POTSDAM, N.Y.-The ninth-ranked SUNY Plattsburgh Cardinals (1-0, 1-0 SUNYAC) overcame a spirited effort by the SUNY Potsdam men’s hockey team (0-1, 0-1) to win a 4-2 decision at a sold out Maxcy Ice Arena on Friday night. Bears senior forward Zach Blake(Campbellford, Ontario/SUNY Plattsburgh) scored two goals against his former team, but senior forward Michael Cassidy (West Seneca, N.Y./Buffalo Jr. Sabres) matched him for the Cardinals.
Potsdam took the ice with good energy and battled evenly with the Cardinals throughout the first period. Both goaltenders were sharp early and the first strong scoring chance didn’t come until just over halfway through the opening stanza when Blake rang Plattsburgh’s right goalpost. The Bears went on the power play shortly after and picked up momentum. At the 14:12 mark Blake finished a perfect give-and-go from sophomore forward Tommy Telesca (Selden, N.Y./New York Bobcats) to put Potsdam up 1-0. The score remained the same at the first intermission with the Bears holding a 13-11 shot advantage.
Potsdam got into penalty trouble early in the second period and the Cardinals went on a 44-second five-on-three power play at the 1:54mark. However, the Bears penalty killers put on a display and not only killed both penalties, but also allowed just one shot over the span. Potsdam’s defense continued to outwork Plattsburgh’s forwards and block shot after shot as the period ticked away. The second break arrived with the score unchanged.
The Cardinals finally broke out in the third period. At the 2:10 mark, senior defenseman Brian Beadow (Kapuskasing, Ontario/Vaughn Vipers) fired a shot from the right point past a screened Bears junior goalie Jon Hall (Dexter, N.Y./Stouffville Spirit) to tie the score. Senior forward Connor Toomey (Billerica, Mass./Merrimack College) assisted on the play. Just 33 seconds later Cassidy put Plattsburgh up for good, driving home a rebound off a shot from junior forward Kevin Emmerling (Northbridge, Mass./St. John’s Shrewsbury). At 5:36, Cassidy struck again, beating Hall point blank on another feed from Toomey. Potsdam refused to cave after the goal. The Cardinals were whistled for high sticking five minutes later to give the Bears their final man advantage. Seventeen seconds into the power play, junior forward Billy Pascalli (Deer Park, N.Y./New York Bobcats) set up Blake to close the gap to 3-2. Senior forward Trevor Cope (Swartz Creek, Mich./Atlanta Jr. Knights) nearly tied the score with 6:45 remaining, but Plattsburgh junior goalie Spencer Finney (Pontypool, Ontario/Colgate University) stopped the breakaway. At 14:13, freshman defenseman Ayrton Valente (Woodbridge, N.Y./Mississauga Chargers) sealed the win with an insurance marker on a helper from freshman forward Matt Quilty (Midland, Ontario/Caledonia Corvairs).
Hall finished with 35 saves, while Finney earned the win with 29 stops. The Cardinals outshot the Bears 39-31 on the night. Potsdam was 1-3 on the power play, while holding Plattsburgh to just 10 shots on eight fruitless man advantages.
