After a surprising start the Golden Eagles hit a bump in the road, a 4 game losing streak that reached its lowest depths with last week’s upset by cellar-dweller Morrisville, a game that may have playoff implications come late-February (Brockport currently resides in a logjam for 5th and 6th place in the SUNYAC).
So, how do they make things right again and get back onto the winning path? There’s no better way than this weekend, especially Friday’s game against the team’s most hated rival – Geneseo.
The Brockport-Geneseo games are what college hockey is all about – rabid rivalries that have become a traditions, a culture, within their campuses. The games are hard fought and emotional, while the stands are abuzz with fan support. This is a match-up just as exciting as Plattsburgh-Oswego and is one that carries playoff weight as the middle-of-the-pack teams vie for a home playoff game and one that has meaning for Rochester-area bragging rights.
Geneseo is a great 4-1-1 in conference play with a 5-4-1 record overall. Over the course of the season they’ve upset 4th ranked Plasttsburgh and scored 3 or more goals on 7 occasions. They have 2 blemishes on their record, a 5-1 thumping by Hobart and a 10-1 rout by Oswego (remember that Brockport tied Hobart and lost 2-0 to Oswego).
They are a well-balanced attack. Consider that their top 3 scorers -- Jack Cardonna (13 points), Zach Vit (12), and Rich Manley (8) – have 2, 2, and 1 goals each. So, this is a team that spreads the wealth. The leading goal scorer is Ryan Baluch with 5.
It should be noted that Vit is a special talent – he was 3rd team All-SUNYAC last year. Cardonna is a force to reckon with – how many teams see a defenseman as their points leader? Someone else to watch out for who doesn’t get a lot of attention is Corbin Rosmarin, who may be coming into his own as a senior…in 7 games he has 4 goals.
Adrian Rubeniuk is their #1 goalie and he sports a very good .910 saves percentage and 2.56 GAA. Once this season he’s been goalie of the week for the SUNYAC, on the strength of a 43 performance against Potsdam.
This game starts at 7:00 Friday.
The team might be physically and emotionally spent after such a powerful rivalry, so it’s good that Saturday’s late-matinee – a 4:00 start – is against a non-conference opponent, Western New England College.
The Golden Bears are no slouch, though, at 6-3-0. Their bedrock is really stellar goaltending courtesy of Tim Carr (.958) and Eric Sorenson (.924). As a team, they’ve allowed just 2.22 goals per game this year. With backstops like that, the forwards can flourish, none more so than Brandon Stroud (6-6-12) and Alan Martin (5 goals). WNEC is solid all the way around.
See you at the Arena!
So, how do they make things right again and get back onto the winning path? There’s no better way than this weekend, especially Friday’s game against the team’s most hated rival – Geneseo.
The Brockport-Geneseo games are what college hockey is all about – rabid rivalries that have become a traditions, a culture, within their campuses. The games are hard fought and emotional, while the stands are abuzz with fan support. This is a match-up just as exciting as Plattsburgh-Oswego and is one that carries playoff weight as the middle-of-the-pack teams vie for a home playoff game and one that has meaning for Rochester-area bragging rights.
Geneseo is a great 4-1-1 in conference play with a 5-4-1 record overall. Over the course of the season they’ve upset 4th ranked Plasttsburgh and scored 3 or more goals on 7 occasions. They have 2 blemishes on their record, a 5-1 thumping by Hobart and a 10-1 rout by Oswego (remember that Brockport tied Hobart and lost 2-0 to Oswego).
They are a well-balanced attack. Consider that their top 3 scorers -- Jack Cardonna (13 points), Zach Vit (12), and Rich Manley (8) – have 2, 2, and 1 goals each. So, this is a team that spreads the wealth. The leading goal scorer is Ryan Baluch with 5.
It should be noted that Vit is a special talent – he was 3rd team All-SUNYAC last year. Cardonna is a force to reckon with – how many teams see a defenseman as their points leader? Someone else to watch out for who doesn’t get a lot of attention is Corbin Rosmarin, who may be coming into his own as a senior…in 7 games he has 4 goals.
Adrian Rubeniuk is their #1 goalie and he sports a very good .910 saves percentage and 2.56 GAA. Once this season he’s been goalie of the week for the SUNYAC, on the strength of a 43 performance against Potsdam.
This game starts at 7:00 Friday.
The team might be physically and emotionally spent after such a powerful rivalry, so it’s good that Saturday’s late-matinee – a 4:00 start – is against a non-conference opponent, Western New England College.
The Golden Bears are no slouch, though, at 6-3-0. Their bedrock is really stellar goaltending courtesy of Tim Carr (.958) and Eric Sorenson (.924). As a team, they’ve allowed just 2.22 goals per game this year. With backstops like that, the forwards can flourish, none more so than Brandon Stroud (6-6-12) and Alan Martin (5 goals). WNEC is solid all the way around.
See you at the Arena!
