Box Score
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Plattsburgh State men’s hockey team paid the price for a slow second period as the Cardinals dropped the opening game of the 2012 PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut, 3-2, to the Middlebury Panthers at Kreitzberg Arena on the campus of Norwich University.
The game opened with a fast-paced first period, allowing Plattsburgh State (5-2-0, 5-1-0 SUNYAC) to use its quickness to generate a number of good looks, including a great shot from Nick Jensen that was denied by Panthers’ goaltender Nick BonDurant. The Cardinals were finally able to cash one in late in the period, when Andrew Smith dropped a pass for Jared Docking, who had just crossed into the Middlebury end. Docking fired a slapshot that beat BonDurant to give Plattsburgh a 1-0 lead with 3:59 remaining.
The second period proved to be the exact opposite of the first as Middlebury (2-0-1, 1-0-1 NESCAC) controlled much of the play. The Panthers tied it at 1-1 when Derek Pimentel knocked home a rebound at the 11:17 mark. Riley Dickie and Thomas Freyre picked up assists on the goal.
Middlebury rookie Evan Neugold gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead with 4:39 left in the middle period, making a move around a Cardinal defender and lifting a shot over Plattsburgh goalie Mathieu Cadieux’s shoulder.
The Panthers had another golden opportunity early in the third period with a 2-on-1 but Trevor Pollock’s shot went high over Cadieux. A minute later, back-to-back penalties opened the ice for a 4x4 opportunity and Middlebury quickly made it 3-1 with a goal by George Ordway with 5:51 gone in the third.
With 11:55 remaining in regulation, Plattsburgh State cut the deficit to 3-2 on Alex Brenton’s fourth of the year. Brenton took a cross-ice pass from Patrick Jobb and beat BonDurant on the back post.
The goal gave the Cardinals a boost of momentum for the remainder of the third but Plattsburgh was unable to find the back of the net. Later in the period, Ryan Farnan had a chance to net the equalizer but Farnan’s shot was stopped by the left pad of BonDurant. Docking was also battling to score the game-tying goal, but his shot from the middle of the far circle was blocked by a Middlebury defender.
The Cardinals finished with a 25-21 advantage in shots on goal. Both squads went 0-for-3 on the power-play.
BonDurant turned away 23 shots to improve to 2-0-1 on the year. Cadieux recorded 18 saves in the loss, dropping to 3-2-0 for the Cardinals.
With the win, Middlebury will advance to the championship game of the PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut, which is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Kreitzberg Arena. The Panthers will draw the winner of the Norwich and St. Thomas matchup later this evening. The loser of tonight’s game will face the Cardinals in the consolation game at 4 p.m. Saturday.
