Plattsburgh/ Geneseo Pregame Article
Plattsburgh/ Geneseo Pregame Article
Cardinals battling adversity
Cardinals return to SUNYAC play minus leading scorer
By JOHN CORYER
http://www.pressrepublican.com/0300_sports/local_story_022003543.html
Staff Writer
PLATTSBURGH — The Plattsburgh State men's hockey team has had to overcome its share of adversity this season.
The Cardinals, with several new players in the lineup, have played a demanding road schedule and are still having trouble finding the back of the net against quality competition.
And, to make matters more difficult, veteran players are squeezing their sticks too tight in an effort to help carry the scoring load.
Still, Plattsburgh State has only lost twice in 16 games.
"If you would have told me that we would have only two losses at this point of the season, with the schedule we've played, I would have told you that there was no way," said Plattsburgh State head coach Bob Emery.
"We have four ties on our record, but they could just as easily be four wins. If we win those games, we don't have the frustration we have now. You have to find a way to win those types of games.
"We haven't been outplayed or dominated in any games, except for maybe one. And, that's including our road schedule and the quality of teams we've played."
The effort has been there.
"My job is to get the most out of the players," Emery said. "We have come pretty close to that. But, I can't control the goal scoring. We do our best to loosen up the players so they don't squeeze their sticks too tight. There's no question we're having problems scoring goals against the more elite teams.
"The effort, however, has been there. We have done a good job keeping the puck out of our net and we've played good team defense, especially with the younger players we have back there. We can't get too complacent, however."
The Cardinals (10-2-4, 6-1-1) jump back into State University of New York Athletic Conference play this weekend — at Geneseo tonight at 7 p.m. and at Brockport on Saturday at 7 p.m.
"Our primary goal is to win the SUNYAC," Emery said. "We're behind the 8-ball right now in the conference.
"But, it also helps to win our non-league games because that helps get an at-large bid into the NCAA (Division III) Tournament."
The Cardinals, this weekend, will be without the services of leading scorer Eric Satim (10-13-23), who was injured in Monday night's 1-all overtime tie at Williams College.
"He is definitely out this weekend," Emery said. "After that, we'll see how it goes."
Geneseo is 3-5 in the conference and 7-9-1 overall.
The Knights are also getting balanced scoring, with senior forward Dan Brown (10-6-16) and sophomore forward David Arduin (6-10-16) leading the way. Freshman Adrian Rubeniuk (5-6, 2.72 gaa) has been in net much of the time.
Plattsburgh State was a 4-2 winner at home over Geneseo early in the regular season.
Brockport, which has won six of its last nine games, is 3-5 in the SUNYAC and 8-8 overall.
Sophomore forwards James Cody (7-9-16) and Ian Finnerty (7-9-16) lead a balanced scoring attack. Senior Todd Sheridan (7-7, 3.27 gaa) has done the vast majority of the goaltending for the Golden Eagles.
Brockport dropped a 4-1 decision to the Cardinals early in the season at the Stafford Ice Arena.
