Pine Valley, NY – Freshman Spencer Sasenbury scored his first collegiate goals in a two-goal game, Kelson Hooper made 33 saves, and the SUNY Canton men's hockey team continued their torrid start to the 2025-26 season with a 4-1 win at Elmira on Saturday.

THE BASICS

• Result: SUNY Canton 4, Elmira 1
• Location: Murray Athletic Center – Pine Valley, NY
• Records: SUNY Canton (4-0-0) | Elmira (1-3-0)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• With both teams coming off a win the previous night, neither side could score early on. The Roos struggled winning faceoffs and getting shots off early with Elmira outshooting SUNY Canton 9-1 through 17 minutes.  
• With around three minutes left in the period, the Roos gained possession with the puck in their zone. Nolan Zotter sent it to William Forsberg who was ahead of the defense for the breakout. The pass was a little long for Forsberg, but he gained possession right behind the Eagles goal.
• Zotter skated in a took a one timer in the slot which was saved by Eagles goaltender Brody Haynes, but Haynes and the Eagles could not locate the puck after the shot, but Zotter certainly did and followed up his own shot swiping the puck right at the edge of the crease which found the twine for a 1-0 SUNY Canton lead.
• The Roos carried their 1-0 advantage into the dressing room even with shots on goal 11-3 in favor of Elmira after the first 20 minutes.
• Fast forward to the second period with 11:40 left to go, a faceoff in the Elmira's zone was won by the Eagles, but Elmira gave it away to Niko Schoner in their defensive zone. Schoner skated into the high slot and flicked a backhand pass to Sasenbury on his left who was left uncovered and flicked an open wrist shot past Haynes for the second SUNY Canton goal.
• The Roos started to pile on the shots late in the second period. Elmira was outshooting SUNY Canton by a large margin for the first half of the game, but the Roos caught up with 10 shots on goal in the final 11 minutes of the second period.
• The first 40 minutes ended with SUNY Canton holding a 2-0 lead and each squad with 20 shots on goal.
• Early into the third, the Roos were called for a penalty. Hooper was busy, having to stop four shots for SUNY Canton early in the power play. Towards the end of the 5v4 action with 15 minutes left on the game timer, Elmira took a shot from the point which was kicked out to the blue line by Reilly McKinnon. Sasenbury took control of the puck and went all the way down for the shorthanded goal as the Roos were up a field goal on the road.
• Logan Kelly scored with 5:30 left in the game, but Elmira got one right back just 37 seconds later to make the game 4-1.
• Hooper and the Roos were faced with a myriad of shots late in the game with Elmira putting five on net in the final 3:03, but the Hooper turned them all aside to get to 4-0 on the season after the final buzzer.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Sasenbury scored his first ever goal with his second period tally. The freshman also now owns the only shorthanded goal for the Roos this season. Both Zotter and Kelly tallied their first goals of the season as well.
• Austin Jerzak for the Eagles was the lone goal scorer. Makai Tarjamo and Stephan McDonald earned assists on the play.
• Hooper stopped 33 of 34 shots he faced in his second win of the year. Haynes for the Eagles made 26 saves on 30 shots.
• Shots on goal were 34-30 in favor of the hosts. Both teams were oh-for on the power play with the Roos going 0-for-5 and the Eagles failing to score on each of their three opportunities.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Roos will have Hockey Reunion Weekend next Friday at 7 p.m. against the Potsdam Bears in their first SUNYAC game of the season.
   

Discover SUNY Canton, where innovation meets opportunity. The college's career-focused educational programs emphasize hands-on and applied learning opportunities in digital design, engineering technology, health, information technology, management, public service, and veterinary technology. Faculty members bring real-world experience and exceptional academic expertise to the classroom. As a leader in online education, SUNY Canton offers unmatched flexibility with hundreds of courses and 25 comprehensive degree programs offered completely online. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos compete at the NCAA Division III level and are members of the SUNYAC. In addition to its 15 traditional teams, SUNY Canton offers coed varsity esports and cheerleading.