On Feb. 3 the Geneseo Ice Knights tied their only game of the weekend against SUNY Brockport, 2-2.
Geneseo took nine penalties during the course of the game, including giving Brockport almost four minutes in the third period with a two-man advantage.
"It cost us a point for sure. The discipline piece wasn't there," head coach Chris Schultz said. "It's not understanding how important these points are and how important it is to stay out of the penalty box against a team that's hungry and desperate."
Brockport scored the only goal in the first after creating a turnover in Geneseo's defensive zone. Geneseo tied the game early in the second period on the power play, when sophomore Zachary Vit's shot from the point got through traffic in front of the net past the Brockport goaltender. Senior Clint Olson and junior Corbin Rosmarin assisted on the play.
Geneseo took the lead early in the third with another power-play goal. This time Vit made a long pass up to senior Jonathan Redlick who skated behind the Brockport defense and was able to finish for his fifth goal of the year. Vit currently leads the Ice Knights with 12 goals, 17 assists, and 29 points this season.
"With Vit up top now it's given us a new look [on the power play]," Schultz said. "He just hammers pucks from up top and he's doing a good job of getting those pucks through."
With a 2-1 lead in the third, Geneseo took two penalties six seconds apart to give Brockport an extended two-man advantage. Geneseo killed it off but Brockport scored later in the third on the five-on-three power play with just under three minutes left in the game.
"You kill off one five-on-three, you consider that a bonus; consider that guts and finding ways to block shots and sacrifice your body," Schultz said. "Five-on-five we were the much better hockey team out there. I'm really disappointed in a couple of guys with the silly hooks and trips."
Neither team scored the remainder of the third period or in overtime and the game ended in a 2-2 tie. Senior Cory Gershon made 36 saves in goal.
"I thought [Gershon] played a fantastic game and I'm happy for him," Schultz said.
Despite Brockport's power-play goal late in the third, Geneseo special teams played well. The power play scored twice on six opportunities and while shorthanded they killed off eight of nine penalties. The power play now stands at 18.2 percent and the penalty kill is up to 78.6 percent for the year.
"It's been a difficult ride this year in terms of special teams," Schultz said. "Hopefully we can carry the special teams' momentum into playoff time."
Geneseo is now 5-7-1 in SUNYAC play and 11-10-1 for the season. The Knights host SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Plattsburgh on Feb. 10 and 11, respectively, and look to avenge two losses earlier this season.