PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team bounced back from a tough 3–1 loss to Canton the night before, remaining home Saturday night to face Potsdam in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play. In a fast-paced matchup at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena, the Cardinals used a strong start and timely offense to secure a 3–1 victory over the Bears, marking their eighth straight win in the all-time series against Potsdam.
Plattsburgh drew first blood just over two minutes into the contest, as senior Jake Sacratini (Montreal, Quebec/American International College) found the back of the net with an early tally, assisted by Quinn Tavares (Mississauga, Ontario/Salve Regina University), to give the Cardinals an early advantage. From there, Plattsburgh dominated the middle frame, scoring twice on the power play to build a 3–0 lead. First-year Gabriel Filion (Montreal, Quebec/Drayton Valley Thunder AJHL) opened the second-period scoring with help from Sacratini and first-year Alexandro Moliner (Delson, Quebec/Longueuil Collège-Français QJHL), followed by a man-advantage goal from junior Vladislav Pshenichnikov(Moscow, Russia/Utica University), assisted by Tavares and senior Lonan Bulger (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories/Hobart College).
Potsdam's Owen Watson broke through in the third period, trimming the deficit with a goal at the 6:30 mark, but the Cardinals' early offense and strong special-teams play held firm down the stretch. In net for Plattsburgh, first-year goaltender Brady Spry (Belleville, Ontario/Trenton Golden Hawks OJHL) delivered a strong performance between the pipes, turning away a steady stream of Potsdam shots throughout the game. Spry finished with 37 saves, anchoring the defense and helping stifle the Bears' offense when it mattered most. On the other end, Potsdam goaltender Lenny Pernomade 51 saves, but his effort was not enough to withstand the Cardinal attack.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 8–8 overall and 4–5 in conference play. Plattsburgh will remain at home next weekend for a challenging slate of SUNYAC contests, beginning with a Friday night matchup against Hobart at 7 p.m.
