THE JAMES CODY WATCH

James had a point-free weekend, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Relkoff and MacKinnon had exceptional saves against him and he was just an inch away from a goal last night, ringing the post.

So where does he stand?

His 15 goals are good for 4th in the nation and his 29 points are 12th in DIII.

He still leads all SUNYAC players in overall goals and is third amongst SUNYAC players in overall points.

BROCKPORT TIES 16th RANKED NEUMANN, 2-2

It was fitting that on Saves For a Cure night saves were what this game was all about. Brockport tied #16 ranked Neumann in a match-up that saw both teams put more than 30 shots on goal. The goaltenders -- Brockport’s Oliver Wren and Neumann’s Ross MacKinnon -- were at the top of their game.

But, it was Mr. Wren whose play was nothing short of spectacular, he far outplaying MacKinnon, the one-time DIII world champion. For the second weekend in a row, he had a strong performance against a powerhouse. Oliver saw 43 shots and stopped 41 of them. Many were of them were exciting, highlighting his athletic style of play, one where he stays deep in the box and uses his quick reflexes to turn away shots. That played well against Neumann’s reactionary (rather than orchestrated) style of offense. He certainly deserved the First Star.

The Third Star was granted to Adam Shoff, who assisted on Brockport’s first goal, which was a Patrick Hayden low-flying slapshot from the blue line that flew past MacKinnon like a rocket. It was eerily similar to Patrick’s first goal of the season weeks ago. Adam then netted a goal of his own in the second, with only 12 seconds left in the period. He put the puck top shelf which seems to be his favorite way to score goals. He’s good at finding that small soft spot over goalie’s blocker-side shoulders. He was assisted by Ray Tremblay, who continues to show why he was so missed while injured.

This was a great game, one that –like some of the recent games - shows promise for next season. The Golden Eagles controlled the puck just as well as Neumann and they put some quality shots on goal, just as they did last night. MacKinnon was up to the task of stopping them. The defense (even though allowing 43 shots) played well given they were 3 men down.

With the playoffs out of the picture, the team can use the rest of the season to fine tune the recent successes and get the great freshman class further acclimated to the NCAA. They’re looking good enough to play spoiler over the next few weeks, either bouncing an opponent out of the SUNYAC picture or from a coveted home playoff spot.

If you liked the jerseys you saw last night – and like supporting a great cause – please bid on the game worn jerseys today, the last day for the auction. The auction site can be found here:

http://www.gobrockport.com/sports/2011/1/24/MHOCKEY_0124110742.aspx?path=mhockey

Along those lines, please stop by the Saves For a Cure benefit dinner today. Refer to my earlier blog posts for information.


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Boxscore: http://www.collegehockeystats.net/1011/boxes/mbrcneu1.j29


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The report from the Athletic Department...


Junior Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT) scored one goal and assisted on another as The College at Brockport Hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie with Neumann University Saturday night at the Tuttle North Arena in Brockport.

Shoff and the Golden Eagles (3-15-2) wore special Saves for a Cure jerseys that were later auctioned off to benefit the charity started by former Brockport goalie Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ). It was the third annual Saves for a Cure game at Brockport.

With less than 15 seconds left in the second period, Shoff won a faceoff in Neumann (10-6-4) territory and Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) shuffled a pass to Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) who deflected the puck back to Shoff for a one-timer into the top corner of the net to give Brockport a 2-1 lead.

Neumann scored 4:37 into the third period to tie the game at 2-2 and neither team was able to capitalize on a scoring opportunity throughout the remainder of the third period and through the five-minute overtime period and the two teams settled for the tie.

In overtime, Neumann's Jordan Zalba took a centering pass and skated free down the middle of the Brockport zone firing a shot toward the top corner of the goal but junior Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) made a glove save.

Less than a minute later junior James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) won control of the puck in the Neumann zone and sent a quick pass back to the blue line where fellow junior Gregg Amato (Ocean Gate, NJ) moved three strides in and fired a shot toward the goal that deflected off the shoulder of the Knight goalie and over the crossbar.

Brockport was outshot 15-5 in the first period as Wren made 15 of his 41 saves on the night. The teams were nearly even in shots for the final two periods and overtime.

Brockport opened the scoring 5:27 into the game as freshman defenseman Patrick Hayden (Springfield, PA) scored his second goal of the season with Shoff and Amato each picking up assists on the play.

Neumann answered at the 18:13 mark of the second period before Shoff game Brockport a 2-1 lead late in the period.

UPDATE ON MATZEL

I inquired about Geoff Matzel's status following the scary incident on the ice last night. All looks well.

His coach reports: Geoff was taken to Strong Memorial for precautionary xrays & ct scan. He was back in the hotel by 11:30pm and we expect his return to the ice in a week max.

BROCKPORT FALLS TO MUSTANGS 8-6

When you see the final score of 8-6, you know there was a little bit of everything in the game.

Last night’s loss to Morrisville alternated between bouts of ugly hockey (from both teams) and well-played hockey that made for an entertaining game.

The first period and most of the second played out like good old fashioned Canadian hockey, really physical play that you don’t see too often in the NCAA. Both teams exchanged hits and checks with vigor. Over those 2 stanzas there were 6 “near fights”, highlighting how hot tempered the game was.

It all started when the hardest hit of the game – and the season – occurred 9 minutes into the first when James Cody leveled Geoff Matzel, Morrisville’s leading scorer with a clean open ice hit. Matzel was knocked out at impact and then struck his head on the ice. It was one of the more unsettling scenes of recent memory at Tuttle as he lay on the ice, out from a concussion. Upon awakening he wailed uncontrollably, a sign of true head trauma. He was carted off on a backboard. I sincerely hope all is well with the kid.

From there on, the game became chippy. The fans didn’t help. One Brockport fan continued to hold up a sign picking on Matzel for his height…well into the third period. You could tell by the looks of disdain from the Mustangs that the sign became a motivator. I found it offensive, too, but I give the benefit of the doubt that the fan didn’t know it was Matzel who was injured.

(Editor's note: Since this post, the fan emailed me with an apology that read: After reading you blog today i realized i was the one with the metzel sign i had no idea it was him.....i feel terrible. i apoligize sincerely to you if i offend you with the sign or disrespected the game that you love. It was very unintentional.

I truly appreciate his apology and I know the Mustangs will, too. One thing, though, I wish other fans in the crowd (or school administration) had given him a heads up about the sign. Heck, I, too, am guilty for not letting him know.)

The best player of the first two periods was Morrisville’s goaltender Caylin Relkoff. He didn’t face a lot of shots in those periods (17) but made nothing but extraordinary saves. With 6:42 left in the first he made a brilliant glove save on Ian Finnerty who broke loose with a short-handed opportunity. With 4:30 left in the first he had a point blank pad save on a hard James Cody shot. In the second he amazingly stopped Ray Tremblay’s wrap around attempt by diving back into the net and using the end of his blade to deflect the puck.

Scoring opened just a minute into the second when Adam Shoff celebrated his birthday with the first goal of the game when he flipped the puck over Relkoff’s shoulder, the finishing touch to a nice 2-on-1 he and Justin Noble executed.

The next 5 goals in the second were all Morrisville as they moved the puck nicely and found a way to beat Brockport’s Joey Reagan (something other teams hadn’t figured out so well), repeatedly going up on the right side. On the evening, Morrisville’s usually tame power play was a solid 4 for 11, all occurring in the second.

The second period’s final goal – with 1:08 left - was from Brockport’s Chris Cangro, making it 5-2. It was an awesome goal as Relkoff came out to cut off Cangro’s angle, but somehow Chris found the narrowest of spots through which to squeak the shot which ended up just inside the post.

Among the highlight’s of the second was the rare penalty shot as Justin Noble was tripped up on a breakaway. His penalty shot was broken up by a Relkoff pad save.

The third period was a goal-scoring battle, that saw Brockport put in 4 to Morrisville’s 3. That was attributed to focusing on what the team had been told all week in practice…go five-hole on Relkoff. The first Brockport goal was Brett Jendra’s first of the season. The hardworking soul put the puck over the pad of a splitting Relkoff. The second Brockport goal came from Brendon Rothfuss who patiently moved the puck back and forth, finally getting Relkoff to commit to one knee…Brendon then slipped it around the other leg. Defenseman Mike Baxter got the next Brockport goal, picking up and burying his own deflection. Brockport’s final goal with just over 2 minutes left made it 8-6 (and made for a wild final 2 minutes). It came from Ray Tremblay. It was nice to see him light the lamp after he missed so many games with an ankle injury.

It was a unique game, one the score of which was so unexpected coming into it. Let’s hope the offensive pressure continues tonight when the Golden Eagles take on Neumann.



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Boxscore: http://www.collegehockeystats.net/1011/boxes/mbrcmor1.j28

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Here’s what the Athletic Department reported about the game…

The College at Brockport's ice hockey team got goals from six different players, but it wasn't enough as the Golden Eagles lost a high-scoring game to Morrisville, 8-6 Friday night inside Tuttle North Ice Arena.

Junior Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT), freshman Chris Cangro (Holbrook, NY), junior Brett Jendra (Bolingbrook, Ill.), freshman Brendon Rothfuss (Webster, NY), freshman Mike Baxter (Bracebridge, ONT) and senior Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) all scored goals for the Golden Eagles (3-15-1 overall, 1-10 SUNYAC) against Morrisville.

Following a scoreless first period, Shoff staked Brockport to a 1-0 lead just 81 seconds into the second period with his fifth goal of the 2010-11 season. Senior Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) slid a pass from the right side of the circle into the stick of Shoff, who scored into the near-side of the net.

But Morrisville (9-7-1, 6-2-1) struck back with five consecutive goals during a penalty-filled period, as 17 penalties counting for 53 minutes were assessed during the second.

Cangro sliced the Morrisville lead to 5-2 with a short-handed goal with 1:07 left in the second period. Morrisville made it 6-2 before Jendra scored his first goal of the year 6:30 into the third period. Morrisville answered back with its seventh goal before the Golden Eagles responded with three goals over a 2:41 span late in the game. Rothfuss drew Brockport within 7-4 with five minutes remaining and Baxter made it a two-goal game with his second goal of the season, coming with 3:42 remaining.

Morrisville pushed the lead to 8-5 before Tremblay finished the scoring with his second goal of the season with 2:09 left. Brockport pulled goalie Joe Reagan (Yonkers, NY) and peppered Morrisville with shots, but couldn't draw any closer. Reagan, a freshman, stopped all 14 first-period shots for Brockport.

The Golden Eagles return to action with a 7 p.m. game against Neumann University Saturday night inside the Tuttle North Ice Arena. Brockport will sport special green jerseys as part of its third annual Saves for a Cure game.

SFAC WEEKEND COVERED BY D&C BLOG

Brockport resident Caurie Putnam maintains a Brockport blog for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, covering all the good things that happen in the village. In her most recent post, she's given coverage to the Saves For a Cure weekend. I strongly suggest you add her blog to your favorites...it's a great way to keep connected to the community:

http://blogs.democratandchronicle.com/brockport/2011/01/27/the-puck-stops-here-join-goalie-todd-sheridan-for-saves-for-a-cure-weekend-in-brockport/

JAMES CODY: FLYING UNDER THE RADAR

In part of this week's SUNYAC column for USCHO, Russel Jaslow discusses some players under the radar, among them, Mr. Cody...

Oftentimes, top players on teams that aren’t at the top of the standings get overlooked. When they are doing well, they are sometimes dismissed as being the only go-to guy on the squad, so naturally their stats will be “inflated.”

This would be a misnomer when it comes to Brockport’s James Cody and Fredonia’s Jordan Oye and Bryan Ross. They would be accomplished players with any team in the league.

“He’s obviously a dominant player at our level,” Brockport coach Brian Dickinson said of his junior winger. “I hope he gets recognition this year. He’s kind of been flying under the radar for the last two years within our league. He’s a guy we have that we know when we put him on the ice, we could get offense.”

Cody has seven goals in conference play, tied for second. Overall amongst SUNYAC players, he is tied for first with 15 goals along with 14 assists. This past Friday, he scored three different ways against Potsdam — a short-handed breakaway, an in-close hard-working play, and a shot from an impossible angle.

“I don’t how it went in, but goal scorers find a way to get it done,” Dickinson said. “He’s having another fantastic year. He’s starting to find his groove with a lot of goals here in the last couple of games. We give him a lot of ice time because he deserves it. Everything he gets, he gets because he earns it.”

Read the rest of Jaslow's column - along with analysis of this weekend's SUNYAC match-ups - here:

http://www.uscho.com/2011/01/27/players-fly-under-the-radar-in-sunyac/

HELLO, NEUMANN

As you’ve read in previous posts, it’s a big weekend for Brockport hockey…Friday and Saturday are both Pride Week games while Saturday is the 3rd annual Saves For a Cure game, there’s a jersey auction, and a Saves For a Cure dinner on Sunday

….and, of course, there’s the action on the ice!

It should be an exciting weekend of play as SUNYAC foe Morrisville visits on Friday while 16th-ranked Neumann strolls into town on Saturday.

Morrisville is currently 4th in the SUNYAC with a 5-2-1 conference record to go with a 8-7-1 overall. They are a game team; in recent match-ups they have beaten Neumann, lost to Neumann in OT and held on to a 3-2 loss against powerhouse Hobart.

The team can score at a fair clip, averaging nearly three-and-a-third goals per game. They have 6 players with 10 or more points, led by junior Geoff Metzel who is a 5’7” speedster with 11 goals.

They allow 3.62 goals per game, which is no fault of starting goalie Caylin Relkoff and his .905 saves percentage. It is a fault of their special teams, though: This heavily-penalized team is 62nd in the penalty kill while only 57th in the power play. Brockport’s suddenly-potent power play (22nd in the nation) could have a heyday. Brockport must play a clean game to take advantage of that. Since the Golden Eagles are the 8th least penalized team in the country, that plays to their favor.

Neumann is 10-6-3. Last week they split a series with 14-4 Manhattanville, so they have the ability to dominate the Golden Eagles. When last they played (December) Brockport fell to the Knights 5-3. They have 6 guys with 13 or more points led by Michael Rey (with a 9 and 12 line).

They have solid goaltenders in Ross MacKinnon (.904) and Matt Tendler (.917). MacKinnon can be great in a tense, unfriendly environment, he being responsible for Neumann’s DIII crown a few years back with a stellar playoff performance as a freshman that included a 3-2 OT shocking upset of Plattsburgh.

If Neumann has a weakness, it’s special teams. They are 40th in the power play and 57th in the penalty kill. If Cody and Company can take advantage of the man advantage, Brockport can pull off a shocking upset its own.

Both games can be seen at www.FastHockey.com while Saturday’s game can be heard on 89.1 FM or online at www.891thepoint.com

PRESENTING: THE SFAC JERSEYS

SAVES FOR A CURE GAME THIS SATURDAY

The following news story was prepared for the Brockport Athletic Department by John Boccacino, Assistant Athletic Communications Director....


Former standout Brockport goalie Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) doesn't like to be called a cancer survivor.

Sheridan, now an assistant coach with The College at Brockport's ice hockey team, prefers to think of himself as someone who beat cancer. When Sheridan was just 20 years old and playing Junior B level hockey in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, Sheridan was diagnosed as having Squamous Cell Carcinoma in both his tongue and his neck.

The news was devastating to Sheridan, who harbored hopes of one day playing Division I college hockey. Instead, Sheridan was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and underwent surgery that May to remove 72 lymph nodes, as well as a piece of his tongue. During treatment, a feeding tube was placed in Sheridan's stomach, and his doctors informed him his hockey playing days were finished due to the limited mobility in his right arm from the surgery.

But despite his doctors' grim prognosis, Sheridan never wavered in his commitment to playing hockey again, and weeks after his 21st birthday (on Aug. 25, 2005), Sheridan made a triumphant return to the ice for his Junior B Sarnia Blast hockey team.

Even though, nearly six years later, Sheridan remains cancer free, he still thinks about all those people battling cancer like he did. Especially children.

That's the motivation behind Sheridan's non-profit charitable organization, Saves for a Cure, which Sheridan started in 2007. During his time receiving chemotherapy, Sheridan saw first-hand the strength that children living with cancer demonstrated while battling their illnesses. Right away, he decided that, when he beat cancer, he would do what he could to assist these youngsters in their fight against cancer.

Sheridan is hoping that this year's annual Saves for a Cure weekend can match or exceed the $10,000 in donations raised through the first three years. Brockport will take on Neumann University at 7 p.m. Saturday night inside Tuttle North Ice Arena during the third-annual Saves for a Cure game.

“For me, the hardest part of my cancer journey was seeing a kid waiting for chemotherapy treatment, and knowing that the kid, just like me, didn't do anything to get cancer, yet here they are, scared and not sure what's going to happen next,” said Sheridan, Brockport's all-time leader in goals-against average (3.07), career wins (29) shutouts (5) and saves percentage (.904), who posted the four-lowest GAA totals in school history.

“These kids need to know they have support, and that there are people outside of their family who care about them. I want kids with cancer to feel like myself and others who have beaten cancer are with them, every treatment. I want to be a part of their beating cancer for the rest of my life.”

This year's Saves for a Cure movement has gained momentum across the area, with Oswego and Morrisville joining Brockport in the fight against cancer. Morrisville's Saves for a Cure game is Feb. 5 against Plattsburgh while Oswego already conducted their Saves for a Cure game when it hosted Curry College on Jan. 8.

Brockport will be sporting special jerseys for this year's Saves for a Cure game. The Golden Eagles will don green jerseys with a Saves for a Cure logo on the front, a Brockport 'B' on the shoulders, and gold numbers on the back.

Outside of the ice arena Saturday night, Sheridan will be handing out flyers explaining what his Saves for a Cure movement is all about. There will also be a donation bucket for fans who want to give back.

“I beat cancer. There's a difference between surviving cancer and beating it,” said Sheridan, who places the words determination, spirit and support at the bottom of every Saves for a Cure document. “If I said I survived cancer, I'd be doing a disservice to the people that helped me in my fight, and I'd be doing a disservice to myself, too. I took a part in my beating cancer. It was another challenge, and now I want to officially beat cancer for the rest of my life.”­­

A day after the Saves for a Cure game, from 3 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 30 at Flash's Tavern, Brockport's Recreation Services, with help from Sheridan, is holding a pasta dinner to raise money for Saves for a Cure. Tickets to the dinner cost $10 and include pasta with meatballs, salad, bread and a non-alcoholic fountain drink.
To boost support for Saves for a Cure, all Brockport jerseys from the Saves for a Cure game will be auctioned off. The jerseys are available for auction beginning today and continuing through Sunday, Jan. 30 at 9 p.m.. Winners will be announced after 9 p.m. Sunday night, and will also be contacted via email to confirm delivery of the jersey.


The auction can be found online at http://bit.ly/gw069s, or the link can be found on the hockey web page.

In addition, at the pasta dinner, a "Chance Table" raffle will be conducted by Recreation Services to raise funds. Among the items being auctioned off: a copy of the DVD “Miracle,” signed by Jim Craig, the starting goalie on the United States' gold-medal winning 1980 Winter Olympic hockey team, a leather laptop bag, a jacket, a hooded sweatshirt, movie rental gift cards and assorted gift certificates from local businesses.

GOLDEN EAGLE PRIDE WEEK

The College at Brockport's athletics department is proud to announce the first-ever Golden Eagle Pride Week.

Running through Saturday, Jan. 29, Brockport's students and athletes are invited to cheer on their favorite sports teams. Every winter sports team, from men's and women's basketball to gymnastics, swimming and diving, wrestling and ice hockey, is in action at home.

To drum up support for these home games, Brockport is offering our student-athletes raffle tickets for every home game they attend.

For every home game attended, students will receive one raffle ticket. Certain home events reward students whose school spirit goes above and beyond by offering more than one ticket. At various home games during Golden Eagle Pride Week, Brockport t-shirts will be launched into the stands, with each t-shirt containing an additional ticket. As part of Beach Night, students who come to Brockport's swimming and diving meet Jan. 28 against Buffalo State in their swim suits will earn five additional tickets.

The grand prize raffle drawing will occur during the annual Saves for a Cure men's ice hockey game against Neumann University on Saturday night, Jan. 29. One lucky Brockport student will walk away with more than $200 in prizes from various local businesses.

Among the prizes is a $100 gift certificate from the Lift Bridge Book Shop, pizza coupons a free night's stay in a hotel and a gift certificate from Seaward Candies, among others.

There are 10 different home sports games taking place during Golden Eagle Pride Week.

TAKE YOUR SHOTS AT TODD SHERIDAN

At Friday's game tickets for "Shoot for a Cure" will be on sale. Anyone interested will be able to buy a ticket to shoot on Brockport legend Todd Sheridan as he puts on the pads for one last round. The event will take place after Saturday's game. Sticks will be provided and skates are not necessary. If you are interested ahead of time or cannot attend Fridays game, please contact Otto Isenberg, oisen1@brockport.edu. The tickets will cost ten dollars and will get you three shots on goal.

SAVES FOR A CURE JERSEY AUCTION

For the third year in a row, the College at Brockport Hockey team will help to boost the fund raising activity for Saves For a Cure with a special "Saves For a Cure Game" from which the game worn jerseys will be auctioned off. This year's game will take place this Saturday the 29th against Neumann.

A jersey auction has been set up online. The auction begins today and continues through January 30th. To place your bid visit this page:

http://www.gobrockport.com/sports/2011/1/24/MHOCKEY_0124110742.aspx

PLATTSBURGH BLOGGER COMMENTS ON GAME

Rob Brennan is a blogger and Plattsburgh hockey fan. In his blog he offered this assessment of last night's game...


For those of you who thought the start to last night's game was rather lackluster, holy smokes...Tonight's game was absolutely abysmal for Plattsburgh State; although they did manage to eke by Brockport in the end.

The night started off with a tribute to Plattsburgh's 2001 national championship team - which dethroned some incredibly talented teams along the way. It was great to see a lot of familiar faces from back when I attended Plattsburgh State (2001 was my graduating class). I was also pleased to see a special tribute honoring Mike Daoust - who not only played a key role in that particular team but who tragically lost his battle with cancer late July of 2010.

Quite honestly, that was the highlight of the evening. Plattsburgh was all over the ice tonight -unable to control the game against the weakest team in the SUNYAC conference. Brockport - now 3-14-1 for the 2010/11 season - should have been an easy opponent for the Cardinals to control. The only real skill required was to simply play a smart game.

While Plattsburgh was the first to score (Kyle Taylor fired in a shot from Jared Docking at 7:15), the team looked absolutely atrocious. No matter where one would look - offensively, defensively, in goal - it was evident the team was not firing on all cylinders. Brockport was skating circles around Plattsburgh - and with ease. From silly turnovers to off-target passes and shots on goal, Plattsburgh was hurting. It came as no surprise when the Golden Eagles tied it up at 1-1 (Bobby Conner from Chris Cangro and Gregg Amato at 9:08). Plattsburgh needed all the help it could muster on the ice. Brockport would take a 2-1 lead after James Cody would capitalize on a power-play opportunity (assisted by Ian Finnerty and Matt DeLuca) at 12:32 of the first.

The entire first period was a complete and utter disaster for Plattsburgh State. They could barely get out of their own way; but finally managed to collectively limp toward the locker room without giving up another goal. Brockport not only had the offensive advantage (sending 11 shots on goal compared to Plattsburgh's 7), but they managed to control the game. In the stands, the hometown crowd was silent. Not only was Plattsburgh noticeably off their "A" game - they were fighting to stay alive against arguably one of the worst teams in division III hockey. Disgraceful.

When the teams returned to the ice, the second period featured more of the same missed opportunities and completely careless play by the Cardinals. By some miracle, they managed to tie the game 2-2 courtesy a power-play goal by Dylan Clarke (credit Ryan Craig and Kyle Taylor with the assist) at 12:57. Again, Plattsburgh was barely hanging on. On the positive side, they did manage to pull even with the Golden Eagles despite wasting forty minutes on the ice.

Plattsburgh began to pick up the pieces in the third period. Collectively, the Cardinals were still fighting an uphill battle. To their credit, they began to fill in some of the offensive and defensive holes from earlier in the evening. Eric Satim (assisted by Nick Jensen and Ryan Craig) would finally put Plattsburgh out in front 3-2 at 12:07. Jensen and Satim would team up for one more goal at 18:23.

Quick thoughts? Plattsburgh has been on a streak lately, but these last couple games have shown those days may be numbered. If the Cardinals want to have a fighting chance against Oswego next weekend, they are going to have to ratchet up their gameplay and focus on the fundamentals. Brockport easily keyed in on the same tried and trued offensive patterns Plattsburgh runs - which means that they will be sitting ducks when faced with some real competition like Oswego. Brockport should not have been a challenge for this team by any means - and yet, the worst team in hockey nearly upset them on home ice. Tonight's performance was an utter embarrassment to Cardinal hockey. Hopefully, the Cardinals will shake out of this funk and get down to business this coming weekend when Cortland and Oswego come to town.


Source:

http://www.therobbrennan.com/journal/2011/1/22/cards-overcome-rough-start-to-defeat-brockport.html

THE JAMES CODY WATCH

Mr. Cody is having an incredible year and every Sunday here for the rest of the season we will follow his status amongst the DIII leaders. His season must be appreciated as it takes place: Hockey fans should savor his every game.

Last night's goal gives him 15 for the season and puts him at third place in the nation, 2 goals behind Jordan of Milwaukee S.E. and 1 behind Jack Paul of Bethel.

He has 29 points, good for fifth in the nation.

His scoring pace of 1.71 points per game is sixth-best in the country.

NEWSPAPER REPORT ABOUT PLATTSBURGH GAME

The Press-Republican features in today's paper the following article about last night's battle....


The Plattsburgh State men's hockey team shook off a slow start Saturday night and skated to a 4-2 win over a pesky Brockport team in State University of New York Athletic Conference play at the Stafford Ice Arena.

Eric Satim's goal at 12:07 of the third period broke a 2-all tie and helped send the Cardinals to their victory.

Pre-game ceremonies featured recognition of the Cardinals' 2001 Division III National Championship team and special tribute to one of the players from that team, Mike Daoust, who lost his battle with cancer last year.

"We played the first period like we were still at the reunion luncheon earlier in the day," said Plattsburgh State head coach Bob Emery. "We didn't play well in the first period and lost the 50-50 battles.

"But, I give Brockport a lot of credit. They played great defense and were scrappy."

The two teams entered the third period tied at 2-all.

But, at 12:07, Nick Jensen sent the puck on net from the side and Satim tipped it past Brockport goalie Oliver Wren to give the Cardinals the lead for good.

Plattsburgh State added some insurance at 18:23, with Jensen scoring from straight on off a three-on-one.

"I was nervous when it was 2-2," said Emery. "Especially with all the alumni here.

"But, I liked the way we played in the second and third periods. I felt we were able to wear them down in the third and the cream rose to the top."

The Cardinals (13-4-1, 6-4-0), who are unbeaten in their last 12 games, grabbed a 1-0 lead at 7:15 of the first period when Kyle Taylor got a loose puck in front and scored.

Brockport (3-14-1, 1-9-0), however, rallied to take a 2-1 lead after one.

Bobby Connor beat Cardinals' goalie Josh Leis from a bad angle at 9:08 to tie it and standout James Cody slammed a slapshot home from above the faceoff circle at 12:32 for a power-play goal and a 2-1 Golden Eagles lead.

The Cardinals got their act together in the second period and outshot Brockport, 17-9, in the stanza.

Plattsburgh State also scored the only goal of the stanza when Dylan Clarke took a Ryan Craig pass down low for a power-play goal at 12:57.

"Getting the second goal was big for us," said Emery. "We were able to maintain the play after that."

The Cardinals, who were outshot by an 11-7 margin in the first period, finished with a 36-28 advantage.Leis stopped 26 of 28 shots and Wren made 32 saves on 36 shots.

The Cardinals, who skated to a 4-2 win over Geneseo the night before, remain home this coming weekend to play Cortland on Friday and SUNYAC rival and first-place Oswego on Saturday.


Source:

http://pressrepublican.com/0300_sports/x1947787514/Cardinals-overcome-Brockport

NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF POTSDAM GAME

The newspaper North Country Now reported on Friday's game against Potsdam...


The SUNY Potsdam men’s hockey team (5-11-1, 3-6 SUNYAC) rallied from two early deficits to overwhelm the Brockport Golden Eagles (3-13-1, 1-8) 7-3 and earn its second straight win.

Potsdam junior forward Sy Nutkevitch (Montreal, Quebec/Cornwall Colts) scored two goals and recorded an assist, while senior forward Kevin MacLellan (Kensington, Prince Edward Island/Summerside Capitals) also tallied three points (1-2-3) for the Bears. Brockport junior forward James Cody (Schwencksville, Pa./Philly Little Flyers)notched a hat trick for the Golden Eagles.

Potsdam was very aggressive from the outset, but the Bears found themselves down early. At the 1:41 mark of the first period Cody knocked home a pass from senior forward Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, N.Y./New York Bobcats) to complete a Brockport two-on-one.

From that point on the Bears fired shot after shot on Golden Eagle freshman goaltender Joe Reagan (Yonkers, N.Y./New York Bobcats).

At 9:22 Bear junior forward Mike Foy (Markham, Ontario/Welland Canadians) evened the score with a rebound goal on assists from juniors Todd Hosmer (Toronto, Ontario/Newmarket Hurricanes) and Matt Rhymer (Kingston, Ontario/Yarmouth Mariners).

Three minutes later the momentum shifted back in Brockport’s favor. Cody blocked a shot from the point and took it the length of the ice for a shorthanded marker to regain the lead at 12:52.

With less than two minutes to go in the period, the Bears scored on their second power play. MacLellan finished a Potsdam rush to the net and senior forward Colin MacLennan (Whitby, Ontario/Ajax Attack) and sophomore defenseman Brett Waters (Uxbridge, Ontario/Markham Waxers) recorded the assists.

The Bears outshot Brockport 22 to seven in the first period. Senior forward Fraser Smith (Fonthill, Ontario/Oakville Blades) gave Potsdam the lead for good just 21 seconds into the second period on assists from Nutkevitch and freshman forward Jesse Ostring (Ylojarvi, Finland/Sammo Lukio).

At the 5:54 mark sophomore forward Matt Viola (Toronto, Ontario/Vaughan Vipers) fired a shot off the face off that beat Reagan to increase the Bears lead to 4-2. Potsdam continued to harass the Golden Eagles and was rewarded with its fourth power play at 11:12.

Nutkevitch made the most of it burying a pass from MacLennan for a three-goal lead. At the 17:40 mark Brockport responded as Galiani and junior forward Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, Pa./Philly Little Flyers) set up Cody for the hat trick. The Golden Eagles trailed 5-3 after 40 minutes. The Bears’ offense didn’t slow down in the third period.

Nutkevitch struck for his second at 13:04 with an assist from MacLennan to give Potsdam a commanding 6-3 lead. With just 1:56 remaining Reagan was pulled for an extra attacker, but the Bears again made the most of the opportunity.

Twenty seconds later freshman forward Brandon Couto (Bowmanville, Ontario/Cobourg Cougars) caught a pass at center ice and carried it the rest of the way for the empty netter. Freshman forward Mike Arnold (Didsbury, Alberta/Kingston Voyageurs) and MacLellan each assisted on the goal. Junior goaltender Trevor O’Neill (Bobcaygeon, Ontario/Stouffville Spirit) made 17 saves to earn the win, while Reagan stopped 54 shots.

Potsdam was 2-for-5 on the power play and Brockport went 0-for-5. The Bears outshot Brockport 61 to 20. Potsdam Head Coach Chris Bernard was pleased with the complete victory.

“We worked hard for the full 60 minutes tonight,” said Bernard. “It was a good team effort. We also had the goal of putting a lot of pucks on the net and we’ve been able to do that in the second semester.”

Source: http://northcountrynow.com/news-sports/suny-potsdam-mens-hockey-team-rallies-7-3-win-over-brockport-019114

BROCKPORT FALLS TO PLATTSBURGH, 4-2

The College at Brockport's ice hockey team hung with State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) rival Plattsburgh for two tough periods, but the Golden Eagles eventually fell 4-2 Saturday night inside Plattsburgh's Stafford Ice Arena.

Junior James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) and freshman Bobby Connor (Lititz, PA) each scored goals for the Golden Eagles (3-14-1 overall, 1-9 SUNYAC), who rallied from a 1-0 first-period deficit and held a 2-1 lead.

But Plattsburgh (13-4-1, 6-4 SUNYAC) broke through with three goals over the final 28 minutes to win.

Cody has scored seven goals over Brockport's last three games, and upped his season-total to 15 goals.

"We did what we needed to do, we outshot Plattsburgh in the first period, and the opportunities were there for us to score again in the second," said Brian Dickinson, Brockport's head coach.

"It's a little frustrating, but we know we're working hard out there. ... but I'm proud of the leadership our guys showed. There were times they could have let the bad bounces get to them, but each time, they bounced back."

Brockport fell behind 1-0 when Plattsburgh scored 7:15 into the first period, but the Golden Eagles responded with two scores in a three-and-a-half-minute stretch of the first.

Connor netted the tying goal off assists from freshman Chris Cangro (Holbrook, NY) and junior Gregg Amato (Ocean Gate, NJ), and with 7:28 remaining in the first, Cody's power-play goal lifted Brockport to a 2-1 lead. At that juncture, Cody had scored on his last four shots on goal.

The teams traded shots throughout the remainder of the first period and much of the second, until a penalty was called against the Golden Eagles with 7:46 left in the period. With the man-advantage, Plattsburgh broke through with the tying goal 43 seconds into the power play.

The Golden Eagles went on the power play with 13:33 remaining in the game, but Brockport could not come up with the go-ahead goal. The Cardinals notched the go-ahead goal off a rebound with 7:53 remaining in the third.

After surrendering the third goal, Brockport did a good job of applying pressure, and put several good shots on goal, but none found their mark. Among the solid chances, senior Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) fired a shot from the point that caromed back out to sophomore Mike Hayward (Toronto, ONT). Hayward then wound up and shot, but his effort just missed wide of net with less than six minutes left.

Plattsburgh finished the scoring on a 3-on-2 break with 1:37 remaining.

Junior Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) stopped 32 shots for the Golden Eagles.

Brockport returns to action at home with games against Morrisville at 7 p.m. Friday night, and Neumann University at 7 p.m. Saturday night, which is also the annual Saves for a Cure game.

USCHO RECAP OF LAST NIGHT'S GAME

Russell Jaslow was at yesterday's game against Potsdam and filed a report with USCHO...

Potsdam scored four unanswered goals to turn a 2–1 deficit into an eventual 7–3 victory over Brockport. James Cody’s hat trick was not enough for the visiting Golden Eagles. The Bears outshot Brockport, 61–20.

“We came out and played strong in the first period,” Potsdam head coach Chris Bernard said. “I thought we got some timely goals. We gave a 60-minute effort for the first time in awhile.”

“I’m kind of flabbergasted right now,” Brockport head coach Brian Dickinson said. “I thought we had a great week of practice. First period kind of back and forth. Kind of got away from us there in the second. For 15 minutes, I thought Potsdam did a great job transitioning, getting up the ice, spreading us out, getting a lot of good looks on our goaltender.”

Read the entire article online at:

http://www.uscho.com/recaps/2011/01/21/potsdam-dominates-brockport-2/

It also features a great photo of James Cody's shorthanded goal.

CODY GETS 2nd HAT TRICK IN A ROW IN LOSS TO POTSDAM

The Athletic Department reports on last night's loss...


Junior James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) played his first 66 games as a member of The College at Brockport's ice hockey team without ever recording a hat trick.

The dynamic forward changed all that with three goals during Brockport's 8-3 home win over Western New England College on Jan. 8, and it took him less than two periods against Potsdam Friday night to earn his second hat trick in as many games.

Cody recorded his second consecutive three-goal performance, scoring Brockport's first three goals on three shots, but the Golden Eagles fell to Potsdam 7-3 Friday night inside Potsdam's Maxcy Hall Ice Arena.

Freshman Joe Reagan (Yonkers, NY) stopped a career-high 54 shots in the loss for Brockport (3-13-1 overall, 1-8 SUNYAC). His previous career high of 46 came during the Rutland Herald Tournament at Castleton College on Nov. 27, 2010.

Brockport took a 1-0 lead when senior Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) found Cody for a score just 1:41 into the game.

Potsdam tied the score at 1-all nearly eight minutes later, but it wasn't tied for long. With 7:08 remaining in the opening period, and with Potsdam threatening on the power play, Cody notched a short-handed goal for a 2-1 edge.

The Bears (5-11-1 overall, 3-6 SUNYAC) netted the equalizer with 1:43 remaining in the first, as Potsdam scored a power-play goal to tie it at 2-all. Utilizing a quick-strike attack, Potsdam took its first lead of the game, 3-2, just 21 seconds into the second, and extended its lead to 4-2 on a sixth-minute score. The host Bears made it 5-2 on a power-play goal with 8:48 remaining in the second.

Brockport responded with a big goal late in the period when junior Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) found Cody to complete the hat trick.

The Golden Eagles did have a pair of third-period power play opportunities, but every time Brockport had a man advantage, Potsdam killed off each Brockport threat. The Bears took a 6-3 lead with 6:56 remaining and added an empty-net goal to finish the scoring.

Cody upped his season totals to 14 goals and 14 assists, and is currently tied for fifth among all Division III hockey players in goals scored. Cody's 28 points are the fourth-highest total among DIII players.

BROCKPORT HEADS NORTH THIS WEEKEND

The Brockport Golden Eagles have been an energized team of late. They are 3-3 in their last 6 games and could easily be 3-2-1 after having been robbed of a potential tie in the Oswego game in December. Over those 6 games the offense has started to click, and the team was outright dominant (Ian Finnerty and James Cody especially) in the recent 2 game series against Western New England College. The defense has improved as well and it may have received a wake-up call with the installation of Joey Reagan as the starting goaltender. He received SUNYAC rookie honors for his efforts against Hobart and WNEC.

The team will have to stay hot in order to make the playoffs. They will have to close out SUNYAC play with 5 wins, maybe 6, in the last 8 conference games. That thrill ride begins this weekend as the team heads to the North, visiting Potsdam on Friday and Plattsburgh on Saturday.

When last they faced one another in October, Potsdam dominated Brockport at Tuttle North, having skated away with a 5-2 win in which they looked exceptional in all facets of the game. Since then, it’s basically been downhill for Potsdam. They now sit on a 4-11-0 record and are 2-6-0 in the conference. Last weekend they pounded South New Hampshire 6-0, but days earlier Castleton buried them 6-2.

Their ability to light the lamp has sputtered. Usually a scary force on the ice, leading scorer and senior Fraser Smith has amassed only 10 points (featuring 7 goals) and he will be hard-pressed to reach his totals of the past 2 seasons (26 and 25 points). Also posting 10 points is freshman Brandon Cuoto, who has been a pleasant surprise for the team.

The team has also been uncharacteristic in taking penalties. They have 5 players with 30 or more PIM.

The inability to score goals and stay out of the penalty box has allowed a deluge of shots on the goalies. Trevor O’Niell – widely perceived as Potsdam’s savior prior to the start of the season - has seen most of the action and posts a .882 save percentage. When he’s on, he’s tough to beat. But, with the flurry of shots he sees, it’s really tough to remain “on”.

Brockport will beat Potsdam and handily at that.

Player to watch: James Cody. He has been a Bear killer in his NCAA career. In 2 playoff games alone against Potsdam he has 4 goals.



Saturday’s match-up is against the Plattsburgh Cardinals. If there is a year that Brockport can beat the Cardinals this is it. Once thought unstoppable, they have weakened a little. But, they are so damn good that their bad (11-4-1) is still awesome.

They are an unexpected 4-4-0 in SUNYAC play. One of their wins was a 7-3 drubbing of Brockport when they buried Oliver Wren under 56 shots, applying constant pressure in the Brockport zone…so much so that Brockport put only 22 shots on goal.

Their 2 best players are seniors Dylan Clark (11-11-22) and Eric Satim (8-12-20), the latter being a speedster who is fun to watch. The rest of the roster is solid in the puck control department and 5 other players have 10 or more points.

If they have a weakness, it’s goaltending. Once again, it’s not really a weakness. Any team would love Josh Leis’s .910 saves percentage, but it’s not as gaudy as their netminders of years past. If he’s out of the game, Ryan Williams is next in line. He has seen 145 minutes of play and has only a .833 save percentage. \

But note, their numbers and the team’s victories are skewed low because of early season struggles. The Cardinals have not lost since November 19th (10 games) and only twice in that stretch have they allowed more than 2 goals.

Brockport has their work cut out for them. As hot as Brockport is, Plattsburgh is hotter. I don’t see a repeat of the 7-3 affair, but a 4-2 Plattsburgh win is probable.

Plattsburgh will be emotionally motivated to destroy Brockport, too. There will be a pre-game ceremony honoring the 2001 national champs and the life of Mike Dauost, who lost his battle with cancer over the Summer. The Cardinals will be wearing – and auctioning off – special jerseys in his honor.

Player to watch: Tom Galiani. Plattsburgh is swarming and can only be beat with exceptional speed, which Tom possesses. If the game plan is to allow him to skate freely, he can be the difference maker in this game.



Both games can be heard on www.891thepoint.com and watched at www.FastHockey.com

SAVES FOR A CURE BENEFIT DINNER

Save yourself a plate at the Saves For a Cure Benefit Dinner!

It will be held Sunday, January 30 from 3:00pm - 7:00pm at Flash's Tavern, 36 Erie Street in Brockport.

Dinner Includes:

Pasta with Sauce
Meatballs
Salad
Bread
Non-Alcoholic Fountain Drink

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from a Recreation Student Supervisor or at the HUB office.

All proceeds go to Saves For a Cure, the local Non- Profit organization started by former Brockport Goalie, Todd Sheridan and is donated to local childrens cancer facilities

Come on out and support this wonderful cause!

FINNERTY, REAGAN RECEIVE SUNYAC ACCOLADES

Junior Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) has been selected as the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Player of the week for the week ending Jan. 9 and freshman Joe Reagan (Yonkers, NY) has been tabbed as the conference Rookie of the Week for the same time period.

Finnerty was honored due to his high scoring output for the week. In three games, the junior center scored three goals and handed out five assists. He scored once against No. 15 Hobart College early in the week and then added two goals and four assists in a 9-6 victory over Western New England College Friday night. The six points in a single game has not happened for Brockport hockey since October 2000 when Nick Smyth scored five goals and added an assist in a win over Humber College. In Saturday’s rematch with Western New England, Finnerty added two more assists to his weekly tally.

Regan was equally impressive on the defensive end of the ice as he played in each of the three games in the week earning a 2-0 record with a 2.13 goals against average and a .926 saves percentage for the week. The freshman played the second half of the Tuesday night game at Hobart and turned away all 20 shots he faced. Against Western New England on Friday, he made 19 saves and allowed two goals in the first 51 minutes of the game before being replaced by senior backup Jeremy Rossignolo. On Saturday, Reagan played the entire game allowing three goals and making 24 saves.

For Brockport, the awards are the third and fourth weekly conference awards earned by the Golden Eagles this season. Oliver Wren was the goalie of the week for the first week of the season and freshman defenseman Patrick Hayden was the conference Rookie of the Week award winner for the week ending December 6.

CODY TAKES OVER NATIONAL SCORING RACE IN 8-3 WIN

James Cody has an impeccable hockey resume. One of the greatest players in team history, in his first 2 seasons with the Golden Eagles he led the team in goals and scoring and has been a physically dominant force on the ice. This season he has furthered cemented his standing on the team, leading in scoring once again and making a very strong case to be on the All-SUNYAC team.

In yesterday afternoon’s 8-3 annihilation of Western New England College, James dominated yet again and achieved his first-ever NCAA hat trick. While doing so, he took over the national lead in scoring with 25 points…yes, the national lead! Way to go, James!

His first goal came at the 14:29 mark in the 1st on a power play where WNEC’s goalie TJ Fatse committed to his right, giving James a wide open left side. He scored twice in the 3rd . One was at even strength where he blasted a wicked wrister five-hole on Fatse. He completed the hat trick with 28 seconds left in the game with a slap shot while on the power play. James also assisted on the second goal of the game with a shot so hard off the pad of Fatse that it perfectly fed an oncoming Tom Galiani.

Brockport picked up right where they left off in Friday’s game. They scored goals and put shots on goal by focusing on team hockey, carrying out orchestrated rushes and setting themselves up to collect rebounds while abandoning the cutesy singular hockey too many guys had greedily tried to play earlier this year. They dominated on the power play going 4 for 9 on Saturday. Their performance on the PP this weekend took them from second worst in the nation to 18th. What a jump! If they can keep all of this up, we’re talking about a serious run at the playoffs this semester, overcoming the disastrous first semester.

The first goal of the game came just over 2 minutes into the game when Justin Noble collected a ricochet off the post and buried it. The fourth Brockport goal of the first may have been the prettiest of the game…Adam Shoff was falling backwards just outside of the goal crease and somehow managed to pocket a backhand goal.

The second period was 20 minutes of 1-1 play. Brockport’s Mike Hayward scored on a power play as he was perfectly fed by Shoff.

WNEC’s goal came on a rare lapse of good judgment from Brockport. A Brockport player behind our net passed in front of the net, right to WNEC’s Cam Napolitan who was only 8 feet in front and put the shot between an unsuspecting Joey Reagan’s legs. The Brockport player certainly deserved an assist on this goal.

Joey played at a high level again on Saturday. With 18:44 remaining in the second, he went spread eagle to bust up a breakaway and then with 14:10 left in the second he had an impressive glove save on another breakaway.

The third period saw Brockport outscore the visitors 3-2. Mike Kaselouskas got both WNEC goals a day after being Friday’s third star. The first one was a result of risky coaching by WNEC… Brockport was 2 men down so WNEC’s coach pulled the goalie for an extra attacker. The swarm was just too much for Brockport to contain. WNEC tried it again minutes later and was stymied in their efforts. Brockport’s non-Cody goal came from Chris Berardini who collected his own rebound to score his first goal of the season.

It was an impressive game all the way around. Matt Deluca saw a lot of minutes and it looks like he is developing into the top defenseman. He is a tempo setter who eats up the clock with his puck possession. That style of play will be key when taking on the SUNYAC’s best. Another tempo setter is Bobby Conner…he didn’t appear in last night’s score sheet but he was instrumental in playing keep-away last night and did wonders in moving the puck through the WNEC zone. His ability to move the puck was frustrating to WNEC who twice went after Bobby, who plays the game cleanly and is not usually a target of hatred. Nick Panepinto saw some ice time on Saturday and he made due on his chances by putting on 2 hits in the first (including the best one of the game) and throwing some shots on goal in the 3rd. His efforts showcased the blue-collar efforts of this young team.


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Boxscore: http://www.collegehockeystats.net/1011/national/d3m

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The report from the Athletic Department....


Junior James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) scored three goals and six different College at Brockport ice hockey players scored goals as the Golden Eagles’ high-octane offense blitzed Western New England College 8-3 Saturday afternoon in the second of a two-game series with the Golden Bears at Brockport’s Tuttle North Ice Arena.

A day after rolling Western New England 9-6 Friday night, Brockport’s (3-12-1 overall) offense got back at it Saturday, scoring four first-period goals to seize control for good. By the time Cody cemented his first collegiate hat trick on a power play goal with just 28 seconds remaining, Brockport had scored 17 goals over the two-day series, the most in back-to-back home contests since the Golden Eagles scored 16 against Framingham (Mass.) Jan. 11-12, 2008.

The scoring outburst was Brockport’s highest two-game total since the Golden Eagles scored 18 goals in back-to-back road games against Neumann College Jan. 18-19 2002.

“For two days, we pretty much had our way with them,” said Brian Dickinson, Brockport’s head coach. “It was important for us to play well this weekend. If you don’t, it’s two weeks until our next game (against Potsdam, Jan. 21) so it can eat at you. We feel well about ourselves after this two-game stretch, but we still have work left to do in the SUNYAC.”

A day after scoring two goals with four assists, junior Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) handed out two more assists and senior Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) and sophomore Mike Hayward (Toronto, ONT) each had a goal and two assists.

Freshman Brendon Rothfuss (Webster, NY) had two assists, senior Chris Berardini (Batavia, NY) and junior Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT) each had a goal and an assist while senior Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) added a goal for Brockport.

The Golden Eagles converted on four of nine power play attempts, including a pair in the first period as Noble and Cody scored with the man advantage.

Dickinson said the Golden Eagles’ recent offensive prowess can be credited to capitalizing on rebound opportunities, controlling the corners and a good week of practice, when Brockport’s players worked on dumping the puck deep into the zone and chasing it down on even-man rushes instead of trying to beat the defense one-on-one and turning the puck over.

Western New England (3-8-1 overall) cut into Brockport’s lead and trailed just 5-3 with 9:29 remaining in the third, but Cody and Berardini (first goal of the year) each scored goals 66 seconds apart, and Cody finished the scoring at the 19:32 mark.

“The kids talked me into putting Cody back out there so he could get a chance at his first hat trick," Dickinson said. "It was nice to see him cap it off, hat tricks are rare at our level, so it was a nice personal moment for Cody.

Brockport outshot Western New England 20-8 in the first period, 19-8 in the third and 58-27 for the game. Freshman Joe Reagan (Yonkers, NY) stopped 24 shots for his second win in as many nights.

GREAT ARTICLE ABOUT E.J. MCGUIRE

EJ McGuire, director of Central Scouting for the NHL, was, last year, the first hockey player/coach selected for Brockport's Athletic Hall of Fame. He was in WNY last week for the World Juniors and the Metro Community News of Buffalo ran this story about EJ...


EJ McGuire has seen his fare share of hockey talent over the years.

The director of Central Scouting for the National Hockey League, the First Ward native knows how to pick out the cream of the crop.

That’s why it was a treat for the Bishop Timon-St. Jude hockey team when McGuire came out to a recent practice to talk to the young men about what it takes to make it to the next level.

McGuire, however, just didn’t chat with the boys he also helped run practice – the same way the NHL teams run practice.

“I told my lifelong friend Gene (Overdorf) that I would like to get back on the ice. I haven’t been on the ice in a couple of years,” he said while taking a break from practice. “Last time I was at Caz there wasn’t a roof here. They were choosing ends for the wind end and the snow end. It’s a long time since I have been here and the first time I have been here since the roof was on.”

McGuire and Overdorf (Timon’s coach) go way back to the days of playing hockey at Brockport. After his playing days were over, McGuire took up coaching – first as a head coach with Brockport before landing a job as an assistant with Mike Keenan and the Philadelphia Flyers.

While with the Flyers, Keenan and his staff enjoyed success as the Flyers went to the Stanley Cup. They also dealt with tragedy with the death of star goaltender Pelle Lindbergh.

“I happened to meet a guy named Mike Keenan in Rochester and volunteered for him,” explained McGuire. “He gave me a call and said I just got hired by the Philadelphia Flyers would you like to be my assistant. That first year with a goalie named Pelle Lindbergh we were in the Stanley Cup finals in 1984. Pelle was killed in a drinking and driving incident that next November. A year later we were in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals with a guy named Ron Hextall.”

After taking assistant jobs with the Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators and Flyers (again) and head coaching jobs with the Maine Mariners, Guelph Storm and Hartford Wolfpack, McGuire took on a new task as vice president with the NHL.

There he is the director of NHL Central Scouting, the bureau that ranks prospects for the upcoming draft.

He usually has his input on the rankings and is a desired interfere by NHL media around the rankings time and the draft.

He says with the recent success of local kids like Tim Kennedy and Pat Kane people should expect big things from the city.

“I think the skies the limit for the city of Buffalo. For Western New York and extends right through Rochester,” explained McGuire. “I really think not only are more and more kids going to come out of here, but stay here longer. Believe me if a major junior program thinks a kid is good enough they will reach in here and grab them out of here. But the NCAA college programs are becoming more cognizant of good hockey players coming out of WNY. And I am proud to say that I am from WNY.”

While taking the time to give the Timon team some lessons, McGuire will still have his eye on the premier junior tournament that is taking place in Buffalo right now.

The World Junior Tournament is the best of the best the hockey world has to offer and Buffalo was the destination for the event.

He also has advice for the local kids who are starting to end up on everybody’s radar as the travel and high school seasons are in full swing.

“It may seem like a cop out but fit,” said McGuire. “The one that is appropriate for them. The skill level and where they want to play. I could have gone to the University of Michigan, but not play hockey. You have to go where you are going to get a lot of ice time. You have to do your homework so you know that you are going to get ice time. You have to get advice from coaches that who knows the skill level of where you are going to go. You don’t want to over shoot your boundary, because sitting on the bench at a high-powered program your improving your skills very much.”

Source: http://www.metrowny.com/news/673-Knowing_the_game_within_the_game.html

FINNERTY DOMINATES IN BROCKPORT'S 9-6 WIN

Last night’s game was just what the doctor ordered. Brockport woke from its offensive slumber and came out guns a blazing and put 52 shots on goal in an exciting 9-6 win over Western New England College.

The 300 fans in attendance (a low number as this is still winter break on campus) were able to see Brockport’s highest goal total since a 10-3 drubbing of Framingham State back in January of 2008.

You never would have guessed a final score so high after how the first period played out. Basically, the first half of that period was pretty eventless; fans with a passing interest in hockey might even say it was boring. But once Ian Finnerty lit the lamp at 11:09 things changed. The shots started pouring out from the Golden Eagles and they didn’t let up.

Ian was the best player on the ice last night. Statistically, he had a career night with 6 points on 2 goals and 4 assists. Outside of the box score, though, he was just as amazing: When the game was still a game in the first (that stanza ended 2-1) he was without a doubt the best defender on either team. On two penalty kills during the first he had two really exceptional plays, including one where he laid out and used his stick handle to deflect the puck away from the net. At one point while even strength in the first, he prevented a for-sure goal by knocking down a shot taken at the net from point-blank.

Bobby Conner, who was the second star of the game, netted Brockport’s second goal in the first with a pretty power play in which Tom Galiani and Finnerty were incredibly patient and mobile while closing in the diamond. It was a perfectly-orchestrated attack.

The second period saw Brockport score 4 goals while putting 23 shots on goal. WNEC managed only 1 goal which nearly didn’t happen. Goalie Joey Reagan made a brilliant glove save but may not have had total control of the puck for the ref never whistled the play dead. The puck trickled out of the glove and WNEC’s Connors scored on the ensuing confusion.

Bobby Conner’s second goal of the game – a nice pick-up of a rebound - came with just 9 seconds left in a power play opportunity. Brockport followed that up with Finnerty’s second goal, one where he deftly took advantage of 3 really confused WNEC players.

A few minutes later, James Cody (who had 3 assists on the night and has already surpassed the 20-point barrier) took a shot that left the WNEC goaltender reeling, blasting him right in the chin with an incredibly wicked slapshot from between the faceoff circles. It was at once frightening and entertaining (that latter being true only after knowing the goalie was okay).

Justin Noble proceeded to score at the 7:26 mark with a nicely-done goal, coming from behind the net to scoop in a puck that was briefly sitting in limbo...no one on the ice but he knew where it was.

Five minutes later Colby Spooner got his first collegiate goal. It was good to see him rewarded for his impressive efforts this year…he’s become a top-notch d-man who does an above average job of finishing his checks.

The third period was a wild one that saw WNEC score 4 times while Brockport found the back of the net 3 times. Chris Cangro became the third Golden Eagle to net 2 goals in this game scoring at the mid-way point and then again with less than 3 minutes left. On both occasions he out-muscled his defender to set himself up to collect rebounds. Adam Shoff got his second goal of the week with a fantastic power play goal. Brockport addressed one of its major weaknesses by going 5 for 10 on the power play against WNEC.

Jeremy Rossignolo spelled Joey Reagan 9:04 into the 3rd, the first action he has seen as a Golden Eagle over these past two seasons. He allowed 3 goals on 5 shots which can be attributed to his surprise ice time.

The Golden Eagles played lights-out all game. With 4 minutes left to play, as WNEC looked to be in comeback mode, Ian Chapman and Pat Hayden began knocking bodies down like it was going out of style. They were not going to lose!

You had to love the fans last night, too. A handful of folks from the Eagles Nest drove in from across New York State just to cheer on the Golden Eagles. One of them, Grant Voges, sang the national anthems again. No one sings "O Canada" quite like Grant…he’s a bilingual expert! Grant also got himself in hot water, throwing his green & gold wig onto the ice thinking a hat trick had been scored when it hadn’t. They obviously couldn’t kick out Brockport’s most vocal fan.

It was good to see the little rugrats getting into the spirit, too. About a dozen 10-year-olds cheered on every Brockport goal. In one of the more entertaining moments, after 2 female WNEC fans cheered their team's goals in the third, one of the kids turned around to the girls after a Brockport goal to talk smack with them. It was an impressive show of fan-demonium, but his dad made it a point to tell him to keep his attention on the ice and not the fans in the crowd. The kid has potential to be a future Eagle Nest Crazy :)

The battle continues today at 3:00, a rare matinee game. Here's to more fireworks!

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Box score:

http://www.collegehockeystats.net/1011/boxes/mbrcwne1.j07


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AD recap....

Junior Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) scored two goals and handed out four assists for six total points to lead The College at Brockport Hockey Team to a 9-6 victory over Western New England College Friday night in the first of a two-game series with the Golden Bears at the Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.

Finnerty scored in each of the first two periods and had three assists in the first 40 minutes and then added his fourth assist and sixth pointy in the third period. Brockport (2-12-1) held a 2-1 lead after one period and outscored Western New England (3-7-3) 4-1 in the second stanza to take a 6-2 lead into the final period.

In a wild third period, the Golden Bears scored four times but Brockport added three goals to earn the victory.

Freshmen Bobby Connor (Lititz, PA) and Chris Cangro (Holbrook, NY) each scored twice for the Golden Eagles as Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT), Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) and Colby Spooner (Hilton, NY) each scored once for Brockport. Spooner’s goal was the first of his career for the sophomore defenseman.

Brockport scored five times on the power play with 10 attempts and held Western New England to one power play goal on eight opportunities.

Freshman Joe Reagan (Yonkers, NY) started for the Golden Eagles and made 19 saves before senior Jeremy Rossignolo (Rochester, NY) made his first career appearance for the Golden Eagles with nine minutes remaining and stopped two shots.

James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) had four assists and Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) added three assists for the Golden Eagles.

2 GAMES VS. WNEC THIS WEEKEND!

Brockport hits the ice at 7:00 Friday and 3:00 Saturday. Both are home games against Western New England College. See ya at the Tuttle North Ice Arena!

USCHO RECAP OF HOBART GAME

The gentlemen at USCHO offer this recap of last night's game:

The Hobart Statesmen, ranked No. 15 in this week’s USCHO.com Division III men’s poll, scored three goals in a 48-second span in the second period to take control of Tuesday night’s game against the Brockport Golden Eagles, winning 5–2.

“The first period went well for us but then we fell asleep for 48 seconds and it cost us a hockey game,” Brockport coach Brian Dickinson said. “It is disappointing that shift cost us a hockey game.”

Hobart got off to a sluggish start and Brockport almost took advantage in the first five minutes of the game. The Golden Eagles buzzed around the Statesmen net but couldn’t get anything past sophomore goaltender Martin Ausserhofer, who played in his first game this year.

“We probably slugged our way through the entire game,” Hobart coach Mark Taylor said. “There were some spurts where we jumped up a little bit, but that game was not us. Sometimes it can be healthy for you to win a game like that.”

The Statesmen (8–3–1) didn’t garner much offense at all until Brockport (1–12–1) went on its first power play of the night six minutes into the contest. Hobart scored on its second shot of the game at 7:31 while killing off that penalty. Christopher Bower intercepted a cross-ice pass near the Hobart blue line and carried it into the Brockport zone on a two-on-one breakaway.

Bower slid the puck over to Tommy Capalbo near the top of the crease, who tapped it in for the goal.

“We didn’t crumple,” Dickinson said. “When things aren’t going well, which they haven’t this year, you never know how you are going to respond.”

Brockport kept up the offensive pressure through the remainder of the period, outshooting Hobart 10–8 in the stanza, and the work paid dividends with 53 seconds remaining. Mike Hayward let go a blast of a slap shot from the top of the crease and Adam Shoff deflected the puck as it flew down the crease, sending it just under the crossbar to tie the game 1–1.

“We have worked hard since we got back on the urgency of getting up and down the ice against Hobart, probably the hardest working team we’ll face all year,” Dickinson said. “We did a good job of making them expend energy in their end of the ice a bit. We tried to take advantage and couldn’t get any clear chances until the end of the period.”

Hobart opened the flood gates early in the second period, scoring a trio of goals to take control of the game 4–1. Cam Miller started the fireworks at 6:24, finishing off a two-on-one breakaway off a pass from Danny Organ.

Just 23 seconds later, Ryan Corcoran redirected a wrist shot down the slot by Mike White. And then at 7:12, Gregory Ciciola poked in a rebound to finish off the flurry.

Dickinson called his timeout and put Joe Reagan into net to replace starting goaltender Oliver Wren. That stopped the fireworks but Hobart continued to slug along.

“Ausserhofer needed game time and I thought he got better as the game went on,” Taylor said. “I’m glad he got better as the game went on because I didn’t think we did.”

The Golden Eagles chipped away at Hobart’s lead early in the third period with a power-play goal at 3:20. The Statesmen failed to clear the puck from their defensive zone when given the chance. Ian Finnerty collected the puck just inside the Hobart blue line, skated through the right faceoff circle, and wristed the puck just inside the near post to narrow the Statesmen lead to 4–2.

Hobart’s Tommy Fiorentino slid in an empty-net goal with just under a minute remaining to finish off the 5–2 victory for the Statesmen.

Source:

http://www.uscho.com/recaps/2011/01/04/three-goal-flurry-carries-no-15-hobart-past-brockport/

BROCKPORT FALLS TO HOBART 5-2

Despite the notch in the “L” column and a brief deluge of goals, Brockport hung with 15th ranked Hobart for most of Tuesday’s game. The 5-2 score was bloated due to an empty-netter in the last minute of play, but overall it was performance the young team could take pride in, for Hobart has demolished some of the best teams in the nation and Brockport was more than game enough for them.

The first period ended 1-1 and it saw the Golden Eagles lead in shots on goal with 10, 2 more than Hobart’s deadly offense. Brockport showed its hardworking roots of the previous 2 seasons by attacking with zest the rebounds that poured off Hobart’s goaltender Ausserhofer. Those efforts paid off when Adam Shoff buried a rebound with under a minute to play in the first stanza.

The period had its share of drama. With 12:48 Gregg Amato had a hard slapshot that Ausserhofer had to make a brilliant glove save on. That shot was nicely set-up by James Cody who, even though he didn’t show up in the scoresheet, had a huge impact on the game. On this specific play he showed acrobatics and strength, driving around and through 3 Hobart Statesmen…a perfect display of what he brings to the game.

Seconds later, with 12:30 left to play, Amato’s turnover led to a frightening 2-on-1 with, but Oliver Wren was up to the task of stopping the shot that mirrored the goal that got by him minutes earlier. Then, with 6:43 left, Hobart came within inches of a short-handed goal when it bounced off the pipe.

The second period was more in Hobart’s favor. Ausserhofer must have received some insight during the intermission, because he better deflected away rebounds with his stick and skates, taking away what was Brockport’s best weapon to score goals. No doubt looking for new ways to put shots on the Hobart goal, Brockport was less attentive to defense for a while which led to 3 goals in less than a minute. Not all could be blamed on Wren because the Hobart scorers – especially on the last 2 goals – were left totally unmolested and were able to wind up and chose their target (the top of the net).

Subsequently, Wren was pulled, which also served as a wake-up call to the rest of the team. Brockport settled down and kept Hobart at bay. Joe Reagan was up to the task in net and made 20 saves through the rest of the game, not surrendering a goal. Among his best in the second was a point blank stop that was created by a Brockport defenseman’s turnover (a recurring theme).

The third period started 4-1 but less than 4 minutes into it Ian Finnerty got a power-play goal that really showcased his talents. He took it in on his own and with a sweet hesitation move capped off by patience, he slung the puck past Ausserhofer.

Brockport nearly had 2 more goals as Ausserhofer was helped by his best friend…the post. It made saves on shots by Ian Chapman and James Cody.

With 7:21 left, there was a questionable no-call as Cody took a huge shot that bounced off the goalie’s pad. Tom Galiani was Johnny-on-the-spot and was ready to chip in the puck that was just sitting there in no man’s land. A Hobart d-man proceeded to violently push Tom to the ice from behind, taking away that chance.

Joe Reagan was nothing short of brilliant in the 3rd period. There was a 20 second flurry with just under 14 minutes left when he turned away 5 shots, all of them pretty solid chances. He also broke up a breakaway goal with a nifty glove save with 5:31 left.

One fellow who impressed me throughout the game was Bobby Conner. Known for his offensive output, he played an exceptional defensive game and took the puck from Hobart on numerous occasions in the Brockport zone. An excellent two-way player.

All in all it was a good game. Take away the 3 goals burst in the second and it was a very competitive affair. The fans who came out to this rare Tuesday match-up were treated to a fine game.


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Box score:

http://www.collegehockeystats.net/1011/boxes/mbrchob1.j04


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Athletic Department recap:

Junior Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT) scored for The College at Brockport Hockey team with less than a minute to play in the first period to even the score at 1-1 but Hobart College, ranked No. 15 in the latest Division III national poll, responded with three goals in a span of 48 seconds early in the second period and went on to post a 5-2 victory over the Golden Eagles in a non-conference game Tuesday night at the Tuttle North Arena in Brockport.

The Golden Eagles, playing for the first time since the semester break, fell behind 1-0 midway through the first period as Hobart (8-3-1) scored on a short-handed situation. Shoff scored for the second time this season with 53 seconds left in the period to knot the score at 1-1.

In the second period, Hobart’s Cam Miller scored his fourth of the season at the 6:24 mark of the period and teammate Ryan Corcoran scored his fifth of the year 23 seconds later to give the Statesmen a 3-1 lead and Greg Ciciola added a third goal 25 second after that for a 4-1 lead.

Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) scored to close the gap to 4-2 with 3:20 gone in the third period with an unassisted goal eight seconds into a Brockport (1-12-1) power play opportunity.
The Golden Eagles applied pressure during the remainder of the third period but a late empty-net goal by Hobart made the final score 5-2.

Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) started and made eight saves for Brockport while freshman Joe Reagan (Yonkers, NY) finished the game and made 20 saves for the Golden Eagles.