BROCKPORT TO PLAY THE WNY TEAMS THIS WEEKEND

Brockport’s last home game of the fall semester is this Friday at 7:00 when the Golden Eagles host the Bengals of Buffalo State. This promises to be what we’ve come to expect of Brockport - Buffalo State affairs of recent years…physical, hard fought, and tense. Many times I’ve thought Buffalo State games were better than those against our main rival (Geneseo).

In the latest USCHO poll, the Bengals garnered enough votes to come in at 21st in the nation on the strength of their 5-2-1 record. They have an offense that sports fine tempo and puck possession while really spreading the wealth – they’ve scored 31 goals and 14 Bengals have lit the lamp. Taylor Pryce is their biggest threat with 5 goals already in this young season.

As good as their ability to score goals might be, their ability to stop them is unmatched. Goalie Mike DeLaVergne is among the best in the world right now…in 6 games he has a .964 save percentage and a 0.990 goals against average. That is NOT a typo – his GAA really is 0.990!! He alone is worth the price of admission to this game.

Saturday’s away game will be a little easier as the team travels to Fredonia. But, it’s a SUNYAC game, so it’s never truly easy. Fredonia is currently 3-3-1, but if it’s any consolation, they are 1-3-1 at home.

They have a real playmaker in junior Sam Wilbur who has 11 points thanks to a 3-8-11 line. Sophomore Bobby Polacheck is someone to watch, too, he of 4 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. Defenseman Oskar Gerhardson from Sweden plays good “D” and is also a playmaker. Sophomore Eric Bogart will be in goal and he’ll do his best to stymie the Brockport attach with his .923 save percentage.

SCHNEIDER IS MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Matt Schneider is Brockport's Male Athlete of the Week. The rookie earned his first career win in his first career start Saturday as The College at Brockport ice hockey team defeated Castleton University.  Schneider stopped 21 shots and allowed only one goal on three Spartan power play opportunities.  On Friday night, Schneider entered the game in the third period when Brockport was down 4-0.  The Manlius, N.Y. native stood tall and shut out Tufts University in his first career appearance.  On the week, Schneider tabbed a 2.25 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.

BROCKPORT BEATS CASTLETON 5-3

Matt Schneider picked up the win in his first collegiate start and Aidan Verbeke scored two goals, helping The College at Brockport ice hockey team take down Castleton University 5-3 Saturday afternoon in the consolation round of the Rutland Herald Invitational hosted by Castleton.

The Golden Eagles improve to 3-4-1 on the season while the Spartans fall to 3-6-1.

Brockport jumped out to a quick lead, scoring less than two minutes into the game.  Jake Taylor netted his second goal in as many games, taking advantage of a Castleton penalty.  Connor Hutchins picked up an assist on the play.  The Spartans scored at the 15:20 mark, but the Golden Eagles responded just over three minutes later.  Aidan Verbeke lit the lamp with help from Brandon McMartin and Hutchins, giving Brockport a 2-1 lead after the first period of play.

The Green and Gold came out firing to start the second period, notching a pair of goals in the opening two minutes.  Verbeke scored his second of the game with an assist from Hutchins.  The duo switched roles for the next goal, giving Brockport a 4-2 lead.  Castleton scored late in the period to cut Brockport's lead to 4-2 entering the final period.

Connar Bass scored his first of the season at the 5:30 mark of the third.  Back and forth play kept the game scoreless until the final 30 seconds when Castleton netted one but it wasn't enough as Brockport held on for the 5-3 win.

The Spartans held the advantage in shots, 24 to 21.  Four of Brockport's five goals were scored on the power play.

Schneider picked up his first collegiate win in his first collegiate start.  The rookie stopped 21 shots for a 87.5 save percentage in 59:50 minutes of action.

Verbeke led all skaters with six shots on goal.  The junior captain tallied three points off of two goals and one assist, earning him a spot on the Rutland Herald Invitational All-Tournament team.  Hutchins recorded one goal and three assists for a season high four points.

The Golden Eagles will return home on Dec. 2 to host Buffalo State College in a SUNYAC matchup set for 7 p.m.

TUFTS DOWNS BROCKPORT 4-1

Jake Taylor scored his first goal of the season and Matt Schneider made his collegiate debut, posting a third period shutout, but it wasn't enough as The College at Brockport ice hockey team fell to Tufts University, 4-1, Friday night in the opening round of the Rutland Herald Invitational hosted by Castleton University.

The Golden Eagles move to 2-4-1 overall while the Jumbos remain undefeated at 4-0 overall.

The Green and Gold found themselves in a hole early when Tufts scored in the first seven minutes of play, and again late in the period to take a 2-0 lead to the first break.  The Jumbos netted a pair of goals in the second to take a 4-0 lead to the final frame.

Brockport's defense stepped up to hold the Jumbos scoreless in the final 20 minutes of play.  With less than three minutes remaining, the Golden Eagles found themselves on the penalty kill, but Jake Taylor had other plans as the senior netted his first goal of the season.

The Jumbos held the slight edge in shots, 26-25.  Brockport earned five power play opportunities but was unable to take advantage of them.

Jake Moore suffered his second loss of the season in between the pipes, allowing four goals and turning away 13 shots in 40 minutes of action.  Rookie Matt Schneider made his collegiate debut in the final period, stopping nine shots and not allowing any goals in 20 minutes of play.

Connor Hutchins led all skaters with five shots on goal.

BROCKPORT TO PLAY IN THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT

While most students will be back home for the Thanksgiving weekend, our Brockport Golden Eagles will be on the ice.

They are traveling to Castleton, who is hosting the annual Rutland Herald Invitational (RHI) Tournament. The RHI features the same four squads as a year ago, with Castleton, Western New England (WNE), Tufts and Brockport squaring off in the two-day tournament, November 25-26.

Tufts and Brockport face off at 3:45 p.m. on Friday, followed by Castleton and Western New England at 7 p.m. The consolation game will be held on Saturday at 3:45 p.m., followed by the championship contest at 7 p.m.

Tufts was the RHI victor last season, winning a 4-3 contest over Brockport in the championship game.

It will be an exciting tournament and we wish the Golden Eagles good luck and happy Thanksgiving!

BROCKPORT WALLOPED BY #9 GENESEO

Penalties proved costly for The College at Brockport ice hockey team as they gave up four power play goals in a 6-2 loss to No. 9 SUNY Geneseo in a State University of New York Athletic Conference matchup.

The Golden Eagles fall to 2-3-1 overall and 2-3 in SUNYAC play while the Knights improve to 4-1-1 overall and 2-1 in the conference.

A tightly contested opening frame didn't see a goal until the 18th minute when Geneseo took a 1-0 lead.  The Knights held the advantage in shots, 9-7.

Early in the second period, Brockport took advantage of a power play to even the game at one.  Rookie Connor Hutchins netted his third goal of the season with help from Tim Kielich and Zac Sikich at the 3:28 mark.

Geneseo responded with a power play goal of their own less than two minutes later to take a 2-1 lead.

Back and forth play would keep the score in Geneseo's favor until late in the second period.  Ryan Kangas lit the lamp with a power play goal, his second of the season.  Brandon McMartin and Jake Taylor each picked up an assist on the play.

The two teams entered the final frame tied at two, but Geneseo would score three power play goals in a four minute span to take the contest, 6-2.

Kangas led Brockport with five shots while Sikich recorded four.  Hutchins won 19 face offs.

Sophomore Cole Burack suffered his second loss of the season in net, stopping 38 shots, including 16 in the final frame.

CROWLEY NOW THE WOMEN'S HOCKEY COACH AT ELMIRA

Tim Crowley has been named the head coach of the women's hockey team at Elmira. Tim is a 2009 graduate of Brockport where he had a solid career capped off by a 20-point senior year.

Here is the D3Hockey.com report on the coaching change:

http://www.d3hockey.com/notables/2016-17/161116-Martalock-Out-Crowley-In

STYLUS RECAP OF MORRISVILLE GAMES

Alison Muarer of the Stylus has penned another excellent recap of this past weekend's games:

The College at Brockport men’s ice hockey team finally turned its luck around this past weekend against the Morrisville State College Mustangs. They won both games in the home-and-away series.

Friday night, they won 4-3 at home in Tuttle North Ice Arena, and Saturday they followed the Mustangs home, proceeding to trounce them with a score of 9-6.

13 goals would be enough to relieve any team. After the results of the first two weekends of the season; Brockport went into Friday with a record of 0-2-1.

In both games, the Mustangs managed to squeak in the first goal, but Brockport responded strongly with scores of its own, some of which were college firsts for the young team.

“We came out flat in the first and that’s never good, but we responded in the second and held on in the third,” Captain Aidan Verbeke said after the first game. “We finished the job and got the two points.”

During the first game, goals were scored by Verbeke, and forward Zac Sikich on power plays. Hunter Laslo and Brandon McMartin both had their first collegiate goals Friday night.

“I’m just thankful to be able to put my first goal in net,” Laslo said. “Thankfully, it was a game winner, which I wasn’t expecting, but I’m thankful for it. Every game I go in there and try to do my part to contribute to the team. Hopefully, I’ll be able to contribute continuously throughout the season.”

After the game, McMartin was seen wearing a white cowboy hat. The hat, of significance to the teammates, was an idea from the captains, not the coaches.

“That’s the will-over-skill hat,” Verbeke said. “We give it to the player who we thought exemplified Brockport hockey the most.”

McMartin himself was proud to get the accomplishment in his first game on the ice with the team.

“This hat is the award for the team,” McMartin said. “I guess you get it when you worked the hardest throughout the game. Whoever worked the hardest, and I was lucky enough to get it. It felt really good, coming into my first game and getting the first goal out of the way. Whatever helps the team win.”

The momentum from the first win carried over to the Morrisville IcePlex, where the Golden Eagles continued to get goals past Morrisville goalie CJ Sharp.

Saturday night, the Golden Eagles came from behind with a 2-1 score at the beginning of the second. Brockport answered with four goals each in the second and third.

Brandon McMartin added two more goals to his record, as did Alternate Captain Dylan Shapiro. Goals were also scored by Verbeke, Laslo, Sikich, Luke Bennett and Connor Hutchins. This was Hutchins’ first college goal as well.

Dickinson was pleased with the team’s progress.

“We were harder on pucks, which meant we had more turnovers and created more offense, finally got some pucks to go in,” Dickinson said. “Normally your go-to guys are the ones putting pucks in the net, but it looks like so far, a couple of new guys are getting them in.”

The team looks like it has finally hit its groove, and just in time. Next Saturday, Nov. 19, the Golden Eagles travel to Geneseo. Long-time rivals of the Geneseo Knights, the team will have its work cut out for it as it heads to the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena.

The Knights currently have a record of 3-1-1, compared to Brockport’s 2-2-1.

The following game will be at 7 p.m. at Geneseo.



Source: http://www.thestylus.net/news/view.php/1025954/Hockey-snatches-up-two-wins-to-make-reco

CLASSIC BROCKPORT HOCKEY PICS

Here's something to check out as a blast from the past! Dozens of photos can be found at gamefacelegacy.com that show the 1995-1996 Golden Eagles in action against Connecticut and Army:

http://www.gamefacelegacy.com/The-College-at-Brockport/Brockport-Mens-Hockey/19951996-Mens-Hockey/

KIELICH IS SUNYAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

After posting seven points in two wins, Tim Kielich of The College at Brockport ice hockey team brought home the State University of New York Athletic Conference Ice Hockey Athlete of the Week.

The East Aurora, N.Y. tabbed seven assists in two games, helping the Brockport ice hockey team sweep the home-and-home series with Morrisville State College and earn four points in the SUNYAC standings. The sophomore picked up an assist on three of the four Golden Eagle goals in Friday's 4-3 win, then tabbed four assists on Saturday in the 9-6 victory. All but one of the assists came on power play goals.

BROCKPORT EXPLODES FOR 9 GOALS

A balanced attack allowed The College at Brockport ice hockey team to down Morrisville 9-6 Saturday night, sweeping the home-and-home State University of New York Athletic Conference series.  Seven Golden Eagles scored in the outing, including two goals from Dylan Shapiro and Connor Hutchins.

Brockport improves to 2-2-1 and 2-2 in the conference, while the Mustangs fall to 0-5-1 overall and 0-3-1 in SUNYAC play.

Morrisville wasted no time getting on the board, scoring two goals in the first five minutes of play.  A tightly contested first frame wouldn't see another goal until Aidan Verbeke netted a power play goal with two seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one.  Tim Kielich picked up an assist on the play.

The Mustangs opened the second with their third goal just over four minutes into the frame.  The Golden Eagles responded less than two minutes later, again taking advantage of a Mustang penalty.  Brandon McMartin lit the lamp with help from Nick Palumbo.

Less than 30 seconds later, Brockport found the back of the net, this time from Luke Bennett with an assist from Connar Bass to knot the game at three.  Shapiro netted his first of the game midway thru the second to give Brockport the 3-2 advantage.

With less than five minutes remaining in the second, Hutchins capitalized on a power play opportunity for his first goal of the season.  Kielich was credited with an assist.  The Mustangs would score in the closing seconds of the frame, but Brockport would take a 5-4 lead to the second intermission.

The Golden Eagles extended their lead at the 2:33 mark of the third with Hunter Laslo finding the back of the net.  At 7:39 Shapiro netted his second of the game with assists from Jake Taylor and Kielich.

Hutchins scored his second of the game with less than eight minutes remaining to give Brockport the 8-5 lead.  McMartin picked up the helper on the play.

Morrisville responded with back-to-back goals and cutting Brockport's lead to one with less than one minute remaining, but Zac Sikich scored an empty net goal with less than 30 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Golden Eagles.

Brockport out shot the Mustangs 45-36 and finished 5-for-13 on power play opportunities.  Kielich led the Green and Gold with six shots on goal, followed by Hutchins and Sikich with five each.  Cole Burack earned his second win of the season in net, turning away 30 shots

BROCKPORT BEATS MORRISVILLE 4-3

Brandon McMartin and Hunter Laslo scored their first career goals while Bryan Carville and Tim Kielich each picked up three assists Friday night, helping The College at Brockport ice hockey team beat Morrisville State College, 4-3, for its first win of the season, and its first in the State University of New York Athletic Conference.

The Green and Gold improve to 1-2-1 and 1-2 in the conference, while the Mustangs falls to 0-4-1 overall and 0-2-1 in SUNYAC play.

Morrisville scored the first goal of the game late in the first period to take a 1-0 lead to the first break.  Brockport came out firing in the second frame, scoring just 38 seconds into the period.

From the point, Tim Kielich sent a pass to Aidan Verbeke at the right faceoff circle who drew the goalie out of the net, and was able to tuck the puck in the left side of the net.  Carville also earned a helper on the power play goal.

Less than 10 minutes later the Mustangs took a 2-1 but the Golden Eagles responded with two goals less then ninety seconds apart to regain the lead.

Brockport took advantage of another Morrisville penalty at the 15:21 mark.  Sharp passing allowed Zac Sikich to find the back of the net with Kielich and Carville each picked up an assist on the equalizer.

The Golden Eagles scored 90 seconds later as Brandon McMartin lit the lamp for his first career goal with help from David Horan and Matt Meredith.

Brockport took a 3-2 to the second intermission, but the Mustangs would tie it up less than five minutes into the final frame.

Rookie Hunter Laslo scored his first career goal midway thru the period to give Brockport the 4-3 advantage.  Kielich and Carville each picked up an assist.

Cole Burack earned his first win of the season in net.  The sophomore stopped 27 shots and held the Mustangs one-for-three on power play opportunities.

The Golden Eagles held the advantage in shots, 45-27.  Connor Hutchins led all skaters with nine shots followed by Aidan Verbeke and Zac Sikich with six.  Dylan Shapiro won 17 face offs while Hutchins won 16.

VISNICK COMMITS TO BROCKPORT

Shane Visnick, a forward for the Hartford Jr. Wolfpack, has committed to SUNY Brockport for the Fall of 2017. The Wolfpack captain has 16 points in first 14 games so far this season.

"Shane is a great leader, teammate, and player, and he is going to have a fantastic college hockey playing career," said Wolfpack head coach Chris Cerrella. "The SUNY is a great league and I believe it fits him well. Coach Dickinson did a great job recruiting him and I am very happy for him and for Brockport. We have a lot of players thriving in that league and I think Shane will follow in the footsteps of our other alumni doing well at the D-III level. He will be joining former Wolfpack players, Doc Gentzler, Ryan Kangas and Dave Horan at Brockport. I wish the Visnick family the best of luck."

The native of Boca Raton, Florida is in his 2nd season with the Wolfpack, after playing for the Florida Jr. Blades. Last season, Visnick tallied 33 points in 46 total games for Hartford, three of which came in the playoffs. The '96 forward is on pace to blow past those numbers this season, and is excited about his college hockey future.

"I am very excited to be joining the Golden Eagles next season and starting my next step in life," said Visnick. I left my visit to Brockport and was very impressed with the academics they offer as well as the top-notch facilities. I cannot thank Coach Dickinson and the Brockport staff enough for giving me this great opportunity to play college hockey and earn a college degree. I would like to especially thank Coach Cerrella for everything he has done for me in this process, I came to the Wolfpack to play for him knowing if I earned it, he would get me to the next level. I lastly would like to thank my Mom, Dad and brother for always supporting me through my journey. It was a long road, but I could not have made it without them. There is only one thing left to do and that is to make sure I get prepared for the next level and I end my junior career the best way I can and that's trying to lead my team to an EHL championship."

STYLUS RECAP OF LAST WEEKEND'S GAMES

Here's the Stylus report on last weekend's games, as written by Alison Muarer...



Men’s Ice Hockey faced a difficult weekend, losing to both the SUNY Oswego Lakers at home 5-1, and to the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons on Saturday, 5-4.

“We kept hanging on to the pucks, we missed the net on a lot. We gotta do better than that,” Head Coach Brian Dickinson said.

He did praise Captain Aidan Verbek for his leadership after the game. “Verbeke got in there and started giving it to them before I got in there,” he said, “He’s the guy to lead this team.”

The goal against Oswego went to Ryan Kangas in the third period.

“It’s nice to get one,” Kangas said, “I just wish it came earlier.”

The team was looking to bring momentum from the goal into the end of the period, but the momentum was stopped from another goal from the Lakers, effectively ending the game then and there.

“It was pretty disappointing for us,” sophomore Connor Bass said. “We prepped pretty hard for this game, but we didn’t get the outcome that we wanted. We showed that we can beat them, but it just didn’t happen for us today. Kangas showed us that we can pot goals, we just gotta get more shots.”

The game at Cortland was more evenly matched. The first period went to the Red Dragons easily, as they scored two goals, but only 90 seconds into the second period, sophomore Trevor Simonick scored his first collegiate goal. Minutes later, Verbeke scored for the Golden Eagles, tying the score. Before the end of the period, sophomore Tim Kielich took the lead for Brockport. The Red Dragons opened the third with a pair of goals, bringing the score up to 4-3 Cortland. Freshman Brian Carville tied the score, but in the last 90 seconds, Cortland managed to take the lead, and the game along with it, leaving Brockport behind in the standings.

Jamie Lukas is not giving up hope. The sophomore forward is looking to get his first collegiate goal in the next game. “I’m definitely hungry for a goal. It’s long overdue,” Lukas said, “Our line’s been buzzing. We’re hoping to get a nice garbage goal in the next one.”

With so many players getting their first scores so early in the season, the electricity is becoming contagious.

“Not the outcomes we wanted, but we got some positives,” Rob Hall, alternate captain and said. “We have a lot to look forward to this season.”

The team has found some lines and pairs that are starting to jive, and they plan to take those into the rest of the season to make the SUNYAC playoffs.

The crowd was lively, especially at the home game, an aspect the team really appreciated. The students were loud and proud, cheering for the Eagles for the whole 60 minutes, keeping the players focused and strong, ready for the next play.

“I was very happy with the crowd,” Dickinson said. “It’s great to see the fans and students here. I thought they were great and I hope that they’ll come out again in the coming weeks.” The cheers from the crowd are appreciated by coaches and players alike.

“I was happy, it was a lot more people than last year, for sure,” Lukas said. “I hope that we can get that for the rest of the season.”

This coming weekend will bring a “home and home series” with the Morrisville State College Mustangs. The Eagles will host the Mustangs on Friday Nov. 11 at 7 p.m., then they will travel to Morrisville on Saturday Nov. 12 to play at their rink, also at 7 p.m.




Source: http://www.thestylus.net/news/view.php/1025695/Hockey-faces-down-0-2-1-record-after-fir

HOCKEY TEAM RAKES LEAVES FROM COMMUNITY

The first weekend of November can mean only one thing for the more than 200 student-athletes from The College at Brockport: It’s time for the annual community-wide leaf raking project.

Members of the Golden Eagles’ 23 varsity sports teams banded together to help Brockport residents with cleaning up their yards of leaves during the State University of New York Athletic Conference’s (SUNYAC) tenth-annual leaf raking project. Most of those lawns belonged to senior citizens.

The hockey team was busy working, even with games on Friday and Saturday. The team also held a canned food drive with donations going to the Brockport food shelf.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS FROM CORTLAND GAME

SUNY Cortland has posted video highlights from Saturday's game...

BROCKPORT FALLS TO CORTLAND ON THE ROAD

A balanced offense allowed The College at Brockport ice hockey team to score three goals in the second period, but a late goal from SUNY Cortland would hand Brockport a 5-4 loss in their second State University of New York Athletic Conference game of the weekend.

The Golden Eagles drop to 0-2-1 and 0-2 in conference play while the Red Dragons improve to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the SUNYAC.

Cortland scored two goals in the first frame, including a power play goal, to jump out to a two-goal lead.  The Red Dragons held a 16-8 advantage in shots after one period of play.

Less than 90 seconds into period two, Brockport got on the board with a power play goal from Trevor Simonick.  Brian Hurlimann and Ryan Kangas each picked up an assist on the play.

Back and forth play would keep the game scoreless until the 13:37 mark when Aidan Verbeke netted the equalizer.

Brockport earned another power play late in the second period.  As the man advantage expired, Tim Kielich scored his first goal of the season with help from Bryan Carville to put the Golden Eagles ahead 3-2 entering the second intermission.

The Red Dragons scored two goals in the opening five minutes of the final frame to retake a 4-3 lead.

Defenseman Bryan Carville netted his first goal of the season with less than four minutes to remaining to knot the game at four.  The Red Dragons responded with a goal on their next possession, taking a 5-4 lead with less than three minutes remaining.

A Cortland penalty and a Brockport empty net would give the Golden Eagles a two-man advantage for the final 90 seconds of play but they were unable to capitalize as Cortland held on for the win.

Zac Sikich led all skaters with eight shots while Verbeke and Kangas tabbed seven each.  The Golden Eagles won 42 face offs, with Connor Hutchins winning 18.

Between the pipes, Jake Moore suffered his first loss of the season.  The sophomore stopped 30 shots including 14 in the first period.

BROCKPORT FALLS TO OSWEGO IN HOME OPENER

The College at Brockport ice hockey team hosted No. 12 Oswego State Friday night in its home opener, dropping a 5-1 decision in the first State University of New York Athletic Conference matchup of the season.

The Golden Eagles drop to 0-1-1 on the young season and 0-1 in conference play.  The Lakers, who were nationally-ranked at No. 12, remain unbeaten at 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the SUNYAC.

Oswego scored two goals in the first period, and that's all it took.  A goal midway thru the period, then another with less than four minutes remaining to take a 2-0 lead at the first break.  Strong Laker defense held the Golden Eagles to just four shots in the first frame.

Penalties proved costly for the Green and Gold in the second period, as Oswego netted one on the power play to extend its lead to 3-0.

A tightly contested final frame saw no score until the 7:27 mark when Ryan Kangas scored his first goal of the season.  The junior pounced a rebound to tuck the puck in the back of the net.

Brockport had four power play opportunities but was unable to capitalize on them.  The Lakers held the advantage in shots, 35-24.  Kangas and Zac Sikich led Brockport skaters with four shots each.

Cole Burack played all 60 minutes in between the pipes, suffering his first loss of the season.  The sophomore turned away 30 Laker shots, including 16 in the first frame.

CANNED FOOD DRIVE TONIGHT

BROCKPORT TO PLAY OSWEGO & CORTLAND THIS WEEKEND

Home play starts in dramatic fashion tonight when Brockport hosts the always-powerful Oswego Lakers.

Despite being a young team (8 freshmen and 5 sophomores), they are as polished as one would expect an Ed Gosek squad to be. Last weekend they twice thumped Elmira, 7-1 and 6-3.

Senior Kenny Neil, who had 17 goals last season, already has 4 on this young season. Freshman Jody Sullivan netted two goals last weekend.

Their defense, as Lakers tend to be, is stingy: They allowed a total of 43 shots from a good Elmira team over the two games.

If anyone can hang with Oswego it's Brockport as the Golden Eagles can manage puck possession against the big blueliners and pour on the shots.

Brockport has revenge on their mind, too, after having been drubbed 8-0 by Oswego in last year's playoffs. Brockport also lost to Oswego twice in the regular season and both were VERY competitive game).

A redemptive win would be a great way to endear themselves to the underclassmen in the stands who will be at their first Brockport hockey game.

On Saturday, Brockport travels to Cortland who will be nipping at Brockport's heels all season. The USCHO.com preseason coaches poll had Brockport pegged for 5th in the SUNYAC while Cortland was 6th. 

In the season-opening weekend, Cortland played the Canton 'Roos twice, splitting the series.

Darren McCormick is their go-to guy. Last year, he lit the lamp 13 times. He already has two goals after 2 games.

A special talent to watch is freshman Dougie Elgstam, an export from Sweden whose European style of play will work well in DIII. He should be a perennial 12-goal scorer.

Also, watch out for a major rebound from Dan Broderick. The speedy young man scored 17 goals in his freshman season. He had "only" 9 goals last year -- but I don't know many people who'd be disappointed with 9 goals. Expect him to come close to doubling last year's output. He's good.

It will be a fun game and one that Brockport should win.

STYLUS RECAP OF GAME ONE

Alison Muarer penned another excellent Brockport Hockey article for this week's Stylus...



Last Saturday, the Golden Eagles Men’s Ice Hockey team headed to the Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex to start the season off against the Nazareth College Golden Flyers. A bit more than a scrimmage, the game against the Flyers was a non-conference game.

The Golden Eagles play in the SUNYAC conference, and the Flyers play in the Empire 8 conference.

The game started out with a bang. Starting line consisted of all three captains, Aidan Verbeke, No. 10 and Dylan Shapiro, No. 19 on forward and Rob Hall, No. 2 on defense, with Junior Zac Sikich, No. 12 also on forward, and Sophomore Connar Bass on defense. Sophomore Cole Burack, No. 31 played goalie for the entire game.

Hall was excited to get his new defensive pair. Last year, he was paired with Chad Cummings, a senior who was also an alternate captain.

“Chad was a guy that I admired on and off the ice; I learned a lot from him,” Hall said. “Connar stood out last year as a freshman and I think he has the potential to be that type of player for our team this season and going forward. “

Brockport took the lead in the first period. Freshman Doc Gentzler, No. 13 took the first goal of the season during a power play, four minutes and 59 seconds into the game. He was assisted by Sophomore Nick Palumbo, No. 9 and Junior Ryan Kangas, No.18. Gentzler was proud to have the first goal of the season.

“It felt great to get the first one, and to be able to help contribute to the team.” Gentzler said, “It’s definitely one that I will remember.”

Early in the second quarter, the Flyers tied it up with a power play goal from Dominik Gabaj. Both teams began to lose steam, and the second period played out, the only real highlights being penalties.

The game was stop-and-go, as the referees called 21 penalties over the course of the game, 10 in the second period alone. All were minor two-minute infractions, with the exception of one 10-Minute Misconduct from Ryan Walter of the Flyers. The resulting power plays gave the game an unusual feeling as the balance of the teams were disrupted. It caught both teams off guard so early in the season. However, there was only one power play goal from each team.

The Golden Eagles got back into the swing of things early in the third period. 

Freshman Luke Bennett, No. 24, scored the second and final goal for Brockport. He was assisted by Senior Jake Taylor, N 22. Time of goal was one minute, 46 seconds into the third.

“Scoring my first goal in the first game of my freshman year was unreal,” Bennett said. “I couldn’t have been more fortunate to even have the opportunity to be on the ice as a freshman.”

Hall was also excited to see goals from the freshmen.

“It was good to see a couple freshmen in Doc Gentzler and Luke Bennett get their first collegiate goals,” Hall said. “That is huge for us especially with us being a young team this year.” 

The Flyers tied it up eight minutes later, bringing the score to two all. Penalties brought the Golden Eagles into good position, but they lacked the follow through to score again. 

Although Brockport went into overtime five on three from leftover penalties on Flyers Brandon Lane and David Powlowski, they were not able to take the advantage. They also did not allow any more goals, and the first game of Brockport’s season ended in a tie. Throughout the game, Brockport lead the number of shots on goal. Bennett is excited for the rest of the season.

“We have every piece to the puzzle and leadership from top to bottom,” Bennet said. “Chemistry is not a problem on this team. We now see exactly what type of team we have and are very excited to get after Oswego on Friday at home.”

Gentzler had similar feelings.

“We would’ve liked to get the win, but it was a strong first game that we can build off of going into next week,” Gentzler stated.

Verbeke was happy with his first game as captain overall.

“It was really special for me to be able to captain my first game and lead the guys into our first battle this season,” Verbeke said. “Coach made the announcement a few weeks ago but it doesn’t really hit you until you play a game so it was definitely a special moment for me.”

The first home game of the season is Friday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. at Tuttle North Ice Arena, with the Golden Eagles going against the SUNY Oswego Lakers.

Source: http://www.thestylus.net/news/view.php/1025385/Mens-hockey-duels-Nazareth-2-2-draw