BROCKPORT, N.Y.-The SUNY Potsdam men’s hockey team (4-1-1, 1-1 SUNYAC) built a 6-1 lead and held off the College at Brockport (4-1-1, 1-1) 6-4 on Saturday afternoon. Six different Bears scored for Potsdam and senior goalie Brendan McMenimen (Merrimack, Mass./Islanders Hockey Club) finished with 41 saves.
Dylan Shapiro scored 3:27 into the contest, but the momentum didn’t continue for the Golden Eagles. The lead lasted just 33 seconds as sophomore forward Tyler Young (Massena, N.Y./Kanata Lasers) tied the game off a feed from junior defenseman Trevor Dennis (Rochester, N.Y./Buffalo Jr. Sabres). At the 12:23 mark, junior defenseman Dom Horvath (Toledo, Ohio/Brantford 99ers) struck to put Potsdam up for good. Junior forward Ben Mariano (Harrisburg, Pa./Hartford Wolfpack) made it a 3-1 contest with a shorthanded goal at 17:59. Eighteen first period saves from senior goalie Brendan McMenimen (Merrimack, Mass./Islanders Hockey Club) kept it a two-goal Bears lead after 20 minutes.
Just over four minutes into the second period, senior forward Joey Gillhooly (Brooklyn, N.Y./New York Bobcats) scored with assists from senior captains Dylan Vander Esch (San Jose, Calif./Hartford Wolfpack) and Kyle Thacker (Mississauga, Ontario/North York Rangers). At 11:01, freshman forward Paul Michura (Chester, N.J./New Jersey Rockets) extended the lead to 5-1 with his first career goal. Freshman defenseman Joseph Richardson (Palm Beach, Fla./PAL Islanders) collected his first career point with the assist. McMenimen stopped all eight shots he faced in the middle period.
The third period was a shootout as the teams combined for four more goals. Freshman forward Jacob Juron (Latham, N.Y./South Shore Kings) collected his first career goal at 3:44 of the third period. Brockport finally answered with two goals in a 29-second span. Danny Rock ended Potsdam’s run with a marker at 5:08 and Aidan Verbeke scored at 5:37, while on the power play. Shane Visnick closed the gap to 6-4 at the 13:20 mark. The Bears halted the run there, thanks in part to 14 third period stops from McMenimen.
Jake Moore was tagged with the loss after allowing five goals and making 10 saves in the first 31:01. Matt Schneider allowed just one goal and stopped eight shots over the remainder of the contest.
The victory was the first over the Golden Eagles since 2013 and the first at Brockport since 2010. The Bears are now 43-35-7 in the all-time series with Brockport, which dates back to 1977.
Next, Potsdam hosts North Country rival Plattsburgh on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m.
