2025 SUNYAC Men's Ice Hockey Tournament Semifinal

No. 4 Plattsburgh State (15-10-1, 8-6-0) at No. 1 Cortland (19-6-0, 12-2-0)

Saturday, March 1, 2025 • 7 p.m. • Cortland, N.Y. • Alumni Ice Arena

Live Stats • Live Video

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The fourth-seeded Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team will continue the journey for its 25th conference title on Saturday night at Alumni Ice Arena in Cortland, New York as the Cardinals face top-seeded and 12^th-ranked Cortland in the semifinals of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament.
 
TICKET PRICING: Tickets are $5 for general admission, with ticket sales beginning at 5 p.m. in Park Center, with doors opening to the Alumni Ice Arena at 6 p.m. There will be no advanced ticket sales.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES: While the Cardinals hold a 91-8-3 record against the Red Dragons all-time, Cortland has won the last three contests, including last year's SUNAYC Championship game at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. Before that, the Cards had won six straight games against the Red Dragons.
 
ABOUT THE CARDINALS: Plattsburgh State (15-10-1, 8-6-0 SUNYAC) is in the SUNYAC Tournament for the 33rd consecutive season and enters Saturday's game on a three-game winning streak, after a dramatic, come-from-behind win on Wednesday. After Potsdam went into the first intermission up 3-0, the Cards responded with a goal in the second period, and then tallied four goals in the third period to win 5-3. Lonan Bulger (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories/Hobart) who entered the night with just three points on the season, tallied four points, scoring twice, and notching two assists.

As a team, the Cardinals rank in the top four in nearly every major offensive category in the SUNYAC. As of late, the team has boasted a fantastic power play with ten power-play goals in their last seven games, going 10-29 (34.5%) in that span. This season, they rank third in the league at 25.0% on the advantage, while they have the second-best kill rate at 83.5%.
 
The Cardinals have used a balanced offensive attack this season to win games, as they average 3.24 goals per game as a team. First-year Tyler Ramm (Westborough, Mass./Northeast Generals) currently leads the team with 11 goals, seven of which have come in the last seven games, helping him land All-Rookie Team honors from the SUNYAC. Sophomore Aaron Catron (Middletown, Del./Philadelphia Little Flyers) has 10 goals and six assists on the season, as he has formed a great tandem with linemate and fellow sophomore Vlad Pshenichnikov (Moscow, Russia/Utica), who transferred to Plattsburgh over the winter break and has tallied 16 points in 15 games. Patrick Cole (Lancaster, N.Y./Buffalo Jr. Sabres) has ten goals on the year, all of which have come after the winter break, with his goal on Wednesday serving as the game-winning tally. Junior Jake Sacratini (Montreal, Quebec/AIC) leads all Plattsburgh forwards with 22 points, as he has tallied eight goals and 14 assists in his first season with the Cardinals. Senior captain Jake Lanyi (North Salem, N.Y./Connecticut Jr. Rangers) has had a productive year for the Cards as well, tallying 17 points on three goals and 14 assists.

Graduate student defenseman Kevin Weaver-Vitale (Toronto, Ontario/Markham Royals) leads all Plattsburgh players with 25 points and 18 assists, also tallying seven goals this year as he helps captain a Plattsburgh defense that is fourth in the SUNYAC at 2.64 goals allowed. He also leads the team with a +12 plus-minus and earned All-Conference First team honors this year. Senior Jack Ring (Hingham, Mass./Northeast Generals), an All-SUNYAC conference second team selection, has also been an asset offensively, tallying 17 points in 24 games. Junior Brannon Butler (Toronto, Ontario/Boston Advantage) is second on the team with a +11 plus-minus and 34 blocks, while junior captain Spencer Bellina (Medina, Ohio/Chippewa Steel) has a team-high 37 blocks to go along with 11 points this year, as the four aforementioned defensemen provide two strong defensive pairings for Plattsburgh.

Senior netminder Jacob Hearne (Ennismore, Ontario/Toronto Jr. Canadiens) has stepped nicely into the role of everyday goalie this year, posting a 15-8-1 record in 24 games played. His 2.27 goals-against average ranks third in the SUNYAC as he also has a .908 save percentage.

Head coach Steve Moffat '98 enters the weekend with a 113-86-16 record overall and 81-43-11 with Plattsburgh State. He will be searching for his second career conference championship after he led the Cardinals to the 2023 SUNYAC Championship.
 
ABOUT THE RED DRAGONS: The top-seeded and 12^th-ranked Red Dragons (19-6-0, 12-2-0) are enjoying one of the best seasons in program history as they will look for back-to-back SUNYAC Championships.

The team boasts five players on the All-SUNYAC team, with two individuals on the All-Rookie Team. Nate Berke leads this Cortland offense, as the graduate student is tops in the conference with 38 points this year and was a first team all-league selection. He forms arguably the best line in the SUNYAC with All-SUNYAC second team honorees, senior Dominic Settimo and junior Colby Seitz. Settimo has 15 goals this year and Sietz has tallied 10 goals and 16 assists. First-year forwards Sam Christiano and Justin Legault were each All-Rookie selections, with Christiano tallying 10 goals and 10 assists, while Legault has nine goals and 13 assists this year.

The Red Dragon defense outside the net is led by Johnny Facchini, who was an All-SUNYAC Second team selection this year. He has two goals and a team-high 23 assists and has some solid players around him with Evan Beaudry (17 points), Andrew Clouden (+12, 23 blocks), and Dino Mannetta (+20).

Junior goaltender Ronan Mobley earned first team All-SUNYAC honors at goaltender with a solid campaign, making 20 starts and allowing 2.28 goals-against, while putting up a .914 save percentage. He currently has a record of 17-3-0 and has one shutout.

Head coach Joe Cardarelli has a 127-113-17 record and is looking for his second conference championship in his 11^th year at the helm of the Cortland Red Dragons.
 
WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of the Plattsburgh and Cortland matchup will face the winner of third-seeded Buffalo State at second-seeded Oswego State, with the highest-remaining seed hosting. Being that Plattsburgh State is the lowest remaining seed, they would be on the road, if they were to advance. The winner of the SUNYAC Championship next weekend, Saturday, March 8, receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.