CORTLAND, NY — The 14th-ranked Cortland Red Dragons men’s hockey team capped off a dominant 6-2 victory over Plattsburgh on Saturday evening, completing the regular-season sweep of the Cardinals at Alumni Arena. With the win, the Red Dragons improve to a solid 16-6-0 record, maintaining a strong 9-2-0 mark in SUNYAC play, while Plattsburgh drops to 11-10-1 overall and 5-6-0 in the conference.
Five different Cortland players found the back of the net, led by senior forward Domenic Settimo, who recorded two goals on the night. Colby Seitz also had a standout performance, adding a goal and two assists, while Stephen Kyrkostas contributed a goal and an assist. Joshua Rumolo and Charlie Merkley each scored their first career goals, rounding out the impressive offensive effort.
Cortland goalie Ronan Mobley was solid between the pipes, making 19 saves to earn the victory. Offensively, Johnny Facchini, Evan Beaudry, and Brady Hildreth each tallied two assists, while Nate Boak and Andrew Clouden also recorded assists.
For Plattsburgh, Patrick Cole and Tyler Ramm each scored a goal, while Dominik Bovan made a strong appearance in relief, allowing just one goal on 12 shots in the final 17:42 of the game.
Fast Start for the Red Dragons
The game began with a fast-paced opening period, and it was the Red Dragons who struck first. Just 2:58 into the contest, Settimo won an offensive zone faceoff and directed the puck to Seitz, who passed it to Facchini. Facchini then slid a perfect pass across the right circle, setting up a one-timer for Settimo that found its mark in the corner of the net to give Cortland a 1-0 lead.
Despite several chances from both sides, the score remained 1-0 as the teams headed into the first intermission. Cortland held a 14-9 advantage in shots on goal, showing their early dominance.
Cortland’s Quick Strikes in the Second Period
The Red Dragons came out firing in the second period, scoring twice in the first 5:12 to extend their lead to 3-0. The first goal came from Merkley, who skated down the left side and cut toward the net, beating Plattsburgh goalie Jacob Hearne with a backhanded shot for his first career goal.
Less than two minutes later, Settimo netted his second goal of the night, taking a pass from Seitz at the blue line and finishing with another backhand shot into the left corner of the net. The quick goals put Cortland in control and left Plattsburgh struggling to respond.
The Red Dragons’ defense played a crucial role in keeping the momentum on their side, especially when they were forced to kill off a major penalty and a game misconduct for slashing. With Mobley’s solid play and strong defensive efforts, Cortland held Plattsburgh off the board during the penalty kill.
As the power play ended, the Cardinals found themselves in penalty trouble, getting caught with too many players on the ice. Seitz took advantage of the situation, scoring his ninth goal of the season on a wrist shot into the top left corner of the net after a perfect feed from Kyrkostas.
Plattsburgh Finds Life Late in the Game
Plattsburgh made a push late in the second period, scoring their first goal of the night with 2:31 remaining. Ramm capitalized on a turnover in the Red Dragons’ defensive zone, firing a shot past Mobley to cut the lead to 4-1. However, Cortland would respond early in the third period.
Cortland Closes It Out with Two More Goals
Cortland’s offensive surge continued in the third period. The Red Dragons scored a power-play goal at 1:55, thanks to some perfect passing. Beaudry sent a pass from the blue line to Hildreth, who quickly slid it across the ice to Kyrkostas for his fourth goal of the season.
Rumolo completed the scoring just 5:24 into the period, as his shot from the right point deflected off a Plattsburgh defender and into the net, leaving Bovan with no chance to make the save.
Plattsburgh managed a late goal by Cole with just under three minutes left, but it was too little, too late. The Red Dragons held firm and finished the game with a 6-2 victory.
With the win, Cortland continues to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season, while Plattsburgh will look to regroup as they prepare for their upcoming games.