PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – With the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship on the line, the second-seeded Plattsburgh State men’s hockey team travels to top-seed Oswego State for a Saturday night showdown at the Campus Center Ice Arena. The winner earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
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Video will also be available on Time Warner Channel 1500 (Syracuse, Utica, Binghamton, Auburn, Watertown, North Country), courtesy of WTOP-10. Plattsburgh students can also catch all the action by joining the on-campus viewing party at Burghy's, which will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Championship Preview
After receiving a first-round bye, Plattsburgh State (19-6-1) defeated Geneseo 5-1 in the SUNYAC Semifinals to secure a spot in the championship game. Plattsburgh is making its 26th appearance in the SUNYAC tournament and Saturday’s game will mark the Cardinals’ 22nd consecutive SUNYAC Championship game. The Cardinals have advanced to the finals in each of their tournament trips and own a 17-8 in the championship game.
Oswego State (22-4-0) is also no stranger to the conference tournament as the only team that has been a part of all 29 SUNYAC Ice Hockey Tournaments. The Lakers also received a bye through the quarterfinal round before besting Buffalo State, 5-2, in the semifinals. The Lakers meet a familiar face in the Cardinals with the two teams meeting in the finals for the 13th time overall and the fifth time in the last six years. In the last 12 matchups, Plattsburgh has won the SUNYAC title 10 times.
Revenge will be on the minds of the Lakers, who are 0-2 against the Cardinals this season and 1-3-1 in the last five meetings. Plattsburgh defeated Oswego 2-1 in December at the Campus Center before skating to a 4-3 win two weeks ago at the Stafford Ice Arena.
In a lineup loaded with youth, senior forward Jared Docking has led the way by appearing in all 26 games and scoring a team-leading 30 points. Docking has also been a key member of the Plattsburgh special teams with five power-play goals and three short-handed goals. Freshman Luke Baleshta is second on the team with 26 points while SUNYAC Rookie of the Year Kevin Emmerling has a team-best 14 goals and is third with 24 points.
All-SUNYAC second team defenseman Nick Jensen made changed position midway through the year and helped solidify a Plattsburgh defense that has held teams to 1.73 goals per game. The Cardinals continue to pride themselves on a high-level of discipline with just 8.2 penalty minutes per game – the fewest in Division III. Limiting time in the box has helped Plattsburgh maintain one of the nation’s top penalty-kill units. The Cardinals’ kill ranks second in country with a success rate of 89.1 percent (82-for-92).
Junior goaltender Mathieu Cadieux has continued to provide the Cardinals with consistency between the pipes. Cadieux earned SUNYAC First Team honors with a 15-6-1 record, 1.72 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
With 14 seniors, it is hard to argue that the Lakers are built to win now. SUNYAC’s Herb Hammond Player of the Year Paul Rodrigues leads the nation’s top offense with 14 goals and 42 points while the Lakers average 4.96 goals per game. Luke Moodie is Oswego’s top goal scorer with 20 on the year, including nine power-play tallies. Eight players have scored 20 or more points, helping the Lakers outscore their opponents 129-47. The power-play unit has also played a role in the Lakers’ success, ranking third in the division at 28.4 percent (40-for-141).
Senior goaltender Andrew Hare is the anchor of the Lakers’ defense with an 18-4-0 record, 1.82 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and five shutouts. Seniors Jesse McConney and Zach Josepher have provided a veteran presence on the blue line for Oswego, who has limited its opponents to 1.81 goals per game to create the largest scoring margin in Division III (3.15).
