PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's hockey team was riding high into Friday night's matchup against the Middlebury Panthers, a team they defeated prior in the season 4-2 but tonight would prove to be different then the first game as the Panthers handed the Cardinals their first lost in five games 3-1.
 
Plattsburgh State just jumped up four spots in the USCHO.com to third which included one first place vote after defeating No. 1 Norwich the week before but all night the Cardinals looked flat.
 
Middlebury would take a 1-0 lead into the second period after Ronald Fishman would bury a power play goal 8:49 into the first.
 
Fishman tapped in a cross ice pace from Max Greenwald who slid the pass across from the bottom of the left circle.
 
In the second Middlebury would add to its lead when Cameron Romoff would find the back of the net on a wrister that beat Cardinals goalie Brady Rouleau. Romoff collected a pass at the right circle from Evan Neugold who slung the puck from the left corner board across the ice.
 
However, Plattsburgh State would answer eleven seconds later when Rich Botting would fire a slap shot from the left point that would trickle between Panther's goaltender Stephen Klein before freshman Matt Quilty would jam it home.
 
The Panthers would provide the dagger though 11:11 in the third period when George Ordway sniped one over the glove of Rouleau short-handed.
 
Rouleau would finish the night with 19 saves on 22 shots and fall to 4-3-0 on the season. Middlebury goalie Klein would also make 19 saves as he moved to 4-4-0 on the season.
 
Tonight marked only the third loss for the Cardinals as they are now 12-3-1 and will host No. 13 Williams in the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena Saturday at 7 p.m.