College Hockey Stats Box Score

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Freshman defenseman Ian Wallgren (Stockholm, Sweden/Connecticut Oilers) and freshman forward Daniil Ovchinnikov (Saint Petersburg, Russia/Boston Jr. Rangers) each scored their first collegiate goals, as the Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team locked up a spot in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament with a 4-0 win over Buffalo State on Friday evening at the Buffalo State Ice Arena.
 
With 15 points, Plattsburgh State currently sits fourth in the conference standings, just one point back of third-place Buffalo State and one point ahead of fifth-place Fredonia and The College at Brockport.
 
The Cardinals held a slight 29-25 edge in shots on goal, while both teams were scoreless on the power play, with Plattsburgh State going 0-for-5 and Buffalo State going 0-for-3.
 
Freshman defenseman Matt Araujo (Brookhaven, N.Y./Boston Jr. Rangers) and senior forward Ross Sloan (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Blades) helped power the Cardinal attack with two points each on a goal and an assist.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 9-11-2 overall (7-5-1 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits Fredonia tomorrow night at 7 p.m. Buffalo State slips to 10-9-2 overall (7-5-2 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 7 p.m.
 
Wallgren buried his first collegiate goal with 14:21 gone in the first period. Sloan won an offensive-zone face-off and got the puck back to Wallgren on the right point. Wallgren then unleashed a slap shot that beat the Bengal netminder to hand the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
 
Ovchinnikov's first collegiate goal came just four seconds after a Bengal penalty released, tallying at 1:01 of the second period. Stationed in the high slot, Araujo passed to sophomore forward Greg Malafronte (Colts Neck, N.J./New Jersey Titans) in the left face-off circle, and Malafronte sent a cross-ice pass to Ovchinnikov in the right circle. Ovchinnikov settled the puck on his blade and scored on the forehead, beating a sprawling Buffalo State goalie with a shot that went top shelf.
 
Plattsburgh State continued to pick up steam after killing off a lengthy 5-on-3 chance for the Bengals, as Araujo scored unassisted at 6:41 of the second period for his second collegiate goal, just three seconds after the final Cardinal penalty of that 5-on-3 released. Araujo poked the puck free in the defensive zone and played it forward to himself. After separating from Buffalo State's defenders, he found himself on a breakaway chance with the goalie and ended up scoring blocker side.
 
Finally, at 16:48 of the third period, Sloan put the game on ice with an empty-net goal, scoring unassisted on a Bengal turnover in the Plattsburgh State zone.
 
Sophomore goaltender Jimmy Poreda (Tonawanda, N.Y./Connecticut Jr. Rangers) made 25 saves to earn his third shutout of the season in the win for the Cardinals, while sophomore goaltender Connor Minch turned aside 25 shots in the loss for the Bengals.