Hockey team wins first Division III game

Morrisville State goalie Travis Moore watches the puck sail just wide of the net after a Plattsburgh shot during the Oct. 21 faceoff between the two teams in Morrisville. The Cardinals put 52 shots on goal during the game, downing the Mustangs 6-3.

The Mustang hockey team defeated the Becker College Hawks 3-2 at the Ice Plex Saturday Oct. 28 for the team’s first Division III victory.

After winning the first of two games the previous night, it looked as if Becker would leave Morrisville with a 2-game sweep. The Hawks took an early lead when Joey Meyer scored the games first goal with 11:27 remaining in the first period.

The Mustangs fought back in the second period and scored two goals to take a 2-1 lead. Keith Williams scored the first Mustang goal with 11:50 left in the period, followed by junior Matt Damskov’s score with 7:40 remaining.

Becker’s Kevin Switek scored in the third period to knot the game up a 2 apiece. The contest remained tied until Mustang Joe Herman scored the winning goal with 5:24 left in the game. Assists for the Mustangs were credited to Nick Carelli, Andrew Alarie, and Chris Cacace.

The team traveled to Plymouth State University last weekend, where they defeated the Plymouth Panthers in back-to-back nights. Morrisville outscored the Panthers 9-3 in the Mustangs’ two-game thrashing of the Panthers.

“The adversities we have faced this year have forced me to think outside the box and change the focus of pre-game speeches,” said head coach Earl Utter. “However, as a coach, I think that if you fail to get better every year, then you fail your players. I think that this adversity will enable me to be a better coach, and in turn, help me to be better prepared for the players.”

With its record now at 3-6, Morrisville hosts Potsdam State College tonight at 7 p.m. and Brockport State College Saturday at 7 p.m. in the IcePlex.