CORTLAND, N.Y. – The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) has selected the recipients for its weekly awards in men’s ice hockey. Oswego freshman Josh Leblanc (Inverary, Ont.) is the Player of the Week, Cortland junior Nick Modica (Suffern, N.Y.) is the Goaltender of the Week, and Brockport freshman Jeremy Solat (Centeniall, CO) is the Rookie of the Week.
Leblanc’s second and third collegiate goals were tallied against Utica and Elmira Colleges in the Lakers’ 1-0-1 weekend. LeBlanc’s first goal opened the second period, as he was able to clean up after a Tanner Spink shot that was padded away by the Utica goaltender, tying the game at 2-2. The contest would end in a 3-3 OT tie. In Saturday’s 4-1 defeat of Elmira, LeBlanc broke the Lakers’ scoreless contest, eight minutes into the third period, as Tanner Spink flipped a pass from the Oswego zone to center ice where Josh Zizek fended off the Elmira defender and tapped a pass to LeBlanc. The Inverary, Ont. native then broke into the Elmira zone all alone and flipped a shot over the Soaring Eagle goalie to tie the score at 1-1.
Modica continued his impressive play in goal for the Red Dragons, posting a 1-0 record with a 1.13 GAA, 74 saves and a .974 save percentage in two games last weekend. In a 2-1 victory versus Elmira on Friday, Modica registered 42 saves, including a sprawling stop on a shot from the right side of the crease with seconds remaining to secure the victory. He then came off the bench and turned aside 32 of the 33 shots he faced in 45:58 in a setback versus Nazareth on Saturday. For the season, Modica has a 7-6 record with a 2.47 GAA and a .933 save percentage.
Brockport’s Solat had a solid weekend for the Golden Eagles, scoring two goals in the teams 7-3 victory over Lebanan Valley College Saturday evening. The redshirt sophomore scored the go-ahead goal in the first period and added on a power play goal in the third for his fourth of the season.
