PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The third-seeded Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team used a five-goal second period to reverse a 3-1 deficit, but sixth-seeded SUNY Brockport scored four unanswered goals to hand the Cardinals a heartbreaking 7-6 setback in overtime in the first round of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament on Saturday evening at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.
 
Down by two late, Brockport scored a pair of goals with the extra attacker in a 6-on-5 situation in the final two minutes of play. Graduate student defenseman Ryan Romeo passed D-to-D to sophomore forward Connor Galloway, and Galloway fed junior defenseman Anthony Hora, who scored on a shot from the high slot with 1:32 left in regulation to cut the gap to 6-5.
 
Following a Brockport timeout, and just 15 seconds later in game time, the Golden Eagles netted the game-tying goal. Brockport won the center-ice face-off and dumped the puck into the left corner. Senior forward Mitchell Parsons and first-year forward Jacob King jostled for the puck before King passed to Galloway in the left circle. Galloway then scored high glove side with his third goal of the evening to knot the score at 6-all.
 
The Golden Eagles scored the overtime game winner with 8:10 elapsed in the extra session. Hora sent a stretch pass ahead to sophomore forward Andrew Harley, and Harley took a shot that first-year goaltender Jacob Hearne (Ennismore, Ontario/Toronto Jr. Canadiens) turned aside. Junior forward Scott Ramaekers took advantage of a loose puck in the crease and banged it in to hand Brockport the 7-6 overtime victory.
 
Plattsburgh State wraps up its season at 15-8-3 overall with the loss, while SUNY Brockport rises to 14-10-2 overall with the win and visits top-seeded SUNY Geneseo in the semifinal round on Wednesday, March 2, at 7 p.m.
 
Brockport's Galloway fired the opening salvo at 4:49 of the first period. Graduate student defenseman Casey Winn sent a puck down to King behind the goal line, and King found Galloway open in the right circle. Galloway wound up scoring high glove side to put the Golden Eagles up early.
 
Junior defenseman Ryan Hogg (Duncan, British Columbia/Islanders Hockey Club) leveled the tally at 13:24 of the first. Sophomore forward Joey Mancuso (Pottstown, Pa./Connecticut Jr. Rangers) passed to sophomore forward Trey Thomas (Williams Lake, British Columbia/Brooks Bandits) in the low slot, and Thomas took a shot that was saved. With the Brockport goalie sprawled out, Hogg fired in the rebound high glove side.
 
Galloway scored again at 15:49 of the first period. Sophomore defenseman Jake Mendeszoon dumped the puck in from the red line, and King centered a pass to Galloway from the right corner. Galloway netted a one-time shot from the low slot to help Brockport regain the lead.
 
The Golden Eagles doubled their cushion at 1:44 of the second period when they scored on the power play. Senior defenseman Corey Tam took a shot that was saved before Harley backhanded the rebound into the back of the net stick side.
 
Senior forward Christian DiFelice (Thorold, Ontario/Buffalo Jr. Sabres) got one back at 5:23 of the second. A strong Cardinal forecheck helped junior forward Adam Tretowicz (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Buffalo Jr. Sabres) intercept a pass in the offensive zone, and Tretowicz sent the puck just wide left of the goal. DiFelice then scored on the weak side to make it a 3-2 game.
 
Less than a minute later, sophomore forward Carson Gallagher (Courtice, Ontario/Sacred Heart University) scored to tie the game at 3-all. Sophomore defenseman Cory Doney (Northfield Falls, Vt./Vermont Lumberjacks) dumped the puck in, and after it took a strong bounce off the boards, Gallagher crashed the net and scored with the goalie out of position.
 
Thomas handed the Cardinals the lead with an unassisted goal at 9:49 of the second period, as he intercepted a pass from the goalie, took a shot that was saved and buried his own rebound.
 
Sophomore forward Thomas Maia (Mississauga, Ontario/Nanaimo Clippers) scored on a penalty shot at 13:41 of the second period, as he went five-hole to put Plattsburgh State on top, 5-3. DiFelice scored his second of the game with 16:58 elapsed in the third. Brockport tried to clear the zone, but first-year forward Luk Jirousek (Whitehorse, Yukon/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) stopped the puck at the blue line to keep play onside. He took a shot that deflected off the glass on the back wall, and graduate student forward Mike Falanga (East Haven, Conn./Islanders Hockey Club) helped DiFelice get the puck out front. DiFelice then scored glove side to double the Cardinal advantage.
 
Brockport's four-goal surge to end the game began at 3:42 of the third period when King scored on the power play. Hora passed to Galloway in the left circle, and Galloway took a shot that got caught up in traffic. King picked up the rebound along the right post and scored low glove side.
 
The Cardinals finished with a 52-47 edge in shots on goal. Brockport fared well with the extra skater, scoring twice on a 6-on-5 with the empty net and going 2-for-4 on the power play. Plattsburgh State was scoreless in its lone opportunity on the power play.
 
Hearne made a career-high 40 saves in the loss for Plattsburgh State, while senior goaltender Nolan Egbert turned aside 46 shots in the win for Brockport.
 
Saturday's game marked the final contest for the Class of 2022, which includes Falanga, senior defenseman Matt Araujo (Brookhaven, N.Y./Boston Jr. Rangers), DiFelice and senior goaltender Brandon Wells (Spirit River, Alberta/Melville Millionaires). Based upon a blanket waiver granted by the NCAA, some student-athletes may have eligibility remaining they would not have had otherwise, and they may choose to utilize it.

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