New Coverage, New Season, New Conclusions
Division III USCHO coverage will change and expand a bit this year. Early in the week, I will be bringing you a round up of the previous week’s action, results, and consequences (and it may include not just hockey, but pretzels as well). Then, later in the week will be the traditional column, but now focused on just the upcoming weekend of games, along with at times features or other stories of note.
It is always good advice never to take the first weekend of conference play and draw all sorts of (wild) conclusions. There are a million reasons why this is never a good idea, and you know them as well as I. However, since this is my first roundup piece, why not start off with a (foolish) bang?
All sorts of interesting storylines and ramifications came out of this past weekend, not the least of which many have already invalidated my preseason picks. There is, perhaps, one overall conclusion that can summarize the weekend: The SUNYAC may be a lot tighter from top to bottom than originally expected.
Here are some reasons why:
– Geneseo made mincemeat out of the Plattsburgh goaltenders. Their first shot went in. They chased Josh Leis after the first period, which saw them up 3-1. They scored seven goals on 26 shots (albeit, the last one being an empty-netter, which was empty for 3:54 — perhaps the best goaltender Plattsburgh had all night).
– The next night, Geneseo won again, 4-1, against Potsdam. However, this was an evenly, extremely well-played game which saw both teams have numerous scoring opportunities. The difference was in the goaltenders, as Andy Rubeniuk outplayed Trevor O’Neill. The way the game was played, had Potsdam won, it would not have been a surprise.
Was Potsdam coach Chris Bernard upset with all those wasted scoring chances?
“Not at all. I’ll be very concerned if we weren’t getting opportunities. I’ll be really upset if we weren’t getting chances to score. But we are getting chances to score. That’s a really good thing. It would be nice to see a few of those chances that went off the iron or near-misses go in, but that’s hockey. That’s the bounces, and that’s the way it went tonight.”
– The predicted cellar–dweller, Cortland, came close to winning twice. In their opener, they did exactly what their coach wants them to stop doing — blow a game late. They led Fredonia, 2-1, late in the third when the Blue Devils pulled their goalie and Alex Morton scored with 27 seconds left. On the first shot in overtime at 0:54, Jordan Oye won it for Fredonia.
The Red Dragons almost seem hellbent on finding ways to lose. The next night, they led Buffalo State, 4-0, in the third period. The Bengals then scored three unanswered goals, but this time Cortland hung on to win. Ignoring this bad habit, Cortland did show the league they are capable of beating teams this year.
– Back to Potsdam, the Bears ended a six-game winless streak at Brockport (0-5-1). The last time Potsdam won at the Tuttle North Ice Arena was back on November 5, 2005. Potsdam won on Friday, 5-2, in a strong all-round effort.
“We just turned the page,” Bernard said. “What’s in the past is in the past all the way through. We’re trying to be the best club we can be this year. We’re trying to be the best club we can be night-in and night-out in a real tough league to get points.”
Real tough, indeed. And it may be a lot tougher than originally predicted.
SUNYAC Players of the Week (selected by the conference)
Player of the Week: Rich Manley, Geneseo (F, Fr., Buffalo, N.Y.) finished with three goals and two assists. Manley scored a pair of goals against Plattsburgh on Friday night and added a goal and two helpers in the victory against Potsdam on Saturday.
Rookie of the Week: Mark Friesen, Fredonia (G, Calgary, Alberta) earned a victory in his first collegiate appearance between the pipes against Cortland, making 25 saves, and followed up with a solid performance of 33 saves in the 3-0 loss to nationally-ranked Oswego. The third goal allowed was scored into an empty net, and he finished the two games with a .935 save percentage.
Goaltender of the Week: Paul Beckwith, Oswego (Jr., Cleveland, Ohio) posted a 5-2 win over Buffalo State and a 3-0 win over Fredonia. Beckwith recorded 29 saves against the Bengals and registered 17 saves versus the Blue Devils. Saturday was the first shutout victory for Oswego State since February 14, 2009.
New Pretzel Contestant
Many of you might remember years ago when I consistently rode Geneseo for being the only SUNYAC rink without a concession stand. They finally installed one, but there was one key item missing — a hot, soft pretzel. Well, I am happy to report, they now have them.
Unfortunately, it is not even close to the many-time champions, Brockport (which on Friday night produced one of their all time best), or even up to par with consistent runner-ups, Buffalo State. In fact, they may not even give Morrisville or Fredonia a run for their money. But hey, like any new program, it takes a while to recruit the necessary pieces to produce a winner. The basics are definitely there to build on. I’m looking forward to this new contestant one day being a contender.
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