AMHERST, MA - The Amherst College men's hockey team returned to action after a 25-day layoff and dropped a 6-2 decision to defending Division III National Champion Plattsburgh State University Wednesday night at Orr Rink. Juniors Peter Ollari (Agawan, MA) and Paul Dowe (East Windsor, CT) each scored a pair of goals for the visiting eighth-ranked Cardinals, who improved to 10-4 with the win, while Amherst fell to 2-5-3 with its third straight loss.

The Jeffs hung tough with Plattsburgh St. early on with starting goaltender Justin Jagher (Framingham, MA) posting 15 saves and holding the Cardinals to just one goal through the game's first 32 minutes. Plattsburgh St. upped its offensive intensity after Amherst inserted junior netminder Jaffrie Perrotti (Winthrop, MA), however, connecting twice before the second intermission and finding the back of the net three more times in the final period.

Down 6-0 in the waning minutes, the Jeffs managed to salvage a pair of goals. First-year forward Beau Kretzman (Edina, MN) notched his team-leading 10th goal of the season with a left-handed power-play wrister from the right wing with 3:18 left in regulation. Sophomore forward Mike Kreger (Glenview, IL) then set the final score at 6-2 with his fifth tally of the season with just two seconds on the clock. Sophomore defenseman John McNicholas (Lake Forest, IL) assisted on both goals.

Plattsburgh St. senior goaltender Niklas Sundberg (Stockholm, Sweden) finished with 25 saves and held the Jeffs scoreless in just under 52 minutes between the pipes, before giving way to first-year Tony Seariac (Framingham, MA), who turned away eight shots but allowed both Amherst goals.

The Jeffs return to action Friday night at 7 p.m. against visiting NESCAC and Little Three rival Wesleyan University.