Box score
POTSDAM, N.Y. – A four-goal second period lifted the nationally-ranked No. 4 Plattsburgh State men's hockey team to a 4-2 win at Potsdam in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) contest Friday night at Maxcy Ice Arena.
While the Cardinals (15-2-2, 8-0-2 SUNYAC) outshot the Bears, 11-8, in the first period, Potsdam had some quality opportunities a breakaway by junior forward Ken Simon. A Plattsburgh State turnover at the blue line allowed Simon to carry the puck in all alone but Cardinals' goaltender Mathieu Cadieux made the stop to keep the two teams scoreless at the end of one.
The second period went much better for Plattsburgh State as the Cardinals put up a four-spot in the middle frame. Dakota Mason got the visitors on the board with just 2:03 off the clock, knocking in his own rebound to give Plattsburgh State a 1-0 lead. Kevin Emmerling and Connor Gorman were credited with assists on Mason's fourth of the year. Alex Brenton quickly made it a 2-0 game, scoring 1:51 later off an assist from Patrick Hermans.
Later in the period, Plattsburgh State rattled off two more quick goals to extend the lead to 4-0. Gorman scored the Cardinals' third of the night off a feed from Emmerling at the 14:12 mark before Michael Cassidy set up Brenton for his second of the night at 16:03. Cassidy's pass from the left circle found Brenton, who lifted a shot over the left shoulder of Potsdam goaltender Shane Talarico to make it 4-0 in favor of Plattsburgh State.
The Bears cut the lead in half with two goals in the third period. Potsdam's Matt Thompson got one past Cadieux at the 5:32 mark of the third off assists from Nick Avgerinos and Erick Ware for the Bears' first of the night.
Potsdam got one more late in the game after Trevor Cope's shot was denied by a diving Cadieux but Adam Place drilled the rebound into the open net to close out the scoring with 2:44 left in regulation.
The Bears pulled Talarico with 50 seconds left in the game for the extra-attacked, but the Cardinals held off Potsdam's attempt to get any closer.
Both sides finished the night with 30 shots on goals and went 0-for-3 on the power play.
Cadieux recorded 28 saves in the win to improve to 14-2-2 on the year for the Cardinals. Talarico stopped 26 shots in the loss for the Bears.
Plattsburgh State continues league play next weekend in its final two road games of the regular season. The Cardinals travel to Geneseo Friday before closing out the weekend at Brockport on Saturday. Both games are set for 7 p.m.
