POTSDAM, N.Y.—Junior forward Bill Tsekos scored with 52 seconds left in overtime to lift the SUNY Potsdam men's hockey team (6-5-2) to a 5-4 victory over Skidmore College (4-8-1). Five different Bears scored in the victory that puts Potsdam back over .500 and ends a four-game winless streak.

Potsdam got on the board just 3:05 into the first period. Sophomore defenseman Nick Avgerinos snapped a wrist shot from the left point past Thoroughbred freshman goalie Brad Cray for a 1-0 lead. Senior captain Sy Nutkevitch and freshman forward Trevor Cope each assisted on the goal. At the 15:16 mark, sophomore forward Adam Place made the most of a Skidmore turnover with an unassisted tally to make it 2-0.  Bears senior goaltender Kevin McFarland looked sharp early in his fourth straight start, stopping all 10 shots he faced in the first period.

The second period saw three goals scored in the first 2:39. Just 32 seconds in, senior forward Alex Essaris tipped a shot past McFarland to get the Thoroughbreds within 2-1. Less than a minute later, junior assistant captain Matt Viola fed freshman defenseman Dan McCamey at the left side of the net for a 3-1 Potsdam lead. After the goal, Cray was replaced by senior goalie John Bienkowski.  At the 2:39 mark, Skidmore freshman forward Erik Nilsson ripped a shot over the left shoulder of McFarland to cut the gap to 3-2. The play continued at a frantic pace after the flurry, but the goaltenders and defenses settled in and slowed the scoring. With under two minutes to go, the Thoroughbreds were awarded a five-on-three power play and made the most of it. At the 18:41 mark, Skidmore senior defenseman Nick Dupuis tied the game on a shot from the point.

Both goaltenders started strong in the third period, smothering multiple scoring chances. With nine minutes remaining, Avgerinos hit the crossbar from the slot. At the 12:48 mark, freshman forward Tim Colvin gave the Thoroughbreds their first lead with a power-play goal. Immediate following the goal, freshman forward Kenny Simon appeared to tie the game after a scramble in front, but the officials ruled the play dead. However, Bears junior assistant captain Brett Waters did get the equalizer on the man advantage with 3:10 left. Cope recorded the lone assist.

In overtime, the teams traded chances as time wound down. With less than a minute left, Simon set up Tsekos who slipped the puck between Bienkowski's left pad and the post for the victory.

McFarland finished with 36 saves for his second win of the season. Cray allowed three goals and made nine saves in the first 21:24. Bienkowski was the tough luck loser, giving up two goals in the final 42:44.

The Thoroughbreds outshot Potsdam 40-26 and were 2-5 on the power play, while the Bears were 1-5. 

“Skidmore is a well-coached team that plays for 60 minutes, so this is a high quality win that we can celebrate. It took every guy on our roster to win tonight,” said Potsdam Head Coach Chris Bernard, who had high praise for Tsekos. “We couldn't be happier for Bill Tsekos. He's having a career year because he's made a concerted effort to be a better player. It's nice to see him get rewarded.

The Bears, who have already matched their win total from last season, host No. 4 Castleton State tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m.