Plattsburgh State scored the deciding goal midway through the second period as the Cardinals collected a 3-2 win over the Middlebury men's hockey team Friday in Kenyon Arena. The meeting was the 50th all-time matchup between the two storied programs, with Plattsburgh State holding a 25-21-4 lead. The Panthers (3-10-0) travel to 13th-ranked Norwich on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., while the Cardinals (8-7-0) head to Williams Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. faceoff.

The hosts got off to the early lead, scoring 5:08 into the contest. Charlie Lawrence put a shot on goal that was stopped by Cardinal goalie Lawson Fenton, but Vincent Gisonti shoveled the rebound into the net for a 1-0 Panther lead. Plattsburgh State needed only 51 seconds to answer, as Mike Falanga tapped in a rebound on a shot by Cole Stallard. The visitors led for the first time at the 13:23 mark on a goal by Andrew Pizzo, who redirected a centering pass by Rich McCartney. Middlebury forged a 2-2 tie with 1:45 remaining in the period, when Lawrence deflected in his first collegiate goal on a shot by Michael Fahie.

The hosts nearly regained the lead in the early stages of the second stanza when Eric Jeremiah pinched in from the point. Jeremiah redirected a pass from Gisonti on the right side of the crease, but Lawson denied the chance. Plattsburgh State jumped back in front on an unassisted goal by Pizzo with 8:07 on the clock. Pizzo intercepted a pass at the blue line and wristed a shot from the high slot that eluded Middlebury goalie Stephen Klein for his second score of the game.  

Klein made a big save on Connor Logan less than a minute into the final period, keeping the hosts within striking distance. The Panthers came close to getting the equalizer with 1:28 left in the game on a long stretch pass from Brendan Dawson that sprung Mitchell Allen on a partial breakaway. Allen's shot was turned aside by Fenton, as the guests skated off with the one-goal victory.

Klein registered 23 saves, moving into third place on the program's career list for saves. He currently has 1,764 in three-plus seasons. Larry Perlman (1972-74) is next on the list in second place with 2,022. Fenton finished with 26 saves as Middlebury held a 28-26 edge in shots. Both teams were scoreless on the power play with the Panthers getting two chances and the Cardinals four.