Rob Brennan

2010.02.06 Plattsburgh and Morrisville face-off at the StaffordIf anything can be said about tonight's matchup between the Plattsburgh State Cardinals and Morrisville Mustangs, it would be thank goodness it's over. To add insult to injury, Plattsburgh's scorekeeping woes continued - with the new scoreboards darkened and the goal judges relegated to waving third-rate red flags.

Anyway, back to the game. First, let me recant something I said earlier in the season. Prior to tonight, I viewed Morrisville as a team that played a physical game but could be quite a surprise when it counted most. I take that back. Morrisville demonstrated why they are a stone's throw away from serving as the bottom pillar of the conference.

As for Plattsburgh, tonight was hardly their best performance. For most of the night, the Cards looked scattered - playing a very wishy-washy and unconvincing style of play. It wasn't until the final minute of the first period when a power play goal by Ryan Corry put the Cards up to a 1-0 lead (assisted by Ian DeLong and Phill Farrow at 19:02).

The second period wound up being more of the same.  Plattsburgh simply was unable to get it together, and it was no surprise that Morrisville was able to tie it up 1-1 at the three minute mark (with a goal by Alex Tillaart and an assist by Adam Hercules).  Both teams were incredibly sloppy - with numerous opportunities flubbed on either side of the ice.

Something had to give. Coach Emery practically raced off the ice to share some words of wisdom in the locker room.  Whatever he said must have struck a chord - as Plattsburgh finally managed to pull it together in the third.  Phil Farrow scored a beautiful unassisted goal at the 6:13 mark, and just over a minute later the power play unit tallied a mark at 7:20 (with a goal by Dylan Clarke; assisted  by Dan Sliasis and Patrick Jobb).

For Morrisville, this was it. The Mustangs called a timeout, but really it was more of a chance for the Cards to enjoy a two goal lead and send this game home. There was a pretty ugly scramble near the boards at the 13:29 mark - with both squads losing two players to the penalty box for roughing. Plattsburgh managed to simmer down some, and within the final thirty seconds Phil Farrow (with some help from Dan Sliasis and Cody Adams) scored the final goal of the night at 19:37.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but after observing the last few games it seems Plattsburgh is definitely facing an uphill battle. Whether it's the chemistry of the lines or not, something is preventing the Cards from firing on all eight cylinders. Hopefully they'll rekindle that magic; otherwise it could be a very short playoff run.

Update on Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 3:48PM by Rob Brennan

In an effort to keep the blog relatively family friendly, you may notice the above post has been edited.  Primarily, this is because the point has been made and it's time for everyone to move on.  Thank you for your interest and support.