Box Score

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Freshman forward Connor Gorman scored a goal and tallied an assist to lead the Plattsburgh State men’s hockey team to a 2-0 win over the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) in the consolation game of the 15^th annual PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut at Norwich University’s Kreitzberg Arena.
 
After a scoreless first period that featured a large portion of time in the neutral zone and just four total shots on goal between both teams, Plattsburgh (6-2-0, 5-1-0 SUNYAC) quickly tallied two goals 1:03 apart to seize momentum in the second period.
 
Sophomore forward Mark Constantine opened the scoring at the 3:27 mark of the second stanza off an assist from Connor Gorman to put the Cardinals up 1-0. Constantine beat St. Thomas goalie Tyrone Simcoe to the left side of the cage off an assist from Gorman.
 
Just over a minute later, Plattsburgh State struck again with Gorman capitalizing on a power-play opportunity. Gorman found himself in the right place at the right time tapping home a rebound that was lying in the crease after Simcoe made the initial save on Andrew Smith’s shot from the point.
 
St. Thomas (5-4-1, 4-0-0 MIAC) had a golden opportunity to cut into the Cardinals’ lead with a 1:24 of 5-on-3 power play time early in the third period. However, the Tommies were unable to move the puck effectively through Plattsburgh’s defense.
 
Midway through the third period Plattsburgh’s Jared Docking made a bid to extend the lead. Docking carried the puck into the Tommies’ end and cut in front of Simcoe but his shot caught a piece of the St. Thomas netminder and deflected off the crossbar.
 
The underlying story of Saturday’s game was Plattsburgh goaltender Sam Foley, who was called upon for the second start of his collegiate career. Foley, a junior out of Woodbury, Minn., stopped all 15 shots he faced to earn his first career victory and shutout for the Cardinals.
 
Simcoe made 19 saves in the loss for St. Thomas.
 
The Cardinals outshot the Tommies 21-15. Plattsburgh went 1-for-5 on the power play while St. Thomas was 0-for-3.
 
In the championship game, Norwich rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period to defeat Middlebury, 5-4, and claim its second-straight PrimeLink crown. Plattsburgh's Connor Gorman was named to the all-tournament team, which also included St. Thomas' Rob Vannelli, Middlebury's Evan Neugold and Norwich's Tory Allan and Erik Lyrvall. Middlebury's Matt Silcoff was named the Most Outstanding Rookie of the tournament while Norwich's Colin Mulvey was this year's Most Valuable Player.
 
The tough stretch in Plattsburgh’s schedule continues next weekend as the Cardinals return to conference play on the road at Cortland and Oswego. The Cardinals and Red Dragons will face-off on Friday before the weekend wraps up with a Saturday showdown between Plattsburgh and Oswego. Both games are set for 7 p.m.