Last weekend was a frustrating one for the Geneseo men's hockey team, as they dropped two conference games on the road, losing Friday to Potsdam 5-3, then again on Saturday 4-1 to No. 1 ranked Plattsburgh.
The road trip got off to a rough start in the first period of the Potsdam game, as the Ice Knights gave up four goals to the hosts without scoring any themselves.
Said senior co-captain Casey Balog of the start, "It definitely hurt us; we came out flat. It was evident we still had our bus legs in the first period after the four hour ride up there. We settled down after the first period and played well and got to within one goal, but spotting the other team four goals in the first is unacceptable."
Geneseo finally came alive in the second period, as junior Phil Rose got the Ice Knights on the board just 2:45 into the frame, with the assist going to fellow junior Dan Brown.
Midway through the period the Ice Knights struck again, as freshman Clint Olson was dragged down on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. Olson pulled through to bring Geneseo within two.
Then, in the waning minutes of the period, Rose found the net again, this time shorthanded from sophomore Michael Forgione, cutting the lead in half and swinging all the momentum the Ice Knights' way.
Geneseo was unable to finish the comeback, however, as the third period remained largely a stalemate, with the stanza's only goal coming late to ice the win for Potsdam.
The Ice Knights did not have much time to mourn the loss, as the next day they continued the road trip to take on the Plattsburgh Cardinals.
For the most part, Geneseo did not miss a beat from where they left off with Potsdam, as the game was tightly contested throughout. Unfortunately for the Ice Knights, however, the luck was on Plattsburgh's side.
"We were relentless and desperate and we proved to ourselves that we can play with the best team in the country," said senior co-captain Chris Kestell. "The bounces did not go our way in that game and I truly believe that if we can put together a 60-minute effort that we can play with anyone in the country."
Still, through the first two periods Plattsburgh was able to build a 3-0 lead, thanks to two power-play goals.
Geneseo broke the ice at the start of the third, as Brown scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season from junior Sebastian Panetta. But the goal proved to be too little too late, as Plattsburgh held on for the win, adding a last-minute insurance goal to end the scoring at 4-1.
The Ice Knights return home this weekend with conference games against Cortland and Oswego on Friday and Saturday, both must-wins in order for Geneseo to maintain its one-point cushion on the final SUNYAC playoff spot. Both games drop the puck at 7 p.m.