POTSDAM, N.Y. – The No. 9 Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team fell to North Country rival SUNY Potsdam, 5-2, in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) contest on Saturday evening at Maxcy Ice Arena.
 
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 9 in the DCU/USCHO.com Men's Division III Top-15 Poll.
 
Junior forward Bennett Stockdale (Ottawa, Ontario/University of Alabama in Huntsville) and sophomore defenseman Jack Ring (Hingham, Mass./Northeast Generals) each tallied a goal and an assist, while first-year goaltender Eli Shiller (Toronto, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) made 10 saves across the second and third periods.
 
The Cardinals finished the game with a 43-22 edge in shots on goal and went 1-for-4 on the power play. The Bears were scoreless in three chances with the extra skater.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 7-2-2 overall (4-2-1 SUNYAC) with the loss and next visits Norwich University on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. Potsdam rises to 3-8-0 overall (2-5-0 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits SUNY Morrisville on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m.
 
Stockdale put the Cardinals on the board at 1:14 of the first period. Ring passed to Stockdale along the left boards in the offensive zone, and Stockdale skated onto the left point before scoring high blocker side. Junior forward Paul Bryer (Clarkston, Mich./Islanders Hockey Club) earned the secondary assist on the goal.
 
Potsdam leveled the tally 51 seconds later, as sophomore defenseman Nolan Towne scored from the left point on a pass from senior forward Justin Vernace. Junior forward Jack Ludwig also earned an assist.
 
With just 1:14 left until the first intermission, Potsdam took a 2-1 lead on a goal from graduate student forward Michael McArthur. Vernace backhanded a pass out in front to McArthur, and McArthur buried a one-time shot from the slot. Towne picked up the secondary assist on the score.
 
After a second period in which the Cardinals largely carried play, Potsdam took a 3-1 lead with 18:40 elapsed in the second. First-year defenseman Michael Campbell sent a stretch pass ahead to first-year forward Mason Hoehn, and Hoehn sent a short pass over to graduate student forward Jack Bloem in the left circle. Bloem then scored high glove side to give the Bears a two-goal cushion.
 
Ring scored a power-play goal with 12:19 gone in the third to trim the deficit to one. Stockdale passed over to junior forward Thomas Maia (Mississauga, Ontario/Nanaimo Clippers) on the right point, and Maia took a shot that was blocked before sending the rebound toward the net that the Potsdam netminder turned aside with a pad save. Ring took advantage of the rebound off Maia's second shot and scored from the bottom of the left circle.
 
Plattsburgh State pulled its goalie with 1:48 left in regulation, but Potsdam scored an insurance goal with 51 seconds remaining, as junior forward Jack Loran scored with the empty net. Bloem's second goal of the evening came 15 seconds later, as he, too, scored an empty-net goal, with Hoehn and senior defenseman Ryan Lieth earning assists.
 
Potsdam's senior goaltender Connor Green backstopped the Bears with a 41-save effort.