PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Sophomore forward Carson Gallagher (Courtice, Ontario/Sacred Heart University) scored the game-tying goal with 12 seconds left in regulation, while first-year forward Luk Jirousek (Whitehorse, Yukon/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) netted the game winner 1:38 into overtime to help lift the Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team to a 5-4 overtime victory over Rivier University on Senior Night Saturday evening at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.
 
At the conclusion of the game, the Cardinals honored their five seniors: forward Mike Falanga (East Haven, Conn./Islanders Hockey Club), defenseman Matt Araujo (Brookhaven, N.Y./Boston Jr. Rangers), forward Christian DiFelice (Thorold, Ontario/Buffalo Jr. Sabres), defenseman Austin Anselmo (Trail, British Columbia/University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point) and goaltender Brandon Wells (Spirit River, Alberta/Melville Millionaires).
 
Down a goal and on the penalty kill, the Cardinals pulled their goalie in favor of the extra attacker with 1:46 left in regulation. Rivier appeared to have a breakaway toward the empty net with 21 seconds remaining, but a hand pass call brought the face-off all the way back to the Raiders' zone. The Cardinals won the ensuing face-off, and junior defenseman Jacob Modry (Albany, N.Y./Merrimack College) sent a short pass over to first-year defenseman Jack Ring (Hingham, Mass./Northeast Generals) in the left circle. Ring threw the puck toward the net, and Gallagher redirected it into the goal to tie the game at 4-all with 12 seconds left.
 
In the 3-on-3 overtime period, the Cardinals methodically passed the puck around in the neutral zone before Jirousek took advantage of an opening on the left wing. Jirousek entered the zone and wound up scoring from the left circle, ending the game 1:38 into the sudden-death overtime period. Sophomore forward Thomas Maia (Mississauga, Ontario/Nanaimo Clippers) and Ring each earned assists on Jirousek's game-winning goal.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 9-5-3 overall with the win and now has only State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) contests the remainder of the regular season, beginning with a 7 p.m. clash at SUNY Cortland on Friday, Jan. 21. Rivier drops to 4-9-2 overall with the loss and next hosts Albertus Magnus College on Friday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m.
 
DiFelice opened scoring at 9:41 of the first period. Araujo led the charge through the neutral zone, and after Maia tapped the puck to DiFelice, DiFelice entered the slot and scored glove side.
 
Rivier countered at the 16:00 mark of the first. First-year defenseman Tyler Duderstadt entered the zone and weaved around Cardinal defenders, and despite briefly losing the puck in the air, he redirected the puck off his elbow and batted it in with his stick. First-year defenseman Kadyn Fennell and first-year goaltender Luke Newell earned assists on the play.
 
With 1:17 left in the first period, Gallagher scored a goal based on a puck that quickly caromed off the inside the pipe and back into play, relying on assists from sophomore forward Paul Bryer (Clarkston, Mich./Islanders Hockey Club) and sophomore forward Bennett Stockdale (Ottawa, Ontario/Alabama Huntsville).
 
With 6:53 elapsed in the second, the Raiders leveled the tally at 2-all. First-year defenseman Zach Winslow dropped a pass to first-year forward Jon Tavella in the defensive zone, and first-year forward Milan Breczko eventually took control of the puck in the neutral zone. Breczko skated into the left circle and ended up scoring through the five-hole.
 
Just 28 seconds later, Modry responded with a goal to put the home team back up by one. Plattsburgh State won an offensive-zone face-off, and Falanga passed back to Modry on the right point. Modry wristed a shot through traffic that wound up beating the goalie low blocker side. Junior forward Mitchell Hale (Oakfield, N.Y./Johnstown Tomahawks) also was credited with an assist on the goal.
 
Rivier battled back to even at the 15:40 mark of the second period. Winslow took control of the puck in the defensive zone and sent a short pass to Tavella, and Tavella led an odd-man rush into the attacking zone. Tavella wound up burying a shot high glove side from inside the left circle.
 
The Raiders took their first lead of the game at 8:54 of the third period, as first-year forward Ryan Nolte took advantage of a Cardinal turnover and skated the length of the ice along the right boards. He took a shot that sophomore goaltender Anthony Del Tufo (Livingston, N.J./Philadelphia Revolution) turned away with a chest save before hammering the rebound into the goal.
 
Plattsburgh State gained momentum after killing off three minutes of a five-minute major—a Rivier minor penalty delayed the start to the Raider power play—and it set the table for the game-tying goal by a stout penalty kill on a penalty assessed at 17:43 of the third.
 
The Cardinals finished with a 56-22 edge in shots on goal, while the Raiders went 1-for-5 on the power play. Plattsburgh State was scoreless in four power-play chances.
 
Del Tufo made eight stops in the third period and did not face a shot on goal in the overtime period to earn the victory, pushing his record to 8-5-2 for the season. Newell turned aside 51 shots in the loss for Rivier.

UFirst Federal Credit Union is the official Zamboni sponsor of Plattsburgh State men's and women's ice hockey.