Ice Knights headed to NCAA Tournament
After a stunning regular season, the Geneseo Ice Knights have been selected to play in the D-III NCAA Tournament, where they will host their first-round matchup (Photo courtesy of geneseoknights.com).
The Geneseo campus fell silent as the Ice Knights were eliminated from the SUNYAC tournament on Saturday, Feb. 24. They fell to the four-seeded Cortland Red Dragons in a 3-2 nail-biter at the Ira S. Wilson Arena. It felt that their impressive 21-4-0 season was cut unfairly short in the SUNYAC semi-finals by a lesser team, yet Cortland went on to win the SUNYAC Tournament and earned an automatic bid into the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament. Despite some pause, the Cardinals will not be alone.
SUNY Geneseo will be joining Cortland in the tournament, representing the only two teams from their conference. On the morning of Monday, Mar. 4, the NCAA hosted their annual selection show, where Geneseo was granted a spot in the tournament due to their strong regular season performance. The Ice Knights will look to redeem themselves after their loss in the previous tournament, but they have been practicing harder than ever, as they wanted to be prepared for the National Championship. On Saturday, Mar. 9, the Ice Knights will be taking on the Colonels of Curry College.
As previously stated, Geneseo had an incredible regular season. They recorded 21 wins with only four losses, earning them the top spot amongst their SUNYAC foes. The Knights wrapped up the season with six consecutive wins, scoring a total of 32 goals to their opponents’ 11. Their final regular season matchup was against Morrisville State, where Geneseo came away with a comfortable 7-2 victory and gained even more momentum going into the SUNYAC Tournament.
With their top ranking, the Ice Knights were awarded a bye in the first round of the tournament. While Geneseo prepared for their semi-final matchup, Cortland crushed Brockport 5-1 in the first round on Saturday, Feb. 17. Their win had them slated to face Geneseo for the third time this season, with the Cardinals losing 3-2 in both of their previous two matchups. Despite a valiant effort from the Knights, they were handed a loss and sent home early, giving them even more time to prepare for the NCAA Tournament.
Geneseo’s next opponent, Curry College, is another powerhouse in Division III men’s ice hockey. The Milton, Massachusetts-based Colonels had a very similar season to the Ice Knights, except they played one extra game, which resulted in a draw. Their final game ended in a 7-2 loss to Salve Regina University on Saturday, Feb. 24. Before that game, Curry was on a 12-game winning streak which featured multiple shutout victories against other high-profile opponents. Curry has proven to undoubtedly be a top team in Division III.
Saturday's game is bound to be electric as both teams have shown how tough they can be this season. Geneseo had multiple players receive All-SUNYAC honors for their efforts in the 2023-24 season, further solidifying their spot as a top team. Curry has also had numerous players receive honors in their conference, the Commonwealth Coast Conference. With both teams so evenly matched, predicting the outcome of their Saturday game would be near impossible for any hockey expert.
Assuming a Knights’ victory, they would advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament and play on Saturday, Mar. 16 in Connecticut. Three teams have already solidified their spot in the quarterfinals: Trinity, Hobart, and Utica. Their tremendous seasons have provided them with the highly coveted first-round bye and a weaker opponent for their first game. After the quarterfinals against Hobart College, it would be a tough road ahead as the Ice Knights would travel to Connecticut for the final two rounds of the tournament. Hosting the first-round game is a huge advantage, but the Knights have possibly their toughest opponent of the season to face in Curry College.