The SUNYAC has seen Geneseo win the last three championships contested prior to COVID and four of the last five so the pressure is certainly on the Knights who have high expectations and the most to lose.
“I am really surprised that we were picked first in the coaches’ poll,” said head coach Chris Schultz. “We have nine, just nine guys that have played for this team and coaching staff, so we are very young. We really like our goaltending situation which should help us as we develop and build experience, but we know the league will be tough. Oswego and Plattsburgh both have talented rosters and there are always contenders among the other teams. With most of us not having played in real competition in over 600 days, it will be very interesting to see who can come out of the gates playing good hockey.”
The Favorites
It seems like the “Big 3” are always in the mix, but Ed Gosek’s Oswego team has a different look this year with new talent from the recruiting and transfer paths onboard. The defense has added Troy Robillard (Alaska-Anchorage) and Quinn Warmuth (Robert Morris) in front of returning netminder Eric Green. If the Lakers can get the offense going quickly, they are a contender to unseat Geneseo.
It is impossible to ignore the Knights who have built a mini-dynasty pre-COVID. As coach Schultz noted the roster is talented but inexperienced so the maturation process will quickly determine how likely Geneseo is to defending their conference championship. Goaltenders Matt Petzian (junior) and Adam Harris (freshman) will be counted on to cover up some early learning from the young team.
The Dark Horses
Plattsburgh is always a contender, and this year coach Steve Moffatt has the shelves fully stocked with talent on a large roster. There are a healthy number of first and second year players literally playing in their first collegiate season so how quickly they mesh along with finding consistent goaltending (Anthony Del Tufo and Jacob Hearne) could have them peaking at the right time of the season.
Brockport just may be this year’s surprise squad. Coach Brian Dickinson has a bench with depth and experience and includes goaltender Nolan Egbert from Massachusetts-Boston and forward Sam DiBitetto from Norwich. Mitchell Parsons and Corey Tam will also lead the offense for the Golden Eagles.
Players to watch
Brockport: Mitchell Parsons – forward; Sam DiBitetto – forward
Buffalo State: Nikita Kozyrev – forward; Troy Button – defenseman
Cortland: Alex Storjohann – forward; Andrew Clifford – forward
Fredonia: Matt Letmanski – forward; Chandler Judd – forward
Geneseo: Chris Perna – defenseman; Matt Petzian – goaltender
Morrisville: Brendan Krawczyk – forward; Robert Haak – defenseman
Oswego: Travis Broughman – forward; Eric Green – goaltender
Plattsburgh: Richie McCartney – forward; Jacob Modry – defenseman
Potsdam: Corson Green – defenseman; Chris Gratton – defenseman
USCHO predicted finish
- Oswego
- Geneseo
- Plattsburgh
- Brockport
- Buffalo State
- Potsdam
- Cortland
- Fredonia
- Morrisville
While Geneseo is off to a quick 2-0-0 start, Oswego (0-2-0) and Plattsburgh (1-1-0) will want to get their game in high gear as conference play begins this weekend.
