Men’s Hockey Wins Nine Straight

Cicero, NY, Clinton, NY, & Canton, NY ~ The Paul Smith's College men's hockey team has continued its monumentally hot start with another weekend sweep, defeating Le Moyne, Hamilton, and SUNY Canton in quick succession.

On Friday night in Cicero, NY, the team jumped on the host Dolphins early as first year player Tony Pinski (Perrysburg, OH) scored 2:38 into the opening frame.  Le Moyne would answer back a minute later before Attila Quesnel (Montreal, QC) found junior defenseman Owen Kime (Waterloo, NY) streaking into the slot for his first goal of the season.

The second period was all-PSC as the line of Sean Wright (Wappingers Falls, NY), Julien Shafer (Queensbury, NY), and Collin Trapiss (Macedon, NY) all scored goals to put the visitors up 5-1.  Liam Berger (Geneseo, NY) added two assists as the first year defenseman continues to showcase his offensive and playmaking capabilities.

Caden Engle (Clinton, NY) hammered a one-timer past the Dolphin keeper for his first goal of the season with 16:11 left in the game to make it 6-1.  Le Moyne would get two back but it wasn't enough as PSC killed the clock and came away with the win.  Ethan Stefaniak (Franklin, VT) earned Player of the Game, stopping 25 of 28 shots faced.

"Being able to help the boys win a big game against Le Moyne to start off our three game weekend was a great feeling," said Stefaniak.

On Saturday, a steadfast goalkeeper made life difficult for the Bobcats for the first two periods before penalties caused the dam to finally break as the visitors put four into the back of the net to win 5-1.  The Continental goalkeeper (who played a handful of games for the Hamilton College NCAA Division III varsity team last season) was superb for the first two periods, stopping 26 of 27 shots faced.  AJ Dennett (Franklin, VT) scored the first two goals for the Bobcats, including the game winner, to earn Player of the Game.

Attila Quesnel (1G/2A) and  Dylan Sauve (Wappingers Falls, NY) (2A) also had a multi-point game as the visitors spread it around on the stat sheet.  Ryen Janus (Frederick, MD) and Collin Trapiss also scored while James Kircaldie (Londonderry, NH) earned the win, stopping 15/16 shots faced.

Sunday's game with SUNY Canton started off strong, but the three games in three days really affected the stamina of Paul Smith's College in the middle minutes.  Attila Quesnel buried his first of two goals after a nice setup from Nick Ogden (Queensbury, NY) 4:06 into the game.  Collin Trapiss then went through multiple Kangaroo defensders on his way to scoring his sixth goal of the campaign.  SUNY Canton would get the next two before Quesnel would repay the favor to Ogden on a nice give-and-go two-on-one as Ogden tapped in the rebound into the back of the net.

"The strength of our defensive core supported us all weekend," said Ogden.  "Playing lockdown defense and contributing on the offside side felt great," he added.

A power play goal just over a minute into the third period tied it at 3-3, but the Bobcats dug deep and took advantage of a power play to pull away.  Julien Shafer sniped the keeper at 11:33 before senior captain Colin Palmer (Clifton Park, NY) buried his seventh goal of the season after a nice setup from Dennett and Janus just 11 seconds after Shafer's goal to make it 5-3.  Attila Quesnel netted his second of the game as an insurance marker with 6:41 left with assists going to Ziggy Mlodzinski (Lawrence, NJ) and Michael Gazerro (Hopkinton, RI).

Quesnel leads the team with 24 points and has a whopping 17 assists in just 10 games.  "Being productive is always fun," he remarked, "But this year being my last year is all about winning and getting a ring on the finger."

Stefaniak and Kircaldie split the game, with Kircaldie starting but Stefaniak picking up the win.  "Knowing me and James are both playing really solid goaltending and continuing to push each other to be better is awesome," said Stefaniak.  "Splitting the game with James on Sunday and getting the win was a great way to cap off a really successful weekend," he added.

The Bobcats are looking like they'll be competing for a national championship in March as they sit at 9-1 overall.  They are currently ranked seventh in the nation in AAU College Hockey Division II and will look to improve their record this weekend as they take on SUNY Potsdam at 7pm on Friday and the University at Albany at 1:30pm on Saturday.  Both games will be played at home 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.