The Men’s Club Hockey team took the ice on Saturday at Park Center in Cortland, New York, in an unsuccessful effort to defeat the 2023 UNYCHL Champions, Niagara College Men’s Club Hockey.
Niagara College was the clear favorite headed into this matchup, with a 17-2-0 record heading into Saturday’s game. Ranked second in the AAU Division 1 ranking, Niagara College trailed only behind the University of Tampa.
Before the game, Cortland celebrated their seniors, along with their families. Jake Mueller, Ronan Hourihan, Holden Sarosy, Zach Micolas, and Joseph Morrello were brought out onto the ice, and individually celebrated for their accomplishments.
“I wouldn’t have wanted to spend this senior day with anyone else”, said Cortland forward Jake Mueller. “Those other four guys are my brothers and my best friends. I have been so happy to be part of this organization and this school.”
The first period displayed a sloppy performance from both teams but ended with 2-0 Niagara. Goals from Jacob Przystal and Ethan Jasmin pushed the momentum in the direction of the Niagara College Knights.
After an early goal from Niagara’s A.J. Campbell, Cortland began to show signs of life in the second period. Cortland scored two consecutive goals, the first by senior Ronan Hourihan, and the second less than two minutes later by Chris Hammerle to tighten the gap to a 3-2 score.
“The goal felt good at the time to try and gain momentum back in the game”, said Cortland Forward Ronan Hourihan. “But at the end of the day, it’s still a loss.”
The second period ended with a last-minute goal from Niagara College’s Francesco Reda, which put a stop to the momentum that Cortland had previously gained.
The third period would go on to truly put a stamp on what turned out to be a blowout victory for Niagara College, with Cortland being outscored 4-0 in the duration of the period. Nicolas Porterfield and Zachary Hauseman scored the first two goals for Niagara, respectively. The next two goals would be scored by Jacob Przystal, his second and third of the day. Przystal completed his hat trick with just 2.9 seconds remaining in the game, much to the dismay of Cortland players and fans.
With the win Niagara College Men’s Club Hockey rose to an 18-2-0 record. Niagara College will head to Cornell on Sunday to take on the Big Red at 12:00 pm, while the now 9-7-0 Cortland will head to St. Bonaventure to take on the Bonnies at 3:00 pm.
While this game did not end how the exiting seniors anticipated, it nonetheless capped off the many years that they have spent dedicated to Cortland Men’s Club Hockey.
“Playing for Cortland Hockey has been an awesome experience”, said Mueller. “I have always loved hockey so I decided to join the club hockey team and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I made countless relationships and memories that I will never forget. I created a family throughout the three years at this school with the club hockey team.”