Cardinals Make Western Swing
By Jim Reisdorf

Well after a few weeks off from the preview because of a wacky schedule it’s back to SUNYAC play. So here’s a quick recap of what’s happened since the Cardinal Classic; big win against a tough Norwich team, then an upset at a feisty Skidmore team who has played very well this year. Plattsburgh remains ranked #1 in the USCHO.com online poll, even with the loss, as Wisconsin Superior also lost this past weekend against St. Scholastica.

This weekend Plattsburgh will make the longest road trip of the season and head west to the Buffalo area to face off against SUNYAC opponents Fredonia and Buffalo State. Fredonia comes into the weekend 4-9-3 overall and 2-4-2 in the SUNYAC putting them the #7 seed right now. Plattsburgh won the first meeting between the two teams in Plattsburgh 5-2. The Blue Devils are lead up front by junior forwards Jeff Aonso (3-9-12) and James Muscatello (8-3-11). Between the pipes is junior Pat Street who is 2-7-3 on the season with a .916 save percentage and 3.19 goals against average. In his 3 year career at Fredonia, Street is 2-2-1 against Plattsburgh. Backing up Street is Kody VanRentergem, a freshman who is 2-2-0 on the year with a .934 save percentage and 1.99 goals against average. Fredonia is averaging 2.31 goals per game while giving up 3.12; they are averaging 6.1 penalties for 13.9 minutes per game and their opponents are taking 6.4 penalties for 14.2 minutes.

This game is a tough one to predict, as most of them are. On paper, Plattsburgh is the better team and should win this game, however that was also the case in Skidmore last week. Pat Street is a very good goalie and when he’s on his game he’s capable of beating anyone. The key for Plattsburgh will be getting ahead early and not allowing Fredonia to play their style of slowing the flow of the game down.

On Saturday night Plattsburgh will invade the campus of Buffalo State. The Bengal’s come into the weekend 8-8-1 overall and 3-4-1 in the SUNYAC which puts them in the #5 spot. Earlier in the season Plattsburgh defeated Buffalo State 4-2 in what was a very physical game in the Stafford Ice Arena. Jason Hill (5-25-30), a senior forward, leads Buffalo State. Hill is as good as they come in DIII, and his name will surely be in the running for all American this season. Right behind Hill is sophomore forward Nick Petriello (9-20-29) who was last years SUNYAC Rookie of the Year. Buffalo has 2 players with 10 goals. The Bengal’s are lead in goal by a pair of freshman, Zach Grasley is 4-6-1 overall with a .904 save percentage and 2.92 goals against average. Alan Fritch is 4-2-0 with a .922 save percentage and 2.53 goals against average. Buffalo is averaging 4.35 goals per game while giving up just 2.82; they are averaging 8.2 penalties for 19 minutes a game while the opponents are taking 8.7 penalties for 21.9 minutes.

Look for Buffalo State to play another physical game and try to minimize Plattsburgh’s speed. Staying out of the box will be a key for the Bengal’s as they have run into penalty trouble and that may have cost them a game against Plattsburgh earlier in the season.

Plattsburgh comes into the weekend 12-1-2 overall, 7-0-1 in the SUNYAC and ranked #1 in both the USCHO polls and SUNYAC standings. Leading the way up front for the Cardinals are sophomore forward Dylan Clarke (10-11-21), junior forward Joey Wilson (11-8-19), and junior forward Phil Farrow (6-13-19). Last week Clarke missed the Skidmore game with the flu, he looks to return to the lineup this weekend. Sophomore goalie Bryan Hince has been solid in net for the Cardinals with an 11-1-2 record. Hince is averaging just 2.05 goals against and a save percentage of .917. Backing up Hince is senior goalie Chris Molinaro, who has seen action in only one game to date this season. Molinaro is 1-0-0 on the season with a .875 save percentage and 3.05 goals against average. Plattsburgh is currently the least penalized team in the SUNYAC, averaging just 5.6 penalties per game good for 11.7 minutes. The Cardinals are ranked #2 in the conference (behind Oswego) in scoring as they are averaging 4.53 goals per game. Plattsburgh is giving up just 2.2 goals per game, while their opponents are averaging 8.5 penalties per game good for 20.8 minutes.

This is going to be a tough weekend for our Cardinals; neither team is a pushover by any means. Plattsburgh is going to have to bring their “A game” if they want to keep their lead in the SUNYAC. Team speed will come into play and I believe that Plattsburgh can out skate both teams, but I look for both Fredonia and Buffalo State to try and slow down the pace of the game. Plattsburgh needs to try and get ahead early if they want to be able to control the game, if the opponents get ahead then they can play their style and take Plattsburgh off their game. I expect Plattsburgh to win both games this weekend and continue to lead the way in the SUNYAC.

Predictions:
Plattsburgh 5 - Fredonia 3
Plattsburgh 6 – Buffalo State 3

Till next week!
Jim