Men's Ice Hockey SUNY Geneseo Athletic Communications

HEADED TO THE FROZEN FOUR!! Geneseo Completes Comeback To Defeat Aurora 7-4 In NCAA Quarterfinals

GENEVA, IL, The SUNY Geneseo men's ice hockey team (24-4-1) advanced to the NCAA DIII Frozen Four after an incredible 7-4 comeback win at No. 3 Aurora (24-5-1) on Saturday evening. Trailing 3-0 late in the second period, and 4-2 in the third period, Geneseo found a way to battle back and earn the thrilling road victory. This is the fifth time in 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in which the Knights will play in the national semifinals. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

  • Aurora took a 1-0 lead in the first, finding a way to sneak the puck into the goal through traffic in front of the net. Peter Morgan had a great slap shot attempt from the dot, but the Spartans goaltender was able to snag the puck and keep the score at 1-0 at the end of the first.

  • The Spartans extended their advantage early in the second, scoring 30 seconds in and then again with four minutes remaining. Alex Dameski got the Knights on the board and jump started the comeback with a quick wrist shot in front of the net. Filip Wiberg slid the puck between three Aurora players to connect with Dameski, while Peter Morgan on the second assist.  

  • The Knights wasted no time cutting the deficit down to one, as Luke Panchisin notched his first of the night a minute later, picking up the rebound on Cooper Fensterstocks shot and the Knights headed into the second intermission down 3-2.  

  • Aurora scored the fourth goal four minutes into the third but the Knights were able to respond once again. Jack McDonald found Panchisin on a drop pass in the offensive zone and he sniped it top corner to make the score 4-3. McDonald then notched one of his own, picking up a loose puck in front of the net to tie the game at 4-4.

  • With four minutes left to play, Alex Dameski nailed the game-winner with a shot from the middle of their zone after Bryce Howard found him from center ice. Aurora tried to make a comeback and pulled their goalie, but Wiberg sealed the deal with two empty-net goals. The Knights finished out the comeback victory with a final score of 7-4.

QUICK FACTS: 

  • Luke Panchisin, Alex Dameski and Filip Wiberg each tallied two goals to lead the Knights offense. Geneseo leads the NCAA in scoring offense, averaging 4.9 goals per game.  

  • Adam Harris tallied his 14th win of the season, making 26 saves in net.  

  • This will be the Knights fifth appearance in the Frozen Four since the 2013-14 season. Geneseo made the championship game in the 2021-22 season, but ultimately fell to Adrian in Lake Placid.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Knights will head to Utica, NY to play Hobart in the NCAA DIII Men's Hockey semi-finals on Friday, March 28 at 3 p.m. Please stay tuned to geneseoknights.com for more information regarding venue and ticketing.