CHS BOX SCORE

Middlebury, VT – Kyle Matsumoto (Walnut, CA) scored twice but it wasn't enough as the SUNY Canton men's hockey team dropped a 6-3 decision to host Middlebury College on Saturday evening in the opening round of the Middlebury Holiday Classic.

The hosts opened the scoring just 19 seconds into the contest when Vincent Gisonti lit the lamp. The Panthers (4-2-3) doubled their lead with 57 seconds remaining in the opening period off the stick of Spencer Cage.

SUNY Canton (2-10-2) was able to cut the deficit in half on a key goal from Matsumoto with just 11 ticks left in the first off passes from George Curry (Schaumburg, IL) and Josh Sova (Oswego, NY). Middlebury led 2-1 after one.

The Panthers added a pair of goals just 18 seconds apart in the middle period to open up a 4-1 advantage. Matsumoto answered with his second of the night and fourth of the season at 17:27 of the second as the Roos trailed 4-2 after 40 minutes of play. Kyle Dora (Saranac Lake, NY) and Trenton Yule (Oswego, NY) earned helpers on the play.

Brendan McGovern increased the Middlebury lead to 5-2 less than a minute into the final period, before Kasey Kulczycki (Laval, QUE) got the Roos back within two off passes from Ben Beasley (Burlington, ON) and Yule. Middlebury added another score midway through the period for the 6-3 final.

Josh Erickson (Woodbury, MN) turned aside 34 shots for the Roos, while Liam Moorfield-Yee made 15 saves for Panthers. SUNY Canton will face New England College on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the consolation game.

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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. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses, as well as 10 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 14 athletic teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.