(Canton, N.Y.)-The No. 4 SUNY Canton men's ice hockey team dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime decision to top-seeded Monroe Community College on Saturday in the semifinals of the NJCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championships at the Canton Pavilion.

The Roos end their season at 16-10-2 while the Tribunes improved to 19-4-2 and will play in the championship game on Sunday against either No.2 MSU-Bottineau or No. 3 North Country Community College.

Andy Orsini scored the game-winning goal for Monroe 3:22 into overtime as he finished off a two-on-one break taking a pass from Tom Pappa and beating Roos goalie Jimmy Merrow (Plainsboro, N.J.).

Merrow turned in another solid performance in the tournament for the Roos recording 38 saves on Saturday after stopping 32 shots on Friday in a 3-2 opening round win over Mohawk Valley Community College.

SUNY Canton, playing in front of a lively, energetic crowd, rallied from a 1-0 first-period deficit and at one point trailed in shots 27-12 scoring one goal each in the second and third periods.

At the 16:36 mark of the second period Pat Otwell (Orchard Park, N.Y.) tied the game on a spectacular individual move. Otwell took a feed up the middle at the blue line from Garett Rosenbaum (Charleston, S.C.), and found himself one-on-one with a Monroe defender. Otwell tucked the puck around the defenseman, re-gained control and flicked a shot past Tribunes goalie Danny Kuntz to tie the game 1-1.

SUNY Canton then went ahead for the first time at the 8:02 mark of the third period when Scott Zaryski (Oswego, N.Y.) scored his second goal of the weekend from Kyle Simonds (Binghamton, N.Y.) and Dan Don (Gouverneur, N.Y.).

Monroe kept pressing and with 2:46 left in regulation Allan Campisi rushed down the left wing and slid a low shot past Merrow to tie the game again and force overtime. Campisi also scored the Tribunes first goal at the 6:54 mark of the first period. Campisi was camped out in the slot, took a pass from Clint Campbell and wristed a shot that Merrow got his glove on but the puck came loose and rolled into the net.

Kuntz had 30 saves for the Tribunes who finshed with a 41-32 advantage in shots.

1st period: MCC, Campisi (Campbell, Easton), 6:54.
2nd period: CA, Otwell (Rosenbaum), 16:36.
3rd period: CA, Zaryski (Simonds, Don), 8:02. MCC, Campisi (Pappa, Orsini), 17:14.
OT: MCC, Orsin (Pappa), 3:22.
Shots: CA-32. MCC-41.
Goalies: CA, Merrow (60:00 minutes, 41 shots - 38 saves). MCC, Kuntz (60:00, 32-30).

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