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Hobart men handle Potsdam hockey team, 4-1

Posted 12/5/10

Potsdam, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men’s hockey team led 1-0 after the first period, but Hobart rallied for the 4-1 victory. Sophomore forward Cam Miller (Cheswick, Pa./Berkshire) scored two goals, …

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Hobart men handle Potsdam hockey team, 4-1

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Potsdam, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men’s hockey team led 1-0 after the first period, but Hobart rallied for the 4-1 victory. Sophomore forward Cam Miller (Cheswick, Pa./Berkshire) scored two goals, including the game winner, to lead the Statesmen. Freshman forward Nick Avgerinos (Bolton, Ontario/Georgetown Raiders) scored his first collegiate goal and junior goaltender Trevor O’Neill made 36 saves for the Bears.

Potsdam came out aggressive and was able to sustain some early pressure in the Hobart zone. The Bears took advantage of their first power play opportunity as freshman forward Brandon Couto (Bowmanville, Ontario/Cobourg Cougars) and junior defenseman Matt Rhymer (Kingston, Ontario/Yarmouth Mariners) set up Avgerinos at the 3:25 mark. The rest of the period saw back and forth action with Potsdam outshooting Hobart 13-10.

The Statesmen picked up their intensity in the second period and slowly shifted momentum in their favor. Miller tied the game with his first goal at 9:46. The Bears nearly regained the lead three minutes later as senior forward Kevin MacLellan (Kensington, Prince Edward Island/Summerside Capitals) rang the crossbar over Hobart sophomore goalie Nick Broadwater’s (Portland, Maine/Jr. Bruins) shoulder. It was not to be however, as the Statesmen continued to press and Miller netted his second tally with just 6.9 seconds left in the period.

After the two teams traded chances early, Hobart struck again near the midway point of the third period. Senior forward Matthew Wallace (Skaneateles, N.Y/Syracuse Stars) scored at the 9:37 to give the Statesmen a 3-1 advantage. With 2:15 remaining, Potsdam Head Coach Chris Bernard pulled O’Neill for an extra attacker, but freshman forward Tommy Fiorentino (New Hartford, N.Y./Northwood School) iced the game with an empty-netter four seconds later.

Senior forward Daniel Organ (Simi, Calif./Tilton School) and sophomore forward Bobby Hannah (Burbank, Calif./Portland) each recorded two assists and Broadwater finished with 30 saves for Hobart. The Bears finished 1-5 on the power play, while the Statesmen were 0-2.

Despite some strong play by his squad at different points in the game, Coach Bernard was frustrated by another incomplete performance.

“It’s the characterization of our whole year in the sense that we have not found a way to play with urgency for 60 minutes,” said Bernard. “That’s what it takes when you play good hockey teams. I felt like we weren’t at our best for 60 minutes. Everybody’s frustrated and as a staff we have to ensure that we begin to find a way to do that. That’s going to start Monday in practice and we’re going to prepare as best we can for Manhattanville. We’re going to do our very best to get full effort and execution from every guy for the balance of the game. We’re not missing by much, but that’s what we’re missing. We know what the answer is. It’s just a matter of doing it.”

Potsdam (3-7) caps its eight-game homestand and the 2010 portion of its schedule with games against Manhattanville on Dec. 10-11. The Bears face the Valiants at 7 p.m. on Friday and 4:30 on Saturday.