POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men's hockey team (3-15-1, 2-10-1 SUNYAC) scored three first period goals and two power-play goals as the Bears defeated Fredonia (7-8-1, 5-6) 6-2 on Friday evening. Senior captain
Ethan Clark (Seven Valleys, Pa./New Hampshire Avalanche) and freshman forward
Jack Loran (Massena, N.Y./New England Wolves) each had a goal and two assists to lead the Bears. Junior goalie
Connor Green (New Port Richey, Fla./Tampa Bay Juniors) made 22 saves for his third career victory.
Clark got the Bears going early, scoring on a shot from the right point to beat screened Blue Devils sophomore goalie Logan Dyck (Calgary, Alberta/Notre Dame Hounds) at 3:33 and Potsdam never trailed. Freshman forwards
Garrett McArthur (London, Ontario/Markham Royals) and
Jack Ludwig (Sylvania, Ohio/Chippewa Steel) each assisted on the goal. Just 3:03 later, freshman forward
Josh Bifolchi (Ottawa, Ontario/Missisauga, Ontario) banged home a rebound on the power play to make it a 2-0 contest. Loran and Clark picked up the helpers. At 9:27, sophomore forward
Victor Nikiforov (Hauppauge, N.Y./New Hampshire Avalanche) scored off his own rebound for his first career marker and a 3-0 lead. Bifolchi and freshman defenseman
Carter Lennon (Kitchener, Ontario/Georgetown Raiders) assisted on the goal. The assist was Lennon's first collegiate point. Fredonia finally got on the board at 14:49 as sophomore defenseman Kieran Furlonger (Mill Bay, British Columbia/Potomac Patriots) scored from the right faceoff circle. Potsdam outshot Fredonia 18-8 in the opening period and led 3-1.
Freshman defenseman John Zollner (Varnamo, Sweden/Ogden Mustangs) went the length of the ice at 2:42 of the second period to score on the power play and get the Blue Devils back within one. Potsdam answered by halting any momentum and keeping Fredonia on the defensive. At 14:43, Loran scored his first career goal on a high shot from the slot to give the Bears another power-play tally and some insurance. Freshman defenseman
Drew Rose (Brasher Falls, N.Y./Utica Jr. Comets) and Clark had the assists. Potsdam took a 4-2 advantage into the second intermission.
Two early penalties kept the contest tilted in the Bears' favor in the third period, but they didn't add to their lead until late in the contest. At 16:43, senior assistant captain
Thomas Terranova (Middletown, N.J./Syracuse Stars) shoveled the puck toward the left side of the net. It rattled around Dyck and went in for a 5-2 advantage. Senior forward
Robert Clerc (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Oswego State) and Loran claimed the assists. Dyck was pulled for the second time with 59 seconds left and Potsdam senior assistant captain
Chris Gratton (Pottstown, Pa./Walpole Express) made the most of the opportunity with a long empty-net goal to close the scoring with eight seconds left.
Dyck, finished with 37 saves. Potsdam was 2-for-4 on the power play and Fredonia was 1-for-3. The Bears outshot the Blue Devils 43-24.
Potsdam looks keep its momentum tomorrow night when Buffalo State invades Maxcy Ice Arena at 7 p.m.
