Mark Pozsar scores 1st goal in Venom history, believes 'we're on right track'
Mark Pozsar is expected to be many things for the Hudson Valley Venom this season. Stalwart defensive defenseman. Team leader on and off the ice. Someone who will stand up for his teammates.
But it wasn’t expected that the 25-year-old from Budapest would score the first goal in Venom history.
Yet that’s exactly what happened last Friday in Hudson Valley’s inaugural game against the Binghamton Black Bears at Ice Time Sports Complex. After a face-off win in the offensive zone by Dustin Jesseau, Pozsar stepped into a slap shot on left wing that he hammered past the glove of Black Bears goalie Nolan Egbert at 9:38 of the first period.
“It was kind of a surprise. I wasn’t really thinking about (scoring the first goal), but it came out really well,” Pozsar said.
Last season, Pozsar scored four goals in 49 games with the Elmira River Sharks, his first pro season in North America. Solid defense and physical play (143 penalty minutes) were his calling cards.
So, the goal did surprise him a bit. Though it shouldn’t have. It was a blast which beat Egbert clean to the far side, a goal scorer’s goal.
“I wasn’t thinking about scoring really, my mentality was that we needed to get more pucks to the net, as fast as we can and as strong as we can,” he explained. “And then luckily, mine was the first one that got through. After that, we saw that we needed to keep going and we could score a lot of goals, which we did that game.”
Pozsar’s goal made it 2-1 in favor of Binghamton at the time. Though the Venom at one point scored three straight goals in the second period to tie the score, 4-4, they ended up losing a wild debut, 9-6.
In a rematch Saturday in Binghamton, the Venom were shut out 5-0. Frustrations boiled over in that game and several fights took place. When the dust settled, Pozsar was suspended for one game; defenseman Austin Pickford received a two-game suspension; and forward Jesse Swanson was banned five games.
“You can say ‘Bingo’ is a little personal for a lot of our guys,” Pozsar said. “Emotions are really high and sometimes it doesn’t come out the way we want it to.”
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Pozsar will miss Hudson Valley’s next game, at home Friday against the Port Huron Prowlers. But that won’t stop him from being a leader and trying to build chemistry within the Venom locker room. Or outdoors in the beautiful Hudson Valley.
On Tuesday, Pozsar and his teammates took a hike in Fishkill on a gorgeous 80-degree Fall afternoon following practice. Previously, the team walked over a bridge and across the Hudson River. And there’ve been team dinners and outings. All in the name of team building and bonding.
“There were a bunch of us who played in Elmira last season who were invited to play in the Hudson Valley this year, and we said let’s do this the right way,” Pozsar shared. “I think we’re on the right track. It’s not an easy thing to do, but I think everyone has bought in. We have good character here, good leaders. I believe in this team.”