Visiting Morrisville State College men’s ice hockey battled back from a three goal deficit Saturday night, but fell short as host Buffalo State College picked up the 3-2 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory in Buffalo.
Morrisville State drops to 0-4-0 overall, 0-3-0 in conference action, while the Bengals improve to 2-1-1, picking up their first SUNYAC win.
Dalton Gilbert (Alta Loma, Ca.) and James Jarvis (Pickering, Ontario) each posted goals for the Mustangs, with Jarvis adding an assist to his tallies on the night.
Chris Azzano (Oshawa, Ontario) recorded the loss in net turning away 26 in 59:02 of play, including 10 in the final period.
Three different Bengals posted scores in the win, including Ryan Salkeld, Mike Zannella, and Shane Avery who tallied the eventual game winner.
Kevin Carr registered the win between the pipes, posting 28 saves, as Morrisville State held the 30-29 advantage in shots on goal.
Both teams played even throughout the first period, until the 12:06 mark when Salkeld put Buffalo State on the board with the first tally of the night, giving the Bengals the 1-0 lead after one.
Two back-to-back tallies within a 17 second span increased the Buffalo State lead to 3-0 early in the second period, and at 11:51 Morrisville State was finally able to respond, as Gilbert beat Carr for the score. Jarvis and Shaun Lymer (Cobble Hill, British Columbia) were credited with the assists.
Midway through the third period, Jarvis pulled the Mustangs to within one, netting the score on assists from Zack Baker (Denver, Co.) and Mike Markowitz (Staten Island, N.Y.).
Morrisville State put the pressure on Carr down the stretch, but was unable to capitalize with an extra skater as Buffalo Sate collected the win.
The Mustangs return the ice Saturday, traveling to Fredonia.