Highlights of Cortland vs Oswego Feature Game; Fidotta Dangles to Earn Top Play Honors

Check out the video's below from this weekend's intense Cortland Oswego matchup. Cortland won 8-5 and will play the Lakers once again at 11 A.M on November 12th in Pottstown, PA.

This next video is the top three plays of the ECRHA's weekend. Check out freshman Chris Fidotta's dangle and goal against Oswego to seal the win as the number one play.

In other news, the Red Dragons next set of games was announced yesterday. Cortland will face-off in Pottstown, PA with the following four teams:

Nov 12- 11 A.M. -Oswego Lakers

Nov 12- 3 P.M.- Lehigh Mountain Hawks

Nov 12- 6 P.M.- Ramapo Roadrunners

Nov 13- 8 A.M.- Loyola Greyhounds

This will mark the end of the fall semester for Cortland. Keep checking back for updates to see if the Red Dragons can keep their 5 game winning streak in tact!

Cortland Continues to Win on Opening Weekend

The Red Dragons traveled to Glastonbury, CT on Saturday to start their regular season. This abbreviated weekend had Cortland scheduled for two games starting Saturday morning at 6A.M against Syracuse.

The Red Dragons wasted no time to get the ball rolling for the first game of the weekend. Max Stern scored at the 1:06 mark of the first period. Only fourteen seconds later, Tommy Farr notched his first of the season on a pass by Gary Krupa. Cortland then controlled the puck for the remainder of the period letting their goalie, Lou Vetri, face only 6 shots. Cortland picked up the pace towards the end of the period scoring two goals in the final 30 seconds by Max Stern and CJ Gilcrist. The second period saw much of the same Cortland dominance as they scored three more goals and only gave up 3 shots. Cortland goals were scored by Farr on the only power play of the game, freshman Tom Hughes, and Brendan Joyce. The final period saw Syracuse put only one shot on Vetri, their 10th shot of the game. The Red Dragons put three

more goals on the board to shut down the Orange. With Lou Vetri turning away 10 shots, he secured the shutout for the Dragons in their first game of the season. Stars of the game were #1- Max Stern (4 goals), #2- CJ Gilcrist (2 goals, 1 assist), and #3- Tommy Farr (2 goals, 1 assist).

The second game on the schedule for Cortland was the Oswego Lakers. This match up was hyped all week leading up to the puck drop by the ECRHA as they deemed it a "Feature Game". Each team was looking forward to the highly anticipated game as they each knew how much it would sway the early season momentum.

Cortland would waste no time setting the tone as the first line of Farr and Joyce skated the puck down the middle cycling in the Laker zone. Joyce found Farr on a back door pass to put the Dragons up 1-0 just 1:05 into the feature game. Cortland extended its lead to 3-0 on goals by Gilcrist and Stern, both assisted by defenseman Sean Glynn. However, Oswego found a bit of fire and scored 2 goals in the final minute and 10 seconds to head into the break with Cortland leading 3-2. Each team tallied three penalties a piece in the first stanza, while only one power play goal was scored by the Lakers Brian Gambardella.

Oswego wasted no time in tying up the game as Tyler Barbariantz scored on rookie Dragon netminder Jay Sartorius on a slapshot from the point just 20 seconds into the second. Gilcrist quickly regained momentum for Cortland as he slid a backhanded shot past the Oswego goaltender Chris Galante to put the Red Dragons back on top 4-3, two minutes into the second. Tommy Farr then took a questionable penalty as he was called for a trip on his brother Billy in the corner of the offensive zone. This sent the Lakers back on the man advantage where they capitalized to even the game up again at four. While penalties by Oswego filled the middle of the period, with Cortland's Bob Motto reciving the only call for the Dragons (a 10 minute misconduct). Cortland's Max Stern struck once again on the power play to put them up by one goal heading into the third and final period of the game and weekend.

Oswego found momentum after killing off carry-over penalties from the second to knot the game back up at five. The penalties started to come at a more constant pace starting at the 4:04 mark of the third when Cortland's Farr was pushed into Oswego's goalie by the Laker's James Schunk. After the play, Schunk went after Farr, cross-schecking him from behind sending him to the locker room. Just seconds later, Oswego's Danny Gambardella was called for a hook putting the Red Dragons on the power play once again. Stern found the back of the net for his hat trick goal, and his 7th goal on the weekend, putting Cortland on top 6-5 with 6:15 left to play in the game. Just 30 seconds later, Tom Hughes found the back of the net on an even strength three on three play. After the Hughes goal, things got nasty between the two teams. Hughes was targeted by the Lakers and was

involved a scuffle while Stern stepped in to help his teammate. The final three minutes of thegame saw eight penalties, 6 by Oswego and 2 by Cortland. Freshman rookie Chris Fidotta found the twine for the eighth and final goal of the game on a one on one dangle around a Laker forward, "a shoe in for play of the week" called by ECRHA's Ian Prescott. Subsequently Fidotta was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty for riding his stick in celebration of his goal. Cortland came away with the win 8-5, evening up the all-time matchup with the Lakers at two wins a piece.

With the Cortland Red Dragons skating away from the weekend with a 2-0 record, they sit alone in first place of the ECRHA's Division III Northern Conference. Although the Dragons have only played two regular season games, they have not lost yet this season (5 wins). After the weekend Cortland has many names showing up on the leader boards. Max Stern finds himself in first place in goals with 7, first in points with 7, and first in star points with 6. CJ Gilcrist is placed in second in goals with 4, and tied for second in points with 5. Sean Glynn, who has made the transition to defense this season with ease, is in first place in assists with 4. Veteran Gary Krupa, who led the team in points last season finds himself tied for second in assists with 3. Captain Tommy Farr comes in tied for third in goals with 3, tied for second in points with 5, and tied for fourth in assists with 2. Goalies Lou Vetri and Jay Sartorius sit atop the wins leaders with one each. Vetri has the only shutout in the league thus far, making him a sure starter for the All-Star game, as preseason and early stats would show.

Cortland has three weeks off until their next and final weekend of the Fall semester. The four games will take place in Pottstown, PA, a venue where Cortland has not traveled before. Opponents for the Pottstown event will be Loyola, who Cortland beat 10-1 in preseason, Ramapo, who the Dragons also beat in preseason 13-0, Lehigh, Cortland holds a 1-0 lifetime record against the Mountain Hawks, dating back to last season, and either Syracuse or Oswego.

Be on the lookout for scores and standings of the Southern Conference over this weekend as those three teams kick off their season. Also, with Cortland and Oswego being a feature game over the past weekend, look out for game highlights and plays of the week here on this website and on www.ecrha.net.

Cortland Set to Kick Off Regular Season

On Saturday October 22nd, the Red Dragons will travel to Glastonbury, CT to begin their regular season campaign. The first test of the season will come against the Syracuse Orange. Cortland has a lifetime record of 2-1 against the Orange with the loss coming in the Red Dragons first year of existence. The last time the two teams played, Cortland skated to a 9-1 victory in Old Bethpage, NY last November. That game saw netminder Lou Vetri stop 15 out of 16 Syracuse shots, Tommy Farr notched a 4 point game (3 G, 1 A), and Gary Krupa had a 3 point day (1 G, 2 A). The new look Dragons will look to continue the trend this time around in the first of three match-ups with the Orange.

The second and last game of the weekend will come against the Oswego Lakers. The SUNY match-up will be one of three feature games of the weekend. Cortland has a lifetime record of 1-2 against the Lakers with the one win coming two weeks ago in preseason. Previously, Mike Weber had the only two goals scored against the Lakers. In Cortland's preseason win they had four different goal scorers (Gould, Gilcrist, Hughes, and Fidotta). Cortland will look to even up the lifetime series against Oswego at 2PM on Saturday.

Cortland roster notes for the weekend: Mike Weber is still recovering from internal bruising and Adam Gould will miss the weekend series due to a personal issue. Cortland will get their first look at rookie netminder Jay Sartoruis as he will start the game against Oswego. Veteran Lou Vetri will get the nod against Syracuse. Cortland will welcome back Brendan Joyce from an illness as he will skate along side Tommy Farr for the weekend series. The forward lines will be rounded out with Max Stern skating with CJ Gilcrist, the freshman pairing of Chris Fidotta and Tom Hughes will look to continue their domination as they each had 6 points in the preseason. Look for the defensive pairings of Mike Barbariantz and Bob Motto, and Gary Krupa and Sean Glynn to continue their shutdown performance from the preseason as they only allowed 44 shots in three games. Cortland forwards will look to shoot at will as they fired off 104 shots in just three preseason games.

Be sure to follow the gamecast of each game on www.ecrha.net, also be on the lookout for game highlights from the Cortland vs Oswego "Feature Game" after the weekend is over.

Cortland Shows Power in Pre-Season

The Cortland Red Dragons had their annual Pre-Season Columbus Day Event over the weekend in Feasterville, PA. A strong Cortland squad was without three key players, Brendan Joyce (illness), Mike Weber (injury), and Jason Sartorius (personal). Never-the-less, the Red Dragons made their powerful team known for the upcoming season.

The Ramapo Roadrunners were the first test of the day for Cortland. The first line of Max Stern and Adam Gould wasted no time as Stern scored less than a minute into the contest. Not to be outdone by the first line, the pairing of CJ Gilcrist and Tommy Farr scored two goals on their first shift, both by Farr, assisted by Gilcrist. The third line of freshmen Tom Hughes and Chris Fidotta, found the back of the net. The score was 5-0 in favor of Cortland, just four minutes into the game. Cortland carried momentum throughout the game winning the Pre-Season opener 13-0. Goalie Lou Vetri recored his second shutout of his career.

The second game of the day came four hours later against last year's runner up, Oswego Lakers. Oswego scored on a power play in the first period. That would be the only goal let up by Cortland in the contest. Adam Gould struck back seven minutes later to even the score at one. Cortland owned the second period, outshooting Oswego 10-6 and notching a goal by CJ Gilcrist. The third period was the deciding factor. The freshmen tandem of Hughes and Fidotta each scored goals. Fidotta scored on a 4 on 2 penalty kill to put the dagger into the hearts of the Lakers. Another outstanding game by netminder Lou Vetri, allowing only one goal on 19 shots.

The third and final game of the weekend placed Cortland against the Loyola Greyhounds. A lazy first period by the Red Dragons saw them score only 3 goals (Barbariantz, Gilcrist, Stern) and giving up one. A stronger second period saw 4 goals by Cortland and string play along the boards and in the defensive zone. The third period was the icing on the cake was the Red Dragons scored three more goals.

After a 3-0 Pre-Season weekend, the first in Cortland State history, Cortland has made themselves known to the league that they are the team to beat. Allowing only two goals in three games is the best mark over a weekend Cortland has ever had. The rookies shined in the weekend event, the veterans clicked the way they have been over the past three seasons.

The first regular season event will be held in Glastonbury, CT on October 22. The Red Dragons will play the Syracuse Orange at 7 A.M and the Oswego Lakers at 4 P.M, the feature game of the weekend. Cortland will look to carry momentum into the first event of the season.

Cortland Tapped to Participate in D-III "Feature Game"

Mark it on the calendars. Cortland Red Dragons vs Oswego Lakers on Saturday October 22nd, 2011, at 4PM in Glastonbury, CT's Z-Rink. In an effort to make the ECRHA more marketable the league has asked Cortland and Oswego to participate in a "Feature Game". Each weekend event during the ECRHA's season has two to three Feature Games. Cortland's first shot at a Feature Game will come in their first regular season event in three weeks. This is a huge chance for the Red Dragons to showcase their talent on the rink to the nation. The biggest reason for Cortland and Oswego to be pitted against each other in the "Feature Game" is the sibling rivalry between Cortland's President Tommy Farr and Oswego's President Billy Farr. Cortland assistant captain Mike Barbariantz will face off against his brother, Oswego defenseman Tyler Barbariantz.

The "Feature Game" will have a feel of a National Championship game, according to league sources. The teams will have music play throughout warm-ups, the starting line-ups will be announced and the National Anthem will be played to kick off the game. Goals and assists will be announced along with music in between periods and whistles.

The biggest rivalry in Division III will take the biggest stage on October 22nd at 4PM. Come out and support your Red Dragons as they take the biggest stage in the ECRHA.

Pre-Season Schedule Finalized

The Cortland Red Dragons will travel to Feasterville, PA on Friday October 7th for their annual Columbus Day Pre-Season Event. With Ithaca dropping their team for the upcoming year, the original schedule went through some changes with Cortland getting the short end of the stick, having to play all three of their games on Saturday October 8th. The schedule is as follows:

12 PM vs Ramapo Roadrunners

5 PM vs Oswego Lakers

9 PM vs Loyola Greyhounds

The new look Red Dragons will look to establish dominance over the weekend events. Cortland is still searching for the elusive undefeated weekend, yet to be reached in the history of the club. Look for rookies CJ Gilcrist, Max Stern, Adam Gould, Tom Hughes, Chris Fidotta, and Jason Sartorius to shine in their Cortland debuts this weekend.

Stay tuned over the weekend for game updates, scores, and stats at www.ecrha.net.

Stay on the lookout for Cortland's new red jersey over the weekend.

ECRHA Season Previews

The ECRHA has posted season previews for each of the six teams in Division III for the upcoming season. Oswego and Lehigh have circled their games against Cortland on their schedules, citing that it will be their toughest test of the year. This immediately places a target on the Red Dragons back as they will be "the team to beat" this year. You can read the Red Dragons season preview below written by ECRHA's Jesse Creek:

Cortland finished in 4th place after the regular season (6-6-0), beating Oswego in a tie breaker. In the playoffs, Cortland got booted in the quarters, coming in 5th place after the playoffs finished. This year, Cortland has lots of new faces to add to its roster. Cortland has added 6 new players this year, five of them being forwards, and one being their new starting goalie. Of the five forwards they added, five have played PIHA, two played for Mission Black Ice, and one played for Suffolk CC. They have one returning forward, while two guys that played forward last season volunteered to make the move to defense so the new guys can shine. It could very well be the best year ever for the Cortland program. Senior Tommy Farr is looking to hit the century mark in points in his final season. He currently sits at 70 career points. Gary Krupa had 28 points last season as a defenseman, so look for him to be a force at the point.

The game Cortland has circled on its calendar this year is against Oswego. Tommy Farr’s brother, Billy Farr, is the president of their team. In addition, Mike Barbariantz is the brother of Tyler Barbariantz, so look for this sibling rivalry to intensify the meetings between these two teams. If Cortland is going to win the division this year, it will be because of it’s extremely well rounded team. Cortland is confident that every offensive and defensive pairing they put together will thrive. The goaltenders are some of the best in the division. They should be an awesome team to watch this year, however, the biggest challenge this year will be getting to the Division III Championships. With only one playoff win in Cortland history, their biggest challenge will not only be getting into the playoffs, but making it to Sunday afternoon.

As already stated, Cortland’ s goal is to finish in first place at the end of the regular season and winning the Division III championships. With three teams moving out of their division this past year, their biggest competition is now Oswego and Loyola. Ultimately, Cortland looks to move up to Division II next year.

Fun fact about Cortland: “They practice behind a firehouse on a fenced in basketball court. Due to the terrible weather in Cortland for most of the season they don't get to practice much. They rely on teaching the teams set plays in a classroom setting. Another fun fact is that at the end of each season they do a fundraiser called "Letters for Hope". Recently they donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and The Garden of Dreams Foundation. This gives us a great sense of pride knowing that they are helping the needy.

All other team's previews including Cortland's can be viewed at the ECRHA's website- http://ecrha.net/article.php?article_id=54878

Good luck to all teams as the preseason starts this weekend in Feasterville. Cortland schedule for preseason will be posted once it is finalized later this week.

Cortland Rolls Through Pre Pre-Season Scrimmages

The Cortland Red Dragons traveled to Ithaca's Cass Park on Saturday for a little pre pre-season action. Their first twenty minute scrimmage pitted them against the D-III runner up Oswego Lakers. An early lead, plus a 3 goal output by rookie Max Stern put them on pace to take the contest 5-2. An early statement that a Cortland is a force to be reckoned with in D-III. The following game had Cortland against Cornell. Cortland started the game out strong and carried momentum throughout the contest. A 6-1 victory over the Big Red, a D-II team, was a huge accomplishment for a young Cortland squad.

The biggest competition of the day would come in the next game. The Binghamton Bearcats were on the schedule. Last year's D-II champions would be the biggest test for Cortland. A very evenly matched game saw Cortland score just ten seconds into the scrimmage. The carried the momentum throughout the game and won 3-1. The biggest accomplishment for Cortland yet. A final game against an Ithaca team with only 4 skaters was no contest for Cortland as they skated to a 7-1 victory.

With a 4-0 day Cortland's chances of winning a D-III title is the most realistic it has ever been. Stay tuned for updates throughout the year!

Cortland's First Test Comes Saturday

With tryouts in the books and the pre-season two weeks away, the Red Dragons have entered the "Pre Pre-Season" warm-up tournament. This event will be made up of teams from the area (Binghamton (DII), Cornell (DII), Cortland, Ithaca, and Oswego). Cortland will play each team once with 20-mintute running clock. With Binghamton winning ECRHA's Division II last year, it should be a big test for Cortland to see how they stack up to a D-II contender. This schedule for Saturday is as follows:

2:25- Oswego

3:40- Cornell

4:30- Binghamton

5:40- Ithaca

All games tomorrow will be played at Ithaca's Cass Park. Come out and support your Red Dragons as their quest begins for an ECRHA D-III Championship Title.

All Star Game 2011

Check out this video from last seasons D-III All-Star Game. Representing Cortland in the game was #19 Gary Krupa and #23 Tommy Farr. Although Cortland's side lost the game, Krupa and Farr each had a goal. In the video you can find these four plays by Cortland:

6:43- Farr scores to increase White's lead to 3-0

33:07- Krupa nets an assist to Ramapo's Paul Cantanzaro, White's down 7-6

43:55- Krupa scores to increase White's lead to 10-7

55:11- Farr gets denied by UMass goalie, Max Sparr

Enjoy the video, Cortland hopes to have more representatives this upcoming season.

DIIIAllstar-MPEG-4 from ECRHA Gameday on Vimeo.

2011-2012 Final Roster

After two talented days of tryouts, the final roster has been made for the upcoming 2011-2012 season. The following players will be dawning the Red Dragon jersey this season:

1- Lou Vetri- Goalie

2- Sean Glynn- Defense

10- Adam Gould- Forward

13- Chris Fidotta- Forward

14- Mike Barbariantz- Defense

16- CJ Gilcrist- Forward

17- Brendan Joyce- Defense

18- Bob Motto- Defense

19- Gary Krupa- Defense

23- Tommy Farr- Forward

27- Tom Hughes- Forward

29- Mike Weber- Defense

30- Jason Sartorius- Goalie

96- Max Stern- Forward

With tryouts now behind Cortland, a new season lies ahead of a very talented group of players. With pre-season set for Columbus Day weekend, October 7th, this leaves the team a short turn around to prepare. With scrimmages and practices on the horizon, there is no doubt that this new look team will come to pre-season with a fire in their eyes, ready and willing to take a championship run. Welcome to the 2011-2012 season, fourteen players with one common goal.

Change in Try-Out Location, Days

Cortland State will be holding tryouts on Saturday, September 10th at 5:30 PM and Sunday, September 11th at 12PM noon. These tryouts will be held in Homer, NY behind the Home Firehouse. If you have not yet filled out a Policy Form please do so.

The roster will be announced by Sunday evening. Good luck to all students trying out.

Interest Meeting, Try-Outs Announced

Cortland Roller Hockey is gearing up for the 2011-2012 season. With the fall semester less than a week away, the Red Dragons have announced an interest meeting for all students to attend. The meeting will take place on Wednesday September 7^th at 8 PM at Poolside in Park Center. If you are interested please bring something to write with, insurance cards, and driving information. Also know what position you would like to try-out for. This meeting is mandatory for students hoping to be on the team.

Try-outs will be held on Monday September 12^th at 6:45PM and Tuesday September 13th at 6:45PM. These tryouts will be held at Cass Park in Ithaca. Incoming freshmen and transfer students need to bring their equipment up to school when they first arrive.

This is the fourth year of SUNY Cortland Roller Hockey. Come join a growing tradition!

Any questions about the meeting or try-out dates, please contact Tommy Farr at thomas.farr@cortland.edu.

Historical Players Page

Check out the new Historical Players Page located in the "Important Links" section on the right hand side of the page. The page is also located at www.cortlandrollerhistory.blogspot.com . This new page takes a look at all of the players to ever be a part of the Cortland Red Dragons Roller Hockey Team. Twenty-four student athletes have dawned a Red Dragon uniform. Take a look at how each player faired! For each player, their stats are listed as well as individual accolades they have received.

As always, we are looking for new players for the 2011-2012 season. If you are interested in becoming a Red Dragon, please download and fill out the "Interest Form" located in the "Important Links" section on the right hand side of the page.

Once a Red Dragon - Always a Red Dragon!

Interested in Becoming a Red Dragon?

After the best season in the history of the Cortland State, the Red Dragons are looking to become stronger for the 2011-2012 season.

If you are interested in attending SUNY Cortland and being a part of the Dragons run toward the title next year please click the link below or the link on the right hand side of this page under "Important Links" titled "Interest Form" and the link on the following Sport Club Blog Page and download the Roller Hockey Interest Form. Fill out the required information and email the completed form to President Tommy Farr at thomas.farr@cortland.edu . Please feel free to include any additional information about yourself in the email.

Roller Hockey Interest Form

Send COMPLETED forms to thomas.farr@cortland.edu

Cortland Bows Out in Quarter-Finals

The Cortland Red Dragons traveled to Feasterville, PA on March 4th for the regional playoffs. After a full 12 game season, the Dragons were seeded in 4th place overall. The first game of pool play pitted Cortland against Oswego. An young and scrappy Laker squad stole the wind from the Dragons sails in the first game. They handed Cortland a 5-1 loss on Friday night. Mike Weber had the lone goal for Cortland.

The second game of playoffs quickly became a must win for Cortland if they wanted to keep their hopes of a championship alive. The Ramapo Roadrunners skated against Cortland at 12 noon on Saturday. A sluggish start by Cortland saw Ramapo score just 1:26 into the game. Cortland's Gary Krupa and Bob Motto struck back to take the lead for the Dragons at the end of the first. In the second period, Krupa finished off his hat trick by netting two more goals, along with a goal by Farr and Glynn. One goal by the Roadrunners in the period made the score 6-2 Cortland at the end of the 2nd. The third period was all Cortland as they showed no mercy for the Roadrunners as they scored six goals in the period. Two each by Joyce and Farr, and one each by Krupa and Barbariantz. The Red Dragons skated away with a 12-2 victory, their first ever playoff win.

Top seeded Scranton was the last pool play game. An evenly matched first period was one goal by each team, Cortland's by Motto. The second period was Cortland's downfall, giving up three goals, two on the power play. The third period saw Joyce score a power play goal. However, the Royals CJ Murray, scored three straight goals to put Cortland away. The Dragons lost the pool play finale 7-2.

The SUNY squad came in 3rd place in Pool "A" and were set to face 2nd place seed of Pool "B", Queens College. Cortland played with Queens for the half of the game, keeping the score tight at 2-1. Krupa had the goal in the beginning of the second period. However, the Knights woke up at the 7:38 mark of the period and dominated the remainder of the game. Cortland saw Queens score 11 straight goals to end the game.

As yet another season comes to an end, progress has been made by the Red Dragons. With six wins, and their first playoff win ever, things are moving in the right direction for the team. Congratulations to the Queens College Knights and the SUNY Oswego Lakers who both made the Championship game in their first season of existence. The Knights defeated the Lakers 7-4 in a close game to win the ECRHA Championship.

Check back over the summer for interest forms and contact information!

Farr and Section IX Recognized in Times Herald Record

Farr comes to roller hockey club's rescue

Burke grad makes mark at SUNY Cortland

BY WILLIAM MONTGOMERY

CORTLAND — Tommy Farr really wants to be modest about it, but there is only one way he can tell the story.

He saved roller hockey at SUNY Cortland.

Farr, a 2008 graduate of John S. Burke Catholic, headed to Cortland to study physical education. As a three-year member of

the varsity ice hockey team at Burke, he hoped to play club ice hockey at Cortland. Farr tried out for the team but was cut.

On the advice of a friend, Farr then went out for Cortland's first club roller hockey team, which wound up being a life-changing

decision.

The team, with Farr as an assistant captain, finished 3-8-1 that first year. But the won-loss record wasn't the biggest disappointment.

During a road trip, one of the players was involved in a car accident. The school-required itinerary had not been filed with the recreational sports department and the office was not notified until one day after the accident. The roller hockey team was suspended from participating in a weekend tournament.

Farr then stepped forward and volunteered to take care of the paperwork and behind-the-scenes administrative work needed to keep the team afloat.

"There probably wouldn't be a team if not for that," Farr said.

Entirely self-funded for the first season, the team received about $2,000 from the school during the 2009-10 season. At the endof that campaign, the roller hockey team received the most improved sports club award from Cortland's recreational sports department.

Now, as a junior, not only is Farr the team captain and a three-time Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association all-star, he's the team president and a league representative. The responsibilities are endless.

Aside from planning practices and meetings and organizing caravans for road games, Farr has to submit detailed plans for every road trip and work with the registrar to provide proof of player enrollments to the league office. Farr also authors a blog at cortlandroller.blogspot.com.

"It's definitely worth it," Farr said. "As the president, I'm in charge of scheduling the practices and the meetings. As the captain, I'm kind of like the coach of the team. I'm a player, coach and team president."

It's also a résumé-booster. Farr hopes to coach ice hockey in some regard in the future and has gained plenty of real world experience.

Cortland's roller hockey team still practices on fenced-in basketball court behind a firehouse, but it received about $2,700 in school funding this year.

The 15 players pay $235 apiece in dues, which go toward hotel and gas costs as well as team registration fees with the ECRHA. In the fall of 2013, the Student Life Center is set to open on campus, which will include a roller hockey rink.

Roller hockey is growing in popularity among former ice hockey players from Section 9, with 16 of them competing on teams on the ECRHA. Farr has already received requests from potential players for next season.

This weekend, Farr will be busy as Cortland (6-6-0) travels to Feasterville, Pa., for the ECRHA regionals. They'll arrive early for a 3:30 p.m. practice — they haven't had a practice on a proper surface in two weeks — and will then wait until their 11:40 p.m. game against SUNY Oswego.

That game will have a little extra meaning to Farr, whose younger brother Billy is an all-star freshman defenseman for the Lakers.

wmontgomery@th-record.com

Locals playing in the ECRHA

Mike Barbariantz (S.S. Seward '08), SUNY Cortland

Tyler Barbariantz (S.S. Seward '10), SUNY Oswego

Eric Caprarola (Monroe-Woodbury '08), UMass

Mark Denga (M-W '06), Boston University

Brian Donovan (M-W '09), Northeastern

Billy Farr (Washingtonville '10), SUNY Oswego

Tommy Farr (John S. Burke Catholic '08), SUNY Cortland

Brian Gambardella (Washingtonville '08), SUNY Oswego

Danny Gambardella (Washingtonville '10), SUNY Oswego

Sean Glynn (Washingtonville '08), SUNY Cortland

Brendan Joyce (Warwick '08), SUNY Cortland

Matt LoBiondo (Newburgh Free Academy '10), Vermont

Ryan McAleer (Washingtonville '09), SUNY Oswego

Ryan Oliveri (Washingtonville '08), SUNY Oswego

Steve Popoloski (Washingtonville '08), SUNY Brockport

Mike Sobel (M-W '08), Northeastern

Playoffs on the Horizon

The ECRHA playoffs will take place this weekend, March 4th to March 6th, in Feasterville, PA. The 6-6 Cortland Red Dragons finished the season in 4th place overall in Division III. They have been placed in "Pool A" with newly appointed number one seed Scranton University, fifth seeded Oswego State, and eighth place Ramapo College. Game one takes place on Friday night at 11:40 PM against SUNY rival Oswego State. The Red Dragons will look to redeem themselves for last weekends 5-1 loss against the Lakers. Game two will be held at 12 noon on Saturday against Ramapo College. Cortland won the pre-season match up with the Roadrunners handily, 8-1, behind strong goaltending by Ross Midgen. The regular season match up between the Roadrunners and the Red Dragons, came down to the wire. The Dragons scored in the final 13 seconds in the game to seal the win. The final game of the Pool Play Round will be against Scranton University. In their pre-season meeting, Cortland tied the Royals. However, in the regular season meeting, the Royals dropped Cortland by the score of 10-6. With the score tied at 6 early in the third period, the Red Dragons saw Scranton score two power play goals. Penalties were the downfall of Cortland. The Red Dragons will look to correct their miscues and defeat the Royals this time around.

After Pool Play ends, the Knockout Stage will begin. A 3-0 record in the Pool Play Round will guarantee Cortland a spot in the semi-finals, clinching a bye past the quarter finals round. If Cortland comes in second or third in the Pool Play Round, they will be forced to play in the quarter finals on Saturday night in a crossover game with "Pool B's" second or third seeded team. An 0-3 record in Pool Play will send Cortland on a long trek home. The ECRHA finals will take place on Sunday afternoon.

Come out and support the Red Dragons as their quest for the ECRHA D-III Championship commences this weekend.

Final ECRHA D-III Standings

Scranton- 11-1 (22 points)

UMass- Amherst- 9-2-1 (19 points)

Queens- 9-3 (18 points)

Cortland- 6-6 (12 points)

Oswego- 5-5-2 (12 points)

Lehigh- 5-7 (10 points)

Ithaca- 4-8 (8 points)

Syracuse- 4-8 (8 points) - Syracuse denied bid to playoffs, Ramapo takes their spot.

Ramapo- 4-8 (8 points)

Loyola- 3-7-2 (8 points)

Top Point Scorers For Each Team

Scranton- Jeremy Dublon 24 points (13 G, 11 A)

UMass-Amherst- Jonathan Aprile 41 points (29 G, 12 A)

Queens- Thomas Esposito 50 points (27 G, 23 A)

Cortland- Tommy Farr 23 points (13 G, 10 A)

Oswego- William Farr 13 points (9 G, 4 A)

Lehigh- Steve Trombetta 20 points (13 G, 7 A)

Ithaca- Brian Wojcik 27 points (17 G, 10 A)

Syracuse- Timothy Freyburger 21 points (14 G, 7 A)

Ramapo- Joe Venezia 27 points (16 G, 11 A)

Loyola- Mike Brolly 35 points (25 G, 10 A)

Season Finale Win, Cortland Slips Back Into Fourth

The Cortland State Red Dragons traveled to Glastonbury, CT over the weekend to finish their regular season campaign. Sights were set high at the start of the weekend with a third place seeding in reach. A highly anticipated game against new found rival Oswego State, the only other SUNY team in D-III, would shatter the Dragons chance of third place. An evenly played scrimmage earlier in the season between these two teams set the stage for the 7 P.M. primetime match-up on Saturday. The SUNY squads played a very defensive first period that saw only 4 shots, 3 by Cortland, 1 by Oswego. The Lakers stepped up their play in the second period and found the back of the net first 4:27 into the period. Their lead grew to two, two minutes later on a power play goal. The second period ended 2-0 Oswego. A four minute power play emerged for the Lakers 1:28 into the third stanza. Billy Farr, Oswego's key man on the power play, wasted no time as he scored a goal 14 seconds into the power play. On the same power play opportunity for the Lakers, Mike Weber caught a breakaway pass from Gary Krupa. Weber took a snap shot from the hash marks and put Cortland on the board. With the score at 3-1 the Dragons hung with Oswego for the next seven minutes until the Lakers increased their lead to 4-1. One more goal by Oswego on a 3 on 0 break, sealed the win for them. Cortland dropped their first game of the weekend, 5-1. The Red Dragons hardly tested the Laker netminder, Chris Galante, peppering him with only 16 shots, their lowest output of the season. More shots would be essential if Cortland wanted to take down third place UMass-Amherst.

Once again, a defensive battle erupted early in the first period. The trend would continue until Mike Barbariantz scored from the point on a power play at the 5:55 mark. UMass would battle back scoring two straight goals. However, their 2-1 lead did not last until the end of the period as a shot ricocheted off the boards and laded on Cory Monks' stick who hammered it home to tie up the game. A goal by Nick Boffoli 12 seconds later on a pass from Sean Glynn, gave Cortland the 3-2 lead going into the break. Coming out of the intermission, the Dragons wasted no time building their lead. An soft shot by Brendan Joyce found its way to the back of the net. The score would stay the same for the next 5 minutes until Tommy Farr lifted the puck over the goaltender's shoulder. A 3 goal lead for Cortland forced the Minutemen to take a timeout to slow down the play. Following the time out, UMass cut the lead to two with four minutes left in the period. The third period started and UMass wasted no time tying up the game at 5, scoring two goals in the first two and a half minutes. A short handed and power play goal by the ECRHA's leading scorer of UMass gave them the lead. UMass completed the game winning 7-5. A crumbling defeat for Cortland left them scrambling for answers. After blowing a three goal lead to a top three team put the Dragons in danger of falling to fifth or sixth place in the league.

The game played before Cortland's season finale was between Oswego and UMass. A win or tie by UMass was essential for the Dragons to hold on to fourth place. A goal by UMass with 2:29 left in the game knotted up the game that ended tied, 5-5. The tie left the door open for Cortland to regain fourth place. A win by the Red Dragons would leave them tied in points with Oswego with 12, but Cortland would have more wins than the Lakers, the first tie breaker.

A win against Lehigh was the only way to come in fourth. The Dragons sensed the emergency situation and came out firing shots, and shut down the Mountain Hawks offense. Three goals were scored by Cortland in the first period. A quick goal by Lehigh in the beginning of the second period made the score 3-1. Two goals by Cory Monks on the same shift, gave Cortland a 5-1 lead. A breakaway goal by Tommy Farr made the score 6-1 at the end of the second. A four goal outburst by both teams in the final period of the season gave Cortland the win they needed, 10-5. Cortland's stars of the game were: #1 Al Grogan (2G, 2A), #2 Cory Monks (2G, 1A), and #3 Brendan Joyce (2G, 1A).

The Cortland Red Dragons finished the season at 6-6 for 12 points. They come in fourth place in the ECRHA's Division Three winning a tie breaker with Oswego, having 6 wins to the Lakers 5. A rematch is looming with rival Oswego, however. The playoffs begin on March 4th. As the fourth seed, Cortland will be placed in "Pool A" with number one seed undefeated Queens College, fifth seed Oswego, and eighth seeded Loyola. The winner of the pool gets a bye to the semi-finals with the second and third place teams playing crossover games with "Pool B" composed of Scranton, UMass-Amherst, Lehigh, and Ramapo.

With the regular season coming to a close, records have been broken for the Red Dragons. They scored the most goals in their short three year history netting 75, smashing their 2008-2009 record of 41 goals. They have more wins this year (6), than they did combined in their first two seasons. Tommy Farr gathered up the most points in a regular season with 23, beating his own record of 17 points in 2008-2009. Gary Krupa set a new record by recording the most assists by a Red Dragon, 14, doubling Farr's record of 7 set in 2008-2009. Mike Barbariantz and Harris Barton broke the record for most power play goals in a season with 4 each, breaking Barbariantz's own record of 3 set in 2008-2009. Lou Vetri set a new record for goaltending wins with 4, breaking Ross Midgen's record of 2 set in 2008-2009. Two rookies, Krupa and Al Grogan, also ended in the top five on the team in points with 21 and 11 respectively.

Personal and team accomplishments will have to be set aside for now as the Cortland Red Dragons will continue their quest to become champions. The schedule has already been set for playoff pool play. A Friday night 11:40 P.M. game against Oswego will kick off the festivities in Feasterville, PA. A noon game against Loyola on Saturday will be Cortland's second contest. Pool play will end when the Red Dragons look to avenge their 8-2 loss against Queens on Saturday evening at 5 P.M. The road to the playoffs has been a bumpy one for Cortland, but they will look to start off the playoffs on the right foot against rival Oswego on March 4th.

Final Regular Season Schedule Posted

The Cortland Red Dragons will be traveling to Glastonbury, CT the weekend of February 18th, 2011. The final quarter of the season will be a fight for third place all weekend long for Cortland, still searching for their first 3-0 weekend in the history of the University. The weekend will begin with a game against seventh place Oswego State (3-5-1) on Saturday night at 7 P.M. The game will feature a match up between the Barbariantz brothers and the Farr brothers. Fourteen hours after the puck drops for the Oswego game, Cortland will face off against third place U-Mass Amherst (7-2). The Red Dragons will be looking to over take third from the Minutemen, hoping they drop two out of their three games and Cortland goes undefeated. The final game of the regular season and the weekend will be against fifth place Lehigh (4-5). The game will take place at 2 P.M.

This is the final regular season event for the ECRHA. After the weekend, playoff match up's will be set in stone and the Red Dragons will be amped up to be a contender for the ECRHA's Division Three Championship Title.