with the return pass just inside the faceoff dot and Ciciola wristed it in the back of the net for the Statesmen’s second goal.

Just under five minutes later, junior Matthew Wallace extended Hobart’s lead to 3-0. Wallace dug the puck out from along the boards deep in Brockport zone and spotted daylight between Golden Eagles’ senior goaltender Todd Sheridan and the post. Wallace wound the puck through that seam from a tight angle to score at 12:02.

“We played OK in the first,” said Dickinson. “The second we were sleepwalking, and you can’t do that against Hobart. They work as hard as any team we’ll see all year, both ends of the ice. We didn’t work hard coming back into our zone.”

Again Brockport got stronger as the period wound down and had a grade ‘A’ scoring chance with just under four minutes remaining in the second stanza. Freshman Sean Archer poked the puck away from a Hobart defender deep in the Statesmen’s zone and found himself one-on-one against Hobart freshman netminder Nick Broadwater. Archer skated laterally across the slot and fired off a hard wrist shot, but Broadwater stuck his leg pad out to make the save.

Brockport came storming back early in the third period to make the game interesting. The Golden Eagles took advantage of Hobart penalties to score a pair of power-play goals and make the score 3-2.

“We’ve spent a lot of time on the power play to get them to understand where we want the puck to go,” said Dickinson. “It was good to finally see the practice incorporated in the game. Right now, they have a lot of confidence in it.”

The first goal came at 6:08, as Brockport did a great job moving the puck around the Hobart zone. They finally worked the puck down low to freshman Dan Galiani, who spotted junior Justin Noble alone in the slot, and Noble whipped the puck past Broadwater.

The second tally came just under two minutes later when senior Jason Gorrie scored with a big slap shot from the top of the slot, narrowing the lead to 3-2.

Brockport kept up the offensive pressure through the remainder of the third period, as Hobart clung to its narrow lead. The Golden Eagles got a late gift of a power play due to a goaltender interference call on freshman Chris Conniizzaro, but the power play was cut short when Brockport junior Chris Berardini was called for interference a minute later.

The Golden Eagles pulled netminder Sheridan with 50 seconds left, but the ploy failed when senior Blake Bonham scored an empty-net goal at 19:42 to seal the win.



Source:

http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20092010/m/01/07/brockst-hobart.php

BROCKPORT FALLS TO HOBART 4-2

The Athletics Department's recap of last night night's game:



Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) and Jason Gorrie (Etobicoke, ONT) scored third-period power play goals to close a 3-0 lead but The College at Brockport Hockey team surrendered a late empty-net goal to fall 4-2 to Hobart College Thursday night in Geneva in the first game of 2010 for the Golden Eagles.

Brockport (6-7) fell behind on a late first-period goal for the Statesmen (6-6-2) and went down by a 3-0 score as Hobart added two more goals in the first 12 minutes of the second period.Noble scored six minutes into the final period to cut the lead to 3-1. It was his fifth goal of the season and was assisted by Dan Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) and Gregg Amato (Ocean Gate, NJ).

Two minutes later, Gorrie made it a 3-2 game with his fourth goal of the season as Brockport struck again on the power play. Amato and Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT) assisted on the goal.

Brockport applied offensive pressure for the remainder of the third period and held a 21-10 shots advantage of the final 20 minutes but could not score the equalizer. With less than a minute to play in the game, Brockport pulled goalie Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) for the extra attacker but Hobart scored an empty-net goal for the final score.

Sheridan finished with 35 saves for the Golden Eagles.

BROCKPORT TO PLAY HOBART ON THURSDAY

The Golden Eagles begin the second semester of play Thursday night at 7:00, a short drive away in Geneva. They’ll take on perennial powerhouse Hobart, a team that looks nothing like the well-oiled machine that it once was.

Rated fifth in the USCHO.com poll coming into the season, they aren’t even ranked after posting a shocking losing record of 5-6-2. This uncharacteristic performance is based on a significant change in style. Once a team built on speed and puck control, they’ve grown (literally and figuratively) into a physical team that is not as fast as the teams of old. That has accounted for a scoring average a third-of- a-goal less per game than last year and a defense that is allowing three-quarters-of-a-goal more per game. In a sport as low-scoring as hockey, that’s a huge difference. Hobart scores an average of 3.77 goals/game while allowing 3.

They do, though, still possess a great power play, rated 17th in the nation. Matt Wallace, a junior, is lights-out in those situations, lighting the lamp 6 times this season on the man advantage. Their penalty is not so good, placing them 53rd in the nation. If Brockport can unleash the power play system used in the Skidmore Tourney, look out!

Hobart’s best players are rookie Chris Cannizarro (a team-high 16 points), Wallace (14 points) , freshman Danny Organ (7 goals), and defenseman Brad Richards whose 11 points are 14th best in the nation among defenders. Nick Broadwater is none too shabby in goal with a robust .909 saves percentage.

When last they played in November Hobart beat Brockport 4-1. But, this time things will be different. Hobart’s play has slackened and if Brockport can come out of the gate with physical play, the Golden Eagles can beat them. In the last match-up, physicality paid off…after figuring out that’s what was needed, Brockport held Hobart to only one goal after the first 4 minutes of the second. At that time, James Cody and Tyler Davis took it upon themselves to lay a whuppin’ on the Statesmen and it worked. If that’s done by all from the first second of the game, a Golden Eagle victory is assured.

Catch the game’s broadcast live online at www.891thepoint.com