MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Morrisville State Men’s Ice Hockey team did not have the same comeback magic as they had last night, as they could not erase a two goal deficit, ultimately falling 4-2 against the Wildcats from Johnson and Wales.
The Wildcats jumped on the board early, picking up a goal just thirty-two seconds into the contest. Morrisville roared back though, pounding the JWU net with 15 shots in the first period, but were unable to convert.
Down 1-0 after the first period, the Mustangs let up another Wildcats goal just under six minutes into the second period as Victor Carlsson broke away up the left side of the ice for a top shelf shot.
However, the Mustangs cut the lead in half with a power play goal at 9:04 off of the stick of Ryan Bochert (Denver, Colo.). CJ Stubbs (Pleasant Grove, Vt.) set up the goal, swinging the puck around to John Lauer (Syracuse, N.Y.) on the left, just inside the blue line. Lauer ripped a shot that looked as if it was headed wide right until the stick of Bochert re-directed it back right and into the net for the Morrisville score.
Unfortunately, the Wildcats responded just over four minutes later with another breakaway strike.
The Wildcats continued to hold their 3-1 advantage over the Mustangs into the third period, but the Mustangs would not give in. Morrisville capitalized on another power play opportunity at the 6:55 mark in the third.
Nick DeVito (Averill Park, N.Y.) picked up the goal as he and Bochert broke through the Wildcats defense in transition to pull the Mustangs back within one.
Still down one with fifty-six seconds to go, Morrisville opted to pull goaltender, Jared Young (Pueblo West, Colo.) in favor of an extra skater. Despite working the puck around the outside, the Mustangs could not find an opening. Johnson and Wales responded with pressure at the blue line, which ultimately paid off as Graham Day punched the puck free, flicking it to the Morrisville goal for the empty netter to seal the 4-2 win for the Wildcats.
Morrisville will face off against the Roos from SUNY Canton on Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2. Friday, December 1 will be at SUNY Canton for a 7 PM puck drop, while Saturday’s contest will be at Morrisville with another 7 PM puck drop.
Morrisville State College’s curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
