Rob Brennan

2009.11.07 Plattsburgh vs OswegoAs the Plattsburgh State Cardinals prepared to do battle with rival Oswego, several things were certain. Both teams have had a solid start to their 2009-2010 seasons.  Both teams were tied for the top spot in the SUNYAC conference. And after tonight, only one of the two rival squads would grab the reigns and establish their superiority.  

For Plattsburgh, tonight simply was not going to be their night.  I cannot lie.  It made me a little uneasy to see Josh Leis would be the goaltender of choice for the Cardinals tonight.  

Let me make one thing perfectly clear here.  This was not just some run of the mill game against a bottom feeding SUNYAC team.  This was arguably one of the biggest games of the season for the Cardinals.  While Leis was not really tested in the season opener against Geneseo, tonight's performance was atrocious.  The Oswego Lakers only fired a total of fourteen (14) shots on goal throughout the entire game.  And yet, they somehow managed to have five (5) of those light up the scoreboard.  Four (4) shots made their way past the young Cardinal goaltender; with one shot flipped towards an empty net to finish off the Cards on home ice.

I was practically speechless.  Why Coach Emery did not pull Leis from net completely baffles me.  His lack of focus and confidence is more than just a weakness; it's a liability.  Oswego jumped out to a two goal lead in the first period thanks to power play goals from Eric Selleck and Jon Whitelaw at 15:39 and 16:57, respectively.  Granted, there was a glimmer of hope when Plattsburgh came back from the two goal deficit in the second period and capitalized on the momentum from a Kyle Kudroch power play goal (assisted by Phil Farrow and Andrew Willock) at 4:44 as well as an unassisted even-strength goal from Vic Schlueter at 16:12 to tie the game.  However, as the second period drew to a close I could not believe my eyes.  With just 0.2 seconds remaining, Oswego's Chris Laganiere caught Leis offguard and - thanks to a little assistance from Taylor Ferris and Hank Van Boxmeer - put an end to the Cardinals momentum by stealing a 3-2 lead just before the second intermission.  For good measure, Jon Whitelaw would propel the Lakers to a 4-2 lead at 16:54 of the third period.  Eric Selleck would seal the victory by knocking in the empty net goal at 17:52.

The big disappointment, though, was that if Plattsburgh actually had competent goaltending they would have been a contender tonight.  Plattsburgh had a few noticeable holes (such as turning the puck over in the neutral zone and/or pretty much any time Breslin was on the ice) but they remained competitive and were firing some great shots on goal.  Oswego managed to have a second string goaltender (Kyle Gunn-Taylor) that was not only competent but was able to pull of some consistent saves in net.  The Cardinals were crippled by their goaltending and suffered an embarrassing 5-2 loss because of it.  And, to rub a little salt into the wound, Plattsburgh's Vick Schlueter landed what appeared to be a dirty hit against an Oswego player - resulting in a significant stoppage of play while the downed player remained still on the ice.  From my vantage point, the game disqualification was an unfortunate but deserved penalty.  It's one thing to lose a game due to shoddy goaltending; it's quite another to essentially end it on a note like that.

One thing is clear, though.  Plattsburgh's goaltending is definitely a question mark at this point.  While Leis may have likely seen his last significant ice time thanks to tonight's performance, it is evident that some changes need to be made in net...and soon.  Williams seems to be the logical choice for starting goalie; although that would not necessarily put the Cardinals in the clear.  There are some tweaks that the offensive and defensive lines need to work on, but on the whole this team has some serious potential.  It is early in the season, and I hope that this goaltending problem gets sorted out quickly.  Otherwise, it is going to be a frustrating year both in the stands and on the ice.