By: Brayden Peters
BROCKPORT, N.Y. - It was a day to forget for Brockport’s hockey team as they fell 7-0 to Elmira College. Elmira was ranked number six in the nation entering the game. Going into the game, Brockport’s last forward line was made up of mostly defenders. This was due to injuries and Connor Galloway and Matt Anastasio being suspended for checks to the head in the game against Morrisville State.
Out of the gate in the first period, Brockport seemed to have a slow start. They managed to get shots off but couldn’t generate high quality scoring chances on Elmira goalie Kyle Curtin. He was making every save like it was nothing but lightwork. Not only that, but Brockport struggled to even score on a five-minute powerplay as it seemed that Elmira had the puck mostly in Brockport’s end.
As for Elmira, they were in the same position as Brockport’s offense. However, their strong forecheck gave them more chances to possibly score. Soon enough, with almost three minutes left to go in the first period, Elmira forward Jared Smith deked out Brockport goalie David Filak to bury the first goal of the game.
The first period, to say the least, was a lot of offense from both sides, but both teams struggled to create multiple high quality scoring chances. The defenses were solid overall but didn’t look anything too outstanding. With Brockport’s struggles on offense and on the powerplay, forward Chase Maxwell wants his players to be less tense.
“We just got to relax,” Maxwell said. “Control the puck, don’t do too much on the ice with our sticks and get pucks on net.”
Things got completely out of hand for Brockport in the second period. Whatever adjustments Elmira head coach Aaron Saul made in the first intermission worked. Forwards Shane Haviland, Janis Vizbelis, Ryan Reifler and Shawn Kennedy all in order scored the next four goals in the period. After Kennedy’s goal, Brockport swapped Filak out for freshman Trevor Joule, who was making his first ever appearance collegiately.
Elmira seemed one step ahead of Brockport’s defense, as they skated and moved the puck too quickly for the defense. As for Brockport offensively, more scoring chances were developing, but they struggled to bury the puck into the net due to fanned and missed shots. Brockport forward Andrew Harley wants his guys to keep fighting, even if they are down 5-0.
“The message could be the same as we are starting the game,” Harley said. “There’s 20 more minutes. We just got to keep battling and just working 100% every shift.”
The third period was more of the same as the second period. Elmira ripped off two more goals thanks to defensemen Amedeo Mastrangeli and Mitch Haight, who scored his first career goal in his senior year of collegiate hockey. Those were the only goals that period as Brockport experienced the same offensive problems as they’ve had in the previous two periods. With the 7-0 loss, Brockport drops to 5-8-1 while Elmira improves to 11-2.
Although Brockport struggled, two young players really stood out. Freshman Jack Powers was flying all over the ice, working for the puck and to generate scoring chances, as there were a couple of times where he came close to scoring. Also, Joule looked strong in net, not making anything easy for Elmira’s offense. Brockport head coach Brian Dickinson was pleased by these two players.
“I thought he (Powers) was fantastic in terms in what he can give us tonight,” Dickinson said. “He’s (Joule) showing flashes and has gotten better as the semester has gone on…he made some great saves, and you could see some of the reaction on bench from the guys who were really excited for him to see his first college action.”
This game was also meaningful for Powers as while playing in the juniors, he was coached by now assistant coach for Elmira Mike Grace. Dickinson said because of this, Powers was going to give it his all.
“Anytime players are in that kind of situation, they want to play their best hockey,” Dickinson said.
Brockport will get a bit of a break before they resume game action again. They will take on SUNY Canton on the road on January 5. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m.