CORTLAND, N.Y. - Along with a win over Fredonia last week, the Geneseo men's ice hockey team also captured an automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA DIII ice hockey tournament. This tournament is not something new for the Knights, as two years ago they were in the same spot. The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) is taking a look into the Geneseo men's ice hockey run in the 2016 NCAA DIII ice hockey tournament.
While the Knights did not take the 2016 tournament title, they did make it to the semifinals. In order to get to the semifinals Geneseo first matched up against the Salve Regina Seahawks at Wilson Ice Arena. The Knights scored two goals in the first period, three in the second, and two again in the third for a 7-1 win. They moved on to play Williams in the second-round.
Geneseo won again in a close game against Williams, 2-1. First-year forward, at the time, Arthur Gordon scored what ended up being the Knights only two goals of the game in the first period. The Geneseo ice hockey team proved to be a strong force throughout the remainder of the game allowing only one goal for the Ephs in the third period, which was not enough to defeat the Knights. This win allowed Geneseo to move on to the next round of the tournament where they played Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the semifinals.
Unfortunately for the Knights their run ended in Lake Placid against Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 5-1. Wisconsin-Stevens Point came out strong in the first period posting an insurmountable 3-0 lead against the Knights. Geneseo attempted a comeback in the second period posting a goal that was matched by Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Ultimately it was not enough for the Knights whose season ended there in the semifinals of the 2016 tournament.
This season, the Knights look to get just as far, if not further in the tournament. Geneseo enters the tournament with a 19-5-3 overall record, 10-3-3 in the conference. They will play at Hobart, versus Hobart, in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament Saturday at 7 p.m.
