Bobcats Men's Hockey Nets Win in Buffalo

Bobcats Men's Hockey Nets Win in Buffalo
January 26, 2022

The Paul Smith's College men's hockey team earned their first win of the season in Buffalo, NY on Friday in stunning fashion against the Canisius College Golden Griffins.  It would take overtime for the Paul Smith's College Bobcats to come out ahead, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat after a penalty put them down a man late in regulation and the score tied 3-3. 

Wyatt Krolczyk (Varysburg, NY) continued his impressive freshman campaign with the first goal of the opening frame.  Assisting on the goal were Gabe Smith (Queensbury, NY) and Joe Beaudoin (East Falmouth, MA).  Canisius answered back a few minutes later and the first period ended 1-1. 

The Bobcats took control in the second period on a goal from senior forward Donovan Hack (Saranac, NY) with assists going to senior captain Tom Cook (Becket, MA) and freshman Tyler Svarczkopf (Brasher Falls, NY).  The third period started off strong for the Bobcats as Mike Hansen (New Hartford, NY) connected on a blast from the point with an assist from Dylan Jannarone (Brick Township, NJ).  Canisius answered with two late goals to even the score at 3-3 at the end of regulation.

A penalty in the final period put the Bobcats down a man going into OT, but stellar goaltending from sophomore Axel Norbro (Vimmerby, Sweden) kept Paul Smith's College in the game.  It was on a save from Norbro that initiated a counter rush from the PSC skaters, ultimately resulting in their first win of the season.  Tom Cook sent a pass high and wide to Donovan Hack who streaked down the ice with impressive speed, placing a perfect shot low and away which resulted in a juicy rebound and easy tap-in for Dylan Jannarone who recognized the opportunity and came away with the game-winning goal.  Norbro finished with 38 saves and co-first star of the game honors with Jannarone. 

The next night in Rochester ended differently for the Bobcats, as their tired legs from the late game the night before (10:30pm start) were apparent.  Jack Ruckman (Westfield, NJ) and Andrew Patelunas (Elmira, NY) split goaltending duties, but even with both playing well the Bobcats were no match for the overpowering offense of the Saint John Fisher Cardinals.  Ruckman collected 28 saves in the loss while Patelunas stopped 26.  The final score was 10-0.

The last game of the Bobcats away trip was much more competitive, as PSC dominated play against the University of Pittsburgh – Bradford Panthers.  Even though the Bobcats outshot the Panthers by a ratio of more than 2:1, the Panthers held a 4-2 lead with 5 minutes left in the third period.  It took a gutsy performance from visiting skaters to pull back to an even 4-4 tie late in the third.  Time constraints at the LECOM Harborcenter forced the game to end in regulation and without an overtime period.

With turnovers plaguing Paul Smiht's College all day, U-Pitt Bradford scored right off the bat on a breakaway from a giveaway in the neutral zone.  The Bobcats would play down the rest of the game, as the Panthers scored another in the second period before the Bobcats were able to get on the board with a penalty shot goal from Donovan Hack on a nice move on the unimpeded breakway.  U-Pitt Bradford scored again in the early stages of the third period to make it 3-1.  A goal from Tom Cook (assisted by Donovan Hack and Tyler Svarczkopf) brought the score back within 1 until yet another turnover resulted in the Panthers regaining their 2-goal lead.  A timeout with 5:01 left in the third after a U-Pitt Bradford penalty helped PSC gather their strength over the final minutes.  While on the man-advantage Donovan Hack scored his second goal of the game on a nice setup from Tom Cook and Dylan Jannarone.  Moments later and with the Bobcats rolling, Wyatt Krolczyk tipped in a shot from the point by Dylan Jannarone.  Also assisting on the goal was Tyler Svarczkopf, picking up his 3rd helper of the weekend. 

Axel Norbro backstopped the tie for the Bobcats, saving numerous Panthers breakaways and providing a solid foundation in net.  Hack earned first star of the game honors, while the weekend MVP was Colin Miller (Averill Park, NY) for his dominating perseverance and hustle over the course of the away trip.