BUFFALO, N.Y. - Freshman Jarrett Gold (East Setauket/NY Bobcats) scored the tying goal 6:49 into the third period and Cortland played to a 3-3 tie at Buffalo State. The Red Dragons (11-10-3, 6-7-2) secured their first SUNYAC playoff berth in three years and kept their hopes alive for a first-round home game. Buffalo State is 10-10-4 overall and 5-6-4 in the league.

Cortland took a 1-0 lead with 2:10 left in the first period on a Gerard Heinz (Kings Park/NY Apple Core Jr. A) power play goal, assisted by Frank Rizzo (St. James/NY Bobcats). The Bengals tied the game 6:06 into the second on a Terry Watt goal, but Rizzo scored his 11th goal of the season off assists by Brent Fallon (Endicott/Binghamton Jr. Senators) and Joe Leonard (Lake Placid/Amherst Jr. Ramblers) 59 seconds later to put the Red Dragons up 2-1.

The hosts scored the next two goals and led 3-2 after two periods. D'Arcy Thomas netted the first goal a minute and a half after Rizzo's goal, and Joel Sheppard put the Bengals on top with 7:39 left in the second.

Gold scored his team-high 13th goal of the season, with assists to Nick Catanzaro (Buffalo/Boston Harbor Wolves) and Patrick Palmisano (Ann Arbor, MI/Bay State Breakers), to tie the game. WIth 1:03 left in overtime, a combined seven roughing penalties were assessed, four to Cortland, but the Red Dragons killed off the ensuing power play to secure the tie.

Cortland goalie Mike Mistretta (Buffalo/Northland College) finished with 26 saves, including two on the only shots on goal by either team in overtime. Kyle Gunn-Taylor also made 26 saves for Buffalo State as each team recorded 29 shots on goal.

Cortland and Buffalo State are tied for fourth place with 14 points and one regular-season game remaining. Potsdam is sixth with 13 points. All three teams are guaranteed spots in the six-team postseason tournament, but any of the three could still finish fourth and host the fifth seed in the opening round (the sixth seed would travel to third-seeded Fredonia, while top-seeded Plattsburgh and second-seeded Oswego earn byes into the semifinals). Cortland hosts Oswego to conclude the regular season next Saturday, while Potsdam hosts Plattsburgh and Buffalo State hosts Fredonia in games a night earlier.

Score by periods:
Cortland    1-1-1-0     3
Buffalo St.    0-3-0-0    3

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Cortland: Frank Rizzo 1-1, Gerard Heinz 1-0, Jarrett Gold 1-0, Brent Fallon 0-1, Joe Leonard 0-1, Nick Catanzaro 0-1, Patrick Palmisano 0-1
Buffalo St.: Terry Watt 1-1, Joel Sheppard 1-1, D'Arcy Thomas 1-0, Shareef Labreche 0-2, Joe Curry 0-1, Jason Hill 0-1

Saves: Mike Mistretta (Cortland) 26 saves (3 GA in 65:00); Kyle Gunn-Taylor (Buffalo St.) 26 saves (3 GA in 65:00)
Shots on Goal: Cortland 29 (10-10-9-0), Buffalo St. 29 (8-13-6-2) 
Penalties: Cortland 9-18:00, Buffalo St. 8-16:00
Power Play: Cortland 1-5, Buffalo St. 0-6
Records after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 11-10-3, 6-7-2 SUNYAC; Buffalo St. (Bengals) 10-10-4, 5-6-4 SUNYAC