Ice Knights rebound from first loss to secure SUNYAC victory

The Ice Knights fell to SUNY Plattsburgh before securing a win against SUNY Potsdam as they moved to 5-1 overall on the season this past Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11-12 (Courtesy of GeneseoKnights.com)

Geneseo’s men’s ice hockey team split a two-game road trip over the weekend. The squad suffered their first defeat of the season after falling on Friday, Nov. 10, to SUNY Plattsburgh 6-2. Geneseo rebounded with a 4-1 win on Saturday, Nov. 11, however, against SUNY Potsdam. The Ice Knights’ season record currently sits at 5-1 with two wins against SUNYAC opponents.

In the first period of the game against Plattsburgh, the Ice Knights dug themselves into a large deficit as the Cardinals scored three goals in the first frame. It was an unfortunate start for a Geneseo team that had performed exceptionally well in the first period through the first four games of the season. They were outshot 16-10 in the first frame and conceded a shorthanded goal for the first time all year.

To make matters worse, the Cardinals added to their lead at 12:11 of the second period, making it a 4-0 game. The game started to slip away from the Ice Knights until senior forward Mitch Machlitt found the back of the net off of a great feed from his fellow senior, forward Zach Rehbaum. One minute later, the reinvigorated Ice Knights found the back of the net again as junior forward Teddy Purcell finessed a shot past the Cardinals’ goalie. Graduate defenseman Alex Wilkins and freshman forward Carter Diceman recorded assists on Geneseo’s second goal of the game.

Unfortunately, the Ice Knights weren’t able to build on their momentum, as Plattsburgh went on to add two more goals in the third period. The game ended with a final score of 6-2, marking the Ice Knights’ first loss of the season and their first defeat in SUNYAC conference play.

Geneseo got off to a much better start in their game against the Potsdam Bears the next night, as sophomore forward Alex Dameski scored at 19:58 in the first period. Purcell and Wilkins tallied the assists on the play. Freshman goalie Jacob Torgner saved all 11 shots from the Bears to keep them off the scoreboard, as Geneseo went into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead. 

Geneseo added to their lead with a power play goal four minutes into the second frame, as Dameski passed the puck to senior defenseman Bryce DeFazio who blasted it past the Bears’ goaltender. Potsdam answered a mere 39 seconds later, though, with a shorthanded goal that cut the Ice Knights’ lead to just one. 

Thankfully for Geneseo, Dameski doubled down for his second goal of the game and restored their two-goal lead. Sophomore defenseman Cannon Green picked up his second assist of the game, and senior defenseman Diarmad DiMurro added the secondary assist. 

The Ice Knights added to their lead with another power play goal from Machlitt who grabbed a rebound off of a shot from junior forward Peter Morgan. Senior Greg Koutsomitis recorded the secondary assist on the goal. 

Torger stopped all 10 shots in the third period to secure the 4-1 victory for the Ice Knights. The goalie saved 30 of 31 total shots in the game for an exceptional .968 save percentage. 

The Geneseo Ice Knights will be back at the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena when they host their SUNYAC rivals, the Cortland Red Dragons on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m.