Paul Smith's College Hockey wins thriller in OT

The Paul Smith's College Men's Hockey team split their first weekend of the season with a win against Medaille and a loss against Saint John Fisher. 

Friday night in Rochester, NY the Bobcats put up a fight but became overwhelmed by the vigorous speed and tenacity of the UNYCHL Tier-1 St. John Fisher Cardinals.  Jacob Schmidt (Orchard Park, NY) started in net for Paul Smith's College, but was chased out halfway through 3^rd period.  Katie Premo (Heuvelton, NY) came on in relief and stopped every shot she faced in her duties between the pipes.  Cody Liguori (Rutland, VT) scored the lone goal for the Bobcats.  Final Score, 13-1.

Saturday was a different story for the Paul Smith's College Men's Hockey Team, as they needed extra time to decide their matchup against the Medialle Mavericks. 

After Medaille scored 8 seconds into the opening frame, Gibson Gilmore (Ithaca, NY) stepped over the blue line and released a powerful slap shot that beat the glove of the opposing goaltender.  A minute after the Bobcats tied it up the Mavericks were back in the lead with a tipped goal off of a deflection in front.  Halfway through the first, Gabe Smith (Queensbury, NY) tied the game once again for the Bobcats with an absolute snipe from the top of the circles. 

The second period saw the Mavericks score 5 goals against a shortened Bobcats bench, and once again the long change hurt the visitors.  Two goals from Cody Liguori got the Bobcats back within 3 by the end of the frame.  Tom Cook (Becket, MA) and Ryan Savage (Tupper Lake, NY) picked up assists on Liguori's 1^st, which was a nicely set up power play goal that deflected off the backside of Gabe Smith, the big Bobcats center. 

The third period was one for the annals of PSC Hockey history, as the Bobcats trailed 8-4 at one point and 9-6 with only four minutes left in the game.  After Nate Ralston (New Fairfield, CT) got one back early in the period with an assist from Richie Holton, Ryan Savage collected his first goal as a Bobcat.  With four minutes left in the period and the Paul Smith's College Men's Hockey Team running out of time, a holding penalty opened the door for their monumental comeback.  Kyle Bond (Raymondville, NY) buried a puck in the back of the net with a shot from the slot assisted by Cody Liguori at the 4:00 mark.  At 2:44 Colin Miller (Averill Park, NY) put a well-placed wrist shot by the Mavericks goaltender with an assist coming from Gabe Smith, bringing the Bobcats within a goal at 9-8.  PSC pulled their netminder with 1:40 left and the extra attacker proved helpful as the Bobcats controlled play in the offensive zone and created multiple chances.  Gabe Smith and Kyle Bond were yet again involved in the game-tying goal with 1:09 left as Bond buried a rebound into a wide open back door with Smith assisting.  The momentum had clearly shifted in the Holiday Twin Rinks Arena as the visiting Bobcats fans (who outnumbered the home fans by a good distance) drowned out any support for the home team. 

After a quick intermission, the 5:00 4v4 OT started with both teams having chances to end the game.  The final goal came with just 0:29 seconds left in OT as Cody Liguori found a loose puck in the neutral zone, skated down the right wing side, and delivered a bank shot off of the Mavericks defender and into the back of the net, completing his hat trick.  The raucous crowd cheered on as the Paul Smith's College Men's Hockey Team earned their first win of the season in outstanding fashion.