Box Score Box Score

Middletown, CT – The men's hockey team scored three times in the final period nearly erasing a three-goal deficit but fell just short, 4-3, to host Wesleyan University on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Cardinals (7-2-1) quickly took the momentum scoring just 74 seconds into the contest when Keith Buehler netted his fifth goal of the season off passes from James Kline and Tommy Hartnett. Roo goaltender Morgan Barr (Almonte, ON) turned aside 17 shots in the opening period to keep SUNY Canton (2-11-1) within one goal after the first.
 
Wesleyan used back-to-back goals from Connor Ryan and Jay Matthews over a five-minute span to take a commanding 3-0 lead after two periods of play. Despite being outshot 36-13 in the first two frames the Roo offense would break out in the final 20 minutes.
 
Just as SUNY Canton was finishing up its power play chance Sam McLaughlin (Ottawa, ON) lit the lamp for the first time in a Roo uniform to make it 3-1. Wesleyan responded as Matthews netted his second of the game and fifth of the year at the 5:12 mark to regain the three-goal advantage. Wasting no time Austin Root (Manhattan Beach, CA) and Sean Gallagher (Cape Cod, MA) assisted a Lee Melde (Proctor, MN) tally 18 seconds later to make it 4-2.
 
The Roos continued to push as special teams came up big again when J.R. Lafferty (Williamstown, NJ) beat Cardinal net minder Dawson Sprigings with the skater advantage at the 10:59 mark, trimming the Wesleyan lead to just one. McLaughlin and Dave Schneider (Indianapolis, IN) were credited with assists on the play. SUNY Canton pulled the goalie down the stretch but was unable to cap off the strong comeback.
 
The Roos had a huge day with the skater advantage going 2-for-4, while the SUNY Canton penalty kill unit staved off all five Cardinal power play chances. Barr was impressive stopping 40 of the 44 shots he faced on the day, while Sprigings turned aside 20 shots for Wesleyan.
 
The men's hockey team returns to action Saturday at 4:25 p.m. when it takes on host Suffolk University. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the SUNY Canton Athletics department by "liking" us on Facebook and "following" our Twitter account.

About SUNY Canton
SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier College for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs. The College delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management, and public service to students in the North Country, New York State, and beyond. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to their academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as eight exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The College's 14 athletic teams compete in state-of-the-art facilities as provisional members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.