POTSDAM — The SUNY Potsdam men's hockey team (8-16-1, 5-11 SUNYAC) clinched the sixth seed in this week's SUNYAC Playoffs with a weekend sweep. The Bears will head to No. 5 and third-seeded Plattsburgh State (19-4-2, 12-3-1) for a first-round showdown at 7 p.m.

Potsdam has had five players reach double-digits in scoring so far this season and has received balanced scoring from the rest of the lineup. Senior forward Jack Loran (Massena, N.Y./New England Wolves) leads the way with eight goals and eight assists for 16 points. He scored three times this weekend, including the game-winner against Buffalo State in the clincher. Sophomore assistant captain Mason Hoehn (Highlands Ranch, N.Y./Richmond Generals) leads the Bears with nine goals to go with six assists for 15 points. He also had a big weekend with a goal and three assists. Hoehn was the SUNYAC Athlete of the Week on January 8. Sophomore forward Ryan Mahlmeister (Massapequa, N.Y./PAL Islanders) has 11 points on four goals and seven assists. Sophomore defenseman Michael Campbell (Toronto, N.Y./Jersey Whalers) (3-7) and junior captain Drew Rose (2-8) have each registered 10 points.

In goal, freshman Lenny Perno (Rochester, N.Y./Richmond Generals) has seized the starting role. He is 6-11 this season with a 2.80 goals-against-average and a .926 save percentage. Two of his victories have come via shutout, including a 44-save performance against Brockport on January 26, that earned him SUNYAC Rookie of the Week honors. Junior John Werber (Skillman, N.J./Team Maryland) has also started eight games for Potsdam. He is 2-5-1 with a .884 save percentage and a 4.67 G.A.A.

Plattsburgh won both of the tightly contested regular season meetings. Loran scored twice in the Cardinals' 3-2 win in Plattsburgh on November 17. A power-play goal from Paul Bryer with 1:22 left proved to be the difference. Perno made 38 saves in the contest. In Maxcy on February 3, freshman forward Will O'Brien (Jefferson Hills, Pa./HC Rhode Island) and Hoehn scored for the Bears in a 4-2 setback. As with the first contest, this one was decided in the final minutes. Luk Jirousek scored the game-winner with 2:42 remaining and Plattsburgh added an empty-netter just over a minute later. Perno stopped another 42 shots in the game.

The Cardinals have scored 4.1 goals-per-game in their 25 contests. They have also converted on 24-percent of their power play-opportunities. Bennett Stockdale leads Plattsburgh offensively with 33 points on 17 goals and 16 assists. Joshua Belgrave (13-8) and Adam Tretowicz (7-14) each have 21 points. Tio D'Addario has 20 points on 10 goals and 10 assists. Bryer (7-12) and Jake Lanyi (3-16) have each contributed 19 points and Jirousek has 18 points on eight goals and 10 assists.

The Bears have reached the postseason in 31 of their 47 seasons. They have one conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance (1995-96). Potsdam and Plattsburgh have met 18 times in the ECAC and SUNYAC Playoffs.

For fans looking to attend Wednesday night's contest, general public ticket sales will begin online at https://gocardinalsports.com/sports/2023/5/2/plattsburgh-state-hockey-ticketing-website.aspx at 9 a.m. this Tuesday, February 20. The Field House box office will reopen for in-person sales beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

There will be no general admission seating; the entire rink will be opened for reserved seating only, with the exception of the student sections. Tickets are $10 each, while all students from SUNYAC institutions will be admitted free of charge with a valid student ID.

For those that can't make it to Plattsburgh, live stats can be found here: https://gocardinalsports.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary

The game will be streamed live here: https://gocardinalsports.com/sports/2017/10/3/mens-ice-hockey-video-stream.aspx