MORRISVILLE, N.Y.-The SUNY Potsdam men’s hockey team (10-10-3, 6-6-2 SUNYAC) never trailed as it defeated Morrisville State (7-12-5, 5-9-2) 3-1 to clinch a playoff spot on Saturday night. Sophomore defenseman Jake Butler (Atlanta, Ga./Smith Falls Bears), freshman forward Dylan Vander Esch (San Jose, Calif./Hartford Wolfpack) and senior forward Trevor Cope (Swartz Creek, Mich./Atlanta Jr. Knights) each scored for the Bears.
There was no scoring in the first period. Potsdam held the edge in play and the shots. Bears junior goalie Jon Hall (Dexter, N.Y./Stouffville Spirit) turned aside all nine shots he faced and Steven Dombrosky was perfect on 14 Bears’ attempts.
Almost seven minutes into the second period, the Mustangs were called for hooking. At 8:19 Butler scored his first collegiate goal to put Potsdam up 1-0. Junior captain Todd Thomas (Davidsville, Pa./Hartford Wolfpack) and Vander Esch assisted on the play. The Bears killed off two Morrisville power plays over the rest of the period and Hall had 20 saves through 40 minutes.
At the 5:25 mark of the third period, Vander Esch scored what proved to be the game-winner with assists from senior assistant captain Ken Simon (Norwell, Mass./Philadelphia Revolution) and sophomore forward Vinny Caligiuri (Shoreham, N.Y./Hartford Wolfpack). Less than two minutes later, the Mustangs finally broke through on their final power play. Steve Dol finally solved Hall at 7:17 to close the gap to 2-1. Morrisville wouldn’t beat him again. With 39 seconds left, Dombrosky was pulled for an extra-attacker. Ten seconds later, Cope put the contest away with an empty-netter on helper from Butler.
Hall finished with 30 saves to improve to 10-7-2 on the season. Dombrosky also stopped 30 shots.
The Bears were 1-for-5 on the man advantage and Morrisville went 1-for-4.
The win gets Potsdam back to .500 and gives them 10 wins for the first time in seven seasons. It was also the Bears’ first conference road sweep since February 2009.
Potsdam can finish anywhere from third place to sixth. The Bears are currently tied for fourth with Buffalo State and two points behind Geneseo for third.
Potsdam is back in action on Friday, Feb. 20, when the Bears look for revenge at Cortland. They then battle Oswego the following evening to wrap up the regular season. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
