Brockport finishes out the season with a game on the road. This Saturday they take on the Neumann Knights in Aston, PA.
Neumann finished the 2008-2009 season as DIII champs after catching the hockey world off guard. A successful team the year prior, they weren’t known for playoff moxie, so when they got hot and stayed hot, no one saw it coming.
Now, they are respected..maybe over-respected. 15-9-3 last year, they are 6-3-1 this year and ranked 11th in the nation, higher than their record – or numbers- should permit. Their goaltenders have allowed 2.45 goals per game while the team has scored 35 goals (3.18/game).
Their playoff run was led by then-freshman goaltender Ross MacKinnon, who was lights out. He’s come down to Earth since then, but his .904 goals against average is still nothing to scoff at. Nonetheless, he’s not the impregnable wall he was as the toast of Lake Placid.
They are a team that has a strong core: After 11 games they have 4 guys with 8 or more points. Michael Rey has 7 goals while Jordan Zalba has 6.
If they have a weakness, it’s their tendency to commit penalties. They currently rank 14th in the nation in that category. Not good for them when they are 55th in the nation in the penalty kill. If James Cody – who was a PP beast last year - can capitalize on that, then Brockport has a chance to stage an upset. Wouldn’t that be a great way to end the semester!
Player to watch: Neumann's Andrew Love. The sophomore has played but 6 games and has only 2 points, but don’t let that throw you off about his importance to the team. Last weekend I overhead a Cortland parent raving about how Love dominated faceoffs, winning them like they were going out of style.
This game will NOT be heard on WBSU. The game will be broadcast on www.FastHockey.com
Neumann finished the 2008-2009 season as DIII champs after catching the hockey world off guard. A successful team the year prior, they weren’t known for playoff moxie, so when they got hot and stayed hot, no one saw it coming.
Now, they are respected..maybe over-respected. 15-9-3 last year, they are 6-3-1 this year and ranked 11th in the nation, higher than their record – or numbers- should permit. Their goaltenders have allowed 2.45 goals per game while the team has scored 35 goals (3.18/game).
Their playoff run was led by then-freshman goaltender Ross MacKinnon, who was lights out. He’s come down to Earth since then, but his .904 goals against average is still nothing to scoff at. Nonetheless, he’s not the impregnable wall he was as the toast of Lake Placid.
They are a team that has a strong core: After 11 games they have 4 guys with 8 or more points. Michael Rey has 7 goals while Jordan Zalba has 6.
If they have a weakness, it’s their tendency to commit penalties. They currently rank 14th in the nation in that category. Not good for them when they are 55th in the nation in the penalty kill. If James Cody – who was a PP beast last year - can capitalize on that, then Brockport has a chance to stage an upset. Wouldn’t that be a great way to end the semester!
Player to watch: Neumann's Andrew Love. The sophomore has played but 6 games and has only 2 points, but don’t let that throw you off about his importance to the team. Last weekend I overhead a Cortland parent raving about how Love dominated faceoffs, winning them like they were going out of style.
This game will NOT be heard on WBSU. The game will be broadcast on www.FastHockey.com
