BROCKPORT, N.Y. — Brockport hockey entered Thursday’s Section V match against Genesee with six losses in its last eight games. Genesee, on the other hand, had won three of its last four on 11 goals in the second and third periods. If the Blue Devils were to snap out of its current two-game skid, they would have to make an early statement against a team that likes to score late.
Game plan executed.
Brockport set the tone immediately after the opening faceoff. Five minutes in, the Blue Devils had already recorded six shots on the Genesee goaltender while the Ice Devils found themselves unable to retain possession. At 8:23 into the first, Brockport capitalized.
On a drop pass from Tucker Trask, Evan Bovee ripped a shot from the blue line that found its way through traffic and over the shoulder of Genesee’s goalie Ian Kemp.
Four minutes later, Mathew Gemerek found himself in the right place at the right time to add another to Brockport’s lead. A redirected wrister found Gemerek just above the crease to which he scooped in the slow-moving puck.
After one period, Brockport had outshot Genesee 13-3.
“We’ve talked about how it’s a point of emphasis for us to play well in the first period,” head coach Greg Schwind noted. “We had a lot of shots early on which gave us a lot of momentum.”
Genesee’s hopes for a turnaround were put on hold at the start of the second due to a major penalty that carried over from the first. A common deterrent for the Ice Devils as the team currently leads Section V in penalty minutes.
The Blue Devils’ third goal came just as the penalty expired, two minutes into the period. After a failed defensive zone outbreak by Genesee, Brockport converted a 3-on-1 opportunity to cushion its lead. Trask’s patience with the puck caused the lone defenseman to commit and open up a lane to feed Zack Geitner. With the goalie left to beat, Geitner roofed it for his first career varsity goal.
“It feels great. I looked up and put all my strength in the shot to score,” Geitner said in response to his accolade.
Following the tally, Genesee’s improved efforts in the preceding periods brought the two teams parallel for the duration of the match. By the end of the game, the sides’ total shots were separated by two—26 to 24 in Brockport’s favor.
Eight minutes from being shutout, Genesee’s leading scorer, Vincent DiRisio, found the back of the net on the power-play to make it 3-1. He now has 12 goals with three on the man-advantage.
Despite the Holding the lead was Joseph Volpe, who was lights out in net. Through traffic, in-tight or on the rush Volpe was able to track down anything thrown his way. The junior turned away 23 shots by the end of the night.
“You gotta stay warmed up, keep moving and don’t let your legs get tired,” Volpe said in regards to a less than eventful first period. “It helps when the defense blocks shots too. Greitner blocked one that saved a goal.”
Brockport improves to 5-9 on the season while Genesee drops to 5-7-1.
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