There are just four regular season games remaining for the College at Brockport's ice hockey team. These games will determine whether Brockport makes the playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
The only sure-fire way for Brockport (6-12-3 overall, 3-8-1 SUNYAC) to make the playoffs without any help from the out-of-town scoreboard is by winning all of its last four games.
Cortland sits in the sixth and final playoff spot currently, just one point ahead of Brockport. Brockport Head Coach Brian Dickinson stressed the importance of focusing on Cortland and jumping them in the standings after being swept by SUNY Geneseo this past weekend.
“We gave away two points [earlier this season] to Cortland in our own rink because we weren’t ready to play them on an emotional level for 60 minutes,” Dickinson said. “All of our focus is on Cortland because we want to win and leap-frog them and control our own destiny.”
Brockport has lost its last 21 games to Oswego and has a 5-83-5 record all time against the Lakers. The Golden Eagles last win against the Lakers came Feb. 14, 2003 in Oswego.
As for the other two games remaining on its schedule, they will both be home games in the final weekend of regular season play. Brockport plays SUNY Fredonia Friday, a team Brockport hasn't defeated since Jan. 29, 2005 at home. The Golden Eagles nearly broke the winless streak earlier this season at Fredonia, but failed to hold the two-goal lead it had entering the final period of the game. Fredonia tied it with 57 seconds remaining, and the two teams ended up tying 3-3.
Buffalo State College will be in Brockport for senior night riding a three game winning streak against the Golden Eagles. When Brockport visited Buffalo at the end of the last semester, Buffalo drubbed Brockport 6-1.
"We owe Buffalo State big time for what they did to us earlier this season," Brockport captain Matt DeLuca said after practice last week.
As far as the other scenarios for Brockport, it could conceivably make it into the playoffs by defeating Cortland this coming weekend and finishing its season 1-3. In order for that to happen, SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Morrisville would have to split their series in Potsdam this coming weekend for starters. Potsdam would also need to lose at home to nationally ranked Oswego and then tie with Cortland in its final game at home.
There are also scenarios where Brockport could get in with two wins in its final four games, but that would also require a lot of help from the out-of-town scoreboard. The Golden Eagles should reasonably make it into the playoffs with three wins, but it is still possible to miss the playoffs even by winning three games.
The more wins for Brockport, the better its chances to make its way into the playoffs is, but all of Brockport's focus should be on Cortland this coming weekend. If it loses against Cortland, Brockport will have a much tougher hill to climb against opponents it has struggled mightily against in the previous seasons, as it would sit three points out of the final playoff spot with just three games remaining.
Nonetheless, with many big games coming in the next couple of weeks and top teams fighting for a first round bye, we should see extremely competitive hockey down the stretch, and I don't think the SUNYAC would want it any other way.
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