BROCKPORT TROUNCED BY BUFF STATE

Chris Luker (New Hartford, NY) scored the lone goal for The College at Brockport men's ice hockey team, but the Golden Eagles fell on the road 6-1 to Buffalo State in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchup on Saturday evening.

Buffalo State jumped out to a quick lead, scoring two goals in the first period.

14 seconds into the second period, the Bengals scored another goal to push their lead to three.

Buffalo State took advantage of the power play throughout the second period. The Bengals scored three more goals, all on the power play to go up 6-0 heading into period three.

Brockport managed to hold the Bengals scoreless in the third period, but could not overcome their early deficit.

Luker recorded his goal on a power play with under three minutes to play in regulation.

Andrew Winsor (Coburg, ONT) tallied 31 saves in net for Brockport.

The Golden Eagles return to action on Thursday, Jan. 9 for a home game against Western New England at 7 pm.

BROCKPORT TIES FREDONIA

Chris Luker (New Hartford, NY) had a goal and an assists for The College at Brockport men's ice hockey team, but the Golden Eagles had to settle for a 3-3 tie as Fredonia evened things up in the final minute of regulation on Friday evening in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchup.

Chris Cangro (Holbrook, NY) got things started for the Golden Eagles in the first period, scoring just 2:56 into play. Andrew Winsor (Coburg, ONT) came up big for Brockport in the net, making 14 saves and keeping the Blue Devils scoreless for the period.

33 seconds into the second period, Luker notched his goal to put the Golden Eagles up by two.

Fredonia took advantage of a power play halfway through the second period, cutting the Brockport lead back down to one.

With 45 seconds remaining in the period, Bobby Conner (Lititz, PA) ripped a shot off a pass from Luker to put the Golden Eagles up by two again.

Brockport held onto its lead for the majority of the final period. The Blue Devils cut the score to 3-2 under seven minutes to play.

In the final minute, Fredonia scored with an extra attacker on the ice after the Blue Devils pulled their goal keeper to even things up.

Both teams had opportunities in the overtime period to take the lead, but neither could come up with the finish they needed.

Winsor finished the game with a total of 36 saves.

The Golden Eagles return to SUNYAC action again on Saturday evening. Brockport travels to take on Buffalo State for a 7 pm game.

STYLUS ARTICLE ABOUT NICK UNGER

This week's Brockport Stylus features an excellent article by Brandon Wood about assistant coach Nick Unger...

If you look at the statistics from last year’s massive recruiting class for the College at Brockport’s ice hockey program, it’s clear how much of an impact these players had in their first season. With 14 freshmen joining the team for the 2012-13 season, they made their presence felt throughout the year.

Last year’s freshmen can claim they scored more than half the teams goals, assists and points for the team last season. 

Sophomore forward Jesse Facchini was 15th in the SUNYAC with 16 assists last season. Sophomore goalie Jared Lockhurst, who was also recruited heavily by SUNY Oswego, chose to come to Brockport and ended up being ranked sixth in goals against average, fourth in save percentage and was voted to the All-Rookie squad as Brockport’s starting goaltender.

Last year’s recruiting class was the first one that was brought in under Assistant Coach Nick Unger, who said he focuses heavily on recruiting for the program along with power play duties and working with the goalies and defense.

Unger also helped bring in more immediate contributors to current team, as freshman forward Jake Taylor leads Brockport in goals with four, and freshman forward Nick Marinac is tied for the team lead with nine points.

Unger said his prowess for recruiting comes from a similar position he held at Nichols College (Mass). 

“I was successful [with my first couple of recruiting classes] because I came from a school (Nichols) where I was taught very, very well how to recruit,” Unger said. “I was at a school of 2,000 students with a rink about 30 minutes from campus. They have a very expensive school and there were a lot of hurdles to get across to build a winning team.”

He said his experience as head recruiter for Nichols helped prepare him for recruiting at Brockport and helped lead him to a successful start with his first recruiting class.

“They prepared me for some of the challenges you see in recruiting. You go from a situation where you can build a winner that ends up going 25-4 and in the NCAA tournament, winning championships. If you’re able to do that in an atmosphere like that, coming to Brockport where you have a great town and a great campus and a great rink, the school really sells itself from there.”

Unger said he thinks Brockport has many qualities about it that makes it easier to sell to potential recruits coming to campus. But what does an average visit to Brockport entail for potential players?

One of the more common visits for potential recruits entails an overnight visit, and Unger said he makes sure he shows potential recruits all the positive things there are at Brockport.

Unger said a recruiting visit starts in the SERC to provide a “wow factor.” Afterward, he introduces the players to the rink that he described as “a big selling point for [Brockport], because we have a really nice rink on campus.”

The rest of the day includes a tour of campus dining and other major features Brockport has to offer.

“Showing the campus is a big key [to recruiting] because we do have a really nice campus,” Unger said. “There are a lot of talking points along the way that you can help sell the recruit on. Especially when you talk to recruits on the phone, you get a sense of what they are looking for, so you can tailor your visit to suit those needs.”

After dinner in one of the campus dining halls, the recruits will attend a game later in the evening with his family and friends. Following that, the player is set up with other members of the team with who they spend the evening.

“We set [the recruit] up with a few of our guys for the night,” Unger said. “They can see what the living arrangements are like and meet more members of the team. We encourage them to ask questions, because these guys live it every single day. A lot of times, your players are your best recruiters, so we want to make sure [the recruits] get a chance to talk with some of them.”

Unger said he can’t stop with two solid recruiting classes, and it’s important to continue to build strong ones in the coming years as well.

“It’s going to be a process where you have to continue to build class after class after class just so that you are confident that every player on your team can really produce,” Unger said.

Unger, who has brought two strong recruiting classes that have made immediate impacts on the team, said he will continue to recruit more playmakers for the program and wants to have one of the deepest team’s in the SUNYAC.

“We’re really close right now; we really like the team we have,” Unger said. “We still have a young team, but we need to continue to build it every single year so that we’re all on the same page and we’re still building up that level of speed, skill and hockey sense. Every single year we want to be better as a team.”




Source: http://www.thestylus.net/sports/assistant-coach-drives-program-behind-the-scenes-1.3125639?pagereq=1

STYLUS RECAP OF TOURNAMENT GAMES

This week's Brockport Stylus features the following report from Brandon Wood...

In its opening round game of the Rutland Herald Invitational against Manhattanville College, the College at Brockport’s ice hockey team was charged with three game misconducts, a disqualification and nine minor penalties for 68 total penalty minutes. 

The Golden Eagles (2-7-1 overall, 1-3 SUNYAC) lost that game and the consolation game at the tournament held in Rutland, Vt. Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. 

Manhattanville capitalized on the numerous Brockport penalties by scoring three power-play goals to win the opening game 7-3. Head Coach Brian Dickinson said many of the game misconduct penalties were due to talking back to the officials.

“I’m disappointed, and I told the players after that we can’t do those types of things,” Dickinson said. “I told them they can’t mouth off to the officials, and we need to stop taking these types of penalties. It’s the coach’s job to handle the referees.”

Freshman forward Nick Marinac received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for charging the goalie with 6:48 remaining in the first period. Manhattanville scored two power-play goals during the penalty.

All three of Brockport’s goals came in the second period. Sophomore forward Jesse Facchini scored a power-play goal early in the period, while freshman defender Robbie Hall and sophomore forward Chase Nieuwendyk rounded out the scoring for Brockport.

Sophomore goalie Jared Lockhurst was pulled midway through the second period after surrendering his fifth goal of the game on 24 shots by Manhattanville. 

“It seemed like Jared was fighting the puck,” Dickinson said. “He wasn’t moving well. A couple of the pucks that went in during the second period were pucks that went side-to-side and he didn’t get over fast enough. I think his groin that was tweaked a bit from the previous game was still bothering him a bit.”

Freshman goalie Andrew Winsor came in for the remainder of the game, the first action he’s seen this season. Winsor made 21 saves and allowed just two goals.

The bulk of Brockport’s penalty troubles occurred in the third period, when it took 50 total penalty minutes. Freshman forward Jake Taylor was given a ten-minute game misconduct after he was called for a charging penalty with four minutes remaining. Sophomore defenseman Chad Cummings received a 10-minute game misconduct two minutes later for cross-checking.

With 29 seconds remaining, Manhattanville’s freshman forward Nolan Marshall cross-checked senior defenseman Matt DeLuca after a play and received a game misconduct and a five-minute major. Sophomore forward Shane Cavalieri took exception to this and threw a few punches at Marshall.

Both players received game disqualifications and five-minute majors for fighting.

Fighting, while not illegal in NCAA hockey, is rare because the disqualification that comes with it gives players a suspension for the following game. If a player is disqualified again in a season, they will be suspended the number of games equal to how many disqualifications the player has received in the season. Cavalieri served his suspension the following day against Castleton University.

Manhattanville scored a late power-play goal to make the game 7-3 and send the Golden Eagles to the consolation game of the tournament the next afternoon.

In the consolation game, Castleton found the tie-breaking and game-winning goal with 1:02 remaining in regulation to beat the Golden Eagles. 

Winsor, who filled in for Lockhurst the previous night, made his first NCAA start in net for Brockport.

The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early lead nine minutes into the game as sophomore forward Kody Vaisanen scored his first goal of the year. Castleton answered with a goal five minutes later to tie the game.

The Golden Eagles had their goalie to thank for the 1-1 score heading into the first intermission, as Castleton had 22 shots on net in the first frame. Winsor finished the game with 38 saves and stopped 59 of 65 shots sent his way in the two games he played.

“He played great,” Dickinson said. “He went in against Manhattanville and played really well. It wasn’t a hard decision to send him out again [against Castleton]. Andrew did a good job of pushing the puck away from the net and made the saves that he needed to. He was poised, he competed, he battled and as a coach, I was really happy for him.”

Each team scored a goal in the second period, too, with Castleton scoring three minutes into the period and Brockport senior forward Steve Sachman finding the back of the net with a few minutes remaining in the period.

This back-and-forth affair continued into the third period when Brockport jumped out to a 3-2 lead as sophomore forward Michael Zagari scored his first goal of the season three minutes into the period. Castleton tied the game exactly three minutes later with 14 minutes remaining in the game.

With the game appearing to be headed for overtime, Castleton scored the game-winner with just more than a minute left in regulation, sending Brockport home winless over the weekend.

With four straight losses, Brockport will play two critical SUNYAC road games this coming weekend at SUNY Fredonia and Buffalo State. The Golden Eagles have earned just two conference points in four SUNYAC contests and are looking to make up ground as it sits in second-to-last place in the SUNYAC.

“Fredonia and Buffalo State are two teams that we are going to compete for a spot in the playoffs with,” Dickinson said. “We need to have a good week of practice and focus in on Fredonia and then worry about Buffalo State after that. If we can get some conference points, we can head into the break feeling good about ourselves.”




Source:

http://www.thestylus.net/sports/eagles-fists-fly-in-tournament-match-1.3125629?pagereq=1#.UqCaNuKrGFg

BROCKPORT GOES DOWN, 4-3 AGAINST CASTLETON

Freshman Andrew Winsor (Coburg, ONT) made 38 saves including 21 in the first period to give The College at Brockport Hockey team a chance to win the consolation game of the Rutland Herald Invitational Tournament Sunday afternoon but it was a goal by host Castleton with 1:02 left in the third period that gave the Spartans a 4-3 victory in Castleton, VT.

Brockport (2-7-1) opened the scoring with a Kody Vaisanen (Dundalk, ONT) goal at the 8:44 mark of the first period giving the Golden Eagles an early lead.

Late in the period, with six and a half minutes remaining, Castleton (4-3-1) scored to tie up the game as the first period came to a close. In the first 20 minutes of action, the Spartans held a 22-7 advantage in shots but the play of Winsor with his 21 saves allowed the Golden Eagles to take a 1-1 game into the second period.

"Winsor played extremely well today in his first career start," said Head Coach Brian Dickinson. "I am proud of the effort from the whole team especially playing with a short bench. We received great leadership today from a number of guys."

Early in the second period, Castleton took a 2-1 lead with a goal at the 3:10 mark of the period. Brockport played a much more even second period and with 3:30 remaining, tied the game up again as Steve Sachman (Medford, NY) scored and the teams went into the second intermission with a 2-2 score.

Brockport came out firing on all cylinders in the third period and Michael Zagari (McKees Rocks, PA) found himself alone in the slot scoring with a shot to the low glove side to give Brockport the 3-2 lead 2:55 into the final period.

Exactly three minutes later, Castleton knotted the score once again and the teams played nearly the entire final 14 minutes of regulation tied at 3-3.

With less than two minutes remaining, Castleton cleared the puck and moved deep into the Brockport zone before a centering pass found the stick of a Spartan forward that scored the go-ahead goal with 1:02 left on the clock.

Winsor made his way to the bench in favor of the extra attacker for most of the final minute of the game and Brockport was able to apply some pressure in the Spartan zone but could not find the back of the net with the equalizer.

Brockport returns to action Friday resuming conference play with a road trip to Buffalo State and Fredonia as the Golden Eagles take on Fredonia Friday and Buffalo State Saturday in 7 pm games to finish the first semester of games.

MANHATTANVILLE BEATS BROCKPORT 7-3

Freshman Rob Hall (Schaumberg, IL) scored his first career goal and sophomores Chase Nieuwendyk (Georgetown, ONT) and Jesse Facchini (Mississauga, ONT) each added goals for The College at Brockport Hockey team in a 7-3 loss to Manhattanville in the first round of the Rutland Herald Invitational Tournament Saturday afternoon at Castleton, VT.

Brockport will play host Castleton State at Noon Sunday after the Spartans dropped a 4-3 decision to Tufts in the second Saturday matchup in the tournament. Manhattanville will play Tufts for the championship at 3 pm.

Manhattanville (4-4) scored three times in a span of just over three minutes in the middle of the first period to take the early lead. The second and third goals were on an extended power play as Brockport's Nick Marinac (Burlington, ONT) was whistled for a charging penalty as well as a game misconduct.

In the second period, Brockport (2-6-1) had an early power play with a chance to get on the board but instead surrendered a shorthanded goal giving the Valiants a 4-0 lead.

Facchini scored less than a minute later to get the Brockport offense going. Two minutes later, Manhattanville scored to take a 5-1 lead but the Golden Eagles would not give up scoring twice in a span of 1:07 just prior to the midpoint of the period to trim the lead to 5-3. Hall scored his first career goal as a Golden Eagle at the 8:45 mark of the period and Nieuwendyk scored at the 9:52 mark to keep Brockport within striking distance.

Manhattanville added a goal in the wild second period with 5:40 remaining in the stanza and took the 6-3 lead into the third period.

The final period included 70 penalty minutes and a combined five game misconducts and three major penalties with the lone goal in the period coming with just seven seconds left on the clock as the Valiants capped the scoring to come away with the 7-3 win.

Jared Lockhurst (Caledon, ONT) started the game in the Brockport goal and made 19 saves but allowed six goals. Freshman Andrew Winsor (Coburg, ONT) played the final five minutes of the second period and the entire third period making 21 saves and allowing just the late goal in his first action of his career for the Golden Eagles.

STYLUS RECAP OF OSWEGO GAME

Brandon Wood's recap for the Brockport Stylus...

SUNY Oswego’s ice hockey team dominated on the road at the College at Brockport Saturday, Nov. 24. The Lakers cooled off Brockport’s red-hot power play and shut out the Golden Eagles for just the second time this season in a 4-0 win.

With the loss, Brockport (2-5-1 overall, 1-3 SUNYAC) earned no conference points in its first home weekend of SUNYAC play and sits second-to-last in the SUNYAC conference.

“It’s not what we expected,” senior captain Matt DeLuca said. “The thing about this team is that we have the ability to bounce back. If we have an off weekend, we know the next weekend is just that much bigger.”

Brockport had a chance to take an early lead when Oswego freshman Alex Botten hit Brockport freshman Jake Taylor into a board and received a five-minute major and a game misconduct 35 seconds into the game. The Golden Eagles power play, which had scored at least one goal in all of its previous three games, was stonewalled by Oswego goalie Matt Zawadzki.

Four minutes after the penalty was over, Oswego was able to put one past Brockport sophomore goalie Jared Lockhurst, who was in net for the second straight game for the Eagles. The Lakers doubled their advantage with 45 seconds remaining in the first period to take a 2-0 lead into the intermission.

Brockport had two more opportunities in the second period to score with the man advantage, but struggled to produce shots on net. Oswego did a good job of pressuring Brockport while it controlled the puck and clogged up the passing lanes to hold the Golden Eagles to just 26 shots all evening.

Oswego added a goal in the second period and one more in the third as the puck bounced around and Mac Scott threw it into a portion of the net that was wide open.

Brockport’s power play, which entered the game at seventh in the nation in efficiency percentage, was stifled by Oswego and held to 0-for-5 on the evening.

“At the start [of our power play, Oswego] was throwing four defenders across the blue line and really hindering our breakout and that really hurt us,” sophomore Chase Nieuwendyk, one of the main contributors on Brockport’s power play, said. “Once we figured that out the bounces were just not going our way.”

Lockhurst made 22 out of 26 possible saves on the evening. Brockport had a scare when he appeared to tweak his groin during the second period and trainers had to come out to take a look at him.

Brockport was already without junior Aaron Green with a groin injury for the weekend, but Lockhurst remained in the game and said he was fine following the game. Nieuwendyk also left the game, with around seven minutes remaining in the third period after blocking a shot with his right ankle.

The Golden Eagles’ next test comes over Thanksgiving weekend when it travels to Castleton University for the Rutland Herald Invitational tournament. They will play Saturday against Manhattanville College at 3 p.m. and then either Tufts University or Castleton depending on results.

Nieuwendyk said he thinks getting away on the road will be good for the team’s morale.

“I think getting us together playing tournament style and getting some guys in who need some ice time will be good for us,” Nieuwendyk said. “We’ll get some time off for Thanksgiving and then be ready to go.”


Source: http://www.thestylus.net/brockport-pp-held-scoreless-for-first-time-in-two-weeks-1.3123907#.UpMBguKrGFg

STYLUS RECAP OF CORTLAND GAME

Brandon wood of the Stylus penned this recap of the Cortland game...



It was a battle of special teams efficiency at Tuttle North Ice Arena Friday, Nov. 22. SUNY Cortland entered its game against the College at Brockport with a 33 percent conversion rate with the man advantage, while Brockport sat at 31 percent. While Brockport struck twice in the first period and had a lead in the second period, Cortland found two power-play goals in the second period to skate out of Brockport with a win.

“We figured that both teams would get a lot of chances tonight,” Brockport Coach Brian Dickinson said following the game. “They were just a little quicker on their power play. Our penalty kill didn’t do a good job of getting out on their defensemen and they moved it around us pretty great.”

Brockport (2-4-1 overall, 1-2 SUNYAC) found itself in an early 2-0 hole seven minutes into the game as the Golden Eagles had two defensive lapses early in the contest. Cortland freshman Matt Esposito scored a goal when the puck bounced to his stick as he was all alone in the slot four minutes into the game, and senior Adam Bevilacqua scored three minutes later on a breakaway.

Later in the first period, Brockport narrowly missed a power-play goal on its first chance of the night, as sophomore Chase Nieuwendyk scored just seconds after Cortland exited the penalty box. Freshman Nick Marinac received the primary assist on the play.

Brockport scored its next two goals while Cortland was in the box. Junior Bobby Chayka scored the second goal of his career after Marinac made an excellent pass across the ice to find him open in the slot. The shot deflected off a Cortland player to tie the game up at two. That was the score after the first period.

In the second period, Cortland was penalized again for tripping, and this time it was sophomore James Ryan who scored while Brockport had the man advantage to give Brockport the 3-2 lead. Marinac again received an assist on the play, giving him three for the game and a point on every Brockport goal.

Brockport struggled near the end of the second period as it took three penalties. Cortland scored on two of them to take a 4-3 lead into the final period.

“The second period, they drew us into some calls and we got a little frustrated,” Dickinson said. “We took a couple selfish penalties near the end of the period, and they really hurt us.”

Brockport’s power play finished 2-for-3 in the game, while Cortland was 3-for-6 with the man
advantage. Cortland has the best power play in the SUNYAC, scoring 12 goals in 34 opportunities.

After giving up three power-play goals on the night, Brockport’s penalty kill has dipped to 70 percent, which is third worst in the nine-team SUNYAC.

Each goalie made several impressive saves to hold the score where it was in the third period, until Cortland added an empty-net goal in the waning minutes of the third. It counted as a power-play goal because Brockport pulled Lockhurst while a man down. Lockhurst finished the game with 35 saves.

The loss to Cortland puts pressure on the Golden Eagles with No. 8 SUNY Oswego coming to Brockport Saturday night, as they could come away with zero conference points in their first home weekend of SUNYAC play. Lockhurst said he thinks Brockport can forget about its loss to Cortland quickly and will play up to its potential against Oswego.

“It was a big two points we lost against Cortland, unfortunately,” Lockhurst said. “We’ve got a really good team in this dressing room, and we’re going to put a solid performance in against Oswego tomorrow.”

With Oswego falling on the road to No. 15 SUNY Geneseo Friday night, Dickinson said he thinks Oswego could be an angry team coming into the game Saturday.

“I’m sure [Oswego] is going to come in riled up,” Dickinson said. “[Geneseo’s] the first real good opponent that Oswego has really played. Knowing [Oswego Head] Coach [Ed] Gosek and [Assistant] Coach [Mark] Digby, they’ll be working hard tonight to get their kid’s attention.”


Source: http://www.thestylus.net/sports/cortland-hockey-wins-special-teams-battle-against-brockport-1.3123855#.UpMBb-KrGFg

OSWEGO SHUTS OUT BROCKPORT

The Athletic Department's recap of Saturday's game....

Sophomore goalie Jared Lockhurst (Caledon, ONT) made 22 saves including 13 in the second period for The College at Brockport Hockey team but Oswego scored twice in the first period and added single goals in the final two periods for a 4-0 victory Saturday in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game in the Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.

Brockport (2-5-1 Overall, 1-3 SUNYAC) had a chance to strike early as Alex Botten was whistled for a five-minute major for boarding and was also assessed a game misconduct just 35 seconds into the contest for Oswego (4-2, 3-2). The Golden Eagles were unable to take advantage of the five-minute power play while the Lakers used a goal at the 9:43 mark and another with 45 second remaining in the period to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

In the second period, Oswego held a 14-10 shots advantage but only managed one goal coming with 5:15 left in the stanza to extend the lead to 3-0.

Brockport came out more aggressive in the third period and fired 11 shots at the Oswego net but the only goal of the period was scored by the Lakers with less than seven minutes to play, making it a 4-0 lead.

Neither team was able to capitalize on a power play as Brockport was 0-for-5 and Oswego was 0-for-3 with the man advantage.

BROCKPORT FALLS TO CORTLAND; 5-3

The recap from the Brockport Sports Information Desk...

Nick Marinac (Burlington, ONT) recorded three assists for three points on Friday evening as The College at Brockport men's ice hockey team fell to Cortland 5-3 in a SUNYAC matchup at the Tuttle North Ice Arena.

The Golden Eagles got three quick shots off to start the game, but all three were blocked.

Cortland was able to take an early lead with a goal just 4:12 into the first period. Three minutes later, the Red Dragons doubled their lead with another goal.

At 9:00, Shane Cavalieri (Richmond Hill, ONT) ripped a shot right in front of the net, but the Cortland goalkeeper made a quick save.

A minute later, Brockport goalkeeper Jared Lockhurst (Caledon, ONT) came up with a big save, pushing a Cortland shot up and over the net with his glove.

With a Golden Eagle power play winding down, Chase Nieuwendyk cut the Red Dragons lead to one with a goal at 11:10. Marinac was credited with the assist.

At the 14 minute mark, Brockport tied things up with a power-play goal. Bobby Chayka ripped a shot from just in front of the blue line off of passes from Chris Cangro (Holbrook, NY) and Marinac.

The Golden Eagles nearly took the lead with under five minutes to play in the period after the puck was loose behind the Cortland goalkeeper, but he was able to cover it before anyone could get a piece of it.

In the final minute of the period, Cortland made a push but the Golden Eagle defense stayed strong and kept things tied heading into intermission.

Jesse Facchini (Mississauga, ONT) had a great shot in the opening minutes of the second period, but the Cortland goalkeeper came up with another big save.

James Ryan gave the Golden Eagles their first and only lead of the game with a power-play goal at 4:16. Cangro and Marinac earned the assists.

At 8:40, the Red Dragons missed an opportunity to tie the game up with a wide open net, but their shot sailed wide.

Late in the second period, Cortland tied things back up with a power-play goal at 16:05.

The Red Dragons quickly regained the lead and scored the eventual game-winner with 2:15 remaining the second period.

Lockhurst came up with a big save with six second to play in the period, keeping the Cortland lead to only one.

Both goalkeepers played strong in the third period, keeping the game 4-3 for the majority of the peroid. Brockport had some quality shots on net, but the Cortland goalkeeper denied them from tying the game.

With only 23 seconds remaining in the game, Cortland scored on an empty-net to seal the deal.

Lockhurst finished the game with 35 saves in 59:19.

The Golden Eagles return to action on Saturday at 7:00 pm for another SUNYAC matchup in Tuttle North Ice Arena against Oswego.

APPAREL SALE TONIGHT!

BROCKPORT TO HOST CORTLAND AND OSWEGO THIS WEEKEND

Brockport hockey fans will be treated to 2 excellent SUNYAC games this weekend at Tuttle North.

Friday’s opponent is Cortland who, despite a coaching change in the off-season and a 7-15-3 record last year, has proven to be quite game, going 2-2-1 this year, all in SUNYAC play. Among their wins, they pulled off a stunner, thumping Fredonia 4-2. Among their losses, they hung tough with Buff State in a 5-4 game.

Cortland’s strength is in its offense – the Red Dragons have scored 4 or more goals in all but one game. The team is without graduated leading scorers Chris Kaleta and Mike Lysyj, both of whom gave Brockport fits over 4 seasons, but they’ve managed to find goals from seniors Adam Bevilacqua and Miek Henrici (3 each) and plays from Nick Zappia (8 points) and Adam Moyer (6 points).

They’ve been allowed to flourish in scoring thanks to impeccable backstopping that is giving Brockport a run for their money as the best and deepest in the conference. Their 2 netminders, Mark Balkwill and Lyle Rocker, have split time and have eye-popping .929 and .918 save percentages respectively.

At that start of the season, this looked like a for-sure win for Brockport. Now, Brockport will have its hands full. On home ice, the Golden Eagles will still come out on top, thanks to the seventh-best power play in DIII facing the fourth-most penalized team in the US. The fleet-footed, attacking style of Jake Taylor and Chase Nieuwendyk will make Cortland pay for any penalties. Facing a team that averages 24 penalty minutes a game, do not be surprised if Taylor puts up yet another multi-goal game.

Prediction: Brockport 5 Cortland 3

After what will be an exhausting game on Friday, the boys will be back at it against another tough team on Saturday: Oswego.

The ever-powerful Lakers are 3-1-0, their only loss coming against Fredonia in overtime in their season opener.    

Oswego is eighth in the nation in the most recent USCHO.com poll. Last week, Brockport bumped Hobart out of sixth place after tying them 1-1, so an upset is certainly within Brockport’s abilities.

Last season, Oswego made it to the national championship game (losing it for the second season in a row) on the strength of a 25-5-0 record.

But, thanks to graduation, they lost eight 20-point men including the likes of Paul Rodrigues (16-30-46), Luke Moodie (22-22-44), and Jon Whitelaw (10-20-30). You can’t replace that firepower.

They also lost Andrew Hare, who was a sick .930 and 1.88 in goal.

But, Oswego is known for excellent recruiting and their 12 freshmen and transfers are talented.

Freshman Matt Galati leads in goals with 4, followed by Brandon Adams with 3. Justin Gilbert has seen the most work in goal and sports a .911 save percentage.

This is certainly not last year’s team and they could be considered to be in a rebuilding stage. Nonetheless, they have a nice system and will make the game difficult for Brockport.

Look for goals from the guys who can bring the thunder, because Oswego does well at keeping the shots to the outside. Chris Luker, Steve Sachman, and Matt DeLuca could be critical offensive forces in this game. Oswego may find it hard to match-up with and contain the speed of Nick Marinac.  

Also, look for Jared Lockhurst to frustrate the Lakers as he did the Statesmen last week.  

Prediction?

Upset…Brockport wins 3-2.

COAT DRIVE FLIER

Download the following flier regarding the coat drive to be held at the hockey games this weekend. Share it with friends and post it in your dorm or business. Thank you!

http://bobconfer.us/coatdrive2013.pdf

COAT DRIVE THIS WEEKEND

The College at Brockport Athletic Department will be sponsoring a coat drive at both men's hockey games this weekend. Brockport Athletics will be accepting new or gently used coats at the ticket gate in the SERC lobby during the games. Fans will receive FREE admission into the hockey game with the donation of a coat.

The Golden Eagles play on Friday at 7:00 pm against Cortland and Saturday at 7:00 pm against Oswego. Both games are at the Tuttle North Ice Arena.

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to support Brockport Athletics and help out the less fortunate during the holiday season.

STYLUS RECAP OF ELMIRA/HOBART GAMES

From the pages of this week's Stylus, courtesy of Brandon Wood...

The College at Brockport ice hockey Head Coach Brian Dickinson had some technical difficulties Friday, Nov. 16, prior to his team’s game against Elmira College when his Mac charger sparked in the press box before the game. He suggested following the game that it was “the spark [his] team needed.” After a win against Elmira and a tie with nationally ranked Hobart College, he may want more technical problems in his future.

Brockport (2-3-1 overall, 1-1 SUNYAC) received solid play from its goaltending and special teams in what Dickinson described as a pretty successful weekend.

“The weekend in general, I told the guys we wanted to play 120 minutes of solid hockey,” Dickinson said. “We got back to worrying just about us and not our opponents. I thought we paid a little bit too much attention to Plattsburgh last week, and this week, we got back to just worrying about Brockport.”

Elmira was among the most-penalized teams in the nation entering play Friday, having accumulated 100 penalty minutes through its first four games. Its undisciplined play gave Brockport five power-play opportunities in the game, and it capitalized three times with the man advantage.

Sophomore forward James Ryan, sophomore defenseman Chris Luker and freshman forward Andrew Parks all tallied power-play goals in Brockport’s 5-2 win.

The Golden Eagles power play is now ranked seventh in Division III hockey, converting 31 percent of the time with the extra man. Brockport is now nine-for-29 so far this season with a man advantage.

“We’ve been working on it in practice, so I think everyone is just going to their spots and we’re breaking out good,” sophomore forward Shane Cavalieri, who had a power-play goal against Hobart, said. “We’re just getting shots on net, and we’re just clicking.”

Luker opened the scoring at even strength just seven minutes into the game, and Ryan’s power-play goal followed just less than five minutes later. The score was 3-0 after the first period of play, as Brockport dominated Elmira to a point that junior goalie Aaron Green only needed to make three saves in the entire period.

Luker’s second goal of the game came on the power play nine minutes into the second. Brockport took that 4-0 lead into the third period.

Elmira scored a goal early in the third at the end of a five minute major penalty assessed to sophomore forward Jeremy DeFazio for hitting from behind. DeFazio was ejected for his late second-period penalty.

Green was pulled from the game with a groin injury a few minutes later, and sophomore Jared Lockhurst was forced to come into the game. Green finished with 23 saves in two and a half periods of play.

Lockhurst gave up a goal on Elmira’s first shot on goal against him, but didn’t give up another one the rest of the game.

Lockhurst’s solid play carried into the Hobart game the following afternoon, and so did Brockport’s red-hot power play.  The Statesman came into the game aggressively after falling to unranked SUNY Geneseo the previous night in overtime. After Hobart outshot Brockport 16-6 in the first period, Cavalieri scored a power-play goal with what appeared to be too many men on the ice, but it was not called by the referees.

“We had a lot of guys on the ice when we celebrated,” Dickinson said. “I think we did [have too many men on the ice]. I’m sure we got away with one. Guys were on the bench saying ‘We’ve got six, we have too many men on the ice, coach.’”

Hobart scored its lone goal with 38 seconds remaining in the second period, as freshman Carl Belizario put one past Lockhurst from the left circle to make the game 1-1.

Brockport’s penalty kill also needed to come up big, as it was penalized six times throughout the game but did not concede a goal. Brockport’s penalty kill is 29-of-34 for the season so far, holding opponents without a goal 85 percent of the time.

“Unbelievable,” Lockhurst said of his team’s penalty killing prowess. “We’d been working on it, had a great week of practice and all year, the penalty kill has been really strong for us.”

Lockhurst finished the game with 44 saves in regulation and overtime to hold the Statesmen to just one goal in the entire game. After allowing five goals in his first start against Nazareth College and six against SUNY Plattsburgh the previous weekend, Lockhurst said it felt good to come out and put up a big performance.

“I was fighting the puck a little bit the first two games, I wasn’t getting the bounces I needed,” Lockhurst said. “It was huge for me to come out here and find my legs and help the team get a point on the road against a really good Hobart team.”

Brockport returns home for its first weekend of SUNYAC play at Tuttle North Ice Arena Friday, Nov. 22, as it hosts SUNY Cortland. The Golden Eagles also host No. 5 SUNY Oswego Saturday. Both games start at 7 p.m.




Source: http://www.thestylus.net/sports/hockey-splits-hot-and-cold-weekend-on-the-ice-1.3121259?pagereq=1#.UoySk-KrGFg

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ELMIRA GAME

BROCKPORT TIES HOBART

Shane Cavalieri (Richmond Hill, ONT) scored in the second period, but The College at Brockport men's ice hockey team finished in a 1-1 tie on the road against Hobart on Saturday afternoon.

Neither team could get on the board in the first period. Hobart rifled off shots, but Brockport goalkeeper Jared Lockhurst (Caledon, ONT) made 16 saves to keep things at zero.

The Golden Eagles were the first to strike, scoring on a power play at 9:14 in the second period. Cavalieri finished on the shot with assists from Chase Nieuwendyk (Georgetown, ONT) and Bobby Chayka (Hardwick, NJ).

Just before the end of the period, Hobart answered back with the game-tying goal. Carl Belizario tied things up at one with 38 seconds to play.

Once again, strong goaltending kept either team from scoring in both the third and overtime periods.

Hobart outshot Brockport 45-24. Lockhurst finished the game with a total of 44 saves in 65:00.

The Golden Eagles return to action Friday at home for a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchup against Cortland at 7:00 pm.

BROCKPORT BEATS ELMIRA, 5-2

From the Athletic Department....

Sophomore Chris Luker (New Hartford, NY) and freshman Jake Taylor (Port Perry, ONT) had two goals each and sophomore Chase Nieuwendyk (Georgetown, ONT) had three assists as The College at Brockport Hockey team scored a 5-2 win over Elmira College Friday in the home opener for the Golden Eagles in Tuttle North Arena in Brockport.

Brockport (2-3 Overall) scored the first four goals of the game including three in the first period, taking a 4-0 lead into the final period en route to the home victory. Luker, James Ryan (Richmond ill, ONT) and Taylor all scored in the first period with Nieuwendyk assisting on all three goals. Luker added a power play goal in the second period for the 4-0 lead.

In the third period, Elmira trimmed the lead to 4-1 with a power play goal less than a minute into the stanza and made it a 4-2 game at the eight-minute mark of the period.

With four minutes remaining, Taylor scored his second of the game to seal the victory.

Junior Aaron Green (Mt. Albert, ONT) started and played the first 48 minutes of the game making 23 saves before sophomore Jared Lockhurst (Caledon, ONT) came on for the final 12 minutes making four saves for Brockport.

Brockport dominated early holding a 10-3 shots advantage and a 3-0 score edge in the first 20 minutes of the game. The shots were close in the second period with the Golden Eagles holding a slight 14-13 edge and Brockport closed the game with a 12-9 lead in shots over the final 20 minutes.

BROCKPORT WILL HOST ELMIRA, VISIT HOBART THIS WEEKEND

It’s that time of the year again…it’s like Christmas for hockey fans as the Golden Eagles’ home opener is this Friday at 7:00 at Tuttle North.

Visiting Tuttle North will be the Elmira Soaring Eagles. When last Elmira visited the Port in 2011 the Golden Eagles upset the 6^th-ranked Soaring Eagles in what was one of the greatest hockey games in Tuttle North history (http://brockporthockey.blogspot.com/2011/12/brockport-wins-in-exciting-game-against.html) thanks to stellar performances by since-graduated Ian Finnerty and current goalie Aaron Green.

Green will look for a repeat performance Friday as he faces as team that is 2-2 and has beaten Nazareth and Neumann this season following a 10-win season (a pedestrian season by Elmira standards). Junior Josh Burnell has the hot hand for Elmira as he has already scored 3 goals in this young season. The kid had an 8-16-24 line last year and is the team’s best offensive threat. Look for more firepower from the likes of Michael Collins who had 22 points last season and has been quiet this year with just 2 points (among them an empty net goal). Big (6’3”) and fast, the sophomore has huge upside and could leave a nice legacy at Elmira.  

Manning the net will be Sal Magglioco. The teams’ so-so .500 record has nothing to with this kid. His .922 saves percentage is crazy-good, especially for a freshman. He had a .910 and .949 save percentage in the last 2 EJHL playoffs, so the Brockport goal scorers (including an impressive lot of freshmen) will have their work cut out for them.

With the backing of the home crowd and a game Green in net, Brockport should come out on top, 3-1.

(Editor’s note: I know it’s sacrilegious, but you won’t be seeing me in the stands for the opener --- a rarity! I will be away for the opening weekend of deer season)

On Saturday, Brockport makes the short trip to the Finger Lakes to play the Hobart Statesmen for a 4:00 affair at the Geneva Recreation Center. Hobart is competitive (as usual) and is sitting on a 2-0-2 record. They are a force --- they absolutely manhandled Manhattanville and beat Utica.

Over the years I’ve admired their team and their A&W root beer colors as they’ve always been an excellent puck control team, no matter if their roster is built on speed or size/physicality.  This year is no different….Lino Chimienti boats a stellar .924 save percentage while facing “just” 24 shots per game. His teammates have scored 14 goals, led by Robert Sovik’s 3, already matching his total from last season. Sophomore Mac Olsen is a monster – he has a 2-3-5 line, and last year, as a freshman, he was 8-14-22. He’s quick and can beat even the most fleet-footed d-men. He’s lightning in a bottle.  

Hobart is a tough egg to crack – they will keep the game close in their typical bend-don’t-break manner and they will come out on top. My prediction: 4-3.