BUFFALO, N.Y.-Buffalo State (2-1-1, 1-1-1) defeated the SUNY Potsdam men’s hockey team (2-2-2, 1-2-1) 4-1 on Saturday night. Junior forward Dylan Vander Esch (San Jose, Calif./Hartford Wolfpack) scored for the Bears and sophomore goalie Nate Skidmore (Syracuse, N.Y./Buffalo Jr. Sabres) finished with 31 saves.
The defenses and goaltenders controlled much of the first period. Potsdam killed off the Bengals’ first power play eight minutes into the contest, thanks in part to five saves from sophomore goalie Nate Skidmore (Syracuse, N.Y./Buffalo Jr. Sabres). However, they weren’t as lucky with the second one. At the 17:00 mark, Zach Nieminen struck on the man advantage to give Buffalo State a one-goal lead. The Bengals outshot the Bears 11-9 in the period, but only four shots came while the teams were even strength.
Both teams were able to create more shots in the second period. At 14:21, Darren Young increased Buffalo State’s lead to 2-0 with an even-strength marker. The two-goal advantage lasted just 1:42. The Bengals were whistled for hooking at 15:52 and 11 seconds later, Vander Esch beat Buffalo State goalie Mike DeLaVergne for a power-play goal. Massena native and freshman forward Tyler Young (Massena, N.Y./Kanata Lasers) recorded an assist for his first collegiate point. Senior captain Nick Casacci (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Connecticut Oilers) notched the second assist. Buffalo State outshot Potsdam 15-11 in the middle stanza, but only led 2-1 after two periods.
The Bears put good pressure on the Bengals early, but weren’t able to tie the game. Buffalo State earned its fourth power play of the contest with 7:12 left and capitalized again. Zach Remers made it 3-1 with just three seconds left on the man advantage. Potsdam pulled Skidmore with 1:10 remaining, but couldn’t get any closer. Instead, Jake Rosen scored an empty-net goal with three seconds left to seal the 4-1 win for the Bengals.
DeLaVergne made 32 saves for Buffalo State. The Bengals edged the Bears in shots 35-33 and went 2-for-5 on the power play to Potsdam’s 1-for-5.
The Bears return home next weekend to host Oswego State on Friday and SUNY Cortland on Saturday. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
