Kielich is Brockport Athlete of the Week

Tim Kielich has been selected as Brockport's Athlete of the Week. He led the offense this past weekend for the Golden Eagles at the WYSB / Catamount Radio Invitational, as he tallied up two goals, three assists, and a plus-two on ice over the course of two games. He dished out three assists in the 5-3 win over Tufts University, and accounted for the first two goals, with one being on the power play, in the 4-3 lose against Castleton. With his excellent play throughout the course of the weekend he was named to the All-Tournament team.

Castleton claims Thanksgiving tournament with win over Brockport

The College at Brockport ice hockey team lost in the championship game of the WYSB / Catamount Ratio Invitational against Castleton University, 4-3. The Golden Eagles fall to 5-3-1 on the year, where the Spartans move to 4-5.

Brockport started hot as Tim Kielich notched the first goal of the contest 19 seconds into the first period. After a faceoff win, Kielich carried the puck across the ice to have a one-on-one with the goaltender and beat him near post. The lead was double six minutes later on the power play, when Kielich received a pass from Aidan Verbeke and ripped a shot past the goalie from the top of the right-side circle. The scoring onslaught continued when Verbeke scored the third goal in the first period, when he collected a rebound off a Connor Hutchins shot and buried the puck into the back of the net.

Brockport came out stumbling in the second period when Castleton tallied two quick goals in the first four minutes of play to trail by one goal, 3-2. The Golden Eagles added another goal late in period but after a referee review, the goal was disallowed to keep the same score heading into the third.

The score was tied up 3-3 as Green and Gold suffer a goal on a Castleton power play six minutes into the new period. Moments later, Brockport found themselves on the penalty kill but the Golden Eagles defense stopped the offensive threat. Both teams went toe-to-toe for the remainder of the period, but it was the Spartans who tallied the go-ahead goal to lead 4-3 with five minutes remaining in the contest. Brockport fought back but could not convert any goals as they lose by the eventual score.

Kielich led the way with two goals, while Verbeke accounting for a goal and an assist, and Chris Pollini finished with two assists. Matt Schneider ended the game with 22 saves and a .846 save percentage.

Two Golden Eagles were named to the All-Tournament team with Kielich earning on a spot on the offense, as he finished the weekend with two goals and three assists. Schneider was named as the All-Tournament goaltender as he racked up 52 saves through two games.

Brockport beats Tufts, 5-3

The College at Brockport ice hockey team opened up the WSYB/Catamount Radio Invitational winning the first game over Tufts University Friday afternoon, 5-3. The Golden Eagles move to 5-2-1 on the year, where the Jumbos drop to 0-3-1.

The Green and Gold were the first to strike in the opening period as Connor Hutchins tallied a goal on the power play in the 10th minute with the assists coming from Zac Sikich and Chris Pollini. Brockport doubled their lead less than 30 seconds later when Sikich beat the keeper with the assists from Aidan Verbeke and Tim Kielich.

The Golden Eagles stretched their lead to 3-0 early in the second, when Connar Bass blasted a low slap shot that snuck through traffic and the Tufts goaltender into the frame. Brockport suffered their first goal against midway through the period as the Jumbos cut the deficit to 3-1. Ethan Solat for the Green and Gold responded moments later as he one-timed a pass in front of the net from Danny Rock to increase their lead to 4-1. Tufts notched another goal late in the second as the score was set at 4-2 heading into the third.

Brockport opened the new period on the power kill but goalie Matt Schneider stopped both Jumbo shots on the frame. The Golden Eagles found some trouble in the last moments of the match when Tufts pulled their goalie to give them a six-on-five player advantage. With the additional player, the Jumbos were able to find the back of the net to trail by one, 4-3. After the faceoff, Tufts once again brought on an extra skater, but this time Hunter Laslo was able to score an empty net goal to have the final score set at 5-3.

Five different Golden Eagles found the back of the net, as Kielich dished out three assists, and Schneider finished with 30 saves between the pipes.

Brockport will face the winner of the Castleton-King's College game in the championship of the WSYB/Catamount Radio Invitational Saturday, Nov. 25, at 4 p.m.

Brockport falls to Canton

The College at Brockport ice hockey team fell against SUNY Canton Friday evening losing by a final score of 6-3. The Golden Eagles fall to 4-2-1 on the 2017 season, where the Roos bounce to 2-3.

Brockport came out stumbling as the Roos claimed an early goal one minute into the first period to take a 1-0 advantage. The Green and Gold battled back for the remainder of the period to then tie the game up 1-1 on a power play goal. Zac Sikich received the puck in the corner and brought it up to the blue line, to then pass it off to Chris Pollini who made a hard pass across the ice to find Tim Kielich who was there to bury his shot in the top corner. Brockport found some trouble with time expiring in the first period as Canton scored on a breakaway to have the Golden Eagles trail going into the first break, 2-1.

The Green and Gold came out fighting in the second period as they notched their second goal on the night 12 minutes into the frame to tie the score up, 2-2. Sikich grabbed the puck in the corner who hit Tyler Williams across the ice at the blue line, to have Aidan Verbeke deflect his shot into the upper-90 over the goalie's glove.  The Roos has themselves a power play opportunity with the final two minutes of the second period, but the Golden Eagles defense kept them off the scoresheet to hold the same score heading into the final period.

Brockport fell behind early in the third period after Canton connected on a long pass to have a 1-on-1 with the goalie in which they converted to take a 3-2 lead. The Green and Gold continued to struggle as the Roos tallied another goal one minute later to extend their lead to 4-2. The Golden Eagles chipped away at the lead after Sikich scored a goal to have the score set at 4-3. Pollini received a pass at the blue line and put a shot on net that was blocked, but Sikich was there to collect the rebound and beat the goalie high. Brockport conceded another two goals throughout the remainder of the third and could not recover the deficit as they lost the match by a final score of 6-3.

Sikich led the offense with a goal and two assists, while Verbeke and Kielich tallied a goal apiece. Matt Schneider finished the game with 23 saves and a .821 save percentage.

Brockport heads to Canton Friday

Brockport is taking a trip to the North Country this Friday as they head to Canton to take on the Kangaroos. One day soon, Canton will become a part of the SUNYAC. In the meantime, this stands as a non-conference game.

Canton is 1-3-0 on the season, but don't let that mislead you. They beat Plattsburgh and almost pulled off an upset of Oswego last weekend.

Goaltending has been their strength this year, with their Number One Mike Cerasuolo sporting a .918 save percentage while back-up Austin Washkurak has a .925. On average, they have faced 38 shots a game.

The offense has yet to hit its stride this year. All their goals have been scored by only 4 players. Josh Sova leads them all with 3 goals.

It will be a good tune-up for Brockport heading into the Thanksgiving tournament weekend.

Brockport holds on to 17th place in USCHO poll

Brockport is still knocking on the door of USCHO's Top 15 rankings. Once again, for the November 13th poll, they come in at 17th place:

http://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-iii-mens-poll/

Schneider's performance gets kudos from USCHO

In his weekly recap, USCHO's Eastern correspondent Tom Costello handed out 3 biscuits for exceptional performances over the weekend. One of them went to Brockport's Matt Schneider:

http://www.uscho.com/mens-d3-blog/2017/11/12/east-wrap-nov-12/

Unbeaten streak snapped by Potsdam

The College at Brockport ice hockey team lost for the first time on Saturday against a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opponent, SUNY Potsdam, by a score of 6-4.

Brockport now sports a 4-1-1 record and 1-1-1 in conference play. The Bears move to 4-1-1 on the year and 1-1-0 in SUNYAC competition.

The Golden Eagles got on the board first in the first period as Dylan Shapiro netted his third goal of the young season 3:27 into the frame. The lead was short lived however, as Brockport witnessed three unanswered goals land in the back of their net. As the horn sounded for the first intermission, the Green and Gold were down 3-1.

The second period saw the gap increase as Potsdam netted two more goals, to bring the score to 5-1. The fifth goal forced the hand of head coach Brian Dickinson and he made a goalie switch to bring in Matt Schneider in relief of Jake Moore. Schneider was immediately tested, but kept the Bears off the board the remainder of the period, making seven saves.

Brockport picked up their play in the final period of the game after Potsdam sixth-goal. In a matter of 30 seconds Danny Rock and Aidan Verbeke each netted a puck. Rock's goal came unassisted and Verbeke scored on a power play thanks to assists by Connor Hutchins and Hunter Laslo. Shane Visnick kept the run going, knocking in the team's third straight goal to cut the deficit to 6-4. Unfortunately, the team's comeback fell short and they suffered their first loss of the season.

Sikich is playing at another level

It's fun to watch Zac Sikich play. There's a reason he already has 6 goals on the season: His motor doesn't stop. He's a finisher. Consider his second goal last night: The whole world stopped for a second when Verbeke's shot rang off the post -- Sikich didn't and he scored on the rebound. He can score with flash, he can score with hard work.

Brockport beats #14 Plattsburgh

The College at Brockport ice hockey team remained unbeaten in 2017 with a dominant 5-2 victory over No. 14 Plattsburgh State on Friday evening. The team, which was receiving 10 votes in the latest USCHO Top-15 poll, moves to 4-0-1 on the season, including a 2-0-1 mark in conference play.

The opening period of this game was a defensive battle, as neither team was able to find the back of the net. Matt Schneider stopped all eight shots he faced in the frame, including a pair of saves on a late power play opportunity for the Cardinals. The Golden Eagles had four power play chances of their own, but were unable to score despite seven shots on net.

Play opened up in the second period when Plattsburgh's Charles Barber scored just 0:50 seconds into the stanza, giving them a 1-0 lead. Brockport was quick to respond however, as just two minutes later, Zac Sikich ripped his team-leading fifth goal of the season over the goaltenders shoulder, using assists from Doc Gentzler and Connor Bass to even things up at 1-1.

Play settled down for a while after the Sikich goal, before David Horan gave the Green and Gold their first lead of the game at the 18:41 mark of the second. The senior took a long outlet pass from Hunter Laslo and burned the Cardinal defenders before sending the puck through the five-hole and into the back of the net.

They nearly added another with just seconds left in the period when Dylan Shapiro had a chance in the slot, but a great save by the Plattsburgh goaltender held the score at 2-1 Brockport going into the second intermission.

The Cardinals were not going away easily, as Rich McCartney tied the score at 2-2 just 1:36 into the third period. The Golden Eagles had the answer yet again however, as just over a minute later, Horan sent a shot toward the net that was tipped in by Laslo, allowing Brockport to regain the 3-2 lead.

Sikich extended that lead at the 6:41 mark of the third, picking up the rebound from an Aidan Verbeke shot for his second goal of the game and sixth of the season. Verbeke and Hutchins, who rank first and second on the team in points this season, each were credited with assists on the tally.

Verbeke would pick up another point with less than two minutes left in regulation, using an assist from Casey Winn to send the puck into the empty net and give the Green and Gold their fifth and final goal of the night.

Schneider has been a brick wall in net this season for Brockport, moving to 3-0 with the win. The sophomore saved 31 of the 33 shots he faced on the night, raising his season-long save percentage to .957.

P-R looks at Plattsburgh's trip to Brockport

The Press-Republican offers this preview of Plattsburgh's visit to Brockport:

http://www.pressrepublican.com/sports/local_sports/cardinals-hit-the-road-to-face-brockport-no-geneseo/article_fd9920c1-3c7f-5a76-ae20-5f91f6a4ca94.html

Brockport holds 2 home games this weekend

Brockport is hosting two home games this weekend.

Friday's game starts at 7:00 as they host Plattsburgh.

The Cardinals are year-in-year-out one of the premier teams in the nation, a testament to Coach Bob Emery's recruiting and systems. Last week, Emery reached a major milestone, securing his 600th career victory.

They were 22-10-3 last year and 2 of their losses were to Brockport -- the first time ever that the Golden Eagles secured a season sweep of Plattie. They are 2-1-0 in this young season. Last weekend they put up 12 in one game against Morrisville.

Plattsburgh teams of recent years haven't relied on "superstars" (anyone with 30+ points) yet have reeled off the wins with depth and defense.

This will be Brockport's first major test of the season and the Golden Eagles are up for it. If Brockport wins, I'm certain they will crack the Top 15 in the USCHO polls next week.

On Saturday, the Golden Eagles have a 4:00 matinee against Potsdam.

The Bears are 3-0-1 on the season, sharing the same record as Brockport. All four games were non-conference affairs, two apiece against St. Michael's and SUNY Canton. Once again, Dylan VanderEsch is the man to watch. The senior already has 4 goals. Such firepower is to be expected by a man who has seasons of 15, 17, and 16 goals in his career.

Potsdam's goaltending has been lights out this year. Brendan McNenimen and Nate Skidmore have both started two games and their save percentages are .939 and .926 respectively.

Postdam and Brockport are evenly matched, so this will be an incredibly exciting game.

Brockport garners more attention in USCHO poll

Brockport picked up more votes in this week's USCHO Top Fifteen poll. Brockport hasn't yet broken into the top rankings, but the Golden Eagles are really close -- they picked up 10 votes which is good for 17th in the country!

Brockport lands two on weekly SUNYAC list

The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) has selected the recipients for the Ice Hockey Athlete, Goalie and Rookie of the Week honors.

This weeks Men's Ice Hockey Athlete of the Week has been awarded to Zac Sikich, Brockport's senior forward from Oak Park, California. In the Golden Eagles two conference games this weekend, he led his team on the offensive end tallying three goals including a power play goal and game-winner in their 4-1 win over the Fredonia Blue Devils.

Brockport's Matt Schneider put on the top goaltending performance of the week. The sophomore from Manlius, N.Y., posted a .974 save percentage while recording 38 saves in the Golden Eagles 4-1 win over conference foe, Fredonia.

The Biased Sports Review

If you'd like to start your work week or school week with a smile, check out this Talon TV 5-minute video called "the Biased Sports Review". Hosts Ben Hoy and Cordell Cummings offer an entertaining recap of the Neumann game that offers some brutal assessments about Neumann. It's called the "BIASED Sports Review" for a reason :) 

Brockport remains unbeaten after Buffalo State game

The College at Brockport ice hockey team kept their unbeaten streak alive on Saturday evening with a 3-3 tie against Buffalo State. The Golden Eagles now sit at 3-0-1 on the season (1-0-1 SUNYAC), while the Bengals move to 1-1-1 (0-1-1 SUNYAC).

The first period of play was a defensive battle, as neither team was able to get on the board in the 20 minute stanza. The Golden Eagles had a pair of power play chances late in the period, but the Bengal PK unit held strong, keeping the Green and Gold off the board.

Buffalo State got the scoring started at the 03:13 mark of the second stanza, giving Brockport their first deficit of the young season. It didn't last long however, as Aidan Verbeke notched his third goal of the season less than five minutes later to knot the score at a goal apiece.

The Green and Gold took their first lead of the game a few minutes later in the period when Casey Winn, who's the defending D3hockey.com Defensive Player of the Week, scored his first goal of the season off assists from Tim Kielich and Dylan Shapiro to put the Golden Eagles on top 2-1.

After Brandon McMartin got called for hooking at the 16:50 mark, the Bengals took advantage of their power-play, tying the score up again at 2-2 after Mac Wood scored his second of the game. The second period would end with the teams knotted up.

Connor Hutchins kept up the back-and-forth scoring trend early in the third period when he scored his fourth goal in as many games, with assists coming from Zac Sikich and Aidan Verbeke. The goal appeared to be the game winner, as the Golden Eagles held onto a 3-2 lead deep into the period, but the Bengals pulled their goalie in favor of an extra skater late, and tied the game at 3-3 with just 0:24 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game into overtime.

Brockport had a few quality chances in the overtime period, but some key stops from the Buffalo State goalie kept them off the board, and the game ended in a 3-3 tie.

Jake Moore ended the game with 32 saves in net for a .914 save percentage.

WBBZ to air Buffalo Sports Hall ceremony

If you missed the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Wednesday you still have a chance to see the event and the honors given to the late, great EJ McGuire. If you live in the Buffalo media market, the entire ceremony will air on WBBZ-TV on Sunday, November 19th at 5 p.m.

Brockport goes to 3-0 after Fredonia victory

After a 2 goal performance, Sikich got the hard hat

The College at Brockport ice hockey team moved to 3-0 on the season (1-0 SUNYAC) with a 4-1 win over SUNY Fredonia on Saturday evening. This is the first time the team has started the season with three straight wins since the 2004-05 season.

The Green and Gold did not take long to get the scoring started, finding the back of the net just 0:53 seconds into the first period. Dylan Shapiro was the goal scorer, netting his first of the season off of assists from Tim Kielich and Danny Rock.

Zac Sikich added another goal later in the period, this time on the power play, giving Brockport a 2-0 lead that they would carry into the first intermission. Connor Hutchins dished out his first of three assists on the goal, with Doc Gentzler providing the secondary assist.

The Blue Devils scored the only goal of the second period, with Bobby Polachek tallying the goal to move Fredonia back to within one. They threatened again early in the third, forcing a 5-on-3 opportunity after back to back Golden Eagle penalties, but the penalty killing unit did its job, holding the score at 2-1.

Sikich netted his second of the night with just over five minutes to play in regulation, using assists from Hutchins and Ryan Romeo to extend the Brockport lead back to two. They'd add one more in the final minute of play, with Aidan Verbeke shooting the puck the distance of the ice into the empty net to put the score at its eventual final, 4-1.

The Golden Eagles were outshot 39-30 in the contest, but won the faceoff battle 37-33. Gentzler was extremely efficient in the faceoff circle, winning nine of the 12 draws he took.

Matt Schneider finished with 38 saves on 39 shots (.967 %), and has now stopped 59 of the 61 shots he's faced in his two wins this season.

Hightlights from Neumann game

Brockport hosts Fredonia, visits Buffalo State this weekend

SUNYAC play begins this weekend as Brockport takes on the Western New York teams.

On Friday, Brockport hosts Fredonia at 7:00.

The Blue Devils played just one game last weekend, falling to 14^th-ranked Utica on the road.

They are a team to reckon with. Last year, they had the 9^th best offense (4.19 goals) and allowed just 2.81 goals per game.

Offensively, watch out for Senior Sam Wilbur who had 34 points last year and lit the lamp 14 times. Sophomore Jacob Haynes will continue to develop which is scary given his 10 goals and 15 assists as a freshman.

Minding the net will be Eric Bogart. Overlook last week’s performance against Utica. That was early season rust. When he’s at the top of his game he’s unbeatable. Last season he sported a .928 save percentage. He averaged 33 saves a game last year.

Watch Brockport’s Matt Meredith – he will have special incentive Friday: It’s the second to last game he will ever play against his dad, Coach Jeff Meredith.

On Saturday, Brockport heads to Buffalo State.

The Bengals opened their season by beating Nichols 4-3 last week.

They are a different team this season: They were 18-8-1 last season thanks to stellar goaltending by Mike DeLavergne, now graduated, who was one of the best goalies in the country (1.98 GAA). Now, it’s a wait and see approach with their two goalies….and also their 12 freshmen. They are a young team.

But, that doesn’t mean the youngsters can’t perform. Watch out for sophomore Anthony Passero who had 2 goals last weekend. As a freshman he had a stellar 29 points and scored 8 goals at even strength. Junior Mac Wood had 10 goals last season and can be a power play performer, scoring 5 man-advantage goals as a freshman.

EJ McGuire enters Buffalo's sports hall of fame

Last night, Brockport's EJ McGuire was posthumously inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame at a wonderful ceremony held at the Buffalo Convention Center. Among the nearly 1,000 attendees were a table of Brockport hockey alumni and supporters. It was great to see EJ recognized for his absolutely brilliant hockey mind.

Vote for Connor Hutchins for Hero of the Week

Hero Sports is now collecting votes for their D3 Hockey Hero of the Week. Let's make it Connor Hutchins. The sophomore is one of nine nominees this week on the strength of his 3 goal, 2 assist weekend.

Vote here: https://herosports.com/hockey/vote-d3-mens-ice-hockey-hero-of-the-week-1-bxbx

Winn wins accolades on D3Hockey Team of the Week

Freshman defenseman Casey Winn secured a place on D3Hockey.com's Team of the Week. Over the course of two games he handed out four assists while also blocking two shots.

Check out this week's team here:

http://d3hockey.com/awards/team-of-the-week/men/2017-18/oct-31

Remembering EJ McGuire

Tonight, Brockport's own EJ McGuire is being posthumously inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. These 2011 articles at NHL.com, written at his passing, offer an excellent look at his life:

https://www.nhl.com/news/mcguire-coaching-scouting-pioneer-and-good-guy/c-558605

Brockport knocking at the door in national rankings

USCHO's weekly rankings, announcing the top fifteen teams in DIII, came out yesterday. Look in the fine print: Brockport received 3 votes. The Golden Eagles didn't make it to the Top Fifteen, but if you look at the vote totals, they would come in at 25th in the nation:

http://www.uscho.com/rankings/

D3Hockey.com SUNYAC preview

D3Hockey.com came out with their SUNYAC preview earlier this week. They have Brockport coming in at 6th place in the conference:

http://www.d3hockey.com/faceoff/Prospectus2017/men/SUNYAC