Box score
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Two quick Hobart goals put the top-ranked Plattsburgh State men's hockey team in a hole it could not dig its way out of as the Cardinals suffered a 3-1 loss to the Statesmen in the championship game of the 2014 Buck Supply Winter Classic.
Hobart (4-4-4) grabbed the momentum at the 7:58 mark of the first period when on Mitch Beyer's first of the year. Carl Belizario carried a pass from Bo Webster over the blue line and left it for Beyer. Plattsburgh State goaltender Mathieu Cadieux got a piece of the puck but Beyer's shot trickled behind Cadieux and over the line to give Hobart the 1-0 lead.
The Statesmen quickly made it a two-goal advantage just 19 seconds later when a Plattsburgh State turnover along the boards sent the puck out to Webster in the left circle. Webster gathered the puck, turned and sent a shot past Cadieux to give Hobart the 2-0 edge.
Cadieux kept the Cardinals (10-1-2) in the game much of the night, coming out to poke away two breakaways before stopping another by stacking his pads in the third. Cadieux made 25 saves in the loss for Plattsburgh State.
Plattsburgh State started to get the offense going late in the second period, but despite outshooting Hobart 16-8 in the period, the Cardinals had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.
Hobart extended its lead to 3-0 when Mac Olson added an empty-net goal at 17:34 of the third period. The Cardinals broke up the shutout with 40 second left in regulation when Rich Botting beat Lino Chimienti with a shot through a screen to make it a 3-1 game. Dillan Fox and Alex Brenton picked up assists on Botting's second of the season.
The Cardinals finished the night with a 40-28 advantage in shots on goal. Neither side was able to convert on the power play as Hobart went 0-for-1 and Plattsburgh State went 0-for-3.
Brenton was the lone Plattsburgh State representative on the Buck Supply Winter Classic All-Tournament Team after compiling three goals and two assists on the weekend. Brenton was joined by Williams' George Hunkele and Olson, Beyer and Belizario from Hobart. Chimienti was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player with 63 combined saves, including 39 in Saturday's victory over the Cardinals.
Plattsburgh State will look to rebound on Friday as the Cardinals host Skidmore in a non-conference game at 7 p.m.
Williams Rallies to Take Down Hamilton in Overtime at Buck Supply Consolation
Box score
After the two teams traded goals twice in the third period, George Hunkele scored the game-winning goal with 56 seconds gone in overtime to give Williams a 4-3 win over Hamilton in the consolation game of the Buck Supply Winter Classic hosted by Plattsburgh State.
With just 17 seconds left in the first period, Frankie Mork gave the Ephs an early 1-0 lead on a blast from the top of the left circle. Nick Anderson picked up an assist on Mork's third of the season.
The Continentals (3-5-1) tied it up at the 11:21 mark of the second when Robbie Murden tapped in a rebound for a power-play goal from Conor Lamberti and Mike DiMare.
Williams (6-1-2) opened the third on the power play, but Murden stole the puck at the blue line and made a nice move to beat Ephs' goaltender Noah Klag for his second of the night. The short-handed marker came at the 1:15 mark of the third to give Hamilton a 2-1 lead.
Penalties plagued the Continentals most of the afternoon but Hamilton killed off a five-minute major early in the final stanza to maintain the one-goal lead.
Sam Grey brought the Ephs even at 14:20 with an unassisted goal for his second of the year but Hamilton regained the lead 37 seconds later when Kenny Matheson buried a loose puck to make it 3-2 in favor of the Continentals.
Hamilton was whistled for a penalty with 1:36 left in regulation, allowing Williams to pull its goaltender to create a two-man advantage. The Ephs, who went 1-for-10 on the power play, scored the equalizer with 13 seconds left in the third to force overtime. Zander Masucci ripped a shot from inside the blue line that was blocked by a Hamilton skater but the puck came right back to Masucci, who ripped a shot through the screen and past Hamilton's Charlie Fennell.
Much like yesterday's early game, overtime ends as quickly as it began when Hunkele came around the back of the night and chipped in a shot from a tight angle to give the Ephs the victory.
Klag turned away 18 of the 21 shots he faced to earn the win for Williams. Fennell made 34 saves, including 16 in the third period, in the Hamilton loss.
