PSC Skates to Another Sweep as Palmer Hits 100 Career Points

Erie, PA, Buffalo, NY, & Cicero, NY ~ The Paul Smith's College men's hockey team has swept yet another three-game weekend, bringing their current winning streak to seven games.  On Friday, the Bobcats defeated the Mercyhurst Lakers 4-1 before beating the Canisius Golden Griffins 8-0 on Saturday and the SUNY OCC Lazers 9-1 on Sunday.

On Friday, after a six-hour drive to Buffalo followed by a grueling two-plus-hour drive to Erie in blizzard conditions, the Bobcats had to endure a senior night ceremony that delayed the scheduled 10pm start even further, with puck-drop not occurring until almost 10:45pm.  But the Bobcats handled themselves with a steady resilience, dominating the first period of play by outshooting the hosts 26-4.

Zach Thoren (Raleigh, NC) got the Bobcats on the board first after a nice zone entry and point pass from Gianluca Minicozzi (Montreal, QC) to Nick Ogden (Queensbury, NY), who ripped a low, hard shot on net that bounced directly to Thoren on the back door.  Junior captain Colin Palmer (Clifton Park, NY), sitting at 98 career points and just two points short of 100, then registered a goal on a nice pass-play out of the corner from linemates Hazen Stoufer (East Montpelier, VT) and Attila Quesnel (Montreal, QC).

After the 2-0 first period, Palmer would notch career point 100 just 34 seconds into the middle frame as he earned the primary assist on a goal from Quesnel, thus joining his French Canadian linemate as the second hockey player in history to hit the century mark.

"Reaching 100 points is a milestone that I've worked very hard for," said Palmer.  "It represents not just a personal achievement, it represents the incredible support from my teammates and coaches.  I am proud of this achievement and I am excited to see what else lies ahead."

Colin Palmer poses with head coach Casey Gerrish after scoring his 100th point of his career.

The Bobcats would close out the game at 4-1 as Quesnel buried the final goal with 13:23 left in the third, with assists again going to Palmer and Stoufer.  James Kircaldie (Londonderry, NH) saved 16 of 17 shots to earn his third win of the season.

The next day at Canisius, the Bobcats got off to a bit of a slow start, only scoring a single goal in the opening period to make it 1-0 going into the first intermission.  Omar Uqdah (North Adams, MA) made a beautiful read on a D-to-D pass and skated the puck 3/4 of the length of the ice and deked the Golden Griffins goalkeeper to score on a breakaway to put the Bobcats up for good.  The floodgates would open in the second, however, as Julien Shafer (Queensbury, NY) buried two goals to go with Hazen Stoufer and Attila Quesnel adding one each.  Shafer's second goal was assisted by starting netminder Kevin Zamazal (Opava, Czech Republic), who recorded his first assist of the season after leading all goaltenders in AAU College Hockey last season with four assists.

Senior defenseman Joe Beaudoin (Falmouth, MA) made some key plays in the period, including stepping up and delivering a massive open-ice hit early in the frame to energize the Bobcat bench.

"I was glad to contribute by getting back on the ice, but the team as a whole has been great the past few weeks," said Beaudoin.

The Bobcats have been dominant recently, showcasing not only their ability to score, but their ability to keep other teams from scoring as they have allowed just six goals against in their last seven games.

"Everything from offense to goaltending has been there and it has shown in the results from our past seven games.  The progress this team has made over the past four seasons is amazing and I'm proud to have been a part of it," added Beaudoin.

The rest of the game was all-PSC as Caden Engle (Clinton, NY), Tristan Côté (Shannon, QC), and Collin Trapiss (Macedon, NY) rounded out the scoring.  Sean Wright (Wappingers Falls, NY) and Kyle Davis (Canandaigua, NY) both had multi-point, multi-assist games, finishing with three and two assists, respectively.  Zamazal earned his second shutout and seventh win of the season, stopping all 23 shots he faced.

Sunday's game at the Midstate Athletic Community Center saw a slow start develop into a torrid final period as the Bobcats took a 4-1 lead going into the third and transformed it, with drive and determination, into a 9-1 victory.

Collin Trapiss (2G 1A) Sean Wright (2G 1A) and Tristan Côté (3A) led the way with three points each as the Bobcats scored five goals in the final period of the semester.  16 of the 20 skaters recorded a point in the game as Palmer, Shafer, and Uqdah added a goal and an assist each. Kiteley and Quesnel rounded out the scoring while Dylan Jannarone (Brick, NJ), JP Meyer (Mamaroneck, NY), Owen Kime (Waterloo, NY), Dylan Sauve (Wappingers Falls, NY), Minicozzi, Engle, Stoufer, and Ogden added solo assists. 

First year forward Marshall Kiteley (Selkirk, MB) earned Player of the Game honors on Saturday against Canisius, contributing an assist, but doing damage in the corners and on the penalty kill as his grinder mentality sparked the Bobcat second period.

"It was a good way to go into break," said Kiteley.  "The team has been playing well, everyone has been contributing in some way, which is what's helping us win games right now."

Fellow first year forward Collin Trapiss earned Player of the Game on Sunday, slicing his way through OCC defenders as he was untouchable going to goal.  He echoed Kitely's sentiments, stating it was a "Good way to end the semester.  The team is working well together.  I think anyone deserved Player of the Game - everyone played their hearts out."

The Bobcats sit at 14-5 overall and are ranked 21st in the nation in AAU College Hockey Division II.  They will have a month off for break before coming back to finish their season with seven games scheduled for the second semester.  Next up is Stevenson College (ACHA) on Friday, January 17th at 9pm at the Saranac Lake Civic Center.

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!

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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.