Bobcats Sweep Another Weekend With Overtime Thriller

Saranac Lake, NY ~ The Albany Killer.  That's what junior winger Julien Shafer (Queensbury, NY) is starting to be known as.  The Queensbury native scored the overtime winner on Saturday at home against the Great Danes in an almost exact replica of the Bobcats' home win last season.

"Going into overtime me and my linemates knew exactly what to do to clinch the win - we prepare for 3v3 situations like this every week in practice," said Shafer.

Shafer is used to scoring big goals like this against UAlbany in particular.  Last season he scored the OT winner at home for the 4-3 victory and had scored a shootout goal against the Great Danes in their game prior.

"My line was in this exact same situation against UAlbany at home last year.  Today, we were able to possess the puck which gave Attila a perfect opportunity to hit me with a direct pass which allowed me to score a wraparound goal to win the game," added Shafer.

The Bobcats jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Attila Quesnel (Montreal, QC) scored on a nice setup from Nick Ogden (Queensbury, NY) and team captain Colin Palmer (Clifton Park, NY).  After a scoreless second, Quesnel hit Collin Trapiss (Macedon, NY) on a breakaway as the hosts made it 2-0.

To their credit, the Great Danes didn't give up and got a lucky bounce in front to halve the Bobcat lead with just over eight minutes remaining.  Then, with a minute left, UAlbany pulled their goalie for the extra attacker.  That strategy worked as they equalized with 49 seconds left to send the game to OT.

Both teams had chances and both netminders made big saves to preserve the tie until the Bobcats started to slow down the play.  That tactic worked as fresh legs were able to take advantage of a UAlbany change.  Assistant captain Kyle Davis (Canandaigua, NY) made a smart decision to hold the puck until Attila Quesnel got on the ice.  He found the Montreal native at the Great Dane blueline who then found Shafer streaking down the right side on a quick-hitter two-on-one.  Shafer kept his composure and held the puck after making both the goaltender and defenseman bite, then wrapped it around the net to give the Bobcats the victory as the crowd went wild.

"With two unanswered goals late in the third it got the team rattled, but in overtime we became confident and relied on what we do best - controlling the puck and opening up the ice," said Davis.  

James Kircaldie (Londonderry, NH) was terrific in net, stopping 27/29 shots faced while taking a shutout deep into the third period to earn Player of the Game.  The New Hampshire native with fellow sophomore Ethan Stefaniak (Franklin, VT) has been superb filling in for Kevin Zamazal (Opava, Czech Republic), the Bobcats' normal starter.

The goaltending, along with the Bobcat defensive corps, have been spectacular through the first 12 games of the season.  "The defensemen have been a crucial part to our game and our 11-1 record," continued Davis, "And it has been a great experience to be able to work with the forwards, knowing that they'll be able to score."

The Bobcats are now +40 in goal differential and lead the nation in that stat category.

Friday's game against SUNY Potsdam saw almost everyone on the ice record a point as the Bobcats defeated the Tundra 12-0.  Logun Meyer (DeForest, WI), Michael Gazerro (Hopkinton, RI), Oak Haslett (Grimsby, ON), and Cooper Hubbs (Vancouver, BC) all scored their first collegiate goals while Larry Parece (Woburn, MA) and Gabe Clark (Ogdensburg, NY) recorded their first goals of the season.

First year goalkeepers Carter Irving (Guilderland, NY) and Jake Ducklow (Steamboat Springs, CO) split the game and earned the combined shutout, with Irving starting and earning the win on the stat sheet and Ducklow closing it out.

"It was a great start and fun to watch both of us succeed in our first game," said Irving.  "I feel like it was a big confidence booster that we can both build off of for the future."

Ducklow echoed those sentiments, stating "It felt great to get in for my first college game and be part of the team's first shutout."  Ducklow and Irving combined for eight saves to earn the clean sheet while being named Co-Players of the Game.  "It was a solid team effort and a great way to ramp the energy up!" he exclaimed.

The Bobcats are on an eleven game winning streak and sit at 11-1 overall as the #7 team in the nation in AAU College Hockey.  They are 5-0 in the Upstate New York Collegiate Hockey League East Division and sit atop the standings.  Up next is a road trip to Buffalo where they'll play Buffalo State Friday at 7pm, SUNY Geneseo Saturday at 4pm, and Niagara University Sunday at 12pm.  All games will be livestreamed on Hudl.

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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