Two days, two wins: The Ice Knights shine yet again
The Geneseo Ice Knights kicked off December with two wins, claiming victories on both Friday and Saturday last week. These wins add to an already impressive record and contribute to yet another memorable season for Geneseo. Despite having nearly half of the season ahead of them, the Knights have already amassed 8 wins, with hopefully many more to come.
The game on Friday night marked the first matchup against Buffalo State this season, with another coming in February. The Bengals put up a good fight but were no match for Geneseo, who won 3-2.
The game started off well for the Knights, scoring a goal just over three minutes after the opening face-off. The first goal came courtesy of Jared Thomas, a junior forward from South Glens Falls, NY. This one came unassisted and marked his second of the season. The 1-0 lead was maintained through most of the period, but Buffalo State ended the first with a pair of goals to take the lead.
Geneseo came out hot in the second period with a powerplay goal in just 55 seconds by sophomore forward Peter Morgan, his seventh of the season. Assists were credited to fellow sophomore forward Domenic Garozzo and freshman defender Dakota Zarudny, their fourth and seventh, respectively. The Knights fired eight other shots in the period but were unable to find the net and extend their lead. The period concluded with the game tied at 2-2.
The third period started with several shots from Geneseo, none of which could sneak past the Bengals goaltender. After ten minutes of seemingly all defense, Buffalo State was called for roughing, allowing the Knights power play team to take the ice. At 10:46, Garozzo broke the tie and sent the puck into the back of the net to take the lead. Unassisted, he tallied his seventh goal of the year, matching his statistics from last season. That goal proved to be the game-winner as senior goaltender Matt Petizian held down the fort, and accumulated 23 saves in the Geneseo victory.
The victory on Friday allowed the Knights to carry momentum into the game on Saturday against SUNYAC rival Fredonia. Geneseo dominated the game, shutting out the Blue Devils with a score of 4-0. The first period was uneventful, as neither team scored. The Knights had shot the puck 17 times and had two power play opportunities, neither of which resulted in a score.
The second period proved to be more fruitful, as Geneseo tallied a goal just a minute in. Senior defender Matthew Doran dished the puck to Morgan, who was able to send a wrister past the Blue Devils goalie, providing a 1-0 lead. Neither team was able to score in the remaining 19 minutes of the period, leaving the door open for Fredonia.
The third period was action packed, with three goals from the Knights. The first came from freshman forward Alex Dameski who scored on the powerplay with assists from Zarduny and Thomas. The lead grew even more as senior forward Tyson Gilmour pushed it to three after a deflected shot by sophomore forward Stefan Miklakos. Zarduny was also credited with an assist for the goal, his second of the game. The final goal was scored with a man-advantage by senior defenseman Nicolas Elia, with assists by Gilmour and sophomore defender Tommy Winn.
Petizian achieved his fifth career shutout performance in goal, and his second of the season. He finished with a whopping 27 saves, completely thwarting any chance Fredonia had at emerging victorious. Petizian was once again awarded SUNYAC Goaltender of the Week, as he has a .944 SV% and is currently the top goalie in the nation for games played (11) and most saves (304). Zarudny was also awarded a SUNYAC honor for Rookie of the Week as the top scoring defenseman in the conference, as well as being recognized as the top freshman defenseman in the nation for scoring. Geneseo’s two weekend wins and incredible skill proved yet again that they are a powerhouse and will continue to perform at such a high level.