For Immediate Release: March 6, 2006

Contact: Janelle Feuz, SUNYAC Publicist

GENESEO EDGES PLATTSBURGH FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE TITLE

Ice Knights win game three of series to claim NCAA bid

GENESEO, N.Y. - The much-anticipated showdown between the fourth seeded Cardinals and the defending champion Ice Knights resulted in a decisive game three with Geneseo skating to a 4-3 victory to claim the 2006 SUNYAC Championship. With the victory, the Ice Knights claimed their second consecutive title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National championship.

Geneseo head coach Jason Lammers became the first SUNYAC Ice Hockey coach to lead his alma mater (1998) to a league championship. And it was by no means an easy road. Lammers and the Ice Knights fought back from a game one loss, to claim a come from behind victory in game two and held of a determined Plattsburgh team who pulled their goalie with 1:29 remaining in game three to clinch the series.

Friday night, sophomore Trevor Mallon (Grosse Point Woods, MI/Niagara University) registered a three point night for Plattsburgh with one goal, two assists in the 4-1 victory. Mallon knocked a deflected shot past Geneseo goalie Derek Jokic (Petersburgh, ONT/Kitchener Dutchmen) for his fourth goal of the season at 7:17 of the first period. Plattsburgh was two of four on the power play for the night when Riley Hill (Markham, ONT/Markham Waxers) knocked home a shot at 19:33 of the first to close the period with a 2-0 lead. Geneseo’s Nick Onody (Richmond Hill, ONT/St. Michael’s Buzzers Jr. A) cut the lead to one at 2:32 of the second with his slap shot beating Plattsburgh netminder Craig Neilson (Markham, ONT/Ajaz Axeman). David Friel (Mississauga, ONT/Streetsville Derbys) scored the Cardinals second power play at 6:58 of the third for a two-goal lead and senior Ben Kemp (Toronto, ONT/Streetsville Derbys) added an empty netter to complete the scoring. Neilson stopped 36 shots to post the win in nets, as Jokic made 30 saves in the loss.

The Geneseo Ice Knights forced a deciding game three with a dramatic 4-3 come-from-behind win over Plattsburgh on Saturday night. Geneseo junior Mitch Stephens (Forrest, MB/Yorktown Terriers) extended his nation-leading shorthanded goals tally to seven with 6:24 remaining in the third to even the series at 1-1 for the Ice Knights. Stephens picked up a loose puck at mid ice on a break away before tucking a shot past the outstretched left pad of Neilson.

In the opening period, Plattsburgh took a 1-0 lead at 17:56 as Deryk Whitehead (London, ONT/London Nationals) knocked a rebound past Jokic. Geneseo evened the score with 16 second left in the period when defenseman Steve Sankey (North Vancouver, BC/Merritt Centennials Jr. A) lifted a backhanded shot under the crossbar. The Cardinals erupted for a pair of goals just 58 seconds apart as Hill scored at 42 seconds of the second stanza and defenseman Nick Rolls (Marysville, Michigan/Sarnia Blast) shot deflected past Jokic at 1:42. Geneseo got within a goal at 15:00 of the second on the power play when Dan Schofield (Pickering, ONT/Plattsburgh St.) lifted a shot over Neilson's shoulder. The Ice Knights got the tying goal at 8:22 of the third period when senior Kris Heeres (Abbotsford, BC/Merritt Centennials Jr. A) knocked his own rebound into the net, setting the stage for Stephen’s game winner. Jokic stopped 23 shots for the win, as Neilson made 30 saves in taking the loss.

Game three of the series contained all the excitement one could ask for in a championship game. The Ice Knights led 3-0 with many fans thinking it was over. However, Plattsburgh exploded for three goals in a span of 3:20 to tie the game with the hopes of Cardinal fans rising and Ice Knight spirit slowly fading out. But it was sophomore forward Trent Cassan (Medora, MB/Yorkton Terriers) who provided the game winning score for Geneseo when he picked up the puck, skated into Plattsburgh territory, and fired a slap shot past Neilson causing the Ira S. Wilson Arena to erupt with Geneseo cheers.

Michel Bond (Hearst, ONT/Milton Merchants Jr. A) opened the scoring at 11:04 of the first period for Geneseo on a power play. Mathieu Cyr (New Maryland, NB/Hoosac School) deflected a shot into the net to make it 2-0 at 1:35 of the second and Cassan extended the lead to 3-0 at 10:26.

Plattsburgh’s first of three goals game from Rolls who scored on the power play at 14:16 with a shot into the upper left corner past Jokic. Kevin Galan (Salmon Arm, BC/Williams Lake Timberwolves) scored the second at 16:58 into the open side of the net and Whitehead evened the score 38 seconds later when he knocked in a rebound.

Jokic made 24 saves to post the win in nets, while Neilson stopped 20 shots. Geneseo (19-8-2) will host Mass-Dartmouth (24-2-0) on Wednesday March 8 in the NCAA Tournament first round play in. The winner will advance to play Middlebury (23-2-2) in the quarterfinals on Saturday March 11 at Middlebury.

2006 SUNYAC Ice Hockey All-Tournament Team

Deryk Whitehead, Plattsburgh

Nick Rolls, Plattsburgh

Nick Onody, Geneseo

Trent Cassan, Geneseo

Derek Jokic, Geneseo

Mitch Stephens, Geneseo (MVP)