(BOX SCORE)

BUFFALO, NY—Fourth-seeded Buffalo State (13-11-2) took control of the game in the opening minutes and never let up as it raced to a 6-0 victory over visiting No. 5 Fredonia (7-16-3) in a SUNYAC Quarterfinal game tonight at the Ice Arena.

Nick Melligan (Sanborn, NY/Starpoint) had a pair of goals to lead the offensive surge, while Matt Bessing (Elma, NY/Cheektowaga) picked up a goal and two assists.  Brett Hope (Blenheim, ON/Blenheim), Ryan Salkeld (Suffolk, VA/Churchland) and Elijah Cohen (Peabody, MA/Peabody Veterans) each tallied a goal and an assist.  Todd Graham (Park Orchards, Australia) and Kyle Whipple (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore West) chipped in a pair of helpers each.

Hope opened the scoring just 3:17 into the game, and the Bengals capped off a dominant first period when the same line struck again with Salkeld's goal late in the period.  The Bengals pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second frame with Melligan's first goal of the game and 12th of the season.  Buffalo State outshot Fredonia 25-9 through the first two periods.

The Bengals continued the onslaught in the third frame, as Melligan wired a shot high glove side, followed by goals by Cohen and Bessing to complete the scoring. 

Buffalo State finished the game with 38 shots, while goalie Kevin Carr (Uniondale, ON/Uniondale) needed to make just 17 saves to preserve the shutout.

The Bengals finished 1 for 4 on the power-play and killed off all four shorthanded situations.

Buffalo State will advance to the SUNYAC Semifinals for the second-consecutive year and will visit top-seeded Oswego on Saturday at 7 p.m.