CHS BOX SCORE

Potsdam, NY – The SUNY Canton men's hockey team had another impressive showing but Dylan Vander Esch scored a pair of goals including the game-winner 24 seconds into overtime to lift host SUNY Potsdam to a 3-2 victory on Saturday evening in Maxcy Ice Arena.

SUNY Canton got the first opportunity on the power play 7:42 into the contest and put three shots on goal but Bear net minder Brendan McMenimen was up to the task stopping all three shots. The Roos struck first at 13:33 of the opening period when Kyle Matsumoto tallied his fifth goal of the season.

The Roos had two more shots on goal during their next power play, which last 1:27 after SUNY Canton committed an infraction of its own. With just 14 seconds of 4-on-4 left the Bears knotted the game at 1-1. Billy Pascalli took a shot from the blue line that took a unique bounce off the backboards and bounced right in front of net to Vander Esch who put it home top shelf past the glove of Josh Erickson (Woodbury, MN), who had minimal time to react.

Twenty seconds after the completion of a Bears power play and with just 30 seconds left in the first period Potsdam took its first lead of the night. After a Roo turnover in their defensive zone Jake Rivera lifted a backhanded shot top shelf over the glove off a pass from Joey Gilhooly. Play was extremely even over the first 20 minutes as the Roos held a 13-12 edge in shots but the Bears took the one goal lead into first intermission.

Just 1:18 into the second period the Roos were whistled for a major penalty sending the Bears on an extended five minute power play. The SUNY Canton penalty kill unit came up big and Erickson made seven saves to keep the deficit at just one goal.

The SUNY Canton offense made that effort pay off as the Roos tied the game at 2-2 with just 1:36 left in the middle period on Nick Lepone's (Richmondhill, ON) sixth goal of the season. The freshman beat his defender and then fired a shot shortside over the glove of McMenimen. Dylan Rosen (Clarkston, MI) and Gabe Flood (Onalaska, WI) earned helpers on the play as the teams took a 2-2 tie into second intermission.

Neither team could find the back of the net in the third period as the teams skated to overtime for the second consecutive night. Vander Esch proved to be the hero with his second goal of the night and 15th of the season to lead the Bears to the victory.

Erickson had another big night stopping 43 of the 46 shots he faced, while McMenimen made 30 saves for Potsdam. Both teams combined to go 0-for-6 with the skater advantage.

The men's hockey team returns to the ice next weekend for a home-and-home series with The College at Brockport. SUNY Canton hosts the Golden Eagles Friday at 7 p.m. in the Roos House before a Saturday trip to Brockport. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the SUNY Canton Athletics department by "liking" us on Facebook and "following" our Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts.

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.