Fredonia freshman Ryan Dunner (Glassboro, N.J.) scored with 6:40 left as Fredonia rallied for a 4-3 road win over Plattsburgh in the first round of the SUNYAC Men's Hockey Tournament.
Down 3-1 early in the second period, the Blue Devils (12-10-4) scored three unanswered goals and got a 55-save performance from sophomore Anton Rosen (Orsa, Sweden) to advance the semifinal round at Oswego on Saturday night.
Tommy DeFelice (Tolland, Conn.), Victor Tracy (Stockholm, Sweden), and Jacob Haynes (Whitby, Ont.) scored Fredonia's other goals. Matt Quilty, Liam Lawson, and Cole Stallard scored for the Cardinals (13-12-1), while goaltender Jimmy Poreda was credited with 36 saves.
Quilty gave Plattsburgh a 1-0 lead when he rushed through the neutral zone and connected with a slapshot from the high slot. The Blue Devils pulled even 1-1 when DeFelice tucked the puck inside the right post for his third goal of the year following a Plattsburgh turnover and scramble in front of its net.
Plattsburgh regained the lead late in the period. First, the Cardinals killed a penalty -- pinning the puck along the boards for a long stretch before breaking out and getting a good change while short-handed. Lawson scored off ensuing faceoff with a shot from close range after receiving a pass from behind the net.
The Cardinals added to their lead early in the second period when Stallard poked in a rebound to make it 3-1. The Blue Devils then scored the next two goals. The first, by Tracy, his eighth of the season, came following an icing against Plattsburgh. DeFelice won the ensuing faceoff and drew the puck back to Tracy, who one-timed a shot from just outside the faceoff circle. Hayes scored just over two minutes later with a shot down low and to the left of Poreda to forge a 3-3 tie midway through the second period. It was Haynes's seventh goal of the season.
The game-winner by Dunner was his third goal in the last four games. He snuck up from behind a Plattsburgh player, stole the puck, turned and shot at the 13:20 mark. Rosen made several big saves down the stretch to preserve the win, Fredonia's first in the SUNYAC playoffs since 2012.
Tickets for Saturday's game at Oswego can be purchased online.
