Bobcats Roll with Beauty of a Sweep in Buffalo

Buffalo, NY ~ The Paul Smith's College men's hockey team is rolling.  This weekend's three-game road trip to western NY saw the Bobcats score 17 goals while only giving up two in a dominant team effort.

Friday's game against 16th-ranked AAU College Hockey DII Niagara University was a defensive clinic as the Bobcats shutout the Purple Eagles 3-0 in the formidable Dwyer Arena, a hockey rink known for being difficult to play in with purple and blackout lights that go off whenever the hosts score.  But the lights were never lit as the visitors from the College of the Adirondacks controlled every aspect of the game from start to finish.

Junior captain Colin Palmer (Clifton Park, NY) made it 1-0 after a nice breakout pass from Attila Quesnel (Montreal, QC) to Hazen Stoufer (East Montpelier, VT) which resulted in a 2-on-1 with Stoufer and Palmer.  Stoufer waited until the Niagara defenseman laid out on the ice and then extended his arms out around him to slide the puck over to Palmer who made no mistake burying it in the back of the net.

Stoufer then got his first of the night on a textbook 3-on-2 which saw him backhand-tap the puck past the keeper to make it 2-0 with assists going to Quesnel and Palmer.  Stoufer would bury his second of the night on another beautiful 3-on-2 setup from Quesnel and Palmer as he smashed a slapshot into the back of the net from the high slot to make it 3-0 at the 15:16 mark of the third.

"All the boys were absolutely buzzing all weekend," commented Stoufer.  "Hopefully we can continue it after break."

Kevin Zamazal (Opava, Czech Republic) played phenomenally in net, recording a shutout to earn his fifth win while stopping all 36 shots he faced.  The Czech netminder is a fierce, Hasek-esque competitor and adds an element of intimidation to any team that plays against him with his European pedigree.

The Stoufer-Quesnel-Palmer line recorded nine points and finished +9 between them as their chemistry has really started to show.

"That line is firing on all cylinders," said head coach Casey Gerrish.  "Moving Hazen up after Trap got injured was an easy decision - he's played with Colin and Attila on-and-off for the past two years and their playing styles really compliment each other.  Hazen is an absolute workhorse, Colin has the presence and IQ to make plays at both ends of the ice, and Attila is one of the top scorers in the country."

It was that top-scoring ability that saw Quesnel record his 100th point the next day against Fredonia as the Bobcats beat the Blue Devils 5-1.  After a scoreless first, Stoufer tucked home the opener to make it 1-0 after a scrum in front of the Fredonia net.  The Blue Devils would get one back less than 30 seconds later but that was all they could muster as the Bobcat defense was lights out the rest of the way.

Quesnel scored another net-front goal at the 8:09 mark of the second to make it 2-1 Bobcats going into the third.  Tristan Côté (Shannon, QC) made it 3-1 after a nice odd-man rush read from Julien Shafer (Queensbury, NY) before Stoufer and Omar Uqdah (North Adams, MA) would finalize the score at 5-1.  Quesnel picked up assists on the final two goals, bringing his points total to 100 in just 39 career games as a Bobcat.  He is the first player in Paul Smith's College hockey history to hit the 100-point mark.

First year goaltender Ethan Stefaniak (Franklin, VT) was steadfast in net, stopping 31 of 32 shots for his second win in as many starts.

Sunday's matchup against the St. Bonnaventure Bonnies saw an onslaught of skill, speed, physicality, and special teams magic from the visitors from PSC as they beat the hosts 9-1.

Seven different Bobcats got on the scoresheet as Sean Wright (Wappingers Falls, NY) (2G 1A), Côté (2G 1A), Stoufer (1G 2A), Shafer (1G 2A), Palmer (1G 1A), Nick Ogden (Queensbury, NY) (1G), and Gianluca Minicozzi (Montreal, QC) (1G) all scored goals.  Kyle Davis (Canandaigu, NY) and Caden Engle (Clinton, NY) added two assists each while Marshall Kiteley (Selkirk, MB), Quesnel, and Uqdah tallied solo helpers.

The Bobcats were up 3-1 after the first but it was the start of the second period while down a man that put the game completely out of reach as they scored a remarkable three straight goals on a single penalty kill.  After a Shafer interference penalty, Tristan Côté found his way past the Bonnies defenders and buried a breakaway goal at 18:54 for the first short-handed goal.  Just 13 seconds later, Minicozzi smashed a one-timer past the keeper to make it 5-1 after Marshall Kiteley created a turnover in the corner and found his linemate in the low slot.  At 17:09 with just three seconds remaining on the penalty kill Kyle Davis found Sean Wright on a 2-on-1 after stealing the puck on a nice read deep in the Bobcats' defensive zone.  Wright made no mistake and tucked the third straight short-handed goal past the Bonnies keeper, cementing the Bobcat penalty kill as one of the greatest special teams shifts in college hockey history.

To put the three straight short-handed goals in perspective - the feat has been accomplished only once before in the NHL, by the Boston Bruins on April 10th, 2010 against the Vancouver Canucks.

"It was a crazy feeling - scoring three goals on the penalty kill never happens," recalled Wright after the game.

"The boys were killing it all weekend long just grinding down the teams left and right, just relentless pressure on every team," he added.

Zamazal earned his second win of the weekend and sixth overall as he moves to 6-4 as the Bobcats' starting goalie.  He allowed just one goal in two games for a 0.50 GAA and a .982 save percentage.  The goaltending and defense has been top notch for the Bobcats as they allowed just two goals all weekend.  A big part of that has been the work of the defending corps, led by senior captain Dylan Jannarone (Brick, NJ), junior assistant captain Kyle Davis, senior Mike Hansen (New Hartford, NY), sophomore Caden Engle, first year Nick Ogden, sophomore Owen Kime (Waterloo, NY), sophomore transfer Dylan Sauve (Wappingers Falls, NY), junior Tyson Smith (Cato, NY), and sophomore Gabe Clark (Ogdensburg, NY).  The team is without stalwart defenseman Joe Beaudoin (Falmouth, MA), who is normally one of their best lock-down defenders, which makes the current run even more impressive as everyone has contributed to the team's success.

The Bobcats are 11-5 on the season and sit atop the Upstate New York Collegiate Hockey League (UNYCHL) DII East Division standings.  They currently sit in 20th place in the national rankings with the weekend sweep and hope to punch their ticket to Jacksonville, FL in March by occupying a top-20 position in AAU College Hockey Division II.

You can follow the men's hockey team on Instagram at @pschockey or follow the general athletics account at @smitty_nation for schedules, updates, photos, and much more!

-------------

At Paul Smith's College, it's about the experience. As the only four-year institution of higher education located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, Paul Smith's provides real-world, hands-on learning in fields such as business and hospitality, culinary management, forestry, environmental sciences, and natural resources. We can draw on industries and resources available in our backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. Our community of resourceful, enterprising, supportive, and adventurous individuals collectively provides experiential education, student support in the classroom and beyond, and meaningful opportunities for our alumni. We pride ourselves on research and advocacy on issues that improve our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Learn more at www.paulsmiths.edu.