CORTLAND, NY – The nationally 14th-ranked Cortland men's hockey team fell behind early, and saw its comeback bid fall short in a 4-2 defeat to Potsdam in SUNYAC action on Friday evening at Alumni Arena. Cortland falls to 15-6 (8-2-0 SUNYAC), while Potsdam improves to 6-11-4 (4-5-1 SUNYAC).
 
Nathan Garnier (Laval, QC/Cornwall Colts) and Stephen Kyrkostas (Selden/Johnstown Tomahawks) each netted a goal for the Red Dragons. Nate Berke (Williamsville/Buffalo Jr. Sabres), Domenic Settimo (East Meadow/P.A.L. Jr. Islanders), Evan Beaudry (Mississauga, ON/Kemptville 73's), and Johnny Facchini (Succasunna, NJ/P.A.L. Jr. Islanders) each provided an assist.
 
John Werber made 46 saves in goal for the Bears to earn the victory. Mason Hoehn led Potsdam with a pair of goals, and Ryan Mahlmeister provided two assists. Jeremy Quesnel and Jakub Hall were the other players with a goal for the Bears.
 
Just over eight minutes into the first period, Ronan Mobley (Playa Del Ray, CA/New Hampshire Avalanche) made a huge save to deny Mahlmeister on a breakaway attempt. However, the Bears broke the deadlock less than a minute later. Quesnel received a pass from Mathieu Parent from below the goal line, and fired a shot at Mobley. The initial shot was saved, but Quesnel pounced on his own rebound to make it 1-0 at 8:59.
 
With under four minutes remaining in the period, Potsdam committed a hooking penalty that allowed the Red Dragons to tie the score with a power-play goal. Settimo made a pass from just above the right circle to the center at the blue line to Facchini. Facchini then skated in and fired a wrist shot that Garnier deflected in front into the left corner of the net for his ninth goal of the season.
 
Potsdam regained the lead 54 seconds later, as Mahlmeister intercepted a pass at the Cortland blue line, skated in on goal to the left of Mobley, and slid a pass to Hoehn for a goal at the left post, making it 2-1 at the intermission in favor of the Bears despite an 18-7 edge in shots on goal for the Red Dragons.
 
Potsdam increased the lead to 3-1 just over six minutes into the second period, as the Bears transitioned from defense to offense with a breakout pass down the left side. Mahlmeister picked up the puck at the Cortland blue line and slid a centering pass for a one-timer by Hoehn into the left corner of the net.
 
The score remained 3-1 into the second intermission, with each team unable to convert on a power play over the rest of the frame.
 
Cortland netted its second power-play of the game with just under nine minutes remaining in the third period to pull within 3-2. Beaudry sent a pass from the blue line out front, where Berke got his stick to the loose puck before a group of Potsdam defenders, and sent a feed for a tap-in by Kyrkostas to push the puck over the goal line.
 
The Red Dragons pushed for an equalizer, but the Bears were able to seal the victory with a goal in the final three minutes, with Hall cutting to the net and sliding a shot past Mobley after skating down the left boards.
 
Score by periods
Cortland                  1-0-1          2
Potsdam                  2-1-1          4

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Cortland: Nathan Garnier 1-0, Stephen Kyrkostas 1-0, Nate Berke 0-1, Domenic Settimo 0-1, Evan Beaudry 0-1, Johnny Facchini 0-1
Potsdam: Mason Hoehn 2-0, Ryan Mahlmeister 0-2, Jeremy Quesnel 1-0, Jakub Hall 1-0, Michael Campbell 0-1, Jack Loran 0-1, Owen Watson 0-1, Mathieu Parent 0-1

Saves: Ronan Mobley (Cortland)  15 saves (4 GA in 58:02); John Werber (Potsdam) 46 saves (2 GA in 60:00)

Shots on goal: Cortland 48 (18-10-20), Potsdam 19 (7-7-5)
Penalties: Cortland 3-6:00, Potsdam 4-8:00

Records after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 15-6, 8-2 SUNYAC (ranked 14th nationally in Div. III); Potsdam (Bears) 6-11-4, 4-5-1 SUNYAC