GENESEO, N.Y. – The SUNY Potsdam men's hockey team (6-12, 2-7 SUNYAC) wrapped up their weekend road trip Saturday night against second ranked SUNY Geneseo (17-1-1, 9-1-1). Despite another strong showing from senior assistant captain Nate Skidmore (Syracuse, N.Y./Buffalo Jr. Sabres), the Bears fell by a score of 5-0.
 
Geneseo dominated play in the first period, outshooting the Bears 10-3. The Knights struck quickly, scoring just 3:04 in on a shot from Mitch Ferguson at the left point that found its way into the net through heavy traffic. The Bears had a fantastic chance to even the score just a few minutes later when a Geneseo defender turned over the puck to sophomore forward Brett Horn (Cary, N.C./Humboldt Broncos) directly in front of the Geneseo net, but Knights goaltender Devin McDonald was up to the challenge. After battling through the next few minutes, Potsdam looked to get even on its first man advantage just over halfway through the period. Strong shot blocking by Geneseo prevented the Bears from tying the game. The first period would end with the score 1-0.
 
The second period started with back-and-forth action, but no real scoring opportunities. Just over four minutes into the period, the Bears went on the penalty kill for the first time. Despite quick puck movement by the Knights, the Bears were able to successfully return to full strength with the score remaining unchanged. With 9:04 to go in the period, the Knights went on the power play once again, this time capitalizing as Ferguson scored his second. Following the goal, the Bears earned a second power-play opportunity and nearly cut the deficit in half with a shot off the crossbar. The teams traded two more penalties as the period wound down, but the score remained 2-0 Geneseo.
 
The Bears began the third period with two more power plays, but couldn't find the back of the net. As the period went on, the Bears continued to pressure Geneseo with strong forechecking and generating traffic in front of McDonald. Geneseo's defense matched the Bears step for step, and McDonald was steady. As the game neared an end, Potsdam attempted to stretch the zone for an odd-man rush, but a stretch pass was intercepted at the blue line and shot home by Henry Cleghorn at 17:09 for a 3-0 lead. 33 seconds later, a shot landed on top of Potsdam's net, but the whistle was not blown. The puck was knocked off and Andrew Romano shot it into the empty side of the net as Skidmore was out of position. At 18:15, the Knights scored their fifth goal on an Anthony Marra shot from the high slot to close the scoring.
 
Skidmore finished with 25 saves, while McDonald picked up the shutout with 17.
 
Next, the Bears return home Tuesday night at 7 p.m. for a rescheduled matchup against Morrisville State.