Box Score
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's hockey team skated to a 6-1 win in a crucial State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchup against nationally-ranked No. 14 Geneseo, moving the ninth-ranked Cardinals into a tie with the Ice Knights for second place in the conference.
The Cardinals (15-6-1, 10-2-1 SUNYAC) got off to a quick start when Kevin Emmerling buried his team-leading 11
th of the year just 1:06 into the game. Luke Baleshta came up the left side and threw a shot on net that was denied by Bryan Haude but Emmerling was right in front to knock home the rebound to give Plattsburgh a 1-0 lead.
A Plattsburgh turnover led to a rush for the Ice Knights (15-7-1, 10-3-1 SUNYAC) and AJ Sgaraglio made the Cardinals pay, tying it up at 10:06 of the first period with a shot that beat Plattsburgh’s Mathieu Cadieux.
Plattsburgh regained the lead with 2:29 left in the opening period on a power-play goal by Jared Docking. Haude made the save on a shot by Emmerling but Docking was there to punch it in. Baleshta also picked up an assist on the eventual game-winner.
Michael Cassidy scored the lone goal of the second, beating Haude through the five hole at the 13:44 mark to give the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.
Just nine seconds into a Plattsburgh penalty-kill, the Cardinals won the draw and Docking found Alex Jensen on the move. Jensen skated around a Geneseo defender and scored on the backhand at 4:35 of the third period for Plattsburgh’s seventh short-handed goal of the year.
The Cardinals’ special teams continued to overpower the Ice Knights as Dillan Fox found the back of the net at 6:41 of the third to give Plattsburgh a four-goal lead. With a 5-on-3 advantage, Emmerling was able to withstand pressure from two Geneseo players long enough to get the puck to Fox. Fox came through the slot and deked a defender before sliding a backhanded shot behind Haude for the power-play marker.
The Cardinals added a late goal with 8.4 seconds to go on Cassidy’s second of the evening. Michael Radisa and Nick Jensen were credited with assists on the goal.
Plattsburgh finished with 38 shots on goal while limiting the Ice Knights to 17 shots. The Cardinals went 3-for-7 on the power play. The Ice Knights were 0-for-4.
Cadieux improved to 11-6-1 with 16 saves. Haude stopped 32 shots in the loss for Geneseo, dropping to 6-3-0.
In other SUNYAC games, Oswego defeated Buffalo State 4-0. The Lakers have a three-point lead on Geneseo and Plattsburgh, who are tied with 21 points apiece. Fredonia and Cortland played to a 5-5 tie and Brockport remains in sixth-place despite falling to Potsdam, 4-3, in overtime.
The Cardinals will be looking for the weekend sweep tomorrow night with another conference matchup with Brockport. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Stafford Ice Arena.
