Purchase, NY – The State University of New York at New Paltz found its self in a similar situation that it was in four days earlier.

The Hawks (2-2 overall) overcame an early four-goal deficit to eventually rally to take their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter to then see overtime with the opposition tying the score in the final seconds of regulation. This time, SUNY New Paltz made sure to put away the win and did so in dramatic fashion, as freshman Ryan Scully capped off a huge second half with a game-winning, sudden death overtime goal to push his team to a 9-8 win over SUNY Purchase (1-1).

"Going into OT versus Bard definitely helped to come out with a win tonight," said Hawks coach Dwayne Stewart. "They understood what they needed to do to win and stayed locked in and played a smart game in double OT's."

After the first quarter went scoreless, Dan Ohrem rattled off three-straight goals to start the second, giving the Panthers the opening advantage. Ben Erkan added to the lead about 15 seconds after Ohrem's third after winning the ensuing faceoff.

Stewart called a timeout to regroup his guys, and they responded by winning over the ensuing possession and firing a quick shot on net, which went just wide. SUNY New Paltz kept the pressure on after killing a penalty with Purchase in a 30-second man-up advantage after an interference call, and sent two more shots on the Panthers' Eamon McGee. Zach Schmidt finally found the back of the cage for the Hawks, netting his team's first goal off an assist by Nate Biblowitz for his second of the year.
  The goal was the momentum shift SUNY New Paltz needed heading into halftime, as it had a game-changing second half that started with a goal by Aidan Gregory just one minute into the third quarter. After the Panthers coughed up the ball, Nate Lindsey picked up the ground ball and quickly got it down field where Ryan Scully picked up his second assist, finding Thomas Armetta who scored the second of the day for SUNY New Paltz.

Erkan again won the ensuing faceoff and scored immediately after to boost the Panthers advantage back to two, and he then pushed the lead to 6-3 after SUNY New Paltz was hit with a slashing penalty 15 seconds earlier.

Scully and Armetta then teamed up to get the Hawks within one, as the team's two top point leaders stepped up for their team. Armetta found Scully for his first goal of the afternoon and after Joseph Bradbury won the faceoff over Erkan, he got the ball in the stick of Armetta who again fed Scully for the goal.

With time winding down in the quarter, Schmidt forced a turnover on the defensive end, picked up the ground ball and hustled down field. He found some space and ripped a shot that found the back of the net for his second of the game, tying the score at six heading into the final 15 minutes of regulation.

Aiden Jones gave SUNY New Paltz its first lead just more than a minute into the period, with Scully picking up another point with the assist. Schmidt then found Scully about two minutes later to boost the Hawks cushion to two. Erkan picked up a rebound off an initial shot by teammate Christian Ishoo and got Purchase within one midway through the quarter. SUNY New Paltz nearly came away with the win in regulation, but Ishoo was clutch for his team, scoring in the final seconds with the Panthers playing a man-down to force overtime.

Each team had three shots in extra time, but the Hawks had all three of their attempts on target. They remained patient with the ball on the offensive end, working the ball around and waiting for their opportunity to score. SUNY New Paltz took advantage of a 30-second Purchase penalty on another interference call and this time Scully make sure to capitalize, scoring the game-winner with 1:44 left in double overtime.

"I'm extremely proud of these young Hawks," Stewart said. "We have to stop putting ourselves in a hole to start off games. I'm sure we will figure out how to get going sooner with more experience."

Scully led the way offensively, finishing with a game-high four goals with three assists and seven points on the day, which all came in the second half. Schmidt followed with two goals and one assist, while Armetta contributed one goal and three assists.

"Scully did a great job in the second half for us," Stewart said. "He's very crafty and has a great I.Q for the game. When he does the right things and thinks with a clear head, he is a force. We're proud of him and the rest of our young men for a hard earned victory against a tough SUNY Purchase team."

The Hawks defense allowed just 21 shots on goal, forcing 21 turnovers in the game. John Hankel earned the start in goal, making eight saves, while Lindsay came in played the last 36-plus minutes and finished with four stops. Schmidt and Bradbury each had three caused turnovers, while Rob Ziegler had another solid game, as the long pole finished with four ground balls and a caused turnover, while limiting Purchase's leading scorer, Ohrem, to just nine shots, six on target.

"Our game captain, Robert Ziegler, has been a rock for us on the defensive end," Stewart said. "He did a great job on their best player (Ohrem) by limiting his opportunities. We will need his solid game play moving forward."

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