Cortland Wraps up the first weekend of the regular season going 3-1

This weekend the Red Dragons took the trip down to Williamsport Pa. The Red Dragons started the weekend off against a very well prepared Binghamton team. Their preparation showed as they scored 2 goals in the first two minutes against a very flat Cortland squad. However the Dragon’s talent and depth showed as they nudged out a 4-2 win. Leading the way for Cortland were Gilcrest and Stern each notching two goals.

The next game was one that everyone was dying to play, the famous Cortland vs. Oswego rivalry. This would add another chapter on the DII level. After the first period the Red Dragons were ahead 4-0 after a ferocious 3 goal outbreak by Stern and Hughes in the final 30 seconds of the period. The closet the Lakers got was 5-3 but two late third period goals by Croce and Fidotta sealed the deal for Cortland as they beat the Lakers 7-4.

Third up for the day on the Red Dragons Schedule was Niagara. With this being their first year in the league Cortland did not know what to expect. The game started out slow paced by two minutes into the game Cortland scored on a slap shot from Fidotta to take an early lead. Niagara tallied back to make it 1-1 but that is as close as it would ever be. Cortland rallied to win 11-2. In the third period Cortland scored 4 goals in 4 minutes including a beautiful wrap play set up by Cj Gilcrest. Leading the way for Cortland was Fidotta with 4 goals and 1 assist Gilcrest with 2 goals and 3 assists and Krupa with 1 goal and 3 assists. 

The last game of the weekend was one that the ECRHA said was a top candidate for game of the week featuring two 3-0 teams the Red Dragons and Slippery Rock. This was the Red Dragons toughest game of the weekend. The Red Dragons Jumped out to a 4-1 lead on goals from Fidotta, Stern, Krupa and Gilcrest. However the Red Dragons inexperience showed as they gave up 7 unanswered goals and lost the game 8-4.

Sidenotes:  Cj Gilcrest celebrated his 24^th birthday this weekend. Mitch Croce moved back to defense after Fidotta took a slap shot to the knee in the 1^st game. Cortland was without Bryan Feiler this weekend.

Cortland Preseason Recap

Cortland’s first weekend in Division II was filled with highs and lows. The club started the weekend out vs Cornell. The Red Dragons came out and dominated the game from the start going up 6 to 0 in the first period. However the last 2 periods the Red Dragons looked lethargic and lazy they ended up winning the game 9 to 3. Leading the way for Cortland were Gary Krupa and Max stern each notching 3 goals and one assist and Lou Vetri making a solid 19 saves. Cortland realized that if they wanted to beat a tougher Binghamton squad who placed second at regionals last year that they would have to focus more on puck movement and playing smarter hockey. The Red Dragons came out and did exactly what they had planned on doing going up 5 to 1 halfway through the game. However Binghamton scored two quick goals making it 5-3 the Red Dragons ultimately scored 3 more goals winning the game 8-3 in what was the best team win the Cortland squad had ever had. CJ Gilcrest scored 2 goals and had 1 assist Bryan Feiler scored 1 goal and has 2 assists and Chris Fidotta scored twice. That unfortunately was as good as it would get for Cortland as they got slaughtered by what most people would argue is the best division II team in the country in Northeastern. The Cortland team looked at times lost on the rink losing every puck battle to a much harder working Northeastern squad by a score of 10-0. Despite losing to Northeastern the Cortland club did well in its first weekend showing that they are here to compete at a DII level. This week cuts will be made and Cortland will finalize its roster as they prepare for October 27^th which is the first weekend of regular season games the Red Dragons will take on Albany, Binghamton, Niagara, and most notable rival team Oswego. Over these next few weeks the Cortland team looks to prepare for what seems like a very promising season.  

Cortland Roller headed to Feasterville!

The weekend we have all been waiting for is finally here! The defending champions of DIII are headed down to Feasterville, PA and will be competing in division II for the first time in the schools history. Cortland has a tough schedule as they are set to play two of the top DII teams in the nation ( Northeastern, and Binghamton) as well as Cornell. This year however Cortland has decided to try something different; because of the lack of facility in Cortland, the team voted that it would be best to utilize the preseason games as a tryout to get a true understanding of the new players ability in a game situation. Cortland has several new faces debuting this weekend, most notable being Brian Feiler. Feiler led the University of Buffalo's DI team in scoring last year and was a crucial pickup for Cortland as they look to make a serious run at a DII national Championship