POTSDAM, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team stretched its winning streak to four and assured itself of at least one home game in the conference tournament, as the Cardinals defeated North Country rival SUNY Potsdam, 5-2, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action Friday evening at the Maxcy Ice Arena.
 
While the most likely scenario for Plattsburgh State is a No. 3 seed in the SUNYAC Tournament, the Cardinals can finish as high as No. 2 and as low as No. 4 in the final conference standings. A Plattsburgh State win over SUNY Morrisville and SUNY Geneseo losses in each of its final four games would net the Cardinals the No. 2 seed, while a Plattsburgh State loss to Morrisville and three SUNY Cortland regulation wins would give the Cardinals the No. 4 seed. Due to recent conference scheduling changes, the first round of the SUNYAC Tournament will occur on Saturday, Feb. 26, with the semifinal round to follow on Wednesday, March 2. The championship game is slated for Saturday, March 5.
 
The Cardinals never trailed on Friday evening against the Bears, scoring four unanswered goals to pull away. Plattsburgh State was 1-for-4 on the power play, while Potsdam was unable to convert on two opportunities with the extra skater.
 
Sophomore defenseman Cory Doney (Northfield Falls, Vt./Vermont Lumberjacks) and junior forward Brendan Young (Lefroy, Ontario/Blind River Beavers) each recorded a goal and an assist, while sophomore forward Joey Mancuso (Pottstown, Pa./Connecticut Jr. Rangers) finished with three assists. First-year forward Jack Ludwig tallied a goal and an assist for Potsdam.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 14-7-3 overall (10-4-1 SUNYAC) with the win and closes out the regular season at home on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. against Morrisville. Potsdam falls to 4-16-1 overall (3-11-1 SUNYAC) with the loss and wraps up its season on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Morrisville at 7 p.m.
 
Hogg opened scoring at 6:16 of the first period with his first goal of the season, ripping a one-time shot past the goaltender from the high slot off a feed from Mancuso. Sophomore forward Paul Bryer (Clarkston, Mich./Islanders Hockey Club) also earned an assist on the play.
 
Potsdam leveled the score at 12:06 of the first. On an odd-man rush, senior forward Robert Clerc centered a pass to senior forward Michael McArthur, who banged the puck into an open net. Ludwig also was credited with an assist.
 
Doney scored just 18 seconds later to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead, one they would not relinquish the rest of the game. Graduate student forward Mike Falanga (East Haven, Conn./Islanders Hockey Club) fed Doney with a pass along the left boards to the point, and Doney took advantage of a screened goalie to score glove side. First-year forward Jake Lanyi (North Salem, N.Y./Connecticut Jr. Rangers) earned an assist as well.
 
The Cardinals took a 3-1 advantage at 6:22 of the second period, as sophomore forward Carson Gallagher (Courtice, Ontario/Sacred Heart University) scored on the power play. Mancuso dropped a pass off for senior defenseman Matt Araujo (Brookhaven, N.Y./Boston Jr. Rangers) on the left point, and Araujo sent the puck toward the slot that got caught up in traffic before Gallagher deflected it in.
 
At 3:24 of the third, Young entered the scoring column. Doney took a shot that was turned aside by the Potsdam goaltender, and junior forward Hunter Alden (Walla Walla, Wash./Northeast Generals) picked up the rebound behind the goal line. Alden skated out in front and found a wide open Young in the slot, and with just the goaltender to beat, Young deked the netminder and scored glove side.
 
Junior forward Adam Tretowicz (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Buffalo Jr. Sabres) scored at 12:08 of the third, as Tretowicz and Young led a 2-on-1 rush into the Bears' zone. Tretowicz passed to Young on the left wing, and as the pair approached the goal, Young passed back to Tretowicz. Tretowicz took advantage of a sprawling Potsdam goalie and one-timed a shot into the back of the net.
 
Potsdam's Ludwig broke up the scoring spree at 16:12 of the third, poking a puck in from close range. First-year forwards Garrett McArthur and Josh Bifolchi earned assists on the score.
 
First-year goaltender Jacob Hearne (Ennismore, Ontario/Toronto Jr. Canadiens) made a career-high 27 saves in the win for the Cardinals, while junior goaltender Connor Green turned aside 28 shots in 52:08 for the Bears.

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