St. Lawrence Men Knocked Out By Yale in E.C.A.C. Quarterfinals

St Lawrence University’s Stephanie O’Rourke slips a goal past SUNY Brockport goalie Remle Harr (33). Although the Saints battled back from a five-goal deficit in the second half, their rally fell just short, dropping a 9-8 decision to the Golden Eagles. Brockport (2-0) finished with a 23-20 advantage in shots.

Mar. 15: Yale University's big guns came out firing and its defense put a muzzle on the Saint trio of Kyle Flanagan, Greg Carey and Jeremy Wick as Yale took a 1-0 lead in its best of three ECAC quarterfinal series with St. Lawrence with a 6-1 win over the Saints. The trio of Kenny Agostino, Jesse Root and Andrew Miller accounted for four goals and 10 points in a dominating Yale performance. The Saints, 18-15-4 were outshot 48-13, and will be out to keep their 2012-13 season alive when they play the Bulldogs in game two of the series Saturday at 7 p.m. If there was any rust from the layoff created by the first round bye for Yale, it was shaken off early as the Bulldogs came out flying and outshot the Saints 17-5 in the opening 20 minutes of the game. Weninger stood up to the early onslaught and the Saints grabbed a 1-0 lead on their second shot of the game. Defenseman George Hughes walked in from the point when a Yale player tripped and Hughes fed Tommy Thompson, who was all alone at the side of the net. Thompson put his fifth of the year over the shoulder of Yale goalie Jeff Malcolm with Gunnar Hughes also assisting at 7:35. Yale came back to tie it just over three minutes later when senior wing Andrew Miller broke into the Saint zone and snapped a shot toward net which deflected off a Saint defender's stick and over Weninger's shoulder at 10:40. The Bulldogs took the lead at 17:03 when defenseman Gus Young rocketed a shot from the deep center slot which went wide, but the puck bounced off the end boards and into the blue and senior wing Antoine Laganiere scored his 13th of the year on the stuff-in. Kyle MacDonald took over in net to start the third period for the Saints, but did not make a save as Yale tacked on two more goals. Agostino scored his 15th of the year into a wide open net as MacDonald was caught out after trying to play the puck just 19 seconds in and Miller walked in all alone, faked and tucked the puck into the net at 3:31. Senior David Grilk took over for the rest of the game and made 14 saves without allowing a goal in his first appearance of the year. Yale did have the only two power plays in the game in the third period as the two teams played the first 40 minutes without a penalty. Yale's Malcolm had an easy night of it with four saves in each period for a total of 12 and the Saints had a goal waved off in the third after video review showed it was batted in by hand.

Mar. 9: The "Big Three" got some help from junior defenseman Justin Baker on the offensive end of the ice as a shorthanded defensive unit helped Matt Weninger hold an explosive young Colgate offense in check as St. Lawrence advanced to the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals with a 4-1 series clinching victory over Colgate at Appleton Arena Saturday night. Baker scored two goals and Saint stars Kyle Flanagan, Greg Carey and George Hughes combined for two goals and six assists as the Saints advanced as a sixth seed for the first time in three tries with the back-to-back wins over the Raiders. SLU will have to wait to find out its quarterfinal destination, however, as the Harvard-Dartmouth series will go to a third game in Hanover on Sunday. If fifth-seeded Dartmouth wins, the Saints will play at Yale, the third seed. If Harvard upends the Big Green, the Saints will be at Union in the quarters next weekend. The Saints, 18-14-4 played short a defenseman for the second straight night as junior Riley Austin was lost to a knee injury about six minutes into the game on Saturday. Senior Mac Stratford injured his shoulder early in the first period in Friday's series opener. Despite having to double-shift blueliners in both games, the Saints held Colgate to just three goals and only one in an even strength situation in the two games. Flanagan, just 11 days after an appendectomy, had a goal and three assists in the game and the three assists made him the seventh player in Saint program history to pass 100 assists for his career. He also set a career high in goals in a season with his 15th to open the scoring. Carey added to his national lead in goals and power play goals, scoring his 28th of the year and 14th on the power play and also picked up his sixth game-winning goal.. Weninger also turned in a strong game again Saturday helping the Saints hold the Raiders scoreless on three power plays including back-to-back opportunities in the second period. Weninger finished with 27 saves, seven of them on power plays, while Colgate starter Spencer Finney had four saves on six shots before being relieved by Eric Mihalik who allowed two goals on 20 shots. Flanagan opened the scoring with his 15th goal of the year as he was alone at the side of the net when Hughes hit him with a pin-point pass at 9:38. Carey then made it 2-0 at 13:43 when he one-timed a rocket past Finney from Hughes, ending the night for the Colgate goalie. Neither team scored in the second, although each had a shot rattle off the crossbar, and the Saints made it a 3-0 game when Baker pinched in from the point on a power play and took a feed from Flanagan at the side of the net, scoring his fourth of the year from point blank range. Kurtis Bartliff foiled Weninger's shutout bid when he took a bouncing puck off the end boards and tucked it in from right in front at 13:01, but Baker went up high on Mihalik for his second of the night on a power play rebound off a Flanagan shot at 14:45 to wrap up the scoring.
 

Cornell’s Greg Miller tips in a shot late in the first period to tie up the game 1-1. The Saints made a big offensive push in the third period to capture a 4-2 league win.  St. Lawrence came from behind to beat Cornell 4-2.  (Cody Jenne photo)  Game Gallery

St. Lawrence University’s Greg Carey (10) fires a shot past Clarkson goalie Greg Lewis (33) to give the Saints a 1-0 lead in the first period. The Saints scored twice to start the third period and open a 3-0 lead, only to have Clarkson score three goals in the final 12 minutes of regulation to forge a 3-3 overtime tie. (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

St. Lawrence University goalie Matt Weninger (34) makes a left pad save on Yale’s Anthony Day (19). Frustrations continue for the Saints in finding ECAC Hockey success as Yale came away with a 5-3 win.  (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

St. Lawrence University Matt Dyer (63) gets tied up while going for the loose puck in front of the net, while RIT goalie Josh Watson (30) scrambles to get back into position. The 1,000th win in men’s program history continued to elude the Saints as R.I.T overcame a 3-1 Saint lead to beat S.L.U. 4-3 at Appleton Arena.   (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

Cornell’s Erik Axell (21) battles with Clarkson’s Simon Bessette (17) along the boards for control of the puck. The Golden Knights scored three times during a single five-minute major penalty, taking control of the game late in the first period. Clarkson was sharp in a 6-3 win over the Big Red.
(John LaRue photo)  Game Gallery

Clarkson’s Matt Zarbo (21) hangs onto Cornell forward Greg Miller during the third period Saturday evening at Cheel Arena. 

Mar. 9: A valiant comeback by the Clarkson University Hockey team fell just short on Saturday night as the Golden Knights lost 4-3 in Game 2 of their first-round series against Brown University at Meehan Auditorium in Providence, RI. Clarkson, which fell to the Bears 3-0 in Game 1 action on Friday night, closes out its season with a 9-20-7 overall record. Brown improves its record to 13-12-6 and will play on the road in next week’s quarterfinal round. Audio Head Coach Casey Jones postgame Clarkson outshot Brown 37-23, including by a 17-3 margin over the final 20 minutes, but undisciplined pay in the first period put the Green and Gold into a big deficit. The Bears scored on the power play and converted a pair of odd-man rushes to take a 3-0 lead in the opening frame. Matt Lorito scored a power-play goal at 8:16, followed by Jake Goldberg’ tally on a 2-on-1 break at 12:31. Dennis Robertson also scored on a 2-on-1 rush at 16:28 while both teams were skating four-aside. The Knights finally got on the scoreboard, snapping a lengthy goal-scoring drought when sophomore Joe Zarbo (Grand Island, NY) converted off passes from his brother, junior Matt Zarbo (Grand Island, NY) and senior defenseman Nik Pokulok (Vaudreuil-Dorion, QUE) at 17:21 for his team-high 13th goal of the year. Zarbo slipped a shot through the five-hole of Brown’s standout goaltender Anthony Borelli for Clarkson’s first goal in 218:50 of play. Audio Joe Zarbo goal The Bears built their lead to 4-1 with a power-play goal by Goldberg at 13:10. Playing to extend its season, Clarkson dominated the third period and made it a one-goal game off a pair of power-play tallies from junior Jarrett Burton (Echo Bay, ONT). Burton made it 4-2 at 5:49, scoring in front after strong work down low by classmates Ben Sexton (Kanata, ONT) and Will Frederick (Allison Park, PA). Audio Jarrett Burton's first goal At 16:41, Burton connected again for his 12th goal of the season, a 5-on-3 power-play marker with Sexton assisting. Audio Jarrett Burton's second goal The Knights pulled senior goaltender Cody Rosen (Kingston, ONT) in the final minute in a bid for the tying goal, but Borelli came up big with key stops on Sexton, Joe Zarbo and sophomore defenseman Sam Labrecque(Granby, QUE)  in the final seconds to preserve the win for the home team. Freshman Greg Lewis (Mars, PA) started in the Clarkson crease and made 16 saves through the first two periods. Rosen, playing in his final collegiate game, turned aside all three shots he faced in the third. Borelli finished with 34 saves. Clarkson went 2-of-4 on the power play, while Brown was 2-of-3.

Mar. 8: Playing on the road to start the ECAC Hockey playoffs, against a hot goaltender and without its leading scorer, the Clarkson University Hockey team lost in Game 1 of its first-round series against Brown, falling 3-0 at Meehan Auditorium in Providence, RI on Friday night. The Golden Knights, who suffered their third straight shutout loss, own a 9-19-7 overall record. Clarkson and Brown (12-12-6) will face off at Meehan Auditorium again on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. If the Knights win they will force a series-deciding third game on Sunday. If the Bears win on Saturday, they will move on to the quarterfinal round. Audio Head Coach Casey Jones postgame Clarkson started strong its first playoff game on the road in three years and generated several Grade "A" scoring chances in the opening period, outshooting the Bears 12-10 through the opening 20 minutes. It was Brown, however, that skated into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead. After killing off Clarkson's first power play of the game at 9:45, the Bears took the lead with a goal on the man-advantage. At 15:45, Mark Nacierio finished off a pass from Matt Lorito in front for the game's first goal. Nick Lappin also assisted. After a scoreless second period, Brown sealed the win with two goals in the third. At 6:25, Lorito connected off assists from Nacierio and Lappin. With 15 seconds remaining and the Knights on the power play, and freshman goaltender Greg Lewis (Mars, PA) on the bench for the extra attacker, the Bears' de Concilys scored into an empty net for the final to cap off the home team's win. Clarkson, which was without the services of junior forward Allan McPherson (Kinburn, ONT), who is out for the series with an injury, outshot Brown 31-28.  Lewis finished with 25 saves. Anthony Borelli posted the shutout for Brown. Clarkson was 0-of-4 on the power play, while the Bears went 1-of-3 with the man-advantage. The Knights have now gone 201:29 seconds without scoring a goal.
 

Brown’s Anthony Borelli (33) scrambles to make the save on a Clarkson scrum late in the first period at Cheel Arena. Despite skating to a pair of leads in the first period, the Clarkson men’s hockey team could not hold its advantage as Brown rallied for a 3-2 E.C.A.C. win.  (John LaRue photo)  Game Gallery

Clarkson University’s Pat Megannety (32) lays a huge hit on a Umass-Lowell forward. A red-hot UMass-Lowell squad completed a weekend sweep at Cheel Arena by defeating the Golden Knights 6-2.  (Camron Waters photo)  Game Gallery

Clarkson University netminder Greg Lewis (33) makes a save with help from behind by Clarkson defenseman Alex Boak (5), a Norwood-Norfolk Central graduate.

While getting knocked down by the Dutchmen’s Andy Thurby (28) and Klayton Garman (27), SUNY Canton’s Trevor Wright (11) still gets a shot on Lebanon Valley goalie Dan Ritter (31). Freshman forward George Curry scored a power play goal with 13 seconds left in overtime for a thrilling 4-3 Canton win.
(Cody Jenne photo)  Game Gallery

SUNY Canton goalie Morgan Barr (34) makes a diving save to stop a hard shot from Lebanon Valley’s Adam Thomas (3).

Feb. 15: The SUNY Canton men’s ice hockey team dropped a 3-1 decision to Mercyhurst College Friday on Senior Night at Roos House. Prior to the start of the third period, seniors Chris Giczewski (Fountain Valley, Calif.), Brad Wilson (Orleans, Ontario) and John Payne (Port Moody, B.C.), who could not attend the game because he is doing an internship with the Manchester Monarchs, were honored and recognized along with their parents.  The three have combined for 82 wins, 95, goals, 155 assists, and 250 total points in their careers. Both teams skated to even 0-0 tie after one period as the Roos held a 7-6 advantage in shots in a fast moving first 20 minutes. The Lakers went ahead 1-0 just over eight minutes into the second period on a strange goal.  The Roos were doing a good job keeping the puck down low in the offensive zone, and after a shot from the left point was blocked, the Lakers Pat Dolan skated the puck up the left wing and from just outside the blue line flipped a shot on goal that deflected off SUNY Canton goalie Luis Puig (Chicago, Ill.) into the net. SUNY Canton, who outshot the Lakers 14-6 in the second period, eventually tied the game with 3:04 on the clock.  Sophomore Austin Root (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) won an in-zone faceoff and after a shot from up high was blocked, the Roos circled the puck back around to sophomore J.R. Lafferty (Williamstown, N.J.) who unleashed a rocket from the top of the left circle that was blocked by Mercyhurst goalie Bryan Danczak.  The rebound popped out to Root whose follow shot was blocked by a diving Danczak.  But he gave up another rebound and freshman George Curry (Shaumburg, Ill.) was right there to bury the puck into the open net for his fourth goal of the year. Mercyhurst went back ahead by a goal just 49 seconds into the third period when Kevin Valasek scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal after a wild scrum in front of the Roos net. Both teams had excellent two-on-one breaks a minute apart with less than six minutes remaining in the final stanza.  The Roos had the first shot but their breakaway attempt was stopped by a sliding Danczak.  The Lakers came right back with 6:04 left on their own breakaway, but a shot headed for the low right corner was stopped on a terrific pad save from Puig. The Roos pulled Puig with 1:15 left and got off two good shots but couldn’t come up with the equalizer, and Mercyhurst put the game away with an empty net score with 53 seconds left. Puig finished with 20 saves, and Danczak had 35 for the Lakers.

Feb. 2: Sophomore David Schneider (Indianapolis, Ind.) scored two goals on Saturday as the SUNY Canton men’s ice hockey team lost to SUNY Geneseo 5-3. Junior Cory Giczewski (Fountain Valley, Calif.) added a goal and an assist for the Roos, who dipped to 7-14 overall. Sophomores J.R. Lafferty (Williamstown, N.J.) and  Dave Ferris (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) each had an assist, and sophomore Morgan Barr (Almonte, Ontario) made 40 saves in goal. Ryan Bulach scored twice to lead the Knights, and Adrian Rubeniuk recorded 22 saves. The Roos return to the home ice next weekend for a two-game series against Franklin Pierce University.
 

SUNY Canton’s Rob Liggio (Canton, NY) lays a hit on Canisius’s Alex Baumgardner (11) along the end boards behind the Griffins' net. SUNY Canton outshot the Griffs 58-22 including an 18-6 advantage in the first period as they built a 3-0 lead, en route to a 7-1 win. Freshman Dave Schneider netted three goals.  (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

The shot by SUNY Canton’s Dave Schneider (14) is turned away by Canisius goaltender Josh LiPuma (30).

SUNY Plattsburgh's Nick Jensen (14) forechecks the puck, then fights his way around the body check from Wesleyan's Brad Improta (11) to set up a scoring opportunity.  Game Gallery

SUNY Plattsburgh goaltender Mathieu Cadieux steers aside a bouncing puck in the semifinal game.  (Camron Waters photo)

Feb. 23: The Geneseo ice hockey team (17-9-1) lost 6-1 at Plattsburgh (19-6-1) in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship Tournament Saturday. The second-seeded Cardinals scored a pair of power play goals early in the third period to pull away from a one-goal game. Senior forward Kaz Iwamoto (Tomakomai, Japan/Wyoming Seminary) scored Geneseo’s goal late in the second period, converting a pass from first year defenseman Nate Brown (Bethel Park, Pa./Bay State Breakers). Sophomore Bryan Haude (Hilton/NY Wolfpack) stopped 23 shots in goal.

Feb. 16: Kevin Emmerling scored a pair of goals to help lift the Plattsburgh State men’s hockey team to a 4-3 win over Oswego State in front of a sellout crowd of 2,087 at the Stafford Ice Arena Saturday night.   With the win, the Cardinals wrap up the regular season with an 18-6-1 record overall and a 13-2-1 mark in conference play. Plattsburgh State will enter the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) playoffs as the second seed, finishing with 27 points.   Oswego State will have home-ice throughout the playoffs as the top seed with 28 points. Tonight’s loss drops the Lakers to 21-4-0 overall and 14-2-0 in the SUNYAC.   The special teams played a crucial role for both squads with the Lakers drawing first blood on a power-play goal at 14:42 of the first period by Bobby Gertsakis. Gertsakis took a centering pass from Paul Rodrigues and put it right between the legs of Plattsburgh goaltender Mathieu Cadieux to give Oswego State a 1-0 lead.   The Cardinals evened the score with 2:11 remaining in the first on Mark Constantine’s power-play goal that sailed through the screen and over the glove side of Oswego State goalie Andrew Hare.   Plattsburgh struck again on the power-play at 14:01 with Emmerling’s first of the night. Dillan Fox ripped a shot from the top of the slot that drilled Hare in the facemask before Emmerling buried the rebound to put the Cardinals up 2-1.   The Lakers knotted the score again at the 17:26 mark of the middle stanza when Matt Singleton was able to get the puck away from a Plattsburgh defender for a short-handed breakaway. Cadieux came out of the net and knocked the puck away from Singleton but Plattsburgh failed to clear the loose puck and David Titanic was right there to fire it into the net for Oswego’s second of the evening.   Oswego’s momentum was short-lived as the Cardinals answered right back at 18:39 to regain the lead. Nick Jensen’s shot got a piece of Hare before trickling in the net to give Plattsburgh a 3-2 lead to close out the second period. Jared Docking and Dillan Fox picked up assists on the first even-strength goal of the night.   Emmerling scored his second of the game at 7:45 of the third period for the eventual game-winning goal. The Lakers gave the puck away behind their own net and Connor Gorman was there to intercept and bring the puck around front to find Emmerling. Hare was able to make the initial stop on the shot but the Cardinals’ leading goal-scorer poked in his own rebound for his 14th of the year.   Back-to-back penalties on the Cardinals made things interesting midway through the third. With Plattsburgh State down two skaters, the Lakers executed a perfect tic-tac-toe to come within one at 10:52 on a goal by Luke Moodie. Jon Whitelaw and Rodrigues added assists but that was as close as the Lakers would come.   Plattsburgh held a 35-29 advantage in shots on goal both goaltenders came up with some big saves throughout the night. Cadieux finished the evening with 26 saves to improve to 14-6-1. Hare stopped 31 shots in the loss for the Lakers.   The win marks the first for the Cardinals at home against the Lakers since March 7, 2009. The Cardinals also recognized the 2012-13 seniors Patrick Jobb, Mike Grace, Josh Leis, Paul Puglisi and Jared Docking in a brief ceremony prior to Saturday’s game.   Both Plattsburgh and Oswego will receive first-round byes in the SUNYAC postseason. No. 3 Geneseo will host No. 6 Potsdam on Wednesday in the SUNYAC Quarterfinals while No. 4 Buffalo State will host No. 5 Fredonia. Oswego will host the lowest remaining seed on Saturday, Feb. 23 and Plattsburgh will play host to the second lowest remaining seed. All postseason games are set for 7 p.m.

Potsdam’s Bill Tsekos (18) puts a backhand shot on net that gets deflected by the goalies blocker wide of the net.

Feb. 20: SUNY Geneseo (17-8-1) scored five second period goals to seize control of its SUNYAC Quarterfinal matchup with the SUNY Potsdam men’s hockey team (9-16-1) and down the Bears 8-0. David Ripple scored twice for the Ice Knights. Geneseo was on the defensive early as Colin de Jersey was whistled for a trip just 39 seconds into the contest. Potsdam fired two shots on goal before Geneseo successfully killed off the penalty. The Ice Knights then went on the offensive, outshooting the Bears 10-1 over the rest of the period. However, Potsdam freshman goaltender Austin Keiser (Dunwoody, Ga./Boston Bulldogs) was strong over the first 20 minutes, keeping the contest scoreless heading into the break. After the teams traded penalties seven seconds apart early in the second period, the Ice Knights’ Alex Lubczuk scored a four-on-four marker with a wrap-around move. After the goal, Geneseo continued its momentum with back-to-back power plays. Potsdam killed the first, but Ripple scored with three seconds left in the second after his shot deflected off a Bears’ defenseman and past Keiser. At the 9:25 mark, Tyler Brickler struck to make it a 3-0 Ice Knights’ lead. Potsdam freshman forward Jake Rivera (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Hartford Wolfpack) had a goal waved off 48 seconds later. Geneseo made the Bears pay 37 seconds after that as Ryan Donnelly beat Keiser glove-side. Junior goalie Shane Talarico (Greensburg, Pa./Elmira College) replaced Keiser after the goal. At 16:49, the Ice Knights went on a five-minute power play and Zachary Vit added a fifth goal 49 seconds later. Potsdam trailed 5-0 after 40 minutes. Nate Brown made it 6-0 1:40 into the second period, while still on the major power play. At the 6:26 mark, Corbin Rosmarin scored another power play goal. Less than two minutes later, Carson Schell buried the puck off a scramble in front. At 13:52, Ripple notched his second to cap the scoring at 9-0. In goal, Keiser allowed four goals on 23 shots over the first 30:40, while Talarico gave up five on 33 shots in the final 29:20. Bryan Haude stopped all 22 shots he faced to record the first shutout in the history of the series between the two schools. The Bears were 0-4 on the man advantage and Geneseo was 4-7. The contest marks the end of the careers of Potsdam seniors Matt Viola (Toronto, Ontario/Vaughan Vipers) and Brett Water (Uxbridge, Ontario/Markham Waxers).

Feb. 16:  On Senior Night, senior captain Brett Waters scored the decisive goal in the SUNY Potsdam men's hockey team's (9-15-1, 6-10 SUNYAC) playoff clinching 2-1 victory over SUNY Cortland (7-15-1, 3-11-2) at Massena Arena on Saturday night. Sophomore forward Ryan Miller scored the other goal for the Bears and freshman goalie Austin Keiser (Dunwoody, Ga./Boston Bulldogs) earned his fifth career win with 29 saves. Potsdam controlled the play in the first period, outshooting the Red Dragons 12-6. The Bears finally broke through at the 6:35 mark. Sophomore forward Dan McCamey attempted to center the puck, but it was deflected perfectly onto the stick of the trailing Miller. Miller grazed the crossbar with a high shot that beat Cortland junior goalie Lyle Rocker over his right shoulder. Freshman forward Matt Thompson recorded the second assist. The score remained the same into the first break. The teams continued to play a tightly contested game throughout the second period. Both teams had their chances, but struggled to score. Nearly five minutes into the period, Rocker robbed Bears junior forward Adam Place on a shot from the slot. Five minutes later, Keiser returned the favor on a shot from Red Dragon sophomore defenseman Jeff Vanzant. At the 4:00 minute mark, Cortland junior forward Adam Bevilacqua missed a wide open net after a pretty passing play on the power play. At 18:08, Red Dragon senior forward Mike Lysyj made the Bears pay for a turnover with shorthanded breakaway goal to tie the score. Waters struck just 3:14 into the final 20 minutes. He fired a shot from the right point that beat a screened Rocker five-hole. Sophomore defenseman Erick Ware and sophomore forward Ken Simon each assisted on the goal. Cortland responded with intense pressure late and the Bears struggled to clear the zone. Keiser came up with several key saves in the closing minutes. With 55 seconds left, Rocker was pulled for an extra attacker. He reentered the game with 15 seconds left for a neutral zone faceoff and never got another chance to get to the bench. Rocker finished with 28 saves. Both teams were 0-3 on the power play. Potsdam finishes with a season sweep of Cortland for the first time in three seasons and is now 53-28-1 against the Red Dragons all-time. Before the game, two year-old Claire Nezezon of Norwood, N.Y. dropped the first puck to help raise awareness of cystic fibrosis. Nezezon is battling the disease.  

SUNY Potsdam’s Matt Viola (10) fires a wrist shot in front of the Castleton State defender. 

Geneseo goalie Cory Gershon (30) slides out on his belly to block a shot of Potsdam’s Bill Tsekos (18), while Geneseo’s Colin de Jersey (28) tries to check the puck away from behind.

SUNY Plattsburgh’s Justine Fisher (21) fires a shot that is turned away by the blocker of Potsdam goaltender Jen Conophy (1). Potsdam jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but was unable to hold off eighth-ranked Plattsburgh in a 5-2 final.  Cardinals' Teal Grove scored two goals.  (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

Mar. 15: The Plattsburgh State women’s hockey team’s hopes were dashed in the NCAA Semifinals Friday night as the Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season, falling 4-1 to the Middlebury Panthers at Wessman Arena on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Superior.   The last time Plattsburgh State lost a game was in the 2012 NCAA Semifinals, a 2-1 overtime loss to RIT exactly 364 days ago. Saturday’s loss snaps a 29-game unbeaten streak for the Cardinals.   Both teams had good looks early in the first period. Middlebury fired a shot that hit the near post and bounced back out. Plattsburgh State responded a few minutes later when Giovanna Senese found Chelsea VanGlahn alone in the slot, but VanGlahn was denied by Middlebury goaltender Annabelle Jones.   The Cardinals ran into penalty trouble in the first, drawing four penalties and giving the Panthers the chance to strike first. Middlebury cashed in its first power-play opportunity when Plattsburgh State’s penalty-kill unit failed to clear the puck. Lauren Greer gathered the loose puck and roofed a shot over Plattsburgh State goaltender Sydney Aveson to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the 10:10 mark.   Plattsburgh State gained some momentum with a number of good opportunities at the start of the second period, including a no-goal call within the first minutes. Teal Gove got a stick on a high shot that rolled past Jones but the officials ruled a high stick and waived off the goal, allowing Middlebury to retain a 1-0 lead.   The Panthers made it a 2-0 lead on a Plattsburgh turnover at the blueline that led to a breakaway for Emily Fluke. A Cardinals’ defender stayed on Fluke down the ice but Middlebury’s sophomore forward was able to get enough of a shot off for the puck to trickle past Aveson at the 3:40 mark.   With 3:07 gone in final period, VanGlahn deflected a feed from Ali Vakos to cut the deficit to 2-1. A few minutes later, VanGlahn almost struck again when she stole a puck deep in the offensive end but her shot rang off the crossbar and went out of play.   The Cardinals’ offense continued to generate opportunities throughout the third but Jones was able to withstand the pressure. The Panthers’ sophomore goaltender finished the day with 20 saves, including nine stops in each of the final two periods.   The backbreaker came late in the third when Molly Downey scored off a scrum in front at the 17:25 mark to give Middlebury a 3-1 lead.   Head Coach Kevin Houle pulled Aveson with 2:18 remaining to give the Cardinals a chance but the Panthers got an empty-net goal from Maggie Woodward with 17 seconds left to lock up Middlebury’s spot in the championship game on Saturday night.   Aveson recorded 19 saves for the Cardinals and drops to 22-1-2 on the year.   With the loss, Plattsburgh State drops to 26-1-2 on the year while Middlebury improves to 20-7-2.   The Cardinals will look to end their season with a victory in Saturday’s third-place game. Plattsburgh State will face Gustavus Adolphus, who lost 4-3 in overtime to Elmira in the second semifinal game Friday night. The third-place game is set for 3:30 CDT/4:30 EDT and will be followed by the championship game between Middlebury and Elmira at 7 p.m. CDT/8 p.m. EDT.

Mar. 9: A pair of goals from Teal Gove helped lead the Plattsburgh State women’s hockey team to a 5-2 win in the NCAA Quarterfinals against St. Norbert Saturday afternoon at the Stafford Ice Arena.   The victory secures Plattsburgh State’s spot in the NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championships on Friday and Saturday in Superior, Wis. The trip west will be the seventh NCAA Final Four appearance for the Cardinals, who improve to 26-0-2 on the year.   With the loss, the Green Knights close out a remarkable season at 18-10-2.   Plattsburgh State grabbed control of the game early in the first period when Mia Favretto’s pass from the right point found Gove at the back door and the Cardinals’ leading scorer drilled in home to make it 1-0 at the 3:14 mark.   With the Cardinals on the power play, Allison Era threw shot on net from just inside the blue line that was knocked away by St. Norbert goaltender Kaley Gibson. Gibson was unable to hold on to the puck and Chelsea VanGlahn lifted the rebound over the goaltender’s glove side with three seconds left in the first to give Plattsburgh State a 2-0 lead.   Gove picked up her second of the afternoon through the five-hole of Gibson, scoring off Emma Rutherford’s rebound at 14:54 of the second period to stretch the lead to 3-0. Gove leads the Cardinals with 27 goals on the year.   Shannon Stewart got in on the action at 18:03 punching in her own rebound to push the score to 4-0 in favor of the Cardinals. Allison Era was credited with an assist on Stewart’s goal.   The Green Knights would not go down without a fight, getting on the board at 8:14 of the third on Zoe Kurth’s 12th of the year. Kurth stole the puck in the neutral zone, skated in and put her shot through the legs of Plattsburgh State goaltender Sydney Aveson to bring St. Norbert within three.   St. Norbert started to gain some momentum midway through the final period, causing Plattsburgh State Head Coach Kevin Houle to call a timeout at 10:02 to refocus the Cardinals. Despite the timeout, the visitors struck again at 16:23 when St. Norbert’s leading scorer Henriette Ostergaard found the back of the net to make it a 4-2 game. Ostergaard trapped the puck at the blue line and had her initial shot blocked by a Cardinals’ defender before scoring on the rebound for her 16th of the season.   The Cardinals quickly regained a three-goal lead, answering back 45 seconds later on Emma Rutherford’s goal. Rutherford went end-to-end and used a toe-drag to get around a defender before scoring off the backhand to make it 5-2.   Aveson recorded 13 saves to improve to 22-0-2 for the Cardinals. Gibson gave the Green Knights a strong effort between the pipes, stopping 16 shots in the second period and 33 overall for St. Norbert.   In other NCAA Quarterfinal action, Middlebury rallied to defeat Norwich, 3-2, in overtime and Gustavus Adolphus topped Wis.-River Falls, 2-1. In the last game of the evening, Elmira skated to a 4-0 win over Bowdoin.

Clarkson’s Christine Lambert (22) chips the puck past RPI goalie Kelly O’Brien for a score. Jamie Lee Rattray scored a pair of unassisted goals in the second period to help fifth-ranked Clarkson women's hockey team clinch their ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal series, taking Game Two of the best-of-three series 5-2.   (Cody Jenne photo)  Game Gallery

Mar. 9: After sweeping the regular-season series from Harvard, the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team could not carry over its good fortune against the nationally-ranked Crimson into the playoffs as the Golden Knights fell 4-2 in the semifinal round of the ECAC Hockey Championship Tournament at Lynah Rink in Ithaca on Saturday afternoon. In a tightly played defensive game, Harvard took advantage of its limited chances, while the Knights could not capitalize on some excellent chances early. Clarkson outshot the 6th/7th-ranked Crimson 28-25. At 28-9 overall and ranked fifth in the national polls, the Knights will now await word on a probable berth in the upcoming eight-team NCAA Tournament, which will be announced on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Harvard, with a 24-5-3 overall record, will play host Cornell (26-5-1) in Sunday’s ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship game. The Knights outshot Harvard 11-6 in the first period, but the Crimson struck first early in the contest to hold a 1-0 lead through the opening 20 minutes. At 2:06 the Crimson’s Mary Parker’s took a shot in close that fluttered up and over Clarkson junior goaltender Erica Howe (Ottawa, ONT) and just across the goal line. Clarkson started the second period on the power play and generated some good opportunities, but could not get a shot past Harvard’s freshman goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer. After killing off the Knights’ man-advantage, the Crimson enjoyed the better of the play in the stanza outshooting the Green and Gold 10-4. Jillian Dempsey redirected in a shot from the point by Sarah Edney with just nine seconds remaining in a Harvard power play to give the Crimson a 2-0 lead at 15:02. Harvard went on top 3-0 at 3:10 of the third when Miye D’Oench scored on a high shot from the bottom of the left circle. Clarkson finally got on the scoreboard and snapped the Crimson’s stretch of shutout playoff hockey at 167:38 when the Knights’ leading scorer, junior Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, ONT) knocked in a bouncing puck during a scramble in front at 12:22. Freshman defenseman Erin Ambrose (Keswick, ONT) and senior Danielle Skirrow (Trenton, ONT) assisted on the goal that close the gapped to 3-1. The Knights had an excellent opportunity to make it a one-goal game when they went on the power play at 16:18, and pulled Erica Howe for another extra attacker to go on 6-4 advantage. Harvard, however, was able to kill it off and added an empty-net goal by Parker with 2:40 remaining. With 15.8 seconds left junior Vanessa Gagnon (St. Constant, QUE) scored in her fourth straight game, finishing off a passing play by freshmen defensemen Ambrose and Reneta Fast (Burlington, ONT). It was too little too late, however, as time ran out on the Knights. Howe finished with 21 saves. Maschmeyer posted 26 stops. Clarkson was 0-of-5 on the power play, while Harvard went 1-of-3 with the man-advantage.

Mar. 2: Junior Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, ONT) scored a pair of unassisted goals in the second period to help the fifth-ranked Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team clinch its ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals series over Rensselaer, taking game two of the series 5-2 to earn a sweep over the Engineers in front of 280 fans Saturday afternoon at Cheel Arena. The Golden Knights improved to 28-8-0 overall on the season while Rensselaer finished its campaign at 10-22-4. Clarkson, seeded second in the ECAC Hockey playoffs, will face third-seeded Harvard in the semifinals to be held on Friday at Cornell University. Clarkson spent four minutes killing off power plays and was up a skater for four minutes itself, and though the Knights’ first-period goal was not on the man-advantage, their play on special teams was certainly superior in the opening frame. The Knights out shot RPI 14-5 in the period, and had six shots on the power play, one more than their opponent’s entire total in the first 20 minutes. Despite the advantage, it wasn’t until Clarkson’s final shot that the Green and Gold were able to break the scoreless tie. With the puck lose in front of the RPI goal, freshman forward Shannon MacAulay (Mt. Herbert, PEI) was able to jam the puck past Engineers’ goaltender Kelly O’Brien with just 34 seconds left in the frame to give Clarkson a 1-0 advantage. The unassisted goal was MacAulay’s eighth of the season. In the second period, the Knights picked up a pair of goals thanks to some impressive work by junior Jamie Lee Rattray. Skating down a player after a penalty, Rattray and the rest of the penalty kill unit made it appear as if Clarkson was on the power play, holding the puck in the Rensselaer end and getting a few good opportunities. Near the end of the shift, Rattray outworked two RPI defenders for the puck near the blue line and won the puck for a one-on-one with O’Brien, with Rattray coming out on top with her 21st score of the year. A couple of stick moves ended in a backhand past O’Brien’s gloveside, giving Clarkson a 2-0 lead at 11:53 with the Knights needing to skate just 18 more seconds before the RPI power play was over. Just a few moments later, another hustle play gave Clarkson a three-goal advantage. One attempt was deflected out to Rattray near the top of the left circle and she skated in stride to take a slapshot that ticked off the post and in for another unassisted goal, this time at 14:51, her 22nd of the season. Following a power play chance by RPI, the Engineers were able to pull back to within a pair of goals midway through the third period. Mariana Walsh gained control of the puck away from a stunned Shelby Nisbet (Wiseton, SASK), who was inadvertently hit in the helmet on the play. From there, Walsh passed the puck into the slot to Lauren Walsh, who wristed the puck past Erica Howe (Ottawa, ONT) at 10:43. Clarkson took little time getting its three-goal advantage back, as Renata Fast (Burlington, ONT) skated in on a rush towards the RPI goal. The puck found its way back to freshman Olivia Howe (Moose Jaw, SASK) at the bottom of the slot and she quickly wristed it in at 13:50 for her sixth goal of the season. Fast assisted, her seventh of the year, as did Christine Lambert (Thetford Mines, QUE) for her seventh assist of the season. Following a timeout, RPI pulled its goaltender and put plenty of pressure on the Knights, but eventually Clarkson was able to clear the zone and Rattray looked ready to complete a hat trick before being taken down near center ice. Regardless, she was able to push the puck up to junior Vanessa Gagnon (St. Constant, QUE), who finished off the empty-net goal, her ninth of the year, at 17:36. Some sloppy play ended the contest with a handful of penalties on both sides, and late in the contest RPI scored to pull back to within three. With 5.1 seconds remaining Katie Daniels wristed a shot from the top of the slot for her second goal of the year. Jordan Smelker and Taylor Horton each earned assists. Erica Howe made 17 saves for the Golden Knights earning her 27th win of the season, while Kelly O’Brien denied 29 shots. Clarkson out shot RPI 34-19 in the contest, and the Knights were  0-for-7 on the power play while RPI was held scoreless in six extra-skater chances.

Clarkson celebrates Jamie Lee Rattray’s goal that gave the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead in the second period. With a stingy defensive performance and a balanced offensive effort the Clarkson women’s hockey team defeated archrival St. Lawrence 3-1. The Golden Knights have won five of their last six games.   (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

Harvard’s Emerance Maschmeyer (38) saves a shot from Clarkson’s Vanessa Gagnon (21) in the second period. A hat trick from junior Carly Mercer propelled the Clarkson women’s hockey team to a 3-1 upset win over second-ranked Harvard, dealing the Crimson their first conference loss of the season.
(John LaRue photo)  Game Gallery


Clarkson’s Shelby Nisbet (13) celebrates after scoring the first goal of the game against St. Lawrence. Clarkson's Danielle Skirrow buried the puck with 3:24 remaining to break a 2-2 tie and lift the Golden Knights past archrival St. Lawrence University 3-2 in a weekend sweep. Clarkson won 1-0 in the game.  (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

St. Lawrence University’s Jacqueline Wand (22) controls the puck while racing up the ice against Clarkson’s Renata Fast (12).  Clarkson downed St. Lawrence 3-1, as the Saints suffered nine penalties. (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery
 

Mar. 9: The St. Lawrence University women's hockey team rallied from a two-goal deficit in the second period to tie the score at 2-2 with the hosting Big Red heading into the third period of Saturday's ECAC Hockey semifinal game in Ithaca, NY. However, Taylor Woods' third goal of the game proved to be the game-winner, coming with only 1:51 left, lifting the Big Red to the conference championship game on Sunday behind a 4-2 victory against the Saints. The Big Red (25-5-1) will take on the winner of Clarkson and Harvard at 1:00pm tomorrow on ESPN3. St. Lawrence's title defense and season comes to an end with a record of 19-14-5. Junior Rylee Smith scored both goals for the Scarlet and Brown, becoming the 20th player in University history to reach 100 career points. "That is the way I believe the game ought to be played. Two teams giving everything they have, working hard on both ends of the ice," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells. "This group has been resilient all year and they came through again in the second period. Cornell is a great team, Doug (Derraugh) is a great coach and they earned the win today." St. Lawrence gave the Big Red all they could handle throughout the game, as Cornell held a slight 29-27 advantage in shots on goal. Both goaltenders, St. Lawrence's Carmen MacDonald and Cornell's Lauren Slebodnick, made 25 saves in the contest. Cornell closed with a 1-for-3 mark on the power play, while St. Lawrence was 0-for-4, including a chance to take the lead late in the third when they were awarded a 5-on-3 advantage. Cornell would assert itself in the opening period, but St. Lawrence held its own as MacDonald steered away several good chances for the home team. It wasn't until 17:37 of the first that Woods would strike for Cornell, stealing the puck behind MacDonald's net and banging in her own rebound for a 1-0 lead. The Cornell power play would keep the momentum churning only 1:31 later, as Woods was able to corral a rebound and beat MacDonald for a 2-0 lead with only 52 seconds left in the period. Lauriane Rougeau and ECAC Hockey Player of the Year Brianne Jenner assisted on the insurance goal. The Saints would settle into the game during the second period, outshooting their opponents 12-6 and controlling the pace. Smith got the visitors within a goal at 2-1, sniping a wrist shot past Slebodnick at 14:43 for her 14th of the year with Dayle Wilkinson picking up the assist. After St. Lawrence successful killed a penalty, a Cornell turnover in the offensive zone gave senior captain Kelly Sabatine and Smith a clear 2-on-0 against Slebodnick. Sabatine used a slick drop pass to her linemate, catching Slebodnick off guard as Smith buried her second goal in 3:26, tying the score at 2-2. Both teams had excellent scoring chances throughout the third period, as Woods nearly had the hat trick on a backhand try from the slot until MacDonald flashed leather and snagged the bid. Sophomore Kayla Raniwsky had a great 1-on-1 try with Slebodnick, but was turned away from the right circle keeping the game tied. St. Lawrence's best chance came with 7:08 remaining, as they were awarded a :31 second 5-on-3 power play with Jillian Saulnier and Emily Fulton sent off for Cornell. The Big Red penalty kill did its job, though killing off the advantages, though a tip by Sabatine towards goal beat Slebodnick but rang off the right post. After Woods came out of the penalty box, the Saints got caught in a change, giving the Big Red an odd-man rush up ice. Jenner found Laura Fortino, who laid a beautiful crossing pass to the top of the crease where Woods re-directed it past a sprawled-out MacDonald for the hat trick and a 3-2 lead with only 1:38 remaining. St. Lawrence would get the puck deep into Cornell territory, and pulled MacDonald for an extra attacker. Though the Saints had a few chances near the goal, the Big Red successfully cleared the zone and Jenner put the game away with an empty net tally with under :40 seconds left for the 4-2 win. Saturday's game was the last for the five St. Lawrence University seniors, including Sabatine, co-captain Jamie Goldsmith, Brooke Fernandez, Kayla Sullivan and Michelle Ng. They leave St. Lawrence having been a part of 75 wins and the program's first ECAC Hockey title in 2012.

Mar. 2: The St. Lawrence University women's hockey team battled back from a 2-0 deficit in the final :32 seconds of regulation to force overtime against Quinnipiac University on Saturday afternoon in game two of the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals in Hamden, CT. However, after two overtimes, Amanda Colin would win it for the Bobcats on a slick breakaway move, setting up a deciding game three tomorrow afternoon at 2:00pm. The Bobcats (20-11-4) finished with a 60-59 advantage in shots on goal in the game, which lasted 100:58 the longest game in St. Lawrence women's hockey history. Carmen MacDonald was outstanding again in net, making a career-best 57 saves, while Victoria Vigilanti was equally brilliant for the home team, matching her 57 stops. "That was an experience that's hard to explain. Both teams had great chances and each puck possession was a game within a game," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells, whose team saw its five-game winning streak in the ECAC Hockey Tournament come to an end. "When you are involved in these types of games, it is always nice to see a good goal win it. (Colin) made a fantastic play and finish to send this to a third game. It's a short turn-around for both teams, but we will both be ready." The Bobcats seemed to have the game in hand, thanks to goals by Kristen Eklund and Colin in the first and second periods. Eklund scored at 10:57 of the first on a sharp angle shot that went off of MacDonald and in for her first goal of the season. Colin would then make it 2-0 at 15:52 of the second, banging home a rebound off a shot by Shelby Wignall. St. Lawrence had several good bids throughout the game on Vigilanti, but it appeared they were going to be shutout as the game reached the final minute of regulation with Quinnipiac up 2-0. However, the drama was just beginning to unfold, as Rylee Smith cut the deficit to 2-1 at 19:28, re-directing a shot past Vigilanti off a feed from senior captain Kelly Sabatine. The Saints would pull MacDonald for the extra attacker, and worked the puck into the offensive zone. With seconds ticking down, Amanda Boulier fed Mel Desrochers who fired a last-chance shot towards. The puck was again deflected by Smith past Vigilanti, tying the game with only 00:00.2 remaining, sending the game into overtime. The first overtime belonged to MacDonald, as she made 15 saves to keep her team alive in search of a series sweep including robbing standout Kelly Babstock on several tries. However, it was St. Lawrence that had the better of the play in the second extra session, forcing Vigilanti to make 14 saves to send it to a third overtime. Kayla Sullivan and Smith had great chances to win it in the second OT, and rookie Abbey McRae had a chance with Vigilanti out of position but was unable to square up a shot. Sullivan again had a great try from the top of the crease in the third overtime, but Vigilanti stopped the shot and didn't give up a rebound to keep Quinnipiac's season alive. On the ensuing shift, the puck was sent to Colin along the right boards and she worked in 1-on-1 with a Saints defender. A slick move through the slot eluded the defenseman, and Colin tucked the puck past a sprawled out MacDonald, giving Quinnipiac a thrilling 3-2 triple overtime win at 8:55 as the Bobcats poured onto the ice to celebrate. Each team had one power play try, both failing to score, including a St. Lawrence advantage in the first overtime.

St. Lawrence University’s Amanda ulier (8) defends hard on a Harvard attacker. The Saints held the lead twice against nationally-ranked No. 2 Harvard on Saturday afternoon. The Crimson would answer both times and come away with a 3-2 overtime victory, with the game-winner from Kalley Armstrong at 2:10 of overtime.  (Camron Waters photo)  Game Gallery

Boston College’s Blake Bolden (10) celebrates her overtime goal to spoil St. Lawrence's comeback upset bid of the #5 Eagles. The Saints women rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period to force overtime, but Bolden netted the game winner only 1:49 into the extra session in a 4-3 Boston College win.
(Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

St. Lawrence University goalie Carmen MacDonald (30) makes a blocker pad save on a close-range shot from the Minnesota offense. McDonald felt constant attack from the Gophers whose sustained pressure produced eleven goals in 5-0 and 6-0 wins in the weekend series. (Stephens photo) Game Gallery

SUNY Potsdam’s Natasha Allen (27) controls the puck while on a rush, defended hard by a Neumann College player. Potsdam forged an early 3-0 lead on goals by Alexandra Holowka, Natasha Allen and Sally Mooney. The Neumann Knights rallied for goals on a breakaway and a pulled goalie, but came up short 3-2.  (Camron Waters photo)  Game Gallery

SUNY Potsdam’s Emilee Hazelden (12) cleans up a rebound off Neumann keeper Shannon Donnelly for Potsdam’s third goal. 

Feb. 22: Fourth-seeded Utica College (16-8-1) defeated the fifth-seeded SUNY Potsdam women's ice hockey team (10-14-2) 5-1 in the ECAC West Quarterfinals at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Friday night. Louise Steele-Norton and Morgan Reed each recorded two goals and an assist to lead the Pioneers, while junior forward Jessica Silveira scored a power-play goal for the Bears. About two minutes into the contest the game was delayed by a scoreboard outage. After the game resumed, Steele-Norton scored on the rebound after a scramble in front for a 1-0 Utica lead at the 10:08 mark. Reed struck just over three minutes later with a wrap-around attempt. Potsdam outshot the Pioneers 6-5 in the first period. At the 5:38 mark of the second period, Silveira roofed the rebound on a chance in front of the net to close the gap to 2-1. Freshman forward Sally Mooney assisted on the goal. As the momentum seemed to shift in the Bears favor, Steele-Norton struck again, scoring on a blast from the right point on the power play. At 15:34, Megan Myers scored on a breakaway, tucking puck just between the crossbar and right shoulder for senior goalie Jen Conophy. Potsdam had several strong scoring opportunities, but Hamel was able to make timely saves and the Pioneer defense cleared the rebounds. Despite the Utica goals, Conophy was especially sharp in the middle stanza. The senior easily handled three other breakaway opportunities. The teams traded penalties throughout the period. On Utica's final power play, Reed tapped home the end of a pretty passing play to cap the scoring at 5-1. Conophy, the Bears all-time wins leader, finished her career with 20 saves. Pioneer goalie Jennifer Hamel earned her 10th victory of the season with 23 saves. Utica was 2-5 on the man-advantage and Potsdam was 1-5. The contest marked the end of college careers of Bears seniors Conophy, Katie Komsa, Brittany Westlake and Nadine Cunningham.

Feb. 16: The SUNY Potsdam women's hockey team (9-13-2, 5-9-1 ECAC West) held off Buffalo State (6-17-1, 3-12 ECAC West) to claim the 4-3 victory Saturday night. Freshman forward Sally Mooney scored the game-winning goal 8:21 into the second period to secure the decision. Junior forward Amanda Lucky recorded a goal and an assist to lead the Bears with two points (1g-1a-2pts). Potsdam was the first to strike as Lucky received a pass from sophomore forward Izzy Fayerman at the 12:49 mark in the first period. Buffalo State would answer one minute later when senior forward Tara Boliard stole a pass and buried the puck to notch the game at 1-1. At the 15:14 mark, Alexandra Holowka connected on a shot assisted by sophomore forward Emilee Hazelden and freshman defenderKristen Domanski. Once again, the Bengals responded as freshman defenseman Nikki Kirchberger beat junior goalie Dawna Salvarinasjust 23 seconds later to tie the game 2-2 at the end of the first period. The Bears continued to find the back of net in the second period. Junior forward Jessica Silveira scored at the 7:17 mark. The Lucky sisters, Amanda and junior captain Brittany, recorded the assists on the play. Mooney then beat junior goalie Jordan Lee to notch the deciding marker a minute later. Buffalo State remained persistent and a late goal by sophomore forward Kara Goodwin brought the Bengals within one goal of Potsdam after the second period. The final stanza was tightly contest with the Bears edging Buffalo State in shots, 9-7. Potsdam made the switch in goal to senior goalie Jen Conophy to start the third period. The Bears took two penalties midway through the period but were able to kill the Buffalo State power play opportunities. With 35 ticks remaining on the clock, the Bengals pulled Lee for the extra attacker. However, Conophy and the Potsdam defense would hold off the barrage to secure the win. Salvarinas recorded 16 saves and Conophy tallied seven in relief. Lee finished with 33 saves for the Bengals. Potsdam was 0-3 on the power play and Buffalo State went 0-4 on the man advantage. Potsdam returns to Cheel Arena tomorrow to conclude their series with Buffalo State at 2 p.m. The Bears clinch a playoff spot with a victory tomorrow and a Neumann loss to Plattsburgh will move Potsdam into fifth place. A loss would eliminate the Bears from playoff contention.
 

SUNY Potsdam’s Sally Mooney (22) and zy Fayerman (18) chase the loose rebound long with Castleton’s Christine Newton (20) and Danielle Roberts (9). Potsdam shook off an early goal to defeat Castleton State 4-1 for its fourth straight victory. The Bears got two goals and an assist from junior captain Brittany Lucky.  (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

Potsdam goalie Dawna Salvarinas (30) prepares herself to save a shot in the third period of a non-league game at Cheel Arena. SUNY Potsdam women rallied from an early deficit to defeat St. Michael’s College 3-1.  (John LaRue photo)  Game Gallery.

SUNY Canton’s Karly Cree (7) from Hogansburg, NY takes a hard wrist shot against the St. Lawrence Women’s club in a cross-town charity event. Cree collected three goals and three assists in leading the Roos to an 8-2 win. Canton built a 3-2 lead after one period, then scored five unanswered goals in the win.  (Cody Jenne photo)  Game Gallery

SUNY Canton’s Alyssa Altschuler (29) makes a diving save as a St. Lawrence University club player squares up for a shot.

Feb. 16: No. 5 SUNY Canton lost to top-seeded University of Massachusetts 8-2 Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League tournament at the Bradford R. Boss Arena in Kingston, R.I.   Freshmen goalie Alyssa Altschuler (Cheshire, Conn.) made a career-high 57 saves for the Roos, who fell to 8-13-1 overall. Altschuler bested her previous career high by five saves.   Freshman Robyn Carroll (Bowmanville, Ontario) scored her third goal of the tournament, after popping in two in Friday night’s 3-2 win over the University at Buffalo, and SUNY Canton's leading scorer Karley Cree (Hogansburg, N.Y.) also scored once.

Feb. 15: In a back-and-forth game that came down to the wire, No. 5 SUNY Canton upset No. 4 University of Buffalo 3-2 in the first round of the Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League tournament Friday night in Kingston, R.I. Freshman forward Robyn Carroll (Bowmanville, N.Y.) scored twice, sophomore defenseman Devyn Hutcheson (Oswego, N.Y.) had one goal, and freshman goalie Alyssa Altschuler (Cheshire, Conn.) was outstanding in her best game this season backstopping the Roos to another terrific victory in their first year.