MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Morrisville State Men's Ice Hockey team scored five of their eight goals in the second and third periods to propel them to an 8-4 victory on Senior Night.
Cortland was able to get on the board first at the 1:22 mark, but the Mustangs responded quickly when Max Sund (Stockholm, Sweden) found the back of the net to even the score just over a minute later.
Morrisville would score two more in the first period as they capitalized on two Red Dragon tripping penalties. Bradley Hefner (Billings, Mont.) tallied his first goal of the season off of a bullet from the blue line at the 5:33 mark. Nick DeVito (Averill Park, N.Y.) and Jimmy Philbin (Chicago, Ill.) picked up the assists. Just over a minute later at the 6:37 mark, DeVito would put the Mustangs up 3-1. Mike Giacometti (Mississauga, Ontario) and Hefner were credited with the assists.
Unfortunately, Cortland was able to capitalize on a power play of their own at the 8:24 mark. Less than 20 seconds later, the Red Dragons found the back of the net again for the equalizer.
With six goals scored within the first nine minutes of play, things settled down for both teams, but it was Cortland who would capitalize on another power play opportunity at the 16:03 mark to take a 4-3 lead into the first intermission.
After a seven-goal first period, things quieted down in the second until junior CJ Stubbs (Pleasant Grove, Utah) knotted the game up 4-4 off of a pass from senior line-mate, Joseph Santino (Woodbridge, Ontario).
DeVito tallied the eventual game-winner at the 16:27 mark. Ian Wood (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Giacometti picked up the assists. However, the Mustangs were not done scoring as DeVito punched in his third of the game unassisted at the 3:09 mark in the third period.
Despite the two-goal lead, the Red Dragons kept at the Mustangs and forced Morrisville to work through three third period penalty kills.
Already down a skater due to a penalty, Cortland forced the issue with just under two minutes to play by pulling their goalie. However, seniors Joe Ftoma (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Santino and Layne Martin (Findlay, Ohio) would have the final say in the game as Ftoma converted on an empty netter with 1:04 remaining and Santino put a short-handed goal away with 17 seconds left. Martin picked up the assist on Santino's goal, which brought the final score to 8-4 in favor of Morrisville.
Both before and after the game, the Mustangs celebrated the accomplishments of five graduating seniors. Santino, Martin, Ftoma, Jordan Carvalho (Brampton, Ontario), and manager Tim Philley were recognized for the hard work, time and dedication they gave to the program over the past few seasons.
The win brings the Mustangs to 5-16-4 overall and 4-9-3 in the SUNYAC.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2016 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2016 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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