PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – With the drop of a the puck on Saturday night, the Plattsburgh State men’s hockey team will begin the quest for its 22nd  State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title in a semifinal matchup against Geneseo at 7 p.m.
 
The Field House Box Office will open at 5:30 p.m. Saturday evening for general ticket sales. Tickets are $6 per person. Students of SUNY Plattsburgh and SUNY Geneseo will be admitted for free with a valid college ID.
 
Fans who cannot attend Saturday’s game can follow all the action via live stats, live video and live audio at the links below.
Live Stats
Live Video – Courtesy of Northeast Sports Network
Live Audio – Courtesy of WIRY AM 1340
 
Road to the Semifinals
Plattsburgh State won seven of its eight SUNYAC games in the second semester to complete the regular season with a 13-2-1 record in league play and lock up the second seed in this year’s tournament. The Cardinals finished with 27 points in the SUNYAC standings – just one point behind top seed Oswego State. After receiving a first-round bye, tonight’s game marks the Cardinals’ 23rd appearance in the SUNYAC Tournament under Head Coach Bob Emery and 26th overall.
 
After suffering a pair of losses at the end of the regular season on its annual North Country Trip, Geneseo dropped to third place in the standings. But those two losses may just prove to be a bump in the road as the Ice Knights cruised to a 9-0 victory against sixth-seeded Potsdam Wednesday night in the SUNYAC Quarterfinals.  The Ice Knights are making their 22nd tournament appearance.
 
Head-To-Head

• The Cardinals own a 75-17-3 record against the Ice Knights, including a 15-4-0 mark in tournament games.
• Plattsburgh and Geneseo split the series during the regular season. The Ice Knights handed the Cardinals their first loss of the season, defeating Plattsburgh 3-2 on Nov. 16 at Geneseo. The Cardinals avenged the early season setback by defeating Geneseo, 6-1, at the Stafford Ice Arena on Feb. 8.

 
Scouting the Teams

Plattsburgh State Cardinals
Senior forward Jared Docking’s emergence as the team leader has helped spark a Plattsburgh offense that averages 3.76 goals per game. Docking earned First Team All-SUNYAC honors earlier this week as the Cardinals’ leading scorer with 28 points. He is tied for the team lead with five power-play goals and has scored a team-best three short-handed goals. Not to be overlooked, Plattsburgh’s freshman class has been one of the best in recent years. Rookie forward Luke Baleshta ranks second with 25 points while Kevin Emmerling is hot off the heels of a Third Team All-SUNYAC nod with a team-high 14 goals.
 
The Cardinals’ defense is the best in the SUNYAC, holding its opponents to 1.76 goals per game. Junior Nick Jensen has helped solidify Plattsburgh at the blueline, earning the first all-conference honor of his career after making a mid-season switch to defense, while senior defenseman Mike Grace was also recognized for his play with his third-straight All-SUNYAC award.
 
Junior goaltender Mathieu Cadieux also garnered All-SUNYAC First Team recognition with a conference-best 1.75 goals-against average. He enters the weekend with a 14-6-1 record overall and an 11-2-1 mark against SUNYAC teams.
 
Geneseo Ice Knights
Second Team All-SUNYAC honoree Zachary Vit leads the Geneseo offense with seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points while senior forward Corbin Rosmarin has scored a team-high 13 goals. The Ice Knights has also enjoyed a breakout season from defenseman Jack Caradonna who is second in team scoring with 24 points. Caradonna also received SUNYAC First Team honors earlier this week as the lone sophomore on this year’s all-conference team.
 
Geneseo comes into this weekend’s game with the second best offense in the SUNYAC, scoring 3.88 goals per game while the defense has allowed 2.50 goals per game. The Ice Knights power-play unit has converted 27.5 percent (33-for-120) of its opportunities to rank second in the league. The Cardinals’ penalty kill will have to keep an eye on Ryan Bulach, who leads Geneseo with seven power-play markers.
 
In the first game against the Cardinals this season, Adrian Rubeniuk started the game but exited early in the second period due to an injury. Sophomore goaltender Bryan Haude stepped in to make 14 saves for his first win of the season. Haude stepped back between the pipes two weeks ago against Plattsburgh State but suffered the loss despite making 32 saves. After a win in the quarterfinals against Potsdam, Haude enters the weekend with a 7-3-0 record and 2.20 goals-against average. If the Ice Knights decide to switch it up, expect to see Rubeniuk get the nod with an 8-4-1 record and 2.62 goals-against average.