Brockport gets playoff spot despite big loss

 The Brockport Ice Hockey team (9-14, 5-9 UCHC) was defeated at Nazareth University (14-6-3, 7-5-1), 10-1, on Saturday, February 14th. Despite the setback, the Golden Eagles have clinched a UCHC Championship Tournament Birth. 

The Golden Flyers took over from the opening puck drop, scoring the first of five first-period goals just 2:14 into the contest. Harrsion Dumas and Will Halecki of Nazareth netted two goals each on the evening.

The home team would jump out to a 6-0 lead in the second period, before Brockport would light the lamp on the power play. Brody Seitz would score Brockport's lone tally of the game, with Nick Reid and Nicholas Maria adding assists.

Despite breaking the scoreless drought, the Golden Flyers would net the final four goals of the matchup, picking up three conference points. 

Spencer Flansburg, Andrew Haugh, Nicholas Maria, and Jackson Faughnan all blocked two shots each.

Livio Azevedo led all Brockport skaters with seven shots.

Brockport loses to Naz in OT

The SUNY Brockport men's Ice Hockey team suffered a narrow 4-3 defeat at the hands of Nazareth University on Friday night in the Face Off Against Cancer game. Despite a multi-goal performance from Manny Sanchez and a late third-period rally to force overtime, the Golden Eagles (9-13-0, 5-8-0) saw the extra point slip away in the final seconds of the sudden-death frame.

How It Happened

The Golden Eagles wasted little time establishing a lead at the Wegmans Ice Arena. At the 5:51 mark of the first period, Manny Sanchez found the back of the net off a feed from Matthew Lee to give Brockport the early 1-0 advantage. Exactly one minute later, the momentum surged as Brody Seitz lit the lamp, assisted by Jackson Faughnan, to quickly double the lead. Nazareth began their climb back late in the frame when Owen Heidelberger beat Brockport netminder David Filak to cut the deficit in half before the first intermission.

The second period proved to be a defensive grind, with Brockport's penalty kill being put to the test early after a slashing minor, but Filak and the defensive unit stood tall. Despite several Grade-A chances, including a shot by Joshua Przystal that rang off the pipe, Nazareth eventually found the equalizer at 12:53 when Hudson Nadasdi tied the game at 2-2.

The final frame was a high-stakes affair. Nazareth took their first lead of the night with just over six minutes remaining in regulation. Refusing to go quietly, the Golden Eagles initiated a late-game push. At 16:28 of the third, Manny Sanchez struck again for his second goal of the night, burying a pass from Nick Reif and Michael Kull to knot the score at 3-3. 

In the sudden-death overtime period, both sides had opportunities to end it, with Sanchez nearly ending the game himself on a shot that hit the pipe. However, with only 3.6 seconds remaining on the clock, Nazareth's Blake Frost broke free and scored unassisted to secure the 4-3 victory for the visitors.

Manny Sanchez led the offensive charge for the Golden Eagles, notching two goals on the night. Sanchez was also active in the faceoff circle, winning nine draws.

Brody Seitz provided the other tally for Brockport, finishing the night with a +2 rating and two shots on goal.

Matthew Lee, Nick Reif, Michael Kull, and Jackson Faughnan each chipped in with one assist. Lee was particularly active in the offensive zone, leading the team with three shots on goal.

On the blue line, Nicholas Maria and Dominic Chirico provided stability, with Chirico leading the team with three blocked shots.

In goal, David Filak turned in a gritty performance, making 31 saves on 35 shots faced over nearly 65 minutes of action.

Casey Winn's national pride gets attention

Haley Winn, who hails from the Rochester area, is representing the USA in women's ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Hockey is in the family's DNA. Her brother Casey played four seasons with the Golden Eagles, 2017-2018 to 2021-2022. In his collegiate career, the six-foot-two blue-liner suited up in 100 games, tallying four goals, 14 assists, and 62 penalty minutes.

He and his brothers caught a lot of attention at the Olympics due to their patriotic attire.

Check out this story:

https://www.today.com/parents/family/winn-brothers-haley-winn-olympics-hockey-rcna258399

Brockport loses to A.M.

The Brockport Ice Hockey team (9-12, 5-6-1 UCHC) suffered a 3-2 loss against Albertus Magnus (13-8, 7-7 UCHC) on Saturday, February 7th. Despite finding a late goal to cut the two-goal lead to one, Brockport would be unable to find the equalizer.

Kaleb Miller would open the scoring, putting Brockport ahead 1-0 7:48 into the first period. Dominic Chirico would notch his first assist of the season, with Brody Seitz adding his seventh assist of the year on the Miller goal.

Much like Friday's contest, the Falcons stayed one step ahead, with Sam Lozikski burying the final goal of the first period to send the game into the first intermission tied at 1-1. Despite holding a 21-9 shots edge in the period, 20 saves from Dax Easter in the period would keep Brockport within striking distance. 

After 16 minutes of defensive hockey, Albertus Magnus would take a 2-1 lead late in the period. With less than four minutes left in the second period, Kyle Dann would beat Filak at the 16:39 mark to put the Falcons ahead. 

Coming out of the second intermission, Albertus Magnus wasted no time taking a two-goal lead. Linas Dedinas would break loose for an insurance goal just 2:27 into the period, jumping ahead 3-1. 

Excellent puck movement would bring Brockport within one, with excellent passes from Nick Reif and Matthew Lee setting up an empty net for Manny Sanchez. Despite spending five minutes on the power play and numerous scoring chances in the third, Albertus Magnus would stand tall to escape with a 3-2 UCHC victory. 

Matthew Lee led the Golden Eagles with six shots, adding an assist, serving as his ninth of the season. 

Josh Higgins sacrificed his body throughout the contest, leading all skaters with four blocked shots.

Jacob Gates, Kaleb Miller (G), and Schuyler Flansburg were all assists on the ice for Brockport, all finishing with a +1 rating.

Dax Easter provided a strong outing in the loss, saving 33 of the 36 shots he faced.

Brockport falls to Albertus Magnus, 5-1

The Brockport Ice Hockey team (9-11, 6-6-1 UCHC) was defeated on Willie Bee Foundation Jersey Night against Albertus Magnus (12-8, 6-7 UCHC), 5-1, on Friday, February 6th.

The Golden Eagles started strong out of the gate, scoring the opening goal of the contest just 39 seconds in. Strong passing from Jacob Gates and Brody Seitz would set up Kaleb Miller's goal on the opening shot of the game. Falcon goaltender Caleb Chabot would embark on an excellent turnaround, making 25 straight saves to blank Brockport across the final 59:21 of the contest. 

Albertus Magnus would halt Brockport's momentum in a hurry, scoring the final three goals of the first period. At the 8:36 mark of the period, Sam Lozinski would find the equalizer, tying the contest at 1-1. The Falcons would capitalize on a string of Brockport penalties, netting two power-play goals in the final 5:45 of the period to take a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. 

The second period would see the Brockport offense generate scoring chances, outshooting Albertus Magnus 10-6. Despite scoring chances from Matthew Lee, Kyle Kussmann, Victor Malzahn, and Josh Grund in the period, the Falcons would net the lone goal of the period. With 1:30 left until intermission, Bailey Kirwin would take advantage of a Brockport turnover to light the lamp, taking a three-goal lead into the final 20 minutes.

Despite generating two power-play chances in the third period, the Albertus Magnus defense would stand tall, keeping Brockport off the scoreboard to cruise to a 4-1 road victory.

David Filak picked up the start for Brockport, making 21 saves on 25 shots on goal on the evening. 

Matthew Lee led all Golden Eagles in the shots department, firing five shots, all coming in the third period. 

Jackson Faughnan was excellent on defense for the Green and Gold, finishing as the lone Golden Eagle with a +1 rating. 

Victor Malzahn put his body on the line throughout the evening, leading all skaters with three blocked shots. 

Special teams dictated the contest, with Albertus Magnus finishing 2/4 on the power-play compared to Brockport's 0/7 on the man advantage.

Lee is honored

Matthew Lee was announced as this week’s Empire 8 and UCHC Ice Hockey Co-Athlete of the Week after a pair of 3 point outings for the freshman.

Last Tuesday, the Golden Eagles brought home an impressive 6-1 victory at Fredonia, where Lee finished with three assists. Lee then contributed strongly to the team’s 5-2 Senior Day win over Fredonia on Saturday, with two goals and one assist.

Jersey auction

Ice Hockey will host its annual Willie  Bee Foundation Jersey Night on Friday against Albertus Magnus at 7 PM. Brockport will don special edition uniforms as a tribute to the Willie Bee Foundation.

The Willie Bee Foundation is a non-for-profit charity founded in 2017 to benefit families who have a child facing a life-threatening illness. The foundation was founded in memory of Will, who lost his life after a battle with AT/RT.

Head to GoBrockport.com to support the Willie Bee Foundation, or use the link below. You can place a bid by emailing head coach Brian Dickinson at bdickins@brockport.edu. Bidding will start at $50! 

https://gobrockport.com/sports/2018/11/27/wiiliebee-night-jersey-auction.aspx

Brockport sweeps Fredonia

 The SUNY Brockport men's ice hockey team put the finishing touches on a regular season sweep of Fredonia on Saturday afternoon, skating to a 5-2 victory at the Wegmans Ice Arena. On a day dedicated to honoring the program's seniors, the Golden Eagles (9-10, 5-4-1 UCHC) relied on a relentless power play and timely scoring to secure their third consecutive win over the Blue Devils this season.

How It Happened

The contest got off to a frantic start when Fredonia's Luke Morris found the back of the net just eight seconds after the opening draw. Undeterred by the early deficit, the Golden Eagles responded at the 4:17 mark of the first period as Aidan Taylor beat the Blue Devil netminder to knot the score at 1-1. While Morris would briefly reclaim the lead for Fredonia midway through the frame, Brockport's special teams began to take over.

With less than a minute remaining in the opening period, Matthew Lee buried a power-play tally off feeds from Taylor and Kyle Kussmann to send the teams into the first intermission deadlocked at two.

The middle frame proved to be a defensive battle, but Brockport struck the decisive blow in the final second. With just 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock, Brody Seitz lit the lamp on the man advantage to give the Golden Eagles their first lead of the night. The "buzzer-beater" PPG, assisted by Manny Sanchez and Nick Reif, swung the momentum permanently in favor of the Green and Gold.

Brockport broke the game open in the final 20 minutes. Jacob Gates extended the cushion to 4-2 at the 7:06 mark of the third, finishing a play orchestrated by Kussmann and Lee. The Golden Eagles' power-play unit, which has been lethal of late, put the finishing touches on the victory at 16:02 when Kyle Kussmann found the twine to make it 5-2.

Statistical Leaders

Kyle Kussmann turned in a masterclass performance, figuring into three of the team's five goals. Kussmann finished the night with one goal and two assists, including the primary apple on the third-period insurance marker.

Matthew Lee continued his playmaking excellence, matching a game-high with three points. Lee notched a critical first-period goal and added a pair of assists, serving as the primary playmaker for a power-play unit that finished 3-for-5 on the night.

Aidan Taylor was a force in the offensive zone, recording one goal and one assist. His unassisted tally in the first period provided the immediate spark the Golden Eagles needed after Fredonia's quick start.

Jacob Gates provided stability on the blue line and joined the rush effectively, finishing with a goal and an assist. His third-period strike served as the dagger that effectively ended Fredonia's comeback hopes.

Brody Seitz proved to be the clutch performer of the afternoon, netting the game-winning goal at the end of the second period. Seitz finished with four shots on goal and was a constant nuisance for the Blue Devil defense.

In goal, Dax Easter stood tall for the Golden Eagles, turning aside 26 of 28 shots to earn his seventh win of the season. After a rocky first period, Easter posted 17 straight saves across the final two periods to keep the Blue Devils off the board.