College Hockey Stats Box Score

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team was unable to match the offensive firepower of No. 4/4 Oswego State, falling by a 5-2 final to its rival in front of 1,879 fans at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena Saturday evening in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action.
 
Oswego is ranked at No. 4 in both the USCHO.com Men's Division III Top-15 Poll and the D3hockey.com Men's Top-15 Poll.
 
In what was a rematch of last year's SUNYAC championship game—one in which Plattsburgh State won by a 3-2 final—Oswego finished with a 34-24 edge in shots on goal and went 2-for-4 on the power play. Plattsburgh State went 0-for-3 with the extra attacker.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 5-7-0 overall (3-6-0 SUNYAC) with the loss and rings in the New Year with the W.B. Mason Winter Classic at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena from Friday-Saturday, Jan. 5-6. The Cardinals open with Tufts University on Friday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. Oswego rises to 8-1-1 overall (6-0-1 SUNYAC) with the win and next goes to Middlebury College for the Middlebury Holiday Classic from Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 30-31. The Lakers open up with Neumann University on Saturday, Dec. 30, at 4 p.m.
 
Sophomore forward Michael Gillespie put the Lakers on the board 8:20 into the first period with an unassisted goal. Plattsburgh State was trying to clear the puck out of its defensive zone along the left boards until a loose puck squirted toward Gillespie. Gillespie then skated into the slot and found the back of the net to hand Oswego an early 1-0 lead.
 
Oswego doubled its advantage 7:43 into the second period, scoring on the power play. Sophomore forward Aaron Huffnagle sent in a pass from the left point to sophomore forward Josh Zizek in the slot, and Zizek took a shot that was saved. Sophomore forward Mitch Emerson punched home the rebound to give the Lakers a 2-0 edge.
 
Sophomore forward Joseph Molinaro handed the Lakers a 3-0 lead with a goal 15:38 into the second period. Junior forward Cameron Berry sent a cross-ice pass to senior forward Mitch Herlihey in the slot, and Herlihey took a shot that was saved by freshman goaltender Jimmy Poreda (Tonawanda, N.Y./Connecticut Jr. Rangers). Molinaro then deposited the rebound into the back of the net.
 
Herlihey added a goal to his stat line 23 seconds later, as Herlihey deflected a Cardinal clearance attempt, and Zizek corralled the puck. Zizek then passed to Herlihey, who scored glove side. Oswego netted its fifth and final goal of the game on the power play 3:44 into the third period, as Berry used tic-tac-toe passing from Molinaro and Gillespie to score on a give and go.
 
Plattsburgh State erased the shutout bid 9:18 into the third period, as sophomore defenseman Philip Middleton (Vail, Colo./Salmon Arm Silverbacks) scored glove side from the right face-off circle on a feed from senior forward Matt Quilty (Midland, Ontario/Caledonia Corvairs). Freshman forward Rich McCartney (Hershey, Pa./Philadelphia Revolution) also earned an assist on the play.
 
Junior forward Jesse Neher (Calgary, Alberta/Cowichen Valley Capitals) trimmed the gap further with 13:13 elapsed in the third, scoring on a one-timer from the slot off of a pass from senior defenseman Ayrton Valente (Woodbridge, Ontario/Mississauga Chargers) from behind the net. It was Neher's first goal of the season.
 
Poreda made 29 saves in the loss for Plattsburgh State, while sophomore goaltender Cedric Hansen turned aside 22 shots in goal for Oswego.