SUNY Geneseo

BUFFALO, NY: The SUNY Geneseo men's hockey team opened the season with a 5-1 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Stout this afternoon at the Buffalo State Tournament. The Knights struck twice in the first period and pulled away late to secure the season-opening win, moving to 1-0-0 on the year.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, starting with a power-play goal from Jack McDonald at 9:25. McDonald buried the rebound off Caden Pendo's shot in front of the net. Less than a minute later, Sterling Wolters doubled the lead, firing a shot from the top of the zone past the goaltender's blocker. Ryan Forberg and Danny Bagnole picked up assists on the play.

• Wisconsin-Stout cut the deficit to one late in the second period, but Geneseo responded with a goal of its own with two minutes remaining. Nathan Stachowiak followed up his initial shot, collected the rebound, and buried his second attempt to restore the Knights' two-goal advantage at 3-1.

• The Knights added two more goals in the third period to put the game away. Cameron Ricotta tapped in a shot from Wolters at 3:59 for Geneseo's second power-play goal of the afternoon. Greg Diamond capped the scoring with a backhand shot from the blue line with just 30 seconds remaining, sealing the 5-1 victory.

QUICK FACTS:

• Sterling Wolters and Caden Pendo led the Knights with two points apiece. Wolters recorded a goal and an assist, while Pendo tallied two assists.

• Jacob Torgner earned his first win of the season in net, making 28 saves and posting a .966 SV%.

• Geneseo converted twice on the power play, with goals from Jack McDonald and Cameron Ricotta.

WHAT'S NEXT:

The Knights will face the winner of the Buffalo State-Alvernia matchup in the Buffalo State Tournament championship game at 7 p.m.