Cards look to get off to better start vs. Bengals

Video

Discussion

IMPORTANT: Comments that include a personal attack on other commenters will be deleted in their entirety. Your comments are not welcome here if you can't maintain a civil tone.

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

November 9, 2012

Cards look to get off to better start vs. Bengals

COURTNEY LEWIS Press-Republican The Press Republican Fri Nov 09, 2012, 06:18 AM EST

PLATTSBURGH — The Plattsburgh State men’s hockey team is off to a solid 2-0 start to the season, even if it hasn’t been getting off to a good start in games.

The Cardinals were able to come from behind twice, but they hope they don’t keep having to.

Coach Bob Emery admitted he’s concerned about the slow starts.

“The last two games we definitely had to come from behind to play. And usually our first period had been our best period, especially at home in front of our home crowd,” he said. “So it’s something we’ve been focusing on all week, something we went over on the video, something we’re going to stress right until game time (today).”

Plattsburgh, which is ranked fourth in the USCHO.com Division III Men’s Poll, plays its first two-game weekend, hosting Buffalo State tonight and Fredonia Saturday.

The Cardinals (2-0, 2-0 SUNYAC) opened the season by giving up a goal to Morrisville 10 minutes into the game and getting outplayed for most of the first period. Last Saturday against Potsdam, they trailed 2-0 after the first period.

Junior Nick Jensen said he didn’t have an answer for why the Cardinals have come out of the gate slowly. He acknowledged they could be still feeling things out this early in the season.

“But we know better than that,” Jensen said. “We should come out a little harder every time. With this opposition we play with in this league, we gotta come out better.”

The Cardinals recovered pretty quickly in both games. They answered Morrisville’s goal after five minutes and won 6-1, and they scored four in last week’s second period against Potsdam to pull ahead and eventually win 6-4. Their combined scoring margin for the second and third periods is 11-2.

Jensen said the two comebacks displayed Plattsburgh’s character.

This weekend they don’t want to have to climb out of a hole.

“I think the big key (is) we’re an easy opponent a lot of times — people come in here and they’re so jacked up to play,” Emery said. “We either gotta 1, equal the emotion of our opponent or 2, we gotta weather the storm better defensively.”

Jensen added that they need to be better prepared mentally.

“It’s a little bit of everything,” he said. “It’s a team thing. It’s mental. We gotta be ready to go from the beginning.”

Buffalo State (2-2-1, 1-1-1) beat Morrisville 3-2 last Friday and then fell to Penn State in a nonconference game. Mike Zannella, a junior forward, leads the team with five goals and an assist, and sophomore forward Nick Melligan also has six points. Junior Kevin Carr has been in net for all five of the Bengals’ games.

The last time Plattsburgh met Buffalo State was a 4-3 triple overtime game in last year’s SUNY Athletic Conference semifinals at Stafford Ice Arena.

Fredonia (3-2, 2-1) edged Morrisville 2-1 in overtime last weekend.

Email Courtney Lewis: clewis@pressrepublican.com