PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team entered its last weekend of the regular season with a matchup against Brockport Friday night, tying the Golden Eagles 3-3 (OT).
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the second period when
Kyle Hall took a shot on Brockport goalie Cole Burack. The puck would trickle through the goalie before sliding over the goal line for the tally.
Brockport would respond with next two goals with the help of Aidan Verebeke to take a lead of their own.
Verkebeke would score a power play goal to tie the game 1-1 before being left alone on top of the crease and tucking one around Cardinals netminder
Brady Rouleau to take a 2-1 advantage two minutes later.
Defenseman,
Chris Taff would draw the Cardinals even at 2-2 before the end of the middle stanza. Taff would be the beneficiary of nice passing from
Luke Baleshta and
Pat Egan to set him up for his second of the season.
Eight minutes into the third period, senior
Dillan Fox would deflect an Egan blast from the left point past Burack to give the Cardinals their second lead of the night at 3-2.
However, the lead would be short lived as Brockport pumped in its third of the game just 3:14 later. Zac Sikich netted his 10
th of the season for the Golden Eagles to tie the game at 3-3.
The difference maker down the line would be Golden Eagle tender Burack. Burack would make a pad stacking save late in the third to force the game into overtime.
In overtime the Cardinals dominated the Golden Eagles holding a 9-1 shot edge and looked poised to net the game-winner. But again Burack would stand tall stuffing two grade 'A' chances. First was a wraparound attempt that looked destyn for the back of the net but he just got a toe on it and then with six seconds left the Cardinals were on a 2-on-1 break came out of the crease to stack the pads again to earn the Golden Eagles with a much need point in the SUNYAC.
Rouleau finished with 27 saves for the Cardinals while Burack made 45 saves on 48 including all nine saves in overtime.
Plattsburgh State went cold on the man advantage finishing 0-3 while Brockport went 1-3.
With the draw, No. 2 Plattsburgh State finds itself at 19-3-2 (12-1-2 SUNYAC) with both ties coming against Brockport this season. The Golden Eagles remain .500 on the season at 10-10-4 (5-6-4 SUNYAC).
The Cardinals will conclude their regular season tomorrow night at 7 p.m. against No. 12 SUNY Geneseo in a match of the top two SUNYAC teams. SUNY Geneseo knocked off Plattsburgh State in its first matchup this year, scoring late in a high scoring 5-4 affair.
