BUFFALO, N.Y. – It was another gritty nailbiter of a game for Post University Men's Ice Hockey who was on the back end of their two-game road trip to Western New York against Buffalo State University on Saturday afternoon. But the Eagles were still unable to overcome their road woes and get in the win column as a third-period goal from the Bengals followed by the overtime winner by senior forward Nick Stuckless would sink Post for the third straight game and fourth time this year in sudden death, 3-2.
THE BASICS
Post University 2, Buffalo State University 3 (OT)
Post University (3-19-1)
Buffalo State University (9-11-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Only two and a half minutes after the puck dropped, the Bengals would get the scoring started only nine seconds after a Post power-play came to a close following a cross-checking penalty issued to Stuckless. Senior defenseman Parker Allison and junior forward Connor Bizal helped throw the puck ahead to an open junior forward in Joe Glamos. Glamos made one move around an Eagle defender before beating junior goalie Zach Richards with the shot. Post would end up with a total of two power-play opportunities in the first, neither of which they would be able to cash in on, while sophomore goalie Drew Doran helped keep the Eagles off the scoreboard after needing to make just three first-period saves.
A two-goal second period would help turn the tide on the momentum back in favor of Post as it was sophomore forward Matteo Peca scoring his first collegiate goal just under eight minutes into the frame, tying the game up at one all. Junior forward Patrick Murphy received a puck dumped deep into the offensive zone for the Eagles and it was tipped by sophomore forward Nathan McDevitt en route to Peca's stick before he did a 270-degree spin around towards the net to place it by Doran.
Only 1:12 later, senior forward Connor Barter gave Post their first lead of the day after senior forward Brandon Crowther fed the puck to junior defenseman Tommy Buis who was falling behind the net. Buis was able to get enough of his stick on the puck to push it towards Barter on the left side who flicked it behind Doran for the 2-1 lead that Post would take into the final 20 minutes of play after a perfect 12-save performance in the second for Richards.
An early power-play for the Eagles to start the third threatened to give them control of the contest as they ripped off four shots during the man-up chance, all of which would be stopped by Doran. Four minutes after that power-play ended, Buffalo State would net the equalizer against Richards as freshman forward Vadim Kiriakov scored the game-tying goal with 13:34 remaining in regulation. After winning the faceoff, a turnover by the Eagles found the stick of Kiriakov who teamed up with freshman forward Jake Meure on the back-and-forth passing that put Richards out of place in the goal mouth and helped place the goal in the back of the net.
Neither team would be able to net the go-ahead goal in regulation, leading to Post's sixth overtime game of the season and their second in the last four games which also happened to be their first sudden-death victory of the season, 3-2, over Saint Anselm College at home.
Right away, the Bengals would control possession for the first 30 seconds of the 3-on-3 sudden death and that resulted in Glamos getting an open opportunity to win it, but his shot would go high over Richards' head and into the net. The Eagles would struggle to get any offensive opportunities through the first three-plus minutes of the frame as Buffalo State rifled six consecutive shots at Richards in the first 3:18, eventually resulting in Head Coach Tim Richter calling a timeout for Post.
Off the ensuing faceoff, Peca would win the faceoff to give the Eagles their first chance at an offensive possession, but it would be short-lived and no shot opportunities would come from it. The next rush by the Bengals would be the last as Stuckless got fed a pass from Kiriakov near the left point and sniped the shot by Richards for the game-winning goal as Post closed their two-game swing in New York with a 3-2 overtime defeat.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Six different players for Post University recorded a point in today's game and Patrick Murphy led the way in the faceoff circle with 10 wins and only seven losses
- Matteo Peca's second-period goal was the first of his collegiate career – Entering the day, Peca had played in 28 games and had five career assists as well as 26 total shots
- Post University remains winless on the road this season as they fall to 0-11-1 away from the Sports Center of Connecticut – Their last road win came on January 27th, 2023 in a 4-2 victory over Saint Anselm College
- On the season, Post University is now 1-4-1 in overtime games after losing today's sudden-death game with Buffalo State University
WHO'S NEXT
The five-game road trip continues for Post University as they will head to Anna Maria College on Tuesday afternoon to take on the AmCats at 5:40 PM. The Eagles have a 2-1 record all-time against Anna Maria, winning the last matchup against them during the 2019-20 season on the road, 3-2, after dropping a home game that same season to them, 6-3.
