Despite a tough loss to start the season, the Buffalo State men’s ice hockey team still has high hopes for the season.
The Bengals (1-1) lost their season opener against nationally ranked Geneseo, 4-3 in overtime, in heartbreaking fashion, but stormed back to beat Brockport 8-1 the following night.
Goals by sophomore Drew Lansdowne, junior Drew Klin and senior captain James Durham gave the men a 3-1 lead with just over six minutes left, but the No. 12 Knights stormed back, tying the game with one second left in regulation and ending it on their first shot of the overtime period.
“We had total control of the game,” said sophomore goaltender Kevin Carr, who made 25 saves in the loss. “We fell back in the last five minutes and they took advantage. I thought we played a very good overall game.”
Head coach Nick Carriere said that the Bengals played the game they wanted.
“The stars aligned,” he explained. “There were 12 seconds left and there was a face-off in our own zone. We had who we wanted out there, including our two top centermen. We won the draw… didn’t get it out, and they got it towards the net. One of their guys deflected it and it went in off the short-side post.
“We had a few of those last year,” he continued, “where we won a game in the final seconds. At some point you’re gonna pay those back.”
Carriere said that the coaching staff wasn’t happy with the way the team finished against Geneseo and wanted to focus on special teams heading into the next night’s game at Brockport.
After playing the Golden Eagles to a 1-1 tie after the first period, Buffalo State took over, scoring seven unanswered goals in the last two periods to take the 8-1 win.
“It wasn’t a blowout from the start,” Carriere said, “but they got into some penalty trouble in the second period and we capitalized.
“Our guys embraced a simple brand of hockey, didn’t get cute when they had a lead, and it showed.”
Klin lead the Bengals with two goals and an assist.
“(Drew’s) been great,” Carriere said of his leading scorer. “He’s a very passionate young man. His enthusiasm is contagious in the locker room. He’s got tremendous speed and brings a physical side despite not being a big guy. He brings a lot of energy, plays every situation for us and is rewarded on the score sheet.”
Sophomore Mike Zannella also had two goals for the Bengals, sophomore Mac Balson and junior Trevor McKinney had one each and freshmen Tyler Nelson and Elijah Cohen scored their first career goals.
The Bengals went 3-for-8 on the power play, while Carr made 22 saves to pick up his first win of the season.
Saturday, the team travels to Morrisville State before hosting Potsdam Nov. 11 in their home opener.
“We’ve just got to do the little things right like we did in Brockport,” Carr said. “Working as a team, doing all the things the coaches want us to do, getting pucks deep. We need to play a simple game.”
Mike Meiler can be reached by email at meiler.record@live.com.