We’re now in the thick of February, and the winter sports season is beginning to heat up. No games Monday through Friday left the weekend loaded with action, as each streak of Bengals vied for victory on home soil and on the road. Who prevailed through adversity? Find out with the Buffalo State Sports Round-up right now.
Men’s Volleyball:
This week, we open with the Buffalo State men’s volleyball team. After the unfortunate opt-out of the Baldwin Wallace Invite due to inclement weather last weekend, the squad was more than ready to tackle a 3-match weekend – all taking place at the Sports Arena.
Friday night’s date with the St. John Fisher Cardinals served as the Bengals’ home opener, looking to stay unbeaten with the home crowd behind them.
In the first set, whether it be nerves or the pressure of an undefeated record, the Bengals struggled to gain ground on the Cardinals, inevitably losing the opening frame, 25-21.
St. John Fisher raced out in front in the second set, though the Bengals fought back this time, going on a six-point run to take a late lead. Another multi-point rally put the set away, knotting the match at one.
The third set turned into a game of runs as the Cardinals climbed into the lead with an early five-point rally before the Bengals took it over with a two multi-point rallies, taking it down to the wire. Tied at 23, a kill followed by an attack error closed the set for the Cardinals, edging out the Bengals, 25-23.
Buffalo State’s undefeated record and No. 16 ranking now hung in the balance, needing to take both of the remaining sets to keep both.
With the pressure mounting, the Bengals embraced their situation, clawing out a four-point rally to open the fourth set. Not to be outdone, St. John Fisher responded immediately with a four-point rally of their own. Back and forth they went, point after point, rally after rally – all leading to another 23-23 tie.
Backs against the wall, in desperate need of a set win, the squad delivered. Consecutive kills did the trick for the Bengals, bringing this tightly-contested match to a fifth and deciding set.
In a race to 15, the Cardinals clung to a 6-5 advantage. In the blink of an eye, the Bengals blew past their foe with an electrifying five-point rally – now sitting just five points away from a win. Minutes later, the comeback was complete. By a score of 15-10, Buffalo State pulled victory from the jaws of defeat, carrying their undefeated start to the season into the Buffalo State Tri-Match the following day.
Get the full breakdown of the Buffalo State Tri-Match, covered by The Record’s senior editor Matthew Barton, plus a look ahead at what’s next for the men’s volleyball squad at this link. Trust me, you’ll want to know all about it.
Women’s Wrestling:
On Saturday afternoon, the women’s wrestling team made the trip to Alfred to compete in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Individual Championships.
In the 117-lb. class, junior Hailey Hankinson scored the highest finish of any Bengal in the tournament, placing second. Finishing just below her, in the 145-lb. division, sophomore Rosaliz Aponte placed third, whilst sophomore Ceci Williams and freshman Taylor Thornton rounded out the day with a fourth and fifth-place finish, respectively, in the 205-lb. division. These results earned the team sixth-place overall.
In two weeks time, the team travels to Elmira for the NCAA Region 1 Championships.
Men’s Hockey:
Stepping into hockey, Buffalo State’s men’s hockey team had double-duty this past weekend, bouncing from Plattsburgh to Skidmore with intentions of building off a thrilling overtime win over rival Fredonia.
Matched up with Plattsburgh State, possessions were few and far between in the opening period, as penalties began to pile up. At the 14:38 mark, the Cardinals took advantage of a second power-play opportunity with a goal. In a flash, they found the back of the net again, putting the Bengals at a two-point disadvantage after the first 20 minutes.
The Bengals controlled the puck for the first five minutes of the second period, though failing to connect on seven shot attempts. The inability to score turned contagious, as the Cardinals missed all 15 of their shot attempts – the score remained 2-0 heading into the final period.
The final period was more of the same. Plattsburgh State goalie Beau Lane would deny 12 more shot opportunities by the Bengals, leading to the Cardinals breaking the scoreless drought with a game-sealing goal in the final minutes. The 3-0 final score marked the first time Buffalo State has been shut out all season.
To avoid a winless weekend, the squad had to turn it around the next evening at Skidmore College. Except, they ran into more of the same problems.
Despite plenty of shots on goal, neither side found a goal in the opening period, but the break unleashed the Thoroughbreds.
As the Bengals continued to struggle offensively, Skidmore took over, scoring three goals in the second period alone. It was dire for Buffalo State as the final 20 minutes approached.
Within minutes, the Thoroughbreds struck again with a goal that sucked any remaining life out of the Bengals. To their credit, the team found a way to avoid another shutout, scoring in the final four minutes, but the game was all but over. The Bengals are now 3-9 in their last 12 games.
With just four games left in the regular season, the men’s hockey team must get over its woes in a hurry. A double-header at home could be just what they need. SUNY Canton comes to town on Friday night for a 7 p.m. game, with the Bengals celebrating Senior Day against SUNY Potsdam on Saturday afternoon.
Men’s Basketball:
Switching gears, the men’s basketball team faced a nearly identical challenge to the men’s hockey team – a weekend road trip following a nail-biting win their last time out on the floor. Similar to the Bengal brethren, they had every intention of arriving back on campus, soaking in victory.
On Friday night, they squared off with the New Paltz Hawks – a team that was close in overall record, though was having much better success in SUNYAC play. A strong start by the Hawks didn’t deter the Bengals, turning the first half into a bucket-trading contest. A late 5-0 run by New Paltz gave them the lead heading into the halftime break.
It remained close through the early portion of the second half, with New Paltz still clinging to a small lead. The Bengals got to within two with 7:48 remaining, which seemed to unleash something in the Hawks. From that point on, New Paltz outscored Buffalo State 17-6 to clinch a win. Not the start the Bengals wanted to the weekend, but there was still another game ahead.
Less than 24 hours later, the Bengals tipped off against SUNY Oneonta – one of the best teams in the SUNYAC. Knowing they were the underdogs, the team played with a gigantic chip on their shoulder in the first half, playing neck-and-neck with the Red Dragons. At the break, they trailed by only three.
Less than four minutes into the second half, the Bengals took their first lead of the ballgame, and the Red Dragons were feeling the pressure. Over the next few minutes, the lead would change hands multiple times before the Red Dragons sent the Bengals crashing back down to earth. SUNY Oneonta’s offense caught fire in the last 10 minutes, scoring from all over the floor, putting the game and the upset bid out of reach. When the clock hit triple zeroes, the scoreboard read, Bengals 55, Red Dragons 67.
With the regular season winding down, the 7-13 Buffalo State Bengals are faced with nothing but must-win games from here on out. Next week sees three of them, as the team travels to SUNY Morrisville on Tuesday before returning home to play Plattsburgh State on Friday and celebrate senior day against SUNY Potsdam on Saturday.
Women’s Basketball:
The women’s basketball team, fresh off its third win of the season, was ready for some weekend hoops on the road, and they had to be at their best. In front of them stood the New Paltz Hawks, holding an 18-2 overall record, and the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons, holding a 12-9 record.
Against the powerhouse-like Hawks, the Bengals threw the first punches, quickly connecting on a layup and three-pointer to send an early message. Unphased, the Hawks punched right back, going on a 21-7 run the rest of the quarter.
New Paltz carried the onslaught into the second quarter, leading by as much as 18. Just as it felt like the Bengals were down and out, they finished the final three minutes of the half on an 8-0 run, trimming the deficit down to 10. The ladies still had life.
Woefully, New Paltz snuffed out any hopes the Bengals faithful had of a comeback in the second half. Jumper after jumper, layup after layup, there was nothing the Bengals could do to stop the Hawks from draining shots all over the court. Although fighting until the very end, Buffalo State lost 59-83.
Saturday called for afternoon action, with the team making a quick turnaround to play SUNY Oneonta. Nearly Identical to the night prior, the Bengals went on a 5-0 run to open the game, drilling a jumper and a three-pointer. They held onto the lead for the rest of the first quarter, ending with a four-point lead. The Red Dragons remained calm, slowly working their way into the lead midway through the second quarter. Heading into the half, the Bengals now trailed by two.
A back-and-forth, competitive first half gave the impression that the second half would be more of the same. Not quite. A late third-quarter surge by the Red Dragons put that to bed, as the Bengals failed to get the game back within single digits. This marked another second half in which Buffalo State failed to keep up, losing by a final score of 50-67.
The women’s basketball team will play three of its final five remaining regular-season games next week, taking on SUNY Morrisville on the road, then heading home for weekend matchups against Plattsburgh State and SUNY Potsdam.
Women’s Hockey:
Last, but certainly not least, the women’s hockey team competed in a two-game homestand over the weekend, playing host to Plattsburgh State and celebrating senior day against SUNY Potsdam.
The Bengals had a full plate dealing with the Plattsburgh State Cardinals, who walked into the Ice Arena ranked No. 15 in Division III women’s hockey. Each side got its fair share of goal opportunities throughout the opening period, but it was the Cardinals who broke the ice with a 14th-minute goal to take a one-goal advantage into the first break.
A slashing penalty just 37 seconds into the second period gave the Bengals a power-play opportunity they couldn’t afford to let slip away. At the 2:01 mark, sophomore Sequoia Recollet-Nebenionquit cashed in, tying the game at one. It would stay knotted at one heading into the third period.
The Cardinals and the Bengals would each have their own flurries, but neither side could find a way to get the puck past the opposing goalie. Buffalo State got off a buzzer-beating shot, but it was off the mark – overtime was coming. A Bengals hooking penalty 44 seconds into the overtime period proved to be costly, as the Cardinals quickly capitalized with a game-winning power-play goal.
The Bengals were ready to leave it all out on the ice in honor of their seniors when they battled the SUNY Potsdam Bears the following afternoon. Both teams were left scoreless in the opening period, allowing the Bears to get the scoring started early in the second period, maximizing a power-play chance.
Minutes later, Bengals sophomore Madison Mallone tied things up with a goal at even strength, setting up a must-watch third period. Buffalo State began the third period with the power-play advantage, and five seconds in, took the lead with a Sydney Radecki goal. SUNY Potsdam soon set things back to square one with an unassisted goal.
As the final two minutes approached, the game remained tied at two, but it wouldn’t last much longer. With 1:20 left to play, Emma Ramseier made the most of her senior day, drilling the go-ahead goal. Right before the final buzzer sounded, Taylor Masterson would put a bow on the senior day victory with an empty net goal, bringing the Bengals to 11-8-1 on the season.
A busy week for the women’s hockey club begins Tuesday when they travel to William Smith College for a make-up game with the Heronns. Then, over the weekend, they travel to play the Cortland Red Dragons and SUNY Morrisville Mustangs.
Another week of the winter sports season is in the books, with the postseason and spring sports season now just around the bend. The Buffalo State Sports Round-up thanks you for following along. Stay tuned for the introduction of the Buffalo State Sports Round-up Team of the Week in the next edition.
