Tyson Spink scored the game-winning goal in Colgate’s 3-2 victory over 18th ranked Vermont Saturday night at Starr Rink. (Photo by Bob Cornell)
Raiders Best Another Ranked Opponent
Two Power Play Goals Lift Raiders Past #18 Vermont, 3-2
By Matt Faulkner
(Hamilton, NY – Jan. 11, 2014) The Colgate men’s hockey team kept the wheels turning against ranked opponents as the Raiders downed Vermont, 3-2, on Saturday night.
Colgate (9-9-3) extending its unbeaten streak to three games and all three have come against ranked opponents. The Raiders scored two power play goals for the second-straight game with scores by Darcy Murphy and Tyson Spink. Tylor Spink was the other goal scorer for Colgate.
Tylor Spink and Murphy ended the night with two points as each posted assists.
Charlie Finn was solid in net for the third-consecutive game, making 24 saves and has improved his record to 6-4-2. He made 13 stops in the third period alone to earn the win.
The Catamounts (11-7-3) had their five-game unbeaten streak snapped by the Raiders. Mario Puskarich and Colin Markison were the goal scorers for the visitors. Mike Santaguida pushed aside 21 shots in the loss.
The Raiders took the early 1-0 lead thanks to Murphy’s third goal in as many games. The sophomore scored his 11th of the season on a great play at the far post. Ryan Johnston got the puck at the point after a cross-ice pass from Brett Corkey. Johnston fired the puck through traffic and Murphy was there to pick up the garbage at the far post for the power play goal. The score came 2:47 into the game.
Vermont tied it up just over five minutes later as Brendan Bradley dropped a pass to Puskarich and he skated around a defender to the high slot and beat Finn off the crossbar and into the net.
Tylor Spink got the lead back for the Raiders with 5:05 remaining in the first period. Murphy took a big hit put got rid of the puck to the center of the offensive zone. The Catamounts tried to get a quick clear, but Emilio Audi stepped into the path of the puck and got it to Tylor Spink. The sophomore got his eighth of the year with a low shot that beat Santaguida.
After a scoreless second period, Vermont opened the third with a tying goal just 57 seconds into the final frame. Markison received a pass on a rush up ice from Chris McCarthy and right before he ran into Finn, he put it into the back of the net to tie the game at 2-2.
Colgate regained the lead for good with its second power play of the night with Tyson Spink scoring his third of the season. Tylor Spink made a nice play behind the net and slipped a pass out to his brother and he buried it for the gamewinner with 13:37 left in the game.
The Raiders needed a smart play from Spiro Goulakos after a crazy bounce off the boards. Vermont put the puck into the offensive zone and Finn went to play the puck behind the net. The puck took a bad bounce off the glass and ended up in front of the net. Goulakos made a diving play to chip the puck away from the Catamount player charging the net.
Colgate went 2-for-5 on the power play against one of the best penalty-killing team in the nation. Vermont scored once on two chances as the Raiders were disciplined and only allowed two power plays.
The Raiders jump back into conference play this coming weekend with visits to Dartmouth and Harvard.
Colgate Outshoots Penn State in OT Loss
Volpe Finishes Weekend with 3 Goals and 1 Assist
By Kat Castner
(University Park, Pa. – Jan. 11, 2014) The Colgate women’s hockey team dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker in overtime to Penn State on Saturday afternoon, just a mere 17-hours after the Raiders needed an extra period to defeat the Nittany Lions, 3-2 on Friday night.
Colgate (5-14-2) dominated the statistics sheet, outshooting the Nittany Lions 40-17. The Raiders posted double-digit shooting periods during three of the four frames, including a game-high 15 shots in the second period. The Raiders also fired off 28 of the game’s first 37 shots.
“We didn’t get the result we wanted to today against Penn State, but we played well enough to win,” Colgate head coach Greg Fargo said. “Their goalie (Nicole Paniccia) came up with some critical saves that kept the game close. We played the game we wanted to play, we just didn’t get the bounce or the big play we needed at the right time. We are looking forward to bouncing back against Syracuse at home on Tuesday night.”
Despite the physical game, there was only one penalty called throughout the contest. The Raiders were charged with holding in the opening period, however, Penn State was unable to convert on the man-up opportunity.
Taylor Volpe completed her impressive weekend recording the Raiders’ lone goal 10:24 into the second period. Volpe finished the two-game set against Penn State posting three goals, including the game-winner on Friday night. The senior also added an assist on the weekend. Taylor Craig was awarded the helper on Saturday in which Volpe scored her sixth of the season. The Tustin, Calif., native is now tied for leading the team with six goals.
Penn State (4-17-2) saw Hannah Hoenshell notch the game-winner2:44 into overtime. Hoenshell also added a helper on Laura Bowman’s tying goal in the second period. Amy Peterson registered an assist on both Nittany Lions’ goals.
Following a scoreless opening period, the Raiders jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Craig connected with Volpe 10:24 into the second period firing one over the shoulder of Penn State’s goaltender.
The Nittany Lions would respond, however, at the 18:05 mark when a Hoenshell pass deflected off Bowman’s skate and into the back of the net.
Neither team was able to notch the go-ahead goal in the third period, which sent the game into overtime for the second time in as many games.
Hoenshell found herself on a fast break mid-way through the five-minute extra time and found an opening by sliding the puck past Colgate’s netminder Brittney Brooks for the winning tally.
Penn State’s goaltender Nicole Paniccia had a stellar game for the Nittany Lions stopping 39 of Colgate’s 40 attempts for her first win of the season. Brooks recorded 15 stops in the loss.
Colgate returns to action Tuesday when it hosts near-by rival Syracuse at 7 p.m.
3-Point Shooting Success Continues
Colgate Makes 9 from Long Range but Drops 72-55 Result at American
By John Painter
(Washington – Jan. 11, 2014) Colgate for the second game running received great production from its 3-point shooters.
But the Raiders couldn’t slow American’s do-everything guard Alexis Dobbs and the Eagles matched Colgate’s long-range effort in a 72-55 Patriot League decision here Saturday.
Colgate and American scored nine 3-point baskets apiece. For the Raiders, that total was one shy of the season-high 10 they made Wednesday against Holy Cross. But Colgate for the second straight game also shot better from 3-point distance than from inside the arc.
The Raiders were 9-of-23 from 3-point land for 39.1 percent, and 10-of-32 inside the arc for 31.3 percent. Wednesday night, it was 38.5 percent from long range to 23.8 percent closer in.
“Once we start putting in the easy ones and the layups, the offense will start clicking a little bit more,” said senior forward Catherine Lewis, who was 4-of-8 from downtown and tied for team honors with 12 points.
Colgate’s 3-point shooting trio of Lewis, Missy Repoli and Mariah Jones did the damage once again for the Raiders. Lewis tied a career high with four made bombs, while Repoli added three and Jones a pair. For their careers, all three are inside the school’s top-10 in made 3-pointers – Jones seventh with 94, Lewis tied for eighth with 93 and Repoli 10th with 87.
“We were able to get some good looks and we gave ourselves some good opportunities from three,” Raiders head coach Nicci Hays Fort said.
Dobbs scored 21 points for the Eagles and led her team in assists and rebounds. The senior was 4-of-4 from 3-point distance and 5-of-5 at the free-throw line to go with her five rebounds and five assists.
“Dobbs is very good,” Hays Fort said. “If she’s not the best player in the Patriot League, she’s one of the best. We did a really good job on her for the first 18 minutes of the first half. Then when we went on our run in the second half and they needed an answer, she was the one again.
‘There’s a reason she’s always first team All-Patriot League. She’s a really great player.”
Early Foul Trouble
Colgate scored the game’s first five points as Lewis connected from long range and Carole Harris banked home a 10-footer. American rebounded for a 6-5 lead before Colgate went back in front again when Josie Stockill connected in the lane.
But early foul trouble sent first Harris and then Kelly Reid – returning to action after a four-game injury hiatus – to the Raiders bench and the scoring slowed. Colgate tallied only two points over the next eight minutes and fell behind 18-9.
Randyll Butler scored on a layup and the Raiders were within 25-19 with 2:05 remaining. But Dobbs sparked a 7-0 American run with a midrange jumper and one of her four 3-pointers to help the Eagles go into the half leading 32-21.
The teams traded baskets early in the second half and American led 37-25 with 16:30 showing. That’s when Colgate made its best run at the Eagles by outscoring them 14-5 over the next 3½ minutes.
The Raiders made four out of five from downtown and during that stretch, with Jones swishing two of those and scoring eight of her 12 during that rally. Colgate’s junior guard hails from nearby Silver Spring, Md., and had a nice following in the crowd.
Colgate had two more possessions trailing by five but couldn’t convert, and American finally re-established its range as Dobbs hits three straight threes to help push the lead to 63-44 with 7:04 remaining. The Raiders drew no closer than 12 the rest of the way.
Colgate finished 19-of-55 from the field for 34.5 percent, and made 8-of-12 at the line. The Raiders posted 31 rebounds, 12 assists and 16 turnovers. American was 22-of-45 from the field for 48.9 percent, and an impressive 19-of-23 at the line. The Eagles had 35 rebounds, 18 assists and 15 turnovers.
C-Lew on Target
Jones and Lewis scored 12 points apiece to lead the Raiders. For Lewis, Saturday marked her eighth straight game with at least one made 3-point basket.
“It comes down to my teammates having confidence in me and sharing the ball with me, and also my coaches instilling that same confidence in me and telling me to keep shooting no matter what,” said Lewis, who is 17-of-44 from downtown during her last eight games. “They make the plays; all I do is shoot the ball.”
Harris scored 10, Repoli nine and Butler eight, with two points apiece from Reid and Josie Stockill. Butler led in rebounds with eight and Jones in assists with five. Lauryn Kobiela did not play because of injury.
In addition to Dobbs, Michelle Holmes scored 12 points and Arron Zimmerman 10. The Eagles moved into a second-place tie in the Patriot League at 3-1, with a 10-5 overall record.
“We’ve got to find ways to overcome adversity,” Hays Fort said. “We’ve had two starters miss playing time, and we’ve got to find ways to overcome that and make positive things happen.”
Colgate fell to 4-11 and 0-4. The Raiders next host Boston University, which lost Saturday at home to Lafayette by a 68-63 score. The Terriers are 6-11 and 1-3.
“This was a tough loss here at American,” Lewis said. “We had stretches where we played really well, and we’ve just got to keep looking forward and get ready to practice Monday focused on getting a win over BU.”
Start time Wednesday from Cotterell Court is 7 p.m.
Ethan Jacobs had a team-high 19 points for Colgate against American Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Bob Cornell)
Jacobs Hits Career-High As Raiders Fall
Three Colgate Players Reach Double-Digits in 69-62 Loss to American
By Kat Castner
(Hamilton, NY – Jan. 11, 2014) Junior transfer Ethan Jacobs registered 19 points and four rebounds but his career-high day couldn’t spark a Colgate men’s basketball victory as the Raiders fell 69-62 to American on Saturdayafternoon.
“Our offense hasn’t been the issue,” Colgate head coach Matt Langel said. “Today we just played our offense by moving the ball and our bodies. We have some guys with good skills who can make a jump shot and get to the basket a little bit. But our focus has to be on the defensive end and making some of the little discipline plays that can help you win a game.
“Winning teams are very disciplined. We are right there we just lack that little bit of discipline it takes to close out a possession or finish a play and then ultimately at the end of the game it will result in us having the lead and taking the victory.”
Overall Colgate (6-9, 0-4) shot 51.2 percent from the floor after shooting a season-high 71.4 percent in the opening 20 minutes. In the first half, the Raiders had a game-high 11-point lead but saw the Eagles shoot an impressive 77.8 percent from the floor in the second half to steal the win. American missed just four shots in the final half to finish the day shooting 62.5 percent from the floor.
Jacobs led the Raiders with a career-high 19 points and four boards while going 3-of-4 from long. Damon Sherman-Newsome and Austin Tillotson each posted double-figures with 14 and 12 points, respectively, to add to the Raiders total. Sherman-Newsome also notched a game-high three makes from downtown while Tillotson and Luke Roh recorded a team-high four assists.
American (7-7, 3-0) saw four players hit double-digits with Darius Gardner leading the way with a game-high 21 points. John Schoof went 3-of-7 from downtown for his 15 points while Kyle Kager and Jesse Reed closed out the Eagles’ in double-figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Gardner and Tony Wroblicky pulled down a game-high seven boards and Wroblicky added a game-high six assists in the contest.
The Eagles started the game on a 5-0 run until Tillotson ended the Raider drought with a layup to make the score 5-2 with 17:55 left to play in the half.
Colgate pulled to within one following a Nathan Harries 3-pointer before taking its first lead of the game at 21-19 after Sherman-Newsome drained one from deep on the Raiders’ next possession.
After American tied the game at 23-all, the Raiders went on a 11-0 run to create an 11-point margin between the teams at 34-23 with 1:18remaining in the half. Reed would hit a trey for American, however, with seven seconds left to cut into Colgate’s lead heading into the break
Despite American starting the second half on a 4-0 run, Colgate kept the lead for most of the opening 10 minutes after it hit three from long for its first three field goals of the half. Jacobs had two of those 3-pointers during that span.
Colgate extended its lead to nine at 43-34 but the Eagles’ quickly answered going on a 13-4 run to knot the score at 47-47 with 10:54 left to play.
The Raiders took back their lead following a Harries jumper but again American would go on a run scoring the next eight points to take a six-point edge at 55-49 with 6:03 remaining in the game. The Eagles kept the Raiders scoreless for four minutes and 13 seconds during that run.
A big and-1 from Sherman-Newsome cut American’s lead to two at 61-59 with 1:10 left to play but the Eagles would hit a huge 3-pointer on their next possession to push their advantage back to five.
Colgate tried to rally in the final minute of action but the Eagles would finish the game making 5-of-6 from the free throw line to take the seven-point victory.
The Raiders are back on the road Tuesday when they travel to top-seeded Boston U. for a 7 p.m. tip off with the Terriers.
Adams posts double-double in 63-40 win for Mustangs over Wilson
By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information
(Chambersburg, Pa. – Jan. 11, 2014) Freshman forward Caitlyn Adams (Sherburne, N.Y.) posted a collegiate high 22 points, and added 13 rebounds for her first double-double, leading Morrisville State College women’s basketball to a 63-40 win over host Wilson College in North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action Saturday afternoon in Chambersburg.
The victory is the second straight for the Mustangs, who improve to 4-7 overall and pull even at 2-2 in NEAC action.
Adams hit 9-of-16 shots from the floor in the contest, going perfect from the free throw line (4-4) while collecting six offensive boards.
Jordan Anderson (West Edmeston, N.Y.) added 14 points while dishing out four assists and stealing five, as teammate Jennel Paul (Brooklyn, N.Y.) controlled the glass for Morrisville State, pulling down 15 boards. Paul also contributed nine points, two assists and five steals to the win.
Morrisville State trailed by one after the opening period, 25-26, before attacking the post and hitting Adams for eight of the Mustangs 10 points in the first five minutes of the second, opening the half with a 10-0 run.
Wilson pulled to within three with 12 minutes to go, but the Mustangs went put together a 12-3 spurt over the next three minutes for the 12 point advantage that later increased to as many as 25 for the conference win.
The Mustangs gained 33 points off 27 Phoenix miscues on the day, and edged Wilson on the offensive boards, 14-9, while holding the 38-14 scoring advantage in the final twenty.
Morrisville State returns to the court Tuesday, hosting SUNY IT at 3 p.m. in the STUAC Gymnasium.
Morrisville State hockey suffers setback at Nichols
By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information
(Morrisville, NY – Jan. 12, 2014) Host Nichols College scored five first period goals and added three more in the final stanza to top visiting Morrisville State College hockey by a 9-4 non-conference decision Saturday night in Rhode Island.
The loss is the second straight for the Mustangs, who fall to 3-9-1 on the season.
Four posted tallies for Morrisville State, including Matt Beer (Corunna, ON) who finally got the Mustangs on the board with a power play tally just three minutes into the second period after being blanked in the first.
Darren Young (Woodstock, ON) added a second score midway through the period, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
In the third, John Doyle (New Lowell, ON) and Daniel Morello (Vaughan, ON) capitalized on a game misconduct by the hosts, each posting power play scores, but Nichols added three tallies to claim the non-conference win.
Chris Azzano (Oshawa, ON) recorded the loss between the pipes for the Mustangs, tallying nine stops in the first period, before being relieved by Jakob Rasmussen (Vallentuna, SE) for the final two frames. Rasmussen turned away 18 total, 10 in the second period.
Morrisville State hockey skates to 6-4 win over Becker
By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information
(Morrisville, NY – Jan. 12, 2014) Visiting Morrisville State College men’s hockey picked up a 6-4 non-conference win over host Becker College Sunday afternoon, improving their overall record to 4-9-1.
Ten different Mustangs tallied points in the contest, including Daniel Morello (Vaughan, ON) and Marc-Antoine Chaput (Mascouche, QC) who each posted three assists on the day.
Morrisville State put the first tally on the board 9:51 into the first period as Zach Baker (Denver, Colo.) rebounded a shot and went top shelf on Becker keeper Shaun Millerick, before Joe Santino (Woodbridge, ON) added a second goal on a power play with 4:54 to go in the opening frame.
Becker posted back-to-back tallies to knot the game at two, until a blast from Jordan Carvalho (Brampton, ON) on the man advantage put the Mustangs in front 3-2 just five minutes into the second.
With 11 ticks remaining in the second frame, Morello found Rob Molinaro (Yonkers, N.Y.) on a centering pass for the flick into the Becker net, giving the Mustangs the two goal advantage.
A Becker penalty late in the second period carried over into the third, and resulted in a third power play score for Morrisville State, this time from Darren Young (Woodstock, ON) just 1:17 in.
Steve Dol (Ingersoll, ON) gave the Mustangs a four goal lead minutes later, tipping the rifle shot that was sent in from the top right point.
Chris Azzano (Oshawa, ON) secured the win in net for Morrisville State, recording 25 stops on the day.
Morrisville State returns to the ice Friday, hosting SUNY Canton at 7 p.m. at the IcePlex for a non-conference matchup.