By: Brayden Peters
BROCKPORT, N.Y. - The Brockport Golden Eagles hockey team's fans didn't get to throw their teddy bears onto the ice for Teddy Bear Toss Night during regulation. It wasn't until the end of the game that they did so, as Brockport was blanked 4-0 by the Nazareth Golden Flyers last night in their first shutout loss of the season. Throughout the game, the Golden Eagles were not consistent in their play.
"We weren't just very good tonight," Brockport head coach Brian Dickinson said. "No way to sugar coat it...we didn't have any juice...something's going on while we're at home in our inability to prepare and come out on the opening face-off at home because when we're on the road, it's a different story. Although we haven't gotten a win to show for it, we've played extremely well on the road."
Although Brockport outshot Nazareth 27-to-26, the Golden Eagles weren't able to get very many high quality scoring chances. A lot of Brockport's shots came from the wings and the Golden Eagles didn't screen Nazareth fifth year goalie Dylan Wiemer, making it easy for the former Golden Eagle to make saves.
"We didn't play hard," Dickinson said. "We (the team) talked about the need to get to the middle of the ice and get people [in front of the net] and we didn't. We settled for outside shots. When we did get some shots to the net, they were either in his (Wiemer's) glove or high off his blocker and those rebounds go off the glass. The few rebounds that he left out front, we didn't have anybody there."
Brockport was inefficient on special teams, as their power play unit went zero-for-four against the Golden Flyers' penalty kill that's ranked last in the UCHC. Also, the Golden Eagles went two-for-three on the penalty kill in the loss.
Junior goalie Cole Hudson got the start in net for Brockport and got pulled after giving up the fourth goal midway through the second period. Hudson did record 12 saves to give himself a .750 save percentage on the night.
Sophomore goalie David Filak filled in for Hudson and didn't allow any goals while making 10 saves.
Both sides were active offensively in the first half of the first period, consistently putting shots on goal. Through 10 minutes of play, Brockport was outshooting Nazareth six-to-five.
The teams continued to generate scoring chances and get shots off the rest of the way. However, the Golden Flyers took advantage of those opportunities with under two minutes in the frame. Sophomore forward Will Halecki got the loose puck off a rebound and buried a backhand shot to give Nazareth the 1-0 lead. Not even a minute later, sophomore forward Nate Mann redirected a wrist shot from senior defenseman Jeremy Swartz into the cage, which added insurance to Nazareth's lead.
At the end of the first period, the Golden Eagles outshot the Golden Flyers 14-to-11. Changes were in order for Brockport if they wanted to get back into the game.
"We just got to be a physical team," sophomore forward Schuyler Flansburg said. "We've been kind of lazy in that aspect the whole year and I think we got to put our foot on the gas. Hit some people, lay some bodies and we will get back on it."
Brockport did just that to start the second period as they dished out multiple body checks. The Golden Eagles also got into a rhythm offensively, outshooting the Golden Flyers seven-to-four 10 minutes into the frame. Nazareth, though, continued to capitalize on their scoring chances. While on the power play with 11:59 left in the period, Mann picked up the loose puck off a rebound and buried a wrist shot top left corner of the net to give the Golden Flyers a 3-0 lead.
Moments later, Golden Eagles freshman forward Connor McAleer beat Wiemer on a backhand shot to the bottom left corner of the cage while in the slot. The goal was called off, though, as high sticking was called against Brockport. Even though he didn't get his first goal of his collegiate career, McAleer wasn't going to let the no goal call deter him from taking more shots on Wiemer.
"Just [got to] know that I'm able to get those chances and keep that confidence in mind that I was in that position at one point," McAleer said. "I know that nine times out of 10, I'm going to put that in. So, stay confident, stay positive and keep going."
35 seconds later, Nazareth would add on their fourth goal of the game thanks to senior forward Liam Quinlivan. After Hudson made a pad save, he was down on the ground, allowing senior forward Joey Schaefer to go behind the net and feed the puck to Quinlivan, who found the empty side of the net on a wrist shot.
The two goals got Nazareth back into shape offensively, as they continued to drive into Brockport territory and pepper Filak with multiple shots. In the back half of the second period alone, the Golden Flyers outshot the Golden Eagles nine-to-four. At the end of the frame, Nazareth outshot Brockport 12-to-nine.
Unlike the first two periods, the third period was extremely quiet. Although the physicality was still there from the Golden Eagles, they were unable to get much going offensively, only recording four shots on goal in the frame. The Golden Flyers had similar issues too, recording three shots on goal.
Due to Brockport's offensive issues in the third period, Nazareth was able to walk away with the shutout win.
The Golden Eagles drop to 0-7-2 on the season with the loss and still are last in the UCHC. As for the Golden Flyers, they improve to 4-3-2 and remain in fourth in the conference.
Both teams will face-off against each other at the Tim Hortons Iceplex today. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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