Special to the OBSERVER
ELMIRA - Fredonia State's attempt to sweep a weekend series with Elmira ended in a 4-1 loss Saturday night in non-conference men's hockey.
"We had a great start and we had chances," Fredonia State head coach Jeff Meredith said. "We had a lot of chances and we just didn't finish those chances."
Alex Perkins gave the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead with his first goal of the season at 7:46 of the first period.
Elmira tied the game late in the first period, then scored twice early in the second period. The three goals came in a span of 1:57 of game time.
"We were making life harder for ourselves," Meredith said. "I think there were so many possibilities out of the weekend. And the biggest is we are getting better chances than we've had in a long time. Now it's just a matter of putting those chances away."
Brian Depp, Andrew Ciampichini, Michael Collins, and Mike Morikawa scored the Elmira goals. Ciampichini's goal 45 seconds into the second period stood as the game-winner.
Elmira goaltender Darren MacDoland was credited with 36 saves. Fredonia State's Mark Friesen made 31 saves.
The loss dropped the Blue Devils to 5-7-0 heading into their final game of the first semester 7 p.m. Tuesday vs. Penn State at the Steele Hall Fieldhouse.
"We're the last Division III team they will every play," Meredith said of the Nittany Lions. It's a great opportunity for people to come out and watch Division I and Division III hockey. It should be a good game."
The Soaring Eagles improved to 5-6-0, including a 4-2 loss Friday at Fredonia.
Men's Basketball
Big second half propels Potsdam over Blue Devils
POTSDAM - Fredonia State's comeback bid was thwarted when Potsdam went on a long second-half run and dealt the Blue Devils a 78-54 loss Saturday in SUNYAC men's basketball.
The setback came despite a career-best game by freshman John Kovach, who had 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting. He made his first six shots, including 5-of-5 in the first half, in which he had 11 points in 11 minutes.
No other Blue Devil scored in double figures although Tyrone Clark grabbed 10 rebounds.
Down 34-26 at the intermission, the Blue Devils (4-5 overall, 1-3 SUNYAC) cut their deficit to 36-34 with an 8-2 run to open the second half. A free throw by Joe Monahan following a Potsdam technical foul preceded baskets by Clark and Kovach. Monahan completed the run with a three-pointer, which bounced around the rim before falling through.
Potsdam then gained command with a 24-5 run over the next seven minutes. Mark Lake Jr. finished with 20 points and Curtis Pierce had 10 for the Bears (3-5 overall, 1-3 SUNYAC).
Women's Basketball
Blue Devil balance bounces Bears
Fredonia State rebounded from a loss Friday for a 68-40 victory Saturday afternoon over the Potsdam Bears in SUNYAC women's basketball.
The Blue Devils (6-3 overall, 2-2 SUNYAC) had balanced scoring with four players in double figures. Jaimie Warren led the team with 15 points, Becky Hebert had 14 points, Anna Riley notched a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds and Nikole Lindquist (Cherry Creek) added 10 points.
Warren and Sabrina Macaulay grabbed eight rebounds each as part of the Blue Devils' 54-33 rebounding advantage. Hebert had seven rebounds and Grace Moore (Fredonia) had six.
In addition, the Blue Devils held the Bears to 24.1 percent field goal shooting. The Bears (1-8 overall, 0-4 SUNYAC) were led by Katy Briedis with 13 points.
Fredonia State led by as many as 31 points and trailed by no more than one point early in the first half. They led 34-19 at intermission.
Indoor Track & Field
Pair compete in men's heptathlon in Ohio
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Tyler Gajewski (Dunkirk) is sixth and Doug Imperi (Angola) ninth following the first four events of the men's heptathlon Saturday at the Spartan Early Bird Indoor Combined Event, hosted by Case Western Reserve.
Both men had their highest point totals in the 55-meter dash. Imperi was clocked in 6.97 seconds to earn 716 points. Gajewski's 7.08 seconds was worth 678 points.
In addition, Gajewski - a freshman - had a long jump of 19 feet even; a throw of 33-6 1/2 in the shot put; and a high jump of 5-5.
Imperi's measurements were 18-9 in the long jump; 27-9 1/2 in the shot put; and 5-2 1/2 in the high jump. Imperi is a junior.
The competition concludes Sunday in Case Western Reserve's Veale Center with the 55 hurdles, the pole vault, and the 1,000.
