PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Sophomore forward Paul Bryer (Clarkston, Mich./Islanders Hockey Club) scored his first collegiate goals and finished with three points on two goals and an assist, but the Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team dropped a 6-4 decision to Albertus Magnus College to open up the W.B. Mason Winter Classic on Friday evening at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.

The difference in the game came on a pair of 5-on-3 opportunities in the third period, as Albertus Magnus buried a pair of power-play markers, while Plattsburgh State was unable to capitalize on 1:40 of a 5-on-3 power play just minutes later.
 
The Cardinals outshot the Falcons by a 46-30 margin, but Albertus Magnus won 54.9 percent of the game's face-offs.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 7-5-2 overall with the loss and next hosts King's (Pa.) College on Sunday, Jan. 9, at 5 p.m. Albertus Magnus rises to 8-5-0 overall with the win and takes on King's tomorrow at 5:30 p.m.
 
After a scoreless first period for both teams, Bryer fired the opening salvo at 3:18 of the second period with his first collegiate goal. A battle for the puck ensued in the left corner, and junior defenseman Ryan Hogg (Duncan, British Columbia/Islanders Hockey Club) dug the puck out to sophomore forward Joey Mancuso (Pottstown, Pa./Connecticut Jr. Rangers). Mancuso backhanded a pass from along the back wall to Bryer in the slot, and Bryer one-timed the puck past the Falcon goalie glove side.
 
Junior forward Coleton Cianci leveled the tally at 5:35 of the second period. A Cardinal turnover in the Falcons' zone ended up leading to a 2-on-0 rush, and Cianci passed to junior forward Owen Allan on the left wing before Allan dished it right back. Cianci then scored with a quick shot low glove side.
 
Albertus Magnus took a 2-1 lead with 14:53 elapsed in the second.  First-year forward Tyler Ignazzitto won an offensive-zone draw back to junior forward Alex Gagnon, and Gagnon took a shot from the high slot that sophomore goaltender Anthony Del Tufo (Livingston, N.J./Philadelphia Revolution) turned aside with a pad save. First-year forward Tim Manning then chipped the puck over Del Tufo to put the Falcons on top.
 
Junior forward Adam Tretowicz (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Buffalo Jr. Sabres) scored on the power play with 51 seconds left in the second to tie the game heading into the second intermission. Sophomore defenseman Kevin Weaver-Vitale (Toronto, Ontario/Markham Royals) took a shot from the right point that was blocked, and Bryer quickly collected the rebound along the right boards. Bryer sent a pass to Tretowicz in the right corner, and Tretowicz weaved his way into the right face-off circle and scored high glove side.
 
Bryer scored his second of the game 1:31 into the third period to hand the Cardinals a 3-2 lead. Albertus Magnus tried to clear its zone, and Weaver-Vitale knocked the puck down and took control in the neutral zone. Weaver-Vitale entered the zone along the left boards and found Bryer in the left circle, allowing Bryer to beat the Falcon netminder with a tight-angle shot blocker side.
 
Albertus Magnus leveled the score at 3-all 3:16 into the third period, as Gagnon scored on the power play. With the 5-on-3 advantage, Gagnon scored on a one-timer from the left circle on passes from sophomore defenseman J.J. Berdal and Ignazzitto. First-year forward Sam Anderson gave the Falcons the lead with a power-play tally less than a minute later, deflecting in a shot that was taken by Berdal along the blue line. Gagnon also earned an assist on Anderson's goal.
 
Anderson scored what wound up being the game-winning goal a minute later. Junior defenseman Ryan Herpy banked a stretch pass off the right boards in the defensive zone, which sprung Albertus Magnus ahead into an odd-man rush. Junior forward Cameron Weitzman gathered the puck in the neutral zone and eventually centered a pass to Anderson, who scored through the five-hole.
 
The Cardinals pulled within one midway through the third period, as sophomore forward Thomas Maia (Mississauga, Ontario/Nanaimo Clippers) banked a shot off the back of the Falcon goalie's pad into the back of the net. Sophomore forward Bennett Stockdale (Ottawa, Ontario/Alabama Huntsville) and Tretowicz earned assists on the goal.
 
With time winding down, the Falcons put the game on ice at the 18:40 mark of the third period, as first-year forward Ryan Colwell scored an empty-net goal on a stretch-pass feed from Cianci.
 
Del Tufo made 24 saves in the loss for the Cardinals, while junior goaltender Logan Bateman turned aside 42 shots in the win for the Falcons.

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