POTSDAM, N.Y. – The SUNY Potsdam men's hockey team (5-14-1, 4-7-1 SUNYAC) hosted SUNY Cortland (9-8-1, 4-7-1 SUNYAC) Friday night as the two teams battled for critical SUNYAC points. The Bears were able to use a first period hat trick from senior captain Vincent Guimond (Sorel-Tracey, Quebec/Gloucester Rangers) to defeat the Red Dragons by a final score of 4-1. The Bears handed the Red Dragons their first loss in eight games as they entered the night 6-0-1 in their last seven games.
 
Cortland jumped on the score sheet early in the first period. Just 58 seconds into the opening stanza, Alex Storjohann was able to beat Bears goalie Michael Paglucca (North Reading, Mass/New Hampshire Avalanche) from the slot after Doug Elgstam fed him from behind the Potsdam net. Sean Perichak also assisted on the goal. The Bears jolted to life following the Cortland goal, evening out play and creating their own offensive opportunities. The Red Dragons were whistled for a 5-minute major boarding penalty as the period approached the halfway mark and the Bears took full advantage of the power play time. Freshman defenseman Ryan Lieth (Warwick, N.Y./New York Apple Core) sent a pass from the point to senior forward Bryce Ferrell (Buffalo, N.Y./Buffalo Jr. Sabres) on the wall that he would deflect to Guimond waiting near the goal line. Guimond would strike for his first of the game as he fired a tough-angle shot through the five-hole of Cortland netminder Nick Modica. More power play time would follow for the Bears after their first tally. The Bears would strike once more before the major penalty expired as Lieth once again started the play at the point, this time feeding sophomore forward Tom Terranova (Middletown, N.J./Syracuse Stars) who attacked the net, drawing multiple Cortland penalty killers. A quick feed to the backdoor left Guimond all alone to bury the puck for his second goal of the night. Guimond would complete his hat trick with just 8 seconds remaining in the period, once again on the power play. Ferrell fed the puck across the top of the Cortland zone to junior defenseman Joseph Richardson (Palm Beach, Fla./PAL Islanders). Richardson fired a shot intentionally wide for Guimond to redirect into the net behind Modica. The Bears would take the two-goal advantage into the break.
 
The second period featured no scoring for either team. The Bears fired 11 shots on goal, the Red Dragons recorded 12. The Bears successfully killed off four penalties in the middle stanza. Cortland was whistled for one penalty, but the Bears were unable to add to their lead.
 
The Bears slammed the door shut in the third period, keeping the Red Dragons off the score sheet once again. Strong play in net by Paglucca, coupled with strong forechecking and penalty killing was a recipe for success in the final twenty minutes of play. The Bears killed off three more penalties in the third period, and freshman defenseman Connor Cruickshank (Brampton, Ontario/Brampton Admirals) sank his first collegiate goal into an empty net to seal the victory.
 
Paglucca finished with 40 saves in net for the Bears, while Modica was strong in net for the Red Dragons with 42 saves.

The Bears host Oswego St. tomorrow night at 7 pm for another SUNYAC showdown.