Oneonta State senior Mike Schanz (Endwell, NY/Maine Endwell) scored one goal and added three assists to lead the Red Dragons to a non conference victory against Clarkson 11-9. Despite being out shot by a 2-1 margin, Oneonta (3-0) got 19 saves from sophomore goalie Nick Murray (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon), who faced 48 shots from the Golden Knights (0-1).

The game's opening goal came from an unlikely source as junior defenseman Kevin Gregory (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) cleared the defensive zone and went unimpeded to goal where he found the back of the goal with a shot from about 10 yards out.

The Red Dragons maintained its one-goal lead until the 1:37 mark where junior Gordon Bopp (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst) took a pass from senior Neal Campbell (Merrick, NY/Mepham) on a fast break and rocketed a shot to the back of the goal for a 2-0 lead.

Clarkson cut the Oneonta lead in half with six seconds left in the first period on an unassisted goal by sophomore Greg Gibbons (Baldwinsville, NY/CW Baker).

At the 6:39 mark of the second period Clarkson scored to tie the game at 2-2, but it was called back because of an illegal crosse used by the pplayer who scored. Clarkson was assessed a three-minute, non releasable penalty, which Oneonta took advantage of with a man-up goal scored by freshman Scott Weiner (Suffern, NY/Suffern).

Clarkson scored two goals within a minute with less than three minutes remaining in the period to tie the score at 3-3. Junior Jamie Merritt (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) scored at 2:45 and Gibbons tallied his second of the game at the 2:01 mark.

Clarkson took its only lead of the game when it scored the opening goal of the third period at 13:41. Freshman Bruce Lee (Albany, NY/Shaker) took a pass from Merritt and put a shot in the upper corner of the goal.

Oneonta stormed back with five unanswered to assume control of the game including three goals within two minutes of each other with less than three minutes to go in the third period.

Clarkson didn't go quietly as they registered three straight goals to close the gap to one goal at 8-7 with 9:46 left in the fourth period.

Merritt and Gibbons scored back-to-back goals to open the period after sophomore Jon Cathcart (Homer, NY/Homer) scored in the final minute of the third period.

Less than one minute after the Gibbons goal Oneonta then scored two goals in seven seconds to take a 10-7 lead. The eventual game-winner came from junior Tyler Dunne (Cazenovia, NY/Cazenovia), who took the faceoff after the ninth Oneonta goal and went right to goal.

Clarkson cut the lead back to two goals at 10-8 with 7:57 left before sophomore George Tsirigotis (Islip Terrace, NY/East Islip) put the game out of reach for good at 6:37.

Oneonta will be back in action this Wednesday at home with a game against Skidmore beginning at 4:00 p.m.

2007-03-11