Posted by Skidmore Athletics
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Tony Giacin '14 scored a career-high four goals to lead the Skidmore College hockey team to an 8-2 win over Nichols College in the first round of the Skidmore Invitational Tournament, Saturday, Nov. 26 at the Saratoga Springs City Rink.
In the first game, Skidmore took a 3-1 first period lead on goals by Julian Malakorn '13, David Limoges '15 and Erik Nilsson '15. Brett Jackson had the lone Nichols goal.
Giacin started a four-goal Skidmore second period with his first goal of the game at 1:34 for a 4-1 Thoroughbred lead. He made it 5-1 at 6:31. J [?]oe Sposit tallied a power-play goal for Nichols at 9:44, but that would be it for the Bison offense. Giacin rang-up his hat trick at 12:39. Tyler Doremus '12 made it 7-2 at 13:43.
Giacin's fourth goal was a power-play tally at 15:31 of the third. It was his team-high seventh of the season.
Alex Essaris '14 had three assists for Skidmore.
Skidmore outshot Nichols, 44-25. Colin Bessey '12 had 18 saves in the first 45:11 for the win, while John Bienkowski '12 stopped all five shots he saw over the final 14:49. Bison goalie Ryan Casey had 36 saves.
The second game featured a wild finish with five third-period goals, including each team scoring in the final two minutes to force the OT.
Hamilton led 2-0 after the first on a short-handed goal by Bryan Kelly at 11:21 and an unassisted goal by Michael DiMare at 15:50.
Brockport tied it with the first two goals of the second period. Nick Panepinto scored at 3:26 and Adam Shoff evened the score, 2-2, at 12:31. The Continentals took a 3-2 lead into the break when DiMare scored his second of the game with both teams down a man at 15:06.
In the third, Panepinto tied it for the Golden Eagles with his second of the team, a power-play goal at 8:04. Hamilton went back ahead, 4-3, when Anthony Scarpino scored his first of the season, a power-play goal at 9:12. Brockport battled back to tie it 4-4 on a James Cody power-play goal at 14:48.
Scarpino scored what looked like the game-winner for Hamilton at 18:00 when Pat Curtis forced a turnover at the blue line, sending Scarpinio in on a breakaway for his second goal of the game to make it 5-4. Down a man, the Golden Eagles pulled goalie Joe Reagan and the gamble paid off when Shoff scored his second of the game, a short-handed goal at 18:50.
Both teams had opportunities in the extra period, but Reagan and Hamilton goalie Cam Gibbar each stopped two shots to preserve the tie.
In the shootout, DiMare and Andrew Jelinek scored for the Continentals, while Gibbar stopped a Brockport shot and forced another wide.
Gibbar finished with 26 saves, while Reagan had 28.