The Red Dragons will look to build off of their 6-1 win against Morrisville as they prepare for the SUNYAC tournament next week.
Cortland’s men’s hockey team scored two goals per period in a 6-1 win against SUNY Morrisville to improve their record to 14-8-1 on the season. The Red Dragons won over 60% of total faceoffs and freshmen, Delvin O’Kane, led the team with two goals.
This game was heavily influenced by first-year players, Colby Seitz and Nicholas Serio, who made numerous plays throughout the night. Seitz ended up with a goal and an assist while Serio recorded two assists.
Senior goalie Luca Durante was awarded the SUNYAC Men’s Hockey Goalie of the Week for the third time this season for his performance on Saturday. Durante stopped 23 shots and put up a .958 save percentage, his only goal coming from a power play early in the first period.
Halfway through the first period, the Red Dragons, tied at 1-1, took the lead by none other than senior defenseman Giancarlo Romano, who netted his first goal of his college career. Romano, who was positioned directly in front of the opposing net, was given the puck and sent a wrist shot through traffic, giving the Red Dragons a 2-1 lead.
“It felt really good and was a big relief,” said Romano. “It felt even better to get it at home in Alumni Arena.”
Junior Nate Berke made sure to grab the puck after the play to document this special moment for Romano, before returning to celebrate with his teammates. Romano, who majors in sport management, hopes to stay involved in the field of Hockey following his final season with the Red Dragons.
With only two games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Red Dragons are preparing for playoff action. Assistant coach Nick Harper provided his perspective on the upcoming SUNYAC tournament and the team’s goals for the future.
“It’s only one game in the SUNYAC playoffs, anything can happen.” Harper said. “As for the future, it’s the same goal; Compete for the SUNYAC championship. Last year the standard was set, competing in the semi-finals”
Cortland is currently ranked 4th in the SUNYAC conference with a record of 9-5-0. Right behind them in fifth place is Buffalo State, who travels to Cortland this week for a game that could have significant playoff seeding implications depending on other matchups throughout the week. The last time these teams met was in December, which saw the Red Dragons fall to Buffalo State 4-2.
Since that game, Cortland has gone 8-4. They have been able to rely on their high scoring offense, outscoring opponents 49-37 since December 10th. Coach Harper emphasized the importance of each game in the competitive conference.
“In the SUNYAC we only play each team twice, each game is crucial and the standings can change every weekend,” said Harper. “We have the mindset of one game at a time. The most important game is the next one on the schedule.”
The Red Dragons will host Fredonia on Friday and will close out the season in this matchup against Buffalo State on Saturday at Alumni Arena.