Ice Knights continue road woes at Buff St and Fredonia

The Geneseo Ice Knights lost a pair of SUNYAC games last weekend, falling to Buffalo State, 4-3, in overtime on January 20 and losing to Fredonia, 4-2, on January 21. Geneseo drops to 10-9 overall and 4-6 in SUNYAC play.

“Teams go through this and unfortunately we’re going through this now,” head coach Chris Schultz said. “They’re doing a lot of good things, but we’re not getting rewarded.”

Geneseo came out strong against Buffalo State, taking a 2-0 lead after the first period. Two defensemen, senior Jimmy Powers and junior Blake O’Connor scored on shots from the point. The Ice Knights took a 3-0 lead early in the second when sophomore Carson Schell tipped the puck into the back of the net for his seventh goal of the year.

Buffalo State came back with three goals later in the second, to tie the game at three. Neither team scored in the third period and Geneseo opened overtime on the power play after a penalty on the Bengals near the end of regulation.

The Ice Knights failed to convert with an extra man and Buffalo State scored the game winning goal with just 19 seconds remaining. Senior Cory Gershon made 30 saves in goal.

Geneseo traveled to Fredonia on January 21 and suffered a 4-2 loss. Geneseo created numerous opportunities in the first period but were unable to convert and went into the intermission tied at zero. Several shots deflected off of the post and crossbar.

“We didn’t finish our chances in the first period. I think I counted six posts,” Schultz added. “When your team’s struggling to win games and you’re not getting those goals early, it goes to your head a little bit and I think it hit us mentally when we didn’t come out of the first period with a three goal lead.”

Fredonia scored first midway through the second period, less than a minute after a Geneseo shot hit the post. Junior Corbin Rosmarin tied the game at one late in the second, but Fredonia retook the lead with a goal in the last minute of the period.

Fredonia extended the lead with two goals early in the third, off of two defensive zone mistakes by Geneseo.

“We made two major mistakes in the defensive zone,” Schultz said. “It’s two mental lapses in the third period that killed us.”

Rosmarin scored his second goal of the game and eighth of the year on the power play in the last minute of the game. Junior Adrian Rubeniuk made 26 saves between the pipes.

“From a working standpoint, if you look at possession we dominated the game in my opinion,” Schultz said. “The guys are busting their butts and they’re doing a lot of good things, but we’re just not getting rewarded. Pucks just aren’t going in right now. It’s our job to get ourselves out of this and if there’s a team that can do it it’s ours.”

Geneseo hosts number 2 ranked Oswego on January 27 and Cortland on January 28.

Ice Knights split weekend in SUNYAC play

The 12th-ranked Geneseo Ice Knights split two SUNYAC road games last weekend, losing to Oswego and defeating Cortland, each by a score of 4-2.

On Friday, November 4, Geneseo fell to #1 ranked Oswego, 4-2. Oswego scored first halfway through the first period off a Geneseo defensive zone turnover.

“We have to make sure our defensemen make better decisions that’s the bottom line,” head coach Chris Schultz said. “Their confidence is down right now, they’re not making good decisions at all.”

Geneseo tied the game at one a minute later when sophomore Zachary Vit put a shot past the Oswego goalie. Oswego then scored late in the first to take a 2-1 lead into the intermission.

The Lakers extended their lead to two early in the second period. Vit then made the score 3-2 after an Oswego turnover on a remarkable shot over the Oswego goalie’s shoulder into the corner of the net. Vit leads the team with four goals and seven points on the year. Junior Corbin Rosmarin assisted on both of Vit’s goals.

The Ice Knights were able to put pressure on Oswego for most of the second and early in the third period, until sophomore Carson Schell took a penalty midway through the third.

“We had things going pretty well in the third period when it was 3-2,” Schultz added. “The bottom line is Carson’s penalty kind of set us back, put us on our heels and we never recovered. You need to play perfectly in Oswego to win and we didn't do that.”

Oswego scored three minutes after the penalty to end the game 4-2. Junior Adrian Rubeniuk made 46 saves in goal.

Geneseo then won at Cortland, 4-2, on November 5. Geneseo took a 3-0 lead in the second period after goals from Rosmarin, first year Peter Mott, and Schell. Geneseo also had three goals disallowed due to the net being moved off by the Cortland goalie.

“Three times in a row it’s obvious the goaltender is moving the net off himself,” Schultz said.

Cortland was able to make the score 3-2 and held a power play late in the third. Junior Ryan Bulach blocked a shot from the point and senior Clint Olson chased it down and scored a short-handed goal on a wrap-around to make the score 4-2. The penalty kill didn’t allow a goal on five Cortland chances.

“If it wasn’t for them tonight I’m not sure what would have happened with the game,” Schultz added. “You see a guy like Schell put his face in front of the puck down here. You need players like that to win championships. It was a gutsy effort for sure.”

Senior Cory Gershon made 22 saves in goal. “We don’t question our goaltending ever,” Schultz said. “We’re just in a good position with goaltending whether its (Gershon) or (Rubeniuk).”

Geneseo is now 3-2 on the season and is home against Brockport and Framingham State on November 11 and 12.

Ice Knights open SUNYAC play in dramatic fashion

The Geneseo Ice Knights won their first two SUNAYC games of the season last weekend, defeating Buffalo State and Fredonia.

Geneseo won a dramatic game against on October 28, defeating Buffalo State 4-3 in overtime. Junior Corbin Rosmarin gave Geneseo an early lead, scoring on a rebound off a quick shot from sophomore Zachary Vit. The Bengals came back, scoring one goal in the first, second, and third periods to take a 3-1 lead.

Senior David Arduin put home a rebound on the power play with six minutes left to pull within one. Junior Ryan Bulach and senior Jake Yard picked up assists on the play. Geneseo kept trying to tie the game but the Buffalo State defense blocked shots and first team All-SUNYAC goaltender Kevin Carr stopped kept everything else out of the net.

“He’s an outstanding goaltender, he’s a Division-1 goaltender in my mind,” head coach Chris Schultz said. “You have to go to the traffic areas to get goals.”

With an extra attacker and time running out, Yard threw a puck on net and Vit tipped in the game tying goal in dramatic fashion with 0.9 seconds left in the third.

“You’re going to get a player like Zach once every eight or nine years if you’re lucky,” Schultz said. “He’s in the right place at the right time an awful lot of times.”

In overtime, senior Clint Olson found the back of the net with a backhand shot just 17 seconds into the extra frame. Bulach and Arduin earned assists on the play.

“They stayed mentally tough, they never gave up, and they just found a way to get it done and it’s a beautiful thing to see,” Schultz added. “I’m happy especially for Arduin and Olson who put the team on their backs in terms of leadership.”

Senior Cory Gershon made 26 saves in goal to pick up the win.

Geneseo then defeated Fredonia, 2-1, on October 29. The Ice Knights defense played better than their previous games and junior Adrian Rubeniuk made 29 saves and allowed just the one goal.

“I thought they (the defensive core) had a very strong game,” assistant coach Kris Heeres said. “We were making quicker decisions with the puck. We were keeping it simple.”

Rosmarin again scored the first goal of the game, this time on the power play in the second period. Vit caught Fredonia on a slow change and made a long pass to sophomore Rich Manley. Manley had a two-on-one with Rosmarin, made a great pass and Rosmarin finished for the goal.

“This is what we’ve wanted out of him (Rosmarin),” Heeres added.

Fredonia tied the game early in the third, but Geneseo responded as Arduin scored the game winning goal just three minutes later.

“The bottom line is these were two character wins,” Heeres added. He also praised penalty killers like Bulach, Olson, and sophomore Carson Schell for blocking shots.

Vit and Arduin contributed to every goal on the weekend and are the two leading scorers on the team so far this season.

“That is what we expect out of them,” Heeres said. “They know they are go to guys and they’re taking their game to the next level.”

The Ice Knights are now 2-1 on the season and travel to Oswego on November 4.