The Plattsburgh State men's hockey team closes out its regular season tonight at 7 p.m. against Potsdam State in State University of New York Athletic Conference play at the Stafford Ice Arena.
There is a possibility, however, it won't be the final home game of the season for the Cardinals.
Plattsburgh State (16-7-1 overall) currently sits fifth in the SUNYAC standings with an 8-7 record.
But, the Cardinals could still wind up fourth and get a home game in the opening round of the SUNYAC Tournament if they win tonight and get some help.
Morrisville (8-5-1) and Buffalo State (7-5-3) are tied for third place behind Oswego (13-1) and Geneseo (9-4-1). A Plattsburgh State win and a Buffalo State loss at Morrisville tonight would jump the Cardinals ahead of the Bengals and into fourth.
The Cardinals could also get a home playoff game if Morrisville, which has two games remaining, loses both its home games this weekend — to Buffalo State and then to Fredonia on Saturday.
A Buffalo State loss, however, seems a more realistic scenario.
"I keep saying we need to win one game at a time," said Plattsburgh State head coach Bob Emery. "I know people think it's just a coach's saying, but I mean it.
"We want to go into the playoffs on a good note. We have to think defense first and be opportunistic on offense."
The Cardinals split conference games on the road last weekend — dropping a 4-3 setback to Buffalo State and then skating to a 3-1 win over Fredonia.
"We outplayed Buffalo State more than we did Fredonia," said Emery. "But, we did a better job defensively against Fredonia, keeping the puck out of our net."
It hasn't been a strong season for the Bears, who were beaten by Plattsburgh State, 4-1, earlier this season at Maxcy Hall.
Potsdam State (6-16-1, 4-11) is coming off a difficult weekend on the road where it fell to Fredonia, 8-0, on Friday and Buffalo State, 3-1, on Saturday.
The Bears, however, own two victories over Morrisville (4-2 and 8-5) this season and it was Morrisville that handed Oswego its first SUNYAC loss last weekend.
"It's always a rivalry with Potsdam — it's the battle of the North Country," said Emery. "Potsdam will always say we're their biggest game of the season and they will be playing for pride.
"It will make it a successful season for them if they beat us. We gave up three goals against them last year in the third period here. We need to be ready to play."
The Bears have seven players with 10 or more points, led by senior forward Fraser Smith (11-8-19) and junior forward Sy Nutkevich (4-14-18). Junior Trevor O'Neill (4-12-1, 4.54 gaa) has done the majority of the goaltending.
The Cardinals, despite their problems in the SUNYAC this season, are now ranked No. 7 in the country in Division III.
"A lot of teams are losing," said Emery. "A lot can happen and we still have faith in winning the conference and getting to the NCAA Tournament.
"We have a great non-conference record this year and we're getting rewarded for it in the rankings."
