Fredonia earned two important points in the SUNYAC men's hockey standings with a 3-2 home win Saturday over the Potsdam Bears.
The Blue Devils took a 3-0 lead on goals by Bobby Polachek (Kingston, Pa.), Luke Rivera (Pacific Palisades, Calif.), and Hunter Long (Lebanon, Tenn.), then held on behind the goaltending of Eric Bogart (London, Ont.), to improve to 6-10-3 overall. More importantly, the Blue Devils are 3-7-2 to move within two points of the sixth and final playoff shot.
The current sixth place team, Brockport, has a game in hand.The loss dropped the Bears to 10-7-3 overall and 6-4-1 in the conference. Dylan Vander Esch and Todd Thomas had the Potsdam goals.
Fredonia broke on top with a power-play goal at 5:40 of the first period when Polechek cleaned up a rebound in the right slot following a shot by Ortiz. It was Polachek's fourth goal of his freshman season. Samuel Wilbur (Saginaw, Mich.) also earned an assist.
The Blue Devils scored its next two goals in a span of two minutes midway through the second period.
Also a freshman, Rivera -- playing against his brother, Jake, a Potsdam senior -- gave the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead with his sixth goal on a deflection off a Potsdam player in front of the net. Ryan Wilkinson (Calgary, Alberta) earned his team-high 15th assist while Jon Carlson (Fort Frances, Ont.) was also credited with an assist.
A three-way play from Zach White (Taberg, N.Y.) to Jimmy Morgan (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) to Long resulted in Long's goal. Morgan skated behind the net and found Long in front all alone for his fourth goal.
Vander Esch cut the margin to 3-1 when he clanged a shot off the cross bar and in from a wide angle to the right of Bogart on a power play at 17:06 of the second period. It was his 16th goal of the year.
Thomas completed the scoring with a slap shot from the left circle at the 13:34 mark of the third.
Bogart had 34 saves while Trever Ralph made 24 saves for the Bears.
The Blue Devils have a pair of non-conference home games next Friday and Saturday vs. SUNY Canton. Saturday is the annual Pink The Rink game.
