Throwback Hockey Coverage: Heated on Ice
Saturday night’s (Dec. 11 2021) game was something else. The Geneseo Knights and the Elmira Soaring Eagles both brought their A-game and had a jolly feast. Elmira stood second in the division at 8-3-1 and Geneseo at 11-0-1. Walking into the rink’s atmosphere, anyone could feel that this game was going to get heated.
At the start of the first period, both teams were going hard. The Knights were showing off their skill, going in and out of each other’s zones and creating expert plays.
With the amount of pressure being put on the defense, the men started a dump and chase game—junior defenseman Nicolas Elia was throwing body at the Soaring Eagles as the crowd chanted for Geneseo. The fans were getting pumped for this game.
Senior forward Levi Wunder did his absolute best to keep the puck in the offensive zone to create some scoring chances for the Knights. The first period ended, and the men were getting nippy and feisty with one another. They headed into the locker room with a 0-0 score—Elmira led with seven shots on net and the Knights with six.
The second period started with junior goaltender Matt Petizian making incredible saves as Elmira attempted to rip shots on net. Eventually, the puck turned around and The Knights headed into Elmira’s zone.
Our Knights were taking shots left and right. With eight and a half minutes to spare, sophomore defender Camron Cervone scored his first career goal for the Geneseo Knights with Alex Wilkins and Ryan Burnett behind his back with the assist.
But wait—there's more! Not a minute later, the Soaring Eagles turned the tables and scored a goal. This created a 1-1 tie, which didn’t last long. Elmira clapped back again and scored another goal, making the score 2-1 Elmira leading into the end the second period.
The crowd was cheering “Let’s Go Knights!” as the third period started. The men were feeling the hype of the Ira Arena. Within the first 30 seconds, first year forward Peter Morgan stormed into the offensive zone and scored his tenth goal of the season, creating a 2-2 tie. The men started to get more aggressive with each other, showing how much they both wanted to win and doing all they could to leave with a dub.
Elmira came into the defensive zone, ripped a shot and scored their third goal of the game. The Knights weren’t liking this—they kept ripping shots on net as the puck ended up getting blocked. With four minutes left, Elmira scored, bringing themselves up to a two-goal advantage.
Regardless, The Knights did what they do best—they did not give up. Junior forward Justin Cmunt scored his eleventh goal of the season, bringing the score to 4-3 Elmira.
The Knights pulled Petizian to get a one-man advantage but ended up suffering their first loss of the season against Elmira.
“I think we will be a lot stronger [next game],” said senior Geneseo Ice Knights captain Dan Bosio. “As much as it sucks, it's something that just has to happen. We went the whole season without losing, and it's good for us to have that sting again.”
Bosio is often seen practicing his stick handling and shots while listening to music before he suits up to play. He is known for showing true leadership both on and off the ice. He tries to lead by example and do his best every time he gets out on the ice, following in the footsteps of captains from the past.
We look forward to seeing you pack the Ira at the next home game up on Friday, Feb. 11 against Fredonia.
Fun Facts about ‘Dan the man’:
Pregame meal: Chicken breast, rice and green beans
Favorite thing about Geneseo: Playing for a fanbase that always supports the team