With Geneseo’s fourth consecutive SUNYAC title wrapped up with a 6-1 win over Oswego last weekend, senior forward Dan Bosio became the first Knight in program history to win titles in all four of his seasons as a player. While his play on the ice has spoken volumes for the Knights all season long, Bosio and his fellow seniors have provided key leadership that has helped the Knights emerge as one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament despite a youthful roster.
“We get to see who we play from that Babson/Trinity matchup this week,” said head coach Chris Schultz. “Both of those teams play so much like we do that I think it will be an interesting game regardless of who we play. The two weeks off have pros and cons to the schedule but for us it is a good time to get some rest for some guys that are a little banged up and re-set after a very busy schedule to finish out the regular season and conference playoffs. At the beginning of the year, I thought it was crazy to think a team this young could achieve what we have so far, but a lot of that credit goes to leadership from guys like Dan and Chris [Perna] as well as Henry [Cleghorn] and Brendan [Miller]. You really can’t go anywhere without strong leadership, and I really think that has been the difference for us this season.”
On the ice Bosio (22-7-29; +14) has been a clutch performer. He has recorded six multiple goal games and currently has scored five goals in his last three games. He has four game winning goals so far this season and has been a big voice in the locker room. Perna (4-18-22; +23) has been one of the best all-around defensemen in country and sets an example for his teammates with his focus and disciplined approach on the ice.
“I am super happy for the seniors especially,” said Schultz. “They are very excited for this after having the tournament postponed in 2020 due to COVID. It is hard to wait to play but we are excited to still be playing and hosting a game in front of our fans on March 19.”
Another significant piece to the puzzle in Geneseo’s success this season has been the resurgence of junior netminder Matt Petizian. Petizian (1.56 GAA; .936 SP) has earned 17 wins in his 20 starts this season playing solidly for the Knights after having some prior struggles in owning the number one job.
“Matt’s another guy that I could not be prouder of,” said Schultz. “He didn’t get recognized by our league which had a number of strong goaltenders this season and I think that is fueling him to play great and show that he is one of the elite college goaltenders out there. He really solidified the position for us this season and is super hungry to play the next game.”
Geneseo is the No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament and will host the winner of this week’s first round game between Trinity and Babson in a quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 19 on home ice.
