Wednesday, January 5, 2011

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.