PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – A third-period goal by junior forward Bennett Stockdale (Ottawa, Ontario/University of Alabama in Huntsville) wound up being the difference, as the No. 13 Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team downed SUNY Cortland, 2-1, in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game on Saturday evening at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.
 
Plattsburgh State is ranked at No. 13 in the DCU/USCHO.com Men's Division III Top-15 Poll.
 
With the game tied at 1-all, Stockdale delivered the go-ahead goal at 13:51 of the third period. Junior forward Carson Gallagher (Courtice, Ontario/Sacred Heart University) passed along the back wall to Stockdale, and Stockdale fed senior defenseman Jacob Modry (Albany, N.Y./Merrimack College) on the right point. Modry took a shot that went wide, but Stockdale gained control along the right post. Stockdale then scored on a wrap-around shot, burying the puck inside the left pipe.
 
While Cortland was assessed an interference penalty with 1:11 left, the Red Dragons pulled their goalie and were able to apply sustained pressure in the offensive zone until the final horn. With 20 seconds left, there was a loose puck at the bottom of the right circle, and despite the dangerous chance, the Cardinals cleared the puck down the length of the ice and took an icing call. Plattsburgh State called timeout, and while Cortland got one last good scoring chance with a loose puck in the crease, the Cardinals escaped with the win.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 13-4-2 overall (7-2-1 SUNYAC) to stretch its winning streak to four. The Cardinals next visit SUNY Brockport on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. Cortland falls to 11-7-1 overall (6-4-0 SUNYAC) with the loss and next visits Oswego State on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m.
 
After a scoreless first period that saw the Cardinals own a 19-4 cushion in shots on goal, first-year forward Joshua Belgrave (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Cougars) put Plattsburgh State on the board at 9:36 of the second period. Belgrave entered the offensive zone with the puck and passed over to junior forward Trey Thomas (Williams Lake, British Columbia/Brooks Bandits), and Thomas passed back to Belgrave in the right circle. Belgrave then ripped a sharp-angle shot from the bottom of the right circle to net his second collegiate goal. Modry also earned an assist on the goal.
 
Cortland tied the score 3:04 into the third period. Senior defenseman Nick Grupp passed D-to-D to senior defenseman Giancarlo Romano on the left point, and Romano took a shot that junior forward Sutter Donegan deflected into the back of the net.
 
The Cardinals finished with a 49-12 edge in shots on goal, while both teams were scoreless on the power play. Plattsburgh State was 0-for-2, while Cortland was 0-for-1.
 
First-year goaltender Eli Shiller (Toronto, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) made 11 saves in the win for the Cardinals, while senior goaltender Luca Durante turned aside 47 shots in the loss for the Red Dragons.
 
The 1980-81 men's ice hockey team, the 2000-01 men's ice hockey team and former head men's ice hockey coach Bob Emery were all recognized throughout the course of the evening for their induction into the Plattsburgh State Athletic Hall of Fame.