College Hockey Stats Box Score

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team was unable to hold on to a two-goal lead in a 4-2 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) loss to No. 13 Buffalo State on Friday evening at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.
 
The Bengals are ranked at No. 13 in the D3hockey.com Men's Top-15 Poll.
 
Buffalo State erased a two-goal deficit with a pair of power-play goals during a five-minute major assessed to the Cardinals, the second of which came with less than two minutes before the second intermission. The Bengals delivered the game-winner with 3:59 remaining in the third period before adding insurance with an empty-net goal.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 11-11-0 overall (5-8-0 SUNYAC) with the loss and next faces Fredonia on Senior Night tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Cardinals' final home game of the regular season. The Cardinals dropped into a tie for sixth in the SUNYAC standings, just one point back of The College at Brockport and Fredonia. Buffalo State rises to 16-5-3 overall (9-3-3 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 7 p.m.
 
Freshman forward Mike Falanga (East Haven, Conn./Islanders Hockey Club) put the Cardinals on the board early, finding twine just 2:01 into the game. On the rush, freshman forward Connor Logan (Victoria, British Columbia/North Battleford North Stars) skated into the zone along the left boards and found freshman forward Liam Lawson (Vancouver, British Columbia/Powell River Paper Kings) inside the left face-off circle. Lawson then centered a pass to Falanga in the slot and beat the Bengal netminder five-hole to give Plattsburgh State a 1-0 lead.
 
Lawson added a goal to his ledger 9:51 into the second period on a 5-on-3 power-play opportunity. Senior defenseman Ayrton Valente (Woodbridge, Ontario/Mississauga Chargers) wheeled the puck down to senior forward Matt Quilty (Midland, Ontario/Caledonia Corvairs) along the right face-off circle, and Quilty passed across the slot to Lawson, who was at the bottom of the left circle. The puck bounced off Lawson's blade for a brief moment before Lawson gathered possession and wristed a shot top shelf past a sprawling Bengal goalie.
 
Buffalo State received an opportunity to swing the momentum with 13:58 elapsed in the second period when the Cardinals took a five-minute major penalty. Freshman forward Vadim Vasjonkin capitalized on that chance by putting the Bengals on the board 15:55 into the period with a power-play marker. Vasjonkin passed D-to-D to sophomore defenseman Michael Anthony Guerrera, and Guerrera sent it right back to Vasjonkin on the right point. Vasjonkin then scored top shelf glove side with a wrist shot to cut the gap to 2-1. Freshman forward Reid Bibb also earned an assist on the goal.
 
On the same five-minute major, sophomore forward Anthony Passero knotted the tally at 2-all with a power-play goal of his own with 18:26 gone in the second. Freshman defenseman Cody Symonds took a shot from the top of the left face-off circle that was saved, and sophomore forward Hugo Petit fired an attempt from point-blank range that was also turned aside by freshman goaltender Jimmy Poreda (Tonawanda, N.Y./Connecticut Jr. Rangers). Passero was waiting by the left post, however, and punched in the rebound.
 
Bibb scored the eventual game-winner for the Bengals 16:01 into the third period. Bibb sent the puck into the zone before sophomore forward Ben Butcher grabbed it in the left corner. Butcher passed to Vasjonkin in the low slot, who whiffed on a shot and sent the puck back toward the goalie from behind the goal line. Bibb then crashed the net and buried the puck glove side.
 
Sophomore forward Jon Colley added insurance with an empty-net goal 35 seconds before the end of regulation. Bibb and sophomore defenseman Colin O'Connor earned assists on the play.
 
Plattsburgh State finished with a 41-39 edge in shots on goal. Buffalo State went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Plattsburgh State went 1-for-5 with the extra attacker.
 
Poreda made 35 saves in the loss for the Cardinals, while senior goaltender Ian Sylves turned aside 39 shots in the win for the Bengals.