Bobcats Win OT Thriller in Lake Placid

Lake Placid, NY ~ The Paul Smith's College men's hockey team treated fans to a fantastic finish in Lake Placid on Sunday evening.  With the score knotted at 5-5, Mike Hansen (New Hartford, NY) sniped the visiting goaltender on a nice setup from Eli Gordon (Ithaca, NY) to give the Bobcats the win in front of a raucous crowd. 

In a back-and-forth battle with LeMoyne, Paul Smith's College would get on the board first with a goal from assistant captain Holden LaMountain (Glens Falls, NY) assisted by Joe Beaudoin (East Falmouth, MA).  The Dolphins would put two goals by the Bobcats later in the first frame, but Colin Palmer (Clifton Park, NY) tied it up at 2 with assists going to Eli Gordon and River Yearwood (Bethesda, MD) with 1:20 left.  Freshman Ryen Janus (Frederick, MD) would put the Bobcats back on top just over a minute later, with a breakaway off a defensive zone draw that saw him speed down the ice and five-hole the visiting goaltender with just 19 seconds left in the first period.

The second period saw more of the same, with the two teams combing for five goals.  LaMountain would notch his second of the game just five minutes in, as he picked the top corner after Kyle Davis (Canandaigua, NY) and Zach Thoren (Raleigh, NC) executed a nice breakout play to get the puck up the ice.  LeMoyne would then score three successive goals, taking the lead for the first time at 5-4 with just 5:28 to play in the second.  Sophomore defenseman Mike Hansen evened it up at 5-5 with 3:09 to play after a nice D-to-D setup from Dylan Jannarone (Brick, NJ). 

Neither team could put one on the board in the third period, as both goaltenders came up big for their respective teams.  At the end of regulation and with the score tied at 5, the home crowd gave the Bobcats the confidence they needed going into the 5-minute 3-on-3 overtime period.  Head Coach Casey Gerrish commented, saying how the crowd tipped the scales in the Bobcats' favor.  "This is the first time our fans have had the air horn at a hockey game, and it came in handy on more than one occasion.  I think the atmosphere of the 1980 rink, coupled with the energy from our fans definitely helped us get over the hump and pull out the win."

It took just 1:10 of 3-on-3 overtime for the Bobcats to seal the deal.  The Bobcats survived a scare early in OT, as LeMoyne forced a turnover deep in the PSC defesnsive zone.  Goaltender Nick Bay (Davison, MI) came up clutch on a terrific point-blank save which then resulted in the Bobcats gaining possession.  After a strategic line change, North Country Community College freshman Eli Gordon, playing for Paul Smith's College on an agreement between both schools, carried the puck the length of the ice and made a perfect crossing drop pass to Hansen who gathered it on his forehand and beat the LeMoyne goaltender's glove on the short side. 

"I think this was a great team win, but with that being said we have a lot to work on, both on and off the ice, which will correlate to our success as a team," said Hansen.

LaMountain echoed that same sentiment, saying that "It was a step in the right direction for the team.  We're looking forward to the game against Colgate." 

The Bobcats host Colgate this Sunday, November 13^th at 3:45pm at the Lake Placid Olympic Center 1980 Herb Brooks Arena.