February/March 2018Volume 7, Issue 3
NY Hockey E-Magazine
Dear Reader:
In This Issue: Buffalo Regals........................30 Central......................................15 Coaching w/Gridley............... 8 East............................................20 First Game, Last Game.......... 9 Kicking Ice................................. 6 NJPE...........................................46 Nuttle.......................................... 4 NWHL.......................................... 9 NYS Varsity Hockey................ 5 Raptors Report......................22 West...........................................29 WNYGVIH.................................31
It’s hard to believe that we are already into the February/March issue of NY Hockey OnLine Magazine. While the NHL and AHL are at their mid-way points of their respective seasons, playoffs will soon begin for area high schools. College hockey will soon be ending their regular season play and will begin their post-season. The same can be said for junior hockey. With that said this issue will be bringing you player and team features as well as many photo pages. Janet will bring you up-to-date on women’s college hockey as well as girl’s high school hockey. Koz has written several player features as well as his monthly men’s college hockey updates. Chuck Gridley is back with his always interesting hockey column. Finally, as the old saying goes, “all good things must come to an end.” Unfortunately, this issue of NY Hockey OnLine Magazine may be the last. Over the past few issues readership has declined and our advertising revenue is also low. The amount of news and photos submitted to us which we depend on has declined as well. As I have said in the past, Janet, Koz and I can only be in so many hockey places at one time. We appreciate the faithful followers we’ve had over the past several seasons. With that said, we will continue with our NY Hockey OnLine web page as well as our Facebook page and we are working on Twitter. Those will be updated daily. We thank the Organizations who have Public Relations people that submit information and especially to the Sports Information Offices at the Colleges/ Universities--keep it coming! All of that will be used on our website, and in the case we put out a special issue of NYHOL Magazine. I’ve also learned over the years to “never say never.” To say that NY Hockey OnLine Magazine will never return is an understatement. But you can count on us still being at your rink. Thanks for everything! Best Wishes, Randy Schultz Publisher/Managing Editor NY Hockey OnLine Magazine
NY Hockey On-Line (E-Magazine) 3663 Irish Road Wilson, New York 14172 716-751-6524 nyhockeyonline@ nyhockeyonline.com Publisher &Managing Editor Randy Schultz Randy@nyhockeyonline.com Designer/Photographer Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com
Columnists Warren Kozireski, Wkozires@brockport.edu Janet Schultz Randy Schultz Rob Sedia Chuck Gridley NY Hockey OnLine is an equal opportunity employer. Contents 2017-18 NY Hockey Online All rights reserved NY Hockey OnLine is published monthly at no charge and can be accessed via the publication’s website www.nyhockeyonline.com
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Buffalo Regals system, the West Seneca Wings and his sophomore year at Iroquois High School before moving to the Jr. Sabres, one year in the NAHL with Wenatchee and his final junior season split between Bloomington and Sioux Falls in the USHL. As for why Cornell, it began back when Buffalo last hosted the Frozen Four. “It was a dream. My goal was to play Division I hockey and I got to see Cornell play in the Frozen Four in Buffalo in 2003, which was pretty cool. I remember just how insane their fans were and the band and I remember telling my dad that it unbelievable. “That was a long time ago, I started playing hockey and put it in the back of my mind and when they offered me I couldn’t say no.”
By Warren Kozireski Photo by Patrick Shanahan, Cornell
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t’s amazing what a difference two years can make. Cornell now-junior defenseman and Marilla native Matt Nuttle played in only two games all season on a deep blueline. Fast forward to this season and he has not only played in every game, but is playing major minutes. “My freshman year the dcorp was really deep, we didn’t have many injuries and I kind of struggled early,” Nuttles recalled. “I played the second weekend of the season and didn’t get another shot to go in but, I’ll tell you what, I learned a lot from it; it was a good experience. Obviously it was really tough for me, but I grew up a lot from it and I learned like Reece Willcox and Patrick McCarron who are both playing in the AHL this year. “My biggest thing was settling down. When I was a freshman I kind of thought that everything needed to be the perfect play, cross ice saucer passes and stuff. Especially with the style we play if you can just keep it simple and keep doing the same thing over and over again, that’s when you get rewarded. Through the first 18 games this season Nuttle had two goals and seven assists with a career-best four game point streak after scoring twice with five assists over his first 36 collegiate contests. More impressively he stood third on the team in plus/minus at +14. “We had kind of a philosophy change this offseason and we talked about the defensemen getting up in the rush and I think it’s aid dividends for us. We’re doing a better job of getting pucks through from up top too. A couple games ago I was getting a lot of bounces go my way, so it’s definitely been good this year so far. (The plus/minus) is obviously something I take pride in. You can’t control everything that happens when you’re on the ice, but it’s obviously good to be in the plus category.” The soon-to-be 23-year old (May) played in the
MARILLA’S NUTTLE A BIG RED ROCK ON CORNELL BLUELINE
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Around New York State High School Hockey Section VI: Boys
In Girls Varsity Ice Hockey:
Division 1: It’s Williamsville North leading with a 100-4 record and 24 points; followed by Niagara Wheatfield and St. Joes Collegiate Institute.
Section X: Potsdam leads with a 5-0-1-0-0 record and 16 1/2 points with Salmon River following with 13 1/2 points on a 6-2-0-0-1 record
Division 2: West Seneca East is 11-2-0 with 22 points but Grand Island is following closely with 9-3-2 for 20 points.
Section V: Saranac/Lake Placid are in command with a 4-00-0-1 sectional record and 12 points.
Division 3: SweetHome is 11-1-0 with 22 points and being followed closely by St. Francis with 9-0-1-1 and 20 points.
Section III: Skaneateles, Ithaca and Alexander Bay/Thousand Islands each have 6 points and have won 2 games each in Sectional play.
In Non-League actio its St. Joe’s Collegiate with 10 points and a 4-1-2 record followed by Williamsville North and Canisius High School both with 8 points.
Section VI: Frontier/Lakeshore/Orchard Park has secured the #1 seed for the playoffs in the WNYGVIH Sectionals.
Scoring leaders in Section VI include Andrew Bruno and Brett Sardina, both from Williamsville North, with 37 points each on 10g27a for Bruno and 23g/14 assists for Sardina. At the D2 level is Dany Flynn of West Seneca East with 15 goals and 12 assists and at D3 from SweetHome its Tyler Edholm with 19 goals and 18 assists. Section V D1: Fairport and Penfield are tied at 8 points D2: Victor and Pittsford are tied with 5 points each. D3: Webster Thomas leads D4: Brockport sits at first. Section III: not listed Section II: Bethlehem is in first place. Section X: D1: Massena D2: Salmon River 5
“Kicking Ice” ...Hockey Is For EVERYONE She actually sent her artist, Lee Moder, photographs of her taking a wrist shot focusing on each stage of the movement to that readers will see just how impressive NWHL athletes are. Phillips gave NYHOL a short synopsis of the book and its message. “After moving from Boston to Hartford, Bella befriends a classmate named Skye, who happens to play ice hockey and roots adamantly for her home NWHL team. Thanks to Skye, Bella falls in love with the sport and becomes a devoted fan of the NWHL. They begin to dream of playing in the league however they are the victims of bullies on their junior hockey team. The bullies feel girls shouldn’t play hockey. So with the inspiring help of their heroes in the NWHL they set out to prove “kicking ice” isn’t just for boys.” Phillips overall message is “Hockey is For Everyone.” If you’ve heard that slogan before, it is a rallying cry for the NWHL and other hockey
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tephanie Phillips (pictured above) started playing roller hockey in middle school then switched to ice hockey towards the end of high school. Like most girls she found herself on co-ed hockey teams, or like she says, she was the only girl on the team. Her experiences and the inspirational efforts of the NWHL gave her inspiration to write a book, but not just a regular book. “Kicking Ice” is a graphic novel for all ages that takes its inspiration from the work that the NWHL players do as role models and ambassadors for the sport, explaines Phillips. “As a comic writer, I naturally think in very visual ways. When I thought about how to compose Kicking Ice, I gave a lot of thought to portraying jerseys, team logos and even movements on the ice,” said Phillips. 6
organizations around the world. “I would like Kicking Ice to portray a strong and supportive community behind women’s hockey. Kicking Ice emphasizes the social values that the NWHL has made it their mission to promote: inclusiveness, empowerment and equality,” said Phillips. While the book is geared for all ages Phillips has kept in mind that young hockey players she feels everyone can benefit from reading the book. She has even put some focus on how her parents were so supportive with the kind of dedication it takes to be at a rink at crazy hours. “Thanks Mom and Dad,” writes Phillips.
“There is also a large element to the story that was written for NWHL fans. “I want fans of any age to get excited about seeing their favorite teams and players represented in this book,” continued Phillips. In order to bring her project to life, Phillips has used Kickstarter to fund it. They are about 55% of the way to their goal, with a portion of sales going to the NWHL to support their “Grow The Game” initiative. To learn more about supporting this project and getting a copy of the book, which will be released in August 2018, go to www.kickingice.com
USA Hockey GM Johannson NYHOL expresses their condolences to the family of USA Hockey’s long-time General manager, Jimmy (JJ) Johannson, Johannson passed away unexpectedly January 21 at his home in Colorado Springs. He was 53 years years old, married and the father of a two year old daughter. Johannson had just spent two weeks in Buffalo attending the IIHF World Juniors Tournament. The following was released by USA Hockey. “We are beyond shocked and profoundly saddened,” USA Hockey executive director Pat KelleJohannson pictured at press conference in Buffalo last year.(Photo her said in the statement. “As accomplished as Jim by Janet Schultz) was in hockey, he was the absolute best, most humble, kind and caring person you could ever hope to meet. His impact on our sport and more importantly the people and players in our sport have been immeasurable. Our condolences go out to his entire family, but especially to his loving wife Abby and their young daughter Ellie.”
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Coaching With Gridley by Chuck Gridley New York Coach-In-Chief
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is the father of Rasmus Dahlin, the player expected to go number 1 in the NHL Draft this June. During his presentation he was talking about skill development, and late specialization. Kenny Rausch of USA Hockey, another one of our presenters at the clinic, was in the audience and asked Martin when his son decided to become a defenseman. Martin replied “last year”. I think most of the coaches in the audience were stunned. How could a player of this caliber have “just decided” what position he would play? Martin and Kenny’s point could not have been clearer; too often in this country, we win the race to the wrong finish line! Putting together a team of highly skilled 16 year olds for the purpose of competing, without the benefit of weekly practices, assumes that their skill development is complete. Ty Hennes, the Skills Coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins would probably argue that this assumption is incorrect. You could make the argument that the Penguins have some pretty skilled players, yet those NHL players work with Ty on a regular basis to fine tune their skills. Skill development is an ongoing process. To think that a 16 year old is done developing the basic skills of the game, no matter how good they are, is foolhardy. There is no shortage of coaches spending their time trying to put together the next 16U National Championship team. I respect those coaches who spend their time designing and executing effective and fun practices. I respect those coaches who make skill development their number one priority. And I have tremendous respect for those coaches who take whatever players they are handed and do their best make them better.
Player Development vs. The Super Team
ran into an old friend of mine at a hockey game the other night. I coached his boys years ago when they were young. His kids are in their mid to late teens now and are all very good hockey players. I was asking how the kids were doing. My friend told me that one of the boys was playing on a team from a town over 200 miles away. This team is practicing very rarely, and playing a ton of games. The coach recruited the best players he could find at this age level, apparently in an attempt to win tournaments and possibly a state or national championship. This is certainly not the first time I’ve heard of a coach building a “Super Team”. Here’s the surprising thing. I asked my friend if he thought his kid was improving this season. He hesitated...for a very long time. That answered my question. I know a number of parents who have gone down this road. Usually it’s because they want their child to play with the best players. National ranking also seems to be a priority for many of these parents and players. What seems to be less of a priority is consistent practice and a focus on skill development. So my question is this…are we more interested in developing teams than developing players? I had the opportunity to spend some time with Kalle Valiaho and Martin Dahlin during the World Junior Championships this year. Kalle is one of the directors of youth hockey operations in Finland, and Martin is an assistant coach on the team Sweden U17 team. Both of them were in the US to speak at our Level 4 coaching clinic in Buffalo, and of course to watch the WJC. It was interesting to hear both of these men talk about player development. Both countries tend to downplay competition and put a tremendous emphasis on practice and skill development. Martin
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dressed them for this game. They wanted to be out here and be a part of this team.” Bailey and Jenna both seemed to be accepted by the team. “It’s a great sisterhood that we have on the team,” continued Santoro. “The respect they have for each other, from seventh graders to seniors, and the fact that they come from three different schools speaks for itself. “Jenna is a great leader. Your leaders are the ones who are better skaters. “But Jenna is a top notch, all around, nice girl. Both Jenna and Bailey are nice girls. “Jenna has provided leadership while Bailey has been like a manager for us all season. They’ve both learned as much as they could about hockey for the short time they have been with the team.” For Bailey, who attends Lancaster Sr. High School, being with the team has been like a dream come true for her. She actually joined LID for the first time last season and it was her first experience playing in organized hockey. “I love watching and playing hockey,” said
BY RANDY SCHULTZ
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ust prior to the start of one of their recent hockey games at Holiday Rinks in Cheektowaga, the Lancaster/Iroquois/ Depew (LID) Girls Ice Hockey
Their First Game Was Their Final Game...Playing for the Love of the Sport
Team honored the two seniors in their team. It was senior night and like all the other teams in the Western New York Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Federation, LID was honoring their seniors. What made it interesting about the two LID seniors being honored, Bailey Depczynski and Jenna Grazen, was that the game they were playing in that night was their first of the season. That’s right, their first. Both had been practice players on the team and had practiced with LID all year long. But there is even more to the story as Head Coach Dave Santoro and the two players explained. “To have never played a varsity sport before and to come out and work hard at every practice we had and to support the team every game by being on the bench or keeping stats, I give them a ton of credit,” commented Santoro. “The fact that they had never played the game before also speaks of their dedication to hockey. “Their heart and determination is why I
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Bailey, the daughter of Kelly and Brian Depczynski. The more I watched it, the more I wanted to play it. “I’ve found that once you get involved with it, the more you want to play it.” For Jenna, who also attends Lancaster Sr. High School, this was her first season of hockey. EVER! “I had been involved with track for about six years and I wanted to try something different,” remarked Jenna, the daughter of Debbie and Mark Grazen. “I wanted to accomplish something else in my life. “I had a few friends who played on the team. So I decided to try out and I stayed on the team. “I knew how to skate, so I figured, why not?” Why not indeed! This is dedication personified.
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NWHL
Beauts First NWHL Team to Name Owners
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erry and Kim Pegula today announced that they have acquired the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women’s Hockey League, furthering their commitment to advancing the game of hockey on all levels. Since purchasing the Sabres in 2011 and opening HarborCenter in 2014, the Pegulas have spearheaded the expansion of the Buffalo Junior Sabres youth hockey program, created the premier HarborCenter Cup youth hockey tournament series, and provided opportunities to multiple high school and collegiate programs, which has included hosting College Hockey America’s women’s tournament. “We want to contribute to the growth of women’s hockey,” Kim Pegula said. “HarborCenter has allowed us to make a positive impact on the game at the amateur, high school and collegiate levels, and we believe this is the perfect time to expand our reach to include
women’s professional hockey through the NWHL. This sport provides outstanding opportunities, and we are committed to helping extend those opportunities to females of all ages.” “This extraordinary commitment from Kim and Terry Pegula – a complete acquisition of one of our Founding Four teams by NHL owners – is a landmark moment for the NWHL, our players and fans, and women’s hockey,” said NWHL Founder and Commissioner Dani Rylan. “We thank Kim and Terry for believing in the Beauts and in the mission of our league to fuel the continued growth of our sport around the world. Supporters of women’s hockey should take enormous pride in this significant step for our game.” (Pictured below Terry and Kim Pegula at groundbreaking of
HarborCenter, NYHOL File Photo by Janet Schultz)
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Buffalo Beauts victory over Boston. Lisa Chesson making the crucial goal after the game went three periods and an overtime tied at 0-0. While odds on favorites may say the Riveters are the team to beat. On any given day the puck heading in the right direction and a goaltender a little off her mark will make the difference. This league has exceptional goaltending in the likes of Katie Fitzgerald, Amanda Leville and Brittany Ott.
All Star-Game Set
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Lisa Chesson scores the winning goal in a ten-round shoot-out in Buffalo after Boston and Buffalo go 0-0 in OT. (Photo by Janet Schultz)
NWHL Heading Toward End of Third Season by Janet Schultz, NYHOL
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s the third season of the NWHL heads into the playoffs there is no clear cut winner of the Isobel Cup. Buffalo is working hard to bring home the Cup another season. Several NWHL players have headed off to the 2018 Olympics and their absence has been noticeable. From the Buffalo Beauts is Emily Pfalzer and from the New York Riveters it’s Amanda Kessell. The largest number of players comes from the Boston Pride including Kacey Bellamy, Meghan Duggan, Haley Skarupa, Brianna Decker, Gigi Marvin, Hilary Knight and Amanda Pelky. The Metropolitan Riveters are in first place with 11 wins in 11 games. Buffalo is following with 7 wins and 4 losses in 11 games. They are followed by the Boston Pride and the Connecticut Whale. The Riveters are also leading in every category with Alexa Gruschow with 8 goals; Courtney Burke with 13 assists; Gurschow with 18 points on 8g/10a and Goalie Katie Fitzgerald in first with GAA at 1.40; Save % at .940 and wins with 10. Excitement prevails at every game with the highlight this month being a ten-round shootout in the 12
he rosters for the 2018 NWHL All-Star Game in Saint Paul, Minnesota were selected via a live draft on Twitter between captains Amanda Leveille (Buffalo) and Brittany Ott (Boston). The All-Star Game on Feb. 11 at TRIA Rink will consist of two 25-minute halves and each team will have 12 skaters and two goaltenders. Leveille, an Isobel Cup champion in 2017 who played at the University of Minnesota from 2012-2016, and Ott, an Isobel Cup champion in 2016 who was raised in Michigan, alternated picks in their draft tonight. Of the 28 NWHL All-Stars, eleven have connections to Minnesota: Besides Amanda Leveille, there are Katie Fitzgerald, who played at St. Cloud State; Minnesota native and former U. of Minnesota defender Jordyn Burns; Lexi Bender, Alyssa Gagliardi, Rebecca Russo and Courtney Burke, who played at ShattuckSaint Mary’s; and Minnesota natives Corinne Buie – the only two-time winner of the NWHL’s Isobel Cup – and Sydney Rossman. In addition, the NWHL has invited the Minnesota Whitecaps to participate in its All-Star Weekend in the State of Hockey. Minnesota’s pro team will be represented by forwards Kate Schipper and Sadie Lundquist. 2018 NWHL All-Star Rosters Team Leveille Goalies: Amanda Leveille, Beauts; Katie Fitzgerald, Riveters Defenders: Lexi Bender, Pride; Jordyn Burns, Beauts; Lisa Chesson, Beauts, Sarah Edney, Beauts; Kelsey Koelzer, Riveters Forwards: Kelly Babstock, Whale; Sam Faber, Whale; Kristin Lewicki, Beauts; Meagan Mangene,
Pride; Rebecca Russo, Riveters; Kate Schipper, Minnesota Whitecaps; Janine Weber, Pride Team Ott Goalies: Brittany Ott, Pride; Sydney Rossman, Whale Defenders: Amanda Boulier, Whale; Courtney Burke, Riveters; Jenny Ryan, Riveters; Alyssa Gagliardi, Pride; Michelle Picard, Riveters Forwards: Corinne Buie, Beauts; Jillian Dempsey, Pride; Emily Field, Pride; Alexa Gruschow, Riveters; Sadie Lundquist, Minnesota Whitecaps; Hayley Scamurra, Beauts; Jordan Smelker, Pride The teams will be coached by a pair of Minnesota residents: three-time Olympian Tricia (Dunn) Luoma, who won gold with Team USA in Nagano in 1998; and Winny (Brodt) Brown, the first-ever winner of the Ms. Hockey Award for high school hockey in Minnesota and a member of the U.S. National Team program for a decade. TRIA Rink is the Wild’s state-of-the-art Practice Facility in downtown Saint Paul. The NWHL Skills Challenge will take place on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 6:45 p.m. CT. The 2018 NWHL All-Star Game is on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 11:30 a.m. CT.
Isobel Cup Format Announced
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he National Women’s Hockey League announced that all three Isobel Cup Playoff games in 2018 will be hosted by the team with the higher seed. The games will not be at a neutral or predetermined site, such as last year when the Isobel Cup Final was scheduled in advance at Tsongas Center on the campus of UMass Lowell. In a single-elimination format like last season, the semifinals will be played on the weekend of March 17-18 and the winnertake-all Isobel Cup Final will be played the following weekend. “There was no debate in the league of-
fice: we wanted to honor the deeply-dedicated fans in our markets by bringing all playoff games – including the Isobel Cup Final – to them,” said NWHL Deputy Commissioner Hayley Moore. “We’ve had a lot of success recently by taking the great athletes and role models of the NWHL on the road for events in Pittsburgh, Rochester, Minnesota and Tampa, and we plan to do more. But for these playoffs, it was time for a true home-ice advantage. The Isobel Cup Final will be an electrifying game – essentially a Game 7 before the fans of the highestseeded team.”
Boost Oxygen Partners with NWHL
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he National Women’s Hockey League is proud to formally announce its partnership with Boost Oxygen. The Milford, Connecticut-based company, which has been the worldwide leader of providing bottles of 95 percent pure oxygen since 2007, has supplied all NWHL teams with its products and has become an invaluable supporter of the league during the 201718 season. “We are extremely proud to support the performance of the talented players in the National Women’s Hockey League,” said Rob Neuner, President and Co-Founder of Boost Oxygen. “Boost is already on the bench of teams in the National Hockey League, American Hockey League and the NCAA. Boost’s partnership with the NWHL and its teams provides the players with another tool available for training and use on the bench during competition. Boost will fuel their passion and desire for playing the game of hockey at an extremely high level.” The NWHL is coming off a year that saw the league form strategic alliances with the owners of the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils, collaborate on All-Star Games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild, sign a global broadcast deal with Twitter and finalize a renewal of its major sponsorship agreement with Dunkin’ 13
Donuts. This new deal with Boost Oxygen is the latest example of a sponsor seeing the value in a partnership with the growing and flourishing NWHL. Said NWHL Founder and Commissioner Dani Rylan: “The entire NWHL is grateful to Boost Oxygen for its support of our league and our players, along with its dedication to women’s hockey. I know all of our teams are extremely satisfied by the impact Boost Oxygen has had on their performance and recovery. We are deeply appreciative of the commitment Rob Neuner and Boost Oxygen have made to the NWHL, and we hope this is just the first season of a long and rewarding alliance.” Boost Oxygen is the only choice for three different sizes of lightweight and portable bottles for use by athletes for performance and recovery. It also provides general health and wellness benefits and is a helpful product for migraine and cluster headaches. Boost makes oxygen available in the retail environment. In addition to unflavored Natural, there are aromatherapy benefits with Peppermint, Menthol-Eucalyptus and Pink Grapefruit. Learn more about the benefits of Boost at www. BoostOxygen.com and follow Boost on Instagram @boostoxygen, on Twitter @BoostO2 and on Facebook @BoostOxygenUSA.
Sparx Partners with NWHL
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parx Hockey, inventors of the Sparx Skate Sharpener, announced that it has extended its partnership with The National Women’s Hockey League and will continue to serve as the league’s Official Skate Sharpening Partner through the 2018-19 season. “Sparx Hockey has been an incredible partner to the National Women’s Hockey League and we are excited that the innovative company will 14
continue as the Official Skate Sharpening Partner of the league,” said Dani Rylan, Commissioner, NWHL. “The convenience, portability and easeof-use of the Sparx sharpener is a great solution for our teams and the feedback on the quality of sharpening over the past year has been incredible. A main focus of our league is to ensure professional quality experiences for all of our athletes at all times, and Sparx delivers the quality and consistency that our elite athletes demand.” The Sparx Sharpener is an affordable, automated product that allows anyone, anywhere, with no prior skate sharpening experience, to easily sharpen hockey and figure skates with prolevel accuracy. Thousands of customers in the U.S. and Canada are currently sharpening their skates with Sparx, including individuals, families, teams, rink operators and pro shops. Currently, all four NWHL teams – the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale and Metropolitan Riveters – utilize the Sparx Sharpener for all practice and games. “The NWHL features some of the best players in the world and the league’s decision to extend our partnership is a testament to the quality of the Sparx Sharpener as well as our commitment to players at all levels, from youth players to the most demanding professional athlete,” said Steve Jones, Vice President Marketing, Sparx Hockey. “Players in the NWHL expect a high-level of performance and consistency from all of their equipment every time they take the ice and Sparx exceeds those expectations.” For more information on Sparx Hockey or to purchase the Sparx Skate Sharpener, visit www. sparxhockey.com.
CENTRAL NEW YORK
Central Men’s College Ice Hockey Report by Warren Kozireski Wkozires@brockport.edu
COLGATE Bobby McMann recorded his first career hat trick and added an assist Nov. 26 versus Western Michigan. Freshman Josh McKechney scored the first goal of his career Jan. 12 against Brown. Sophomore goaltender Colton Point was named to Canada’s National Junior Team roster for the 2018 World Junior Championships and registered 20 saves in his first appearance—a 6-0 shutout over Slovakia. Head coach Don Vaughan became the 24th coach in Division I NCAA Ice Hockey history to record his 400th career victory Jan. 12 at Brown. Vaughan is now the fourth ECAC Hockey coach in the league’s history to reach the 400-win milestone. He also won his 300th in 2011 at the same arena. “When you hit milestones like that it just gives me pause and I think get a bit nostalgic about all the great players that I’ve been fortunate enough to coach and guys that I’ve worked with and how I got started in the business,” Vaughan said. “I think about guys like Mike McShane and Joe Marsh—the guys that gave me a chance—I worked with Mark Morris, I worked with Mike Schafer and a lot of good coaches that I learned from. “And at Colgate the opportunity to work with great people, not just the players and the staff, but the community itself, it’s been quite a ride. I was on the losing end of (Boston University head coach) Jack Parker’s 400th and he told me that I would get there one day and at that point I wasn’t believing him much, but here I am. It’s been quite a ride.”
CORNELL Matthew Galajda became just the second goaltender in Cornell program history to record three shutouts in his freshman season after beating Quinnipiac 1-0 Jan. 6. Eventual All-American David McKee was the other, with five in the 200304 season. Freshman Kyle Betts recorded his first collegiate hat trick Dec. 30 versus Canisius. The Big Red scored seven goals Jan. 5--the first time Cornell has potted seven in a game since Feb. 16, 2008, when it defeated Rensselaer by an identical 7-1 score. With this effort coming on the heels of a 6-2 win over Canisius in their prior game, the Big Red had 13 goals over a two-game span for the first time since Oct. 29-30, 2004 (via 7-1 victories over Army and Sacred Heart).
CORTLAND West Seneca native Mike Faliero was leading the Red Dragons in scoring with 11 points through the first 1 games. He had three gamewinners among his five goals. Senior Dan Broderick (White Plains) was six points from moving into the Red Dragons top-20 in career scoring with eight games remaining in the regular season.
ELMIRA Nick Ford stood tied for second in the nation with 16 goals through the first 19 games. Sophomore Matthew Cuce netted his first collegiate hat trick Jan. 20 versus King’s.
HAMILTON Freshman defenseman Sean Allen (Ballston Spa) scored his first collegiate goal Jan. 21 against Canton to help the Continentals break a three-game skid. 16
Sophomore defenseman Joey Rutkowski (Rome) transferred to Utica at the holiday break.
HOBART Senior goaltender Frank Oplinger moved into third in Hobart history with now 39 wins and was only 24 saves from moving into fourth in career saves (1608). Their first five losses this season were all one-goal affairs with two of the losses in overtime. Ranked 13th in the nation as of Jan. 25 in spite of a three-game skid, the Statesmen play four of their final six games of the regular season on home ice.
MORRISVILLE A sweep over Potsdam launched the Mustangs into the playoff picture with six games remaining. Rick Eberhart (Lockport) netted his first two-goal game Jan. 19 in win over Potsdam. Freshman defenseman Aidan Conolly (Spencerport) scored his first collegiate goal Dec. 9 against Buffalo State.
OSWEGO Head coach Ed Gosek earned his 300th career win Jan. 19 against Cortland. With a winning percentage of .756, Gosek has the highest winning percentage of all current Division III coaches and is the second winningest Division III coach of all time (based on winning percentage), trailing only Tim Coghlin of St. Norbert. “With everything that’s happened here in the past year, it’s not the 300 wins but the friendships, the memories and obviously the sport,” Gosek said. “My wife supported me when I was an assistant and then through thick and thin. The better stat was 88 losses in 15 years, which is a hair over five losses a year which I think sounds better than 300 wins. “I’m grateful for the opportunity the college gave me as just the caretaker of the program.” 17
UTICA The Pioneers were ranked seventh in the nation as they fight for an at-large NCAA bid. They were ranked tied for eighth nationally allowing only 1.88 goals per game and were tied for third averaging 4.53 goals scored per game as of Jan. 25. “We’re coming off playing Adrian and USA Under-18 and now Oswego and those are the caliber of the 12 teams that are going to go places,” head coach Gary Hennan said. “We feel like we’re right there with the better teams and now it’s just winning your next game.” Sophomore blueliner Joey Rutkowski (Rome) joined the Pioneers at the break from Oswego and had played in five games as of deadline. “Construction Management is what he needed (as an academic major) for the family business so he’s going to be a great addition for our club,” Heenan added.
Cortland
Miranda Kolb (Watertown/Styracuse Nationals) and Emily King (Clayton/Syracuse Nationals) lead the scoring for the Red Dragons with Cortland is 6-9-2 overall and 1-8-1 in the conference. Kolb has 9 goals and 9 assists for 18 points and King has 6 goals and 5 assists thus far this season. Grand Island’s Rachel Farmer was named SUNY Cortland Athlete of the Week on January 21. The former Niagara Junior Purple Eagles player had her first career shutout in a 2-0 win over Canton and a combined 892 saves in a two-game series vs Plattsburg. In the Plattsburgh series the teams were tied 2-2 until the third period when Plattsburgh came back to score handing Cortland a 5-2 loss. Plattsburgh is ranked #1. Kristen MacDowell was named NEWHL Rookie of the Week for January 7 after having 1 goal and 6 assists in two non-league home games; including a 6-1 win over Kings College where she scored the first goal and assisted on 4. The following day she had 2 assists in a 4-1 game over Nichols College.
Elmira
Ranked 3/3 the Soaring Eagles are 14-2-1 overall and 8-0-0 in in the conference. Kelsey Crawford was named UCHC Goaltender of the Week for January 23 after making 32 saves in a 3-3 OT tie with Norwich. This is her seven career honor. Jesse Adams was named Rookie of the Week for the same time after her second period goal gave Elmira a 2-1 lead. Katie Granato was named Elmira’s Athlete of the Week for January 22 as she has one of the best seasons of her collegiate career. She had a pair of goals vs Norwich and her 4th multi-goal game of the year. Sarah Hughson and Rachel Grampp (Williamsville) were named to the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week and Hughson was also named UCHC Player of the Week for the second time. Hughson led Elmira with four goals in two games vs Utica and Grampp tied with a career high goals with 2 assists and then netted the games first goal and assisting on the final two.
Central New York Women’s College Hockey Report By Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com
Syracuse
Abbey Miller was named CHA Goaltender of the Week for December 5 after she had a 4-1-0 record and her 11th career shutout vs Penn State. Brook Avery has 9 goals and 7 assists on the season and Lindsay Eastwood has 2 goals/13 assists. Syracuse is 8-14-2 overall and 7-4-1 in the CHA. They were ranked #2 in USCHO polling January 22.
Utica
With a 8-8 overall record and 4-4 conference record Utica handed William Smith their first conference loss. Elizabeth Dohner was named UCHC Player of the Week for January 23 after having 1 goal and 2 assists in a 4-2 win over William Smith. She leads the team with 13 points. In the game against William Smith she assisted on the openning goal and assisted on the game-winner, following that with the final goal.
Colgate
Julia Vandyke was named ECAC Goaltender of the Week for January 23. This is her second honor this season and fifth in her collegiate career. She has the second highest mark in the nation with a .971 save percentage. Vandyke had her second shutout of the season vs RPI. Shelby Perry was named ECAC Player of the Week January 16, her first honor, after going 3/3 on the weekend.
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Former Raiders Livia Altman and Nicole Goss were named to the Switzerland Olympic Team.
Oswego
The Lakers are 8-8-2 overall and 4-5-0 in conference play. Emma Morisetta was named NEWHL Rookie of the Week for January 21 after having 3 goals in the Lakers two-game stance vs Plymouth College.
Cornell
The Big Red took several honors in December including Maddie Mills being named ECAC Rookie of the Month with 11 points on 7 goals/4 assists including 2 powerplay goals and 1 game winner. Kristin O’Neill was named December Player of the Month with 6 goals and 8 assists including a game winner and a shorthanded goal. She leads the team with 11 goals/15 assists. Cornell is 8-8-1 overall and 4-4-0 in conference play.
Hamilton
Julia Mings, Tonawanda, UCHC Rookie of the Week from William Smith College (William Smith Photo)
Hamilton won their 10th game of the season with a 4-0 victory over Wesleyan College on January 19. They are 10-4-1 overall and 7-1 in conference play. Michaela Giuttari leads the scoring with 7 goals and 8 assists followed by Missy Segall (8g/4a) and Andrea Rochey (5g/6a). Sam Walther had 6 shutouts this season with a .965 save% and 0.86 gaa.
William Smith
Tonawanda native Julia Mings was named UCHC Rookie of the Week. The freshman, who played for the NJPE and Kenmore Girls Varsity scored 3 of 6 goals over Cortland, including the game-winner after opening the scoring with the first goal of the game. Through nine games this season she is at 4g/4a which ranks her 4th in the UCHC and 17th in Rookie Scoring nationally.
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Morrisville
The Mustangs are 8-7-2 overall and 3-0-1 in the conference. Alexziz Giannamore leads scoring with 8g/2a and Karoline Arvik has a 1.68 gaa and .922 save percentage after 17 games.
East Hockey
East Women’s College Report by Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com
Manhattanville
Nicole Mensi, Mamaroneck, MAC Player of the Week from Manhattanville College (Manhattanville Photo)
As the playoffs approach Manhattanville is 9-7-1 overall and 6-2-0 in conference play. Several players received honors for their play in December and January including Cassie Kent (Lake Placid/ Northwood) being named MAC Offensive Player of the Week January 22 as she posted her first career hat-trick in a 12-2 win over Kings College. The following day she had a goal and an assist in a 8-2 win. Karley Kapur was named MAC Player of the Week January 12, her second honor of the season. She had her first Cassie Kent, MAC Offensive Player of the career hat -trick in a 7-2 win over ChaWeek, from Lake Placid/Northwood School tham. Mamaroneck native Nicole Mensi, formerly of SUNY Plattsburgh, (Manhattanville Photo) was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week for January 9. She had 3 goals is a 4-0 win over Canton and those three goals were on three shots.
This was her second career hat-trick. On December 13 Rose Pijaea was named UCHC Goaltender of the Week after making 25 of 27 shots in a 2-2 tie with Cortland.
Union
Haley Shugart took ECAC Player of the Week honors January 5 for her performance with 3 goals in two games and leading the scoring for the weekend. Union has a 6-16-4 overall record and 4-9-1 in the ECAC.
RPI
Lavisa Selander broke Sonjea van deBlieh’s (2011) career save record when she made 26 saves in a 3-3 tie with Dartmouth. RPI is also having a rough season with a 7-14-5 overall record and 4-8-2 in the conference. Leading scorers are Jaimie Gugsby with 8 goals and 8 assists and Shayna Thompson with 5 goals and 11 assists
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T Raptors Rap by Michael Meyers
Congratulations to Pelham Head Coach Ed Witz on his 450th career win.
T
he historical game was a 5-2 win over Pearl River at the Ice Hutch on January 29. Pelham Varsity has been the Section 1, Division 2 New York State Champions for the past 9 years.
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he New York Raptors hosted the New Jersey Brick Stars at their home game on January 14. The Raptors lost to the New Jersey Brick Stars with the final score New York Raptors 4; New Jersey Brick 5. The New York Raptors have 4 wins and 6 losses in the standings in 2017-2018 season.
ARMY
East Men’s College Report
Sophomore forward Michael Wilson netted his first collegiate hat trick Jan. 13 against Bentley. It marked the first hat trick for the Black Knights since Brendan Soucie’s on Dec. 10, 2016 at Holy Cross. Rookie net minder Jared Dempsey recorded his firstcareer shutout in the same game making 34 saves. Forward Colin Bilek is among next fall’s freshman class. He is currently playing for the Northeast Generals in the NAHL.
Forwards Gavin Payne and Troy York both left the program at the holiday break.
MANHATTANVILLE
SKIDMORE
The Valiants won the Oswego State Hockey Classic 4-1 over the host the first weekend in January as part of their six-game unbeaten streak. Junior goaltender Tyler Feaver was named tourney MVP after making 64 saves over the two games. “For some reason we play really well on the road,” head coach Arlen Marshall said. “I don’t know if it’s a different focus, mentality but it seems to be working. “We’ve been building; our big class right now are our juniors—I think 13 of them—playing how we’re built as a team. The team will play only two more times at home in the regular season—Feb. 9-10 versus Chatham and Lebanon Valley respectively.
The Thoroughbreds defeated Hobart in the third place game of the Oswego tournament the first week of the New Year for only their second victory of the season. “It’s good to be rewarded for some of the hard work the guys have put in that have stuck with the program,” head coach Rob Hutchinson said. “To finish up our non-league like this with a nice win over a league opponent is definitely going to give us confidence.” They faced top-15 ranked opponents in seven consecutive games from December to January and were still looking for their first New England Hockey Conference win with six games remaining in the regular season. “We want to challenge our guys, we want to prepare them for the toughest situations and what better way to do that than play a top-15 team every night.”
by Warren Koziereski
UNION
R.P.I.
The streaky Dutchmen were still hanging around the upper third of the ECAC conference, but were outside the atlarge playoff picture as the final month of the regular season kicked off. Freshman goaltender Darion Hansen made 20 saves Jan. 20 versus Brown to earn his first collegiate shutout. The freshman was among the top-ten in the nation in goals against with one weekend left in January. Union will join Boston University, Yale and Connecticut in Belfast, Ireland for the Friendship Four Nov. 23, 24, 2018.
The team needs to put together a winning streak in the final month against some of the ECAC’s upper echelon squads if they hope to avoid a first round playoff road series. The Engineers added freshman Donovan Ott to the roster from the Johnstown Tomahawks of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). in 17 games this season for the Tomahawks he collected seven goals and eight assists for 15 points. He also appeared in five contests for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United State Hockey League (USHL). The Engineers also added transfer forward Mike Gornall to the roster from the University of North Dakota, where he spent the previous two seasons. Due to Division I regulations, he is ineligible to play this season, but is allowed to practice with the team.
OTHER AREA NOTES:
• East Islip native Robert Mastrosimone has committed to play college hockey at Boston University in Fall 2019. The former Long Island Gull is playing with the Chicago Steel in the USHL. 23
North Hockey
Northern New York Men’s College Hockey Report › Warren Kozireski
Wkozires@brockport.edu
CANTON Zach Pease scored his first career goals against King’s College Jan. 19. Josh Sova (Oswego) was closing in on 100 career games played.
CLARKSON Picked to finish fourth in ECAC Hockey this year by the conference coaches, the first place and top-five nationally ranked Knights are off to their best start ever in league play at 10-1-1 and have outscored conference opponents 49-21 as of the third week in January. Freshman goaltender Nicholas Latinovich made 21-saves in his first collegiate game to shutout RPI 3-0. He is the third Clarkson goaltender and first since Steve Perry ‘17 (Oct. 6, 2013) to post a whitewash in his first collegiate game. Josh Dickinson (Player of the Month), Jack Jacome (Rookie of the Month) and Jake Kielly (Goaltender of the Month) earned ECAC honors in November. Kielly also was given the same honor in December after going 3-0-0 with a 1.34 GAA and .949 save percentage. Kielly posted a perfect 8-0-0 record in the Clarkson crease during the month, including six straight victories on the road. He led the conference in wins,
goals against average (1.25), save percentage (.948) and shutouts (3). Dickinson was the leading goal scorer overall in November among all ECAC Hockey players with nine tallies and tied for top goal scorer in the nation during the month. Jacome led ECAC Hockey in points for the month, both overall (12) and in conference play (11).
PLATTSBURGH Just like last season, the Cardinals appear to have corrected their first half woes even though they were being outscored in conference play through the third week in January. They play five of their final seven SUNYAC games on home ice. Sophomore defenseman Andrew Pizzo transferred from Niagara at the break and scored one goal with one assist in his first game and three goals with five assists over his first five contests.
POTSDAM After their best start since the 1995-96 campaign, the Bears were winless from Dec. 2-Jan.23 but still in the hunt for a postseason bid with seven games on the slate. Senior assistant captain Dylan Vander Esch recorded his sixth career hat trick Jan. 13 at Utica and had moved just seven points away from reaching the Bears’ 100-point club. Senior goalie Brendan McMenimen stopped 35 shots for his 16th career win Dec. 1 at Fredonia moving him into a tie for seventh on the program’s alltime list. Potsdam men’s hockey hall of famer Chris Lee ‘04 has been named to Canada’s 2018 Olympic Team. Lee is currently in his fifth season with Metallurg Magni-
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Bears All-Americans David Palmisano (LC) and Brian Bell (RC) drop the puck on Alumni Weekend for Brockport’s Aidan Verbeke (L) and Bears senior assistant captain Sean Kacerosky (R) prior the the Brockport game on Jan. 27, 2018.(Potsdam Photo)
togorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and is a KHL All-Star with two Gagarin Cup Championships since his career took him to Russia.
ST. LAWRENCE The Saints were still looking for their first conference victory with only ten games remaining in the regular season. They are in danger of setting a new school mark for most losses in one season (26 set in 1979-80) and most home losses (12) set the same year.
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Northern New York Women’s College Hockey Report by Janet Schultz Janet@ nyhockeyonline.com
Potsdam
Potsdam sits at 9-6-2 overall and 2-6-2 in the NEWHL as they enter February and the final count-down. Samantha White was named NEWHL Rookie of the Week January 14 for the third time this season as the Freshman had a 2-0-0 record in two starts. It was a 2-1 victory over Hamilton followed by a 3-1 win over Oswego. She posted a 1.00 gaa and .9595 save %.
Plattsburgh
Ranked #1 once again this year Plattsburgh is 15-2-1 overall and 10-0-0 in the NEWHL. The players continue to be recognized for their outstanding play by both the D3hockey. com and USCHO.com. Kayla Meneghin was named NEWHL Player of the Week January 23 after she had 3g/3a and a +4 rating if a sweep of Cortland. Her 175 career points ties her at ninth in the NCAA DIII Womens Ice Hockey rankings. Courtney Moriarty was named to the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week January 17 and January 9. In addition she was named NEWHL Player of the Week January 17, the fourt time this season. Moriarty had 3g/1a including a shorthanded goal and powerplay goal in a 3-0 win over Buffalo State and then in game two of the series she had a goal and an assist in the 4-0 victory over the Bengals. Moriarty was also named NEWHL Player of the Week January 14 after leading Plattsburgh to a victory in the East27
West Hockey Tournament Classic and being named MVP of the Tournament. Brooke Wolejko ws named to the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week January 9 and was NEWHL Goaltender of the Week January 14 after a pair of shut-out wins over Elmira and Buffalo. She was also named to the East-West All Tournament Team. The honors continued with Baye Flanaghan being named to the January 9 D3hockey.com National Team of the Week and Meghan Kraus being named January 8th NEWHL Player of the Week. In December honors went to Melissa Sheeran, Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd and NEWHL Player of the Week; Hannah Kiraly, fifth career naming to the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week; Kassi Abbot, third NEWHL Goaltender of the Week; Anna Katonka, NEWHL Rookie of the Week. Plattsburgh Alumni and Buffalo native Julie Duquette’s national championship game-winning goal last season was named one of the Top Plays of 2017.
Clarkson
The Golden Knights are on another long winning streak as they are 21-3-1 overall and 12-2-0 in the conference. Their 10-game winning streak is the longest in the history of women’s ice hockey at Clarkson. Shea Tiley was named Clarkson Student Athlete of the Week January 21 after having 24 saves in a 3-1 victory over Harvard and 14 saves in an 8-1 victory over Dartmouth. On January 23 Elizabeth Giguere was named ECAC Rookie of the Week and Loren Gabel, ECAC Player of the Week. Renata Fast ‘16 was named to the Canadian National Women’s Olympic Hockey Team. Savanah Harmon made her 100th Career Point in a 5-1 victory at Union. Tiley and Giguere were named Goaltender and Rookie of the Week, respectively, December 5. Clarkson’s Women’s Ice Hockey Team is ranked as one of the top 5 programs in the country.
St. Lawrence
Assistant Coach Tim Wisner was awarded the 2018 American Hockey Coaches Association Assistant Women’s Coach Award. This is his 14th season with St. Lawrence were he has helped guide the Saints to a 302-157-53 record since 200405. In 2012 they took the ECAC title, had 7 NCAA tournament bids and made 3 appearances in the Frozen Four. Justine Reyes was named ECAC Player of the Week January 9 after she led with four points, including an OT winner in a weekend split at Lindenwood at the Anaheim Tournament. Ironically, she is from Chino Hills, CA, just a short drive down the Riverside Freeway. The Saints are 14-7-3 overall and 10-3-1 as they head toward the playoffs.
Canton
The Roos are 7-8-1 overall and 3-1-0 overall as they head to the Colonial Hockey Conference playoff season. Tess Adams was named CHC Player of the Week January 22 for 2g/2a in three games; including one shut-out. Brooke Susac garnered Goaltender of the Week honors for that same week as she made 26/27 saves in a 5-1 victory over Salem and 19 of 21 saves in the 2-0 shut-out over Cortland. Ashley Gillies was named Rookie of the Week for her play with 3 goals in two games against Salem. She had 2 goals in the 5-1 win, including the game-winner.
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West Hockey
RE GA LS WI N CU P!
T
he Buffalo Regals 19U women traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 12-14 for the Freedom Cup. They went 4-0, winning the Cup.The Lady Regals started strong on Friday afternoon by pounding the Nova Lady Ice Dogs (Virginia), 8-0. Sam Heintz (West Seneca), recorded her first shutout, stopping all 15 shots. Jillian Blas (Lancaster) led the offense, scoring three goals. Friday night the Regals played a tough Pawling (New York) team, with Heintz outstanding again making 18 saves and recording her second shutout. Nina Stockman (Kenmore) led the offense with two goals, along with Kylie Nelson’s (Amherst) three assists. Saturday night, the Regals offense stayed hot as Stockman scored 5 more goals and Maddie Moran (Lancaster) netted two, advancing the Lady Regals to the Championship game on Sunday at 11:00 am. The Championship game was a rematch with
Pawling. Leading 2-1, after one period, Buffalo scored two goals in the second, and two in the third, to break the game open and win the Freedom cup. Game MVP Marci Rodgers (Tonawanda) scored four goals. The other members of the Regals team included Jeannette Szefler (Lancaster), Catie Basinski (Wheatfield), Jordan Pearson (Wheatfield), Emile Schule (Wheatfield), Sam Davis (Jamestown), MacKenzie Blake (Amherst). Also members of the team but not on this tournament roster were Sam Czora (Amherst), Jaclyn MacVittie (Tonawanda), Alison Carosi (Kenmore), Rose Quattro (Williamsville), Bri Keppner (Elma), Jenelle Piatt (Lancaster) . (Submitted by Coach Larry Blas)
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T
WNYGVIH
he Western New York Girls Varsity Ice Hockey League is coming to the close of it’s seventh season. It took four years of hard work on behalf of players and their parents and coaches to make this League a reality. And we hope to continue its growth by adding another team next season, hopefully from Niagara County (Lewiston, Lockport, Niagara-Wheatfield, Niagara Falls, Starpoint, Wilson... any players come forward and we will help you form a team of one or more schools). The one key factor in this exciting league is you never can predict who will be the winner come February. The games are action packed, played with skill and such a passion. Yet, these girls playing against each other also find themselves playing with each other on their travel leagues. It’s so interesting to see the intermingling after a game when they greet each other. So as of the writing of this column we have seeded our teams for the Section VI playoffs, with the win-
ner heading to the NYS Championships in Oswego on February 10 and 11. Hamburg/Eden/West Seneca (HEWS) is sixth and will play #3 (TBA) and Kenmore/Grand Island #5 will play Lancaster/Iroquois/Depew (LID) #4. #1 Frontier/LakeShore/Orchard Park (FLOP) will play the lowest seed (TBA) and #2 TBA will play the 2nd lowest seed, also TBA. The Section VI Championship game will be played February 7 at Northtowns. Before all of that we celebrated our Seniors and NYHOL would like to congratulate them and wish them well as they move on to their next venture, whatever it may be. (Photos by Janet Schultz, Janet@nyhockeyonline.com LID photos by Randy Schultz; CASH photos by H. Lauer)
Lancaster/ Iroquois/Depew
Congratulations to Bailey Depczysnki and Jenna Grazen. These are two players you didn’t see in a game because they have served as practice players. Both game to LID to play, even tho’ they had little hockey experience. They found they loved the game and would do anything to be part of the LID team. Both were Forwards.
Clarence/Amherst/SweetHome Congratulations to Nicole Moore, Renee Lauer, Claire Goods, Casey Adimey, Jamie King, Gina DeNisco and Caitlin Schrieber. (Photos by H. Lauer)
DeNisco
Schreiber
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Lauer
Adimey
Moore
King
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Goods
CLASS OF 2018
Tori Fadeley, Sirena Fitzery, Taylor Gehen, Gabby DeMeo, Emily Kromer and Haylee Tatar!
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S F R O N T I E R L A K E S H O R E O R C H A R D P A R K 34
Western New York Women’s College Hockey Report by Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com JDSchultz3663@gmail.com
Buffalo
Buffalo State is 10-8-2 overall and 6-4-1 in conference play. With three goalies on the roster honors have been bestowed on all three at some point this season. Justine Silva was named to the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week for January 25 after making 27 saves in a school-record ninth career shutout in a 0-0 tie with Potsdam. She then made 27 saves in a 3-1 victory over the same team. Her weekend garnered her a .982 save% and 0.45 gaa. Cheyenne Matson was named NEWHL Player of the Week December 12 after she had 2 assists in a 6-3 win and 1g/1a in a 2-2 with Stevenson. Goaltender Anna Quattro (pictured below) (Williamsville/PEAC) was named NEWHL Rookie of the Week on December 12 after playing in her first col-
legiate game and stopped 8 goals in a 6-3 win and stopped 31/33 in the 2-2 tie with Stevenson, her first start in her college career. Through both games she had a 1.25 gaa and .951 save%. Bri Gawronski (pictured above) (Dunkirk/Mt. Mercy of Monsignor Martin) was named NEWHL Goalie of the Week for hte second time in three weeks after stopped 54 of 56 shots in a two game series with Canton. In the second game she had a shutout giving the Bengals a 3-0 win. She posted a .964.5 save %. An interesting note to the Bengals is that at least 10 of their players played in the Western New York Girls Ice Hockey League over the past 6 years. Former Buffalo State Hockey Coach Candice Moxley said that she saw talent in that league and wanted to build a team that was local. Fourteen of the players are from New York State. Let’s hope this recruitment theory continues with a new coaching staff. So if you are looking for New York players they are Madeline Kromer, Georgia Kleiner, Kayla Kopinski, Emma Ruggiero, Oliva Smkith, Caitie Horvatits, Lila Toczek, Rachel Lenard, Kira Herkey, Erin Gehen, Megan Reukauf, Courtney Cavarello, Anna Quattro and Bri Gawronski.
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Former Williamsville Goalie Theresa Meosky has also been between the pipes with a 2-1-0 record at 184:59 minutes. She has only had 3 games but posts a 1.30 gaa and .905 save%. Pictured below are Finley VanHouten and Mddie Norton. Photos by Janet Schultz
RIT
It’s been a rough season for the Tigers. Once again Coach Scott MacDonald will be building on what he has this year; but playoff hopes may be dashed. RIT is 4-19-3 over all and 1-11-0 in the CHA. Heading up scoring are Kendall Cornine (pictured above) with 9g/5a and Brittany Gorit with 4g/7a.
UB
Under Coach Mark Lauer the UB team is still making their mark in the ACHA, currently in second place (Jan 19) with a 9-1-0 record. As we work on this column they just came off a 2-game win over the University of Pittsburg. Madeline Norton, formerly of the Lancaster Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Team, sits in scoring first place seat with 36 goals and 11 assists for 47 points. She has also seen some time between the pipes for UB, remember she is the girl that “stood on her head” for LID several years ago in net. Alexis Peters has 22 goals and 18 assists in second place for UB. Finley VanHouten has been the goalie in the lead with 420 minutes of playing time she has a 7-0-0 record with a 2.43 gaa and .827 save %.
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Stephanie Toole returned to Buffalo to play with her U of Pittsburgh team against the University of Buffalo. She had familiar faces facing her as she played for Clarence/Amherst/SweetHome in the WNYGVIH League. She is a freshman forward for U of Pitt. (Photo by Janet Schultz)
Congratulations Hamburg/Eden/ West Seneca Class of 2018...
Emma O’Neill and Nicole Harris
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Congratulations Kenmore/ Grand Island Class of 2018 Nina Stockman Kenmore West Nina Stockman
Rosie Boyko Grand Island Rosie Boyko
Jenna House Kenmore West 28
Jenna House
Sophie Robinson Mt. Mercy
Kayla Blas Sacred Heart
Congratulations Monsignor Martin Class of 2018
Fionna Danahy Mt. Mercy
Danielle Trubish Sacred Heart
Anna Fischer Sacred Heart Ellie Cleary Buffalo Seminary
Congratulations Williamsville Class of 2018 #7 Victoria Morog, Williamsville South #8 Rachel Juneau, Williamsville North #10 Amanda Gaffney, Williamsville East #12 Kaylee Conover, Williamsville North #14 Jenna Woods, Williamsville South #18 Holly Schmelzer, Williamsville East #20 Ivy Carey, Williamsville South #26 Emily Schule, Williamsville North #29 Jenna Lukomski, Williamsville East #30 Rose Quattro, Williamsville South
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Amherst Youth Hockey is proud to announce starting with the 2018 season all travel teams no longer have a residency rule!! We will have teams at the following levels 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, and 19U. They will be tournament and nontournament bound. All try-out dates will be published on our website at www.amherstyouthhockey.org and also our Facebook page. Some very exciting highlights from our Girls 2017 season: 10U – Coached by Tim Zimmerman
Took 2nd place in the Motown Cup, Detroit, MI
Participation in Great Lakes Girls Hockey League
12U TB – Coached by Tim DiGiulio
Will qualify for the NYS Tournament Participated in 3 tournaments Played 35 games not including the NY State tournament
Grant Ledyard, director of hockey for Amherst and former Buffalo Sabre, has attended multiple practices and has worked with the girls developing their skills 14U TB – Coached by Darren Palaszewski Semi-Finalist in two tournaments
Participation in Great Lakes Girls Hockey League
16U TB – Coached by Don Murphy Participated in 2 tournaments Participation in Great Lakes Girls Hockey League Multiple players also play for their schools in the NY Girls’ Varsity Federation 19U TB – Coached by John Gaffney
Poised to qualify for the NYS Tournament Multiple players also play for their schools in the NY Girls’ Varsity Federation
All our girls’ teams are comprised of players whose team goals are developing skills in a competitive, fun environment where they gain both confidence and lifelong friendships.
Western New York Men’s College Hockey Report by Warren Kozireski
Wkozires@brockport.edu
BROCKPORT The Golden Eagles were heled to one or fewer goals in three of their last five conference games heading into the final weekend of January. Senior Aidan Verbeke had already set career highs in goals and points with seven games remaining in the regular season as they fight for a postseason spot.
BUFFALO STATE Standing sixth in the nation at 1.84 goals allowed per game, the Bengals used that to go 9-2-1 since Thanksgiving with two games left in January. Ian Sylves (Sloan) makes 28 stops for Buffalo State in 3-0 win at Brockport Jan. 20 for his tops-in-the-nation fifth shutout of the season.
CANISIUS Senior Ryan Schmelzer (right) (Buffalo) recorded the 100th point of his career Jan. 19 to become just the 11th player in the Division I era of the program to reach the 100-point plateau. He also netted the game-winner in
RIT.
overtime Jan. 19 at RIT to tie him with Cory Conacher for the team record with 12 game-winners. D y l a n McLaughlin (Lancaster) (left) registered his second four-point game of the season Jan. 19 at
“Dylan has so much confidence when he has the puck that he can keep it as long as he wants and that makes him special,” head coach Trevor Large said. “He looked like an elite college hockey player tonight and a man possessed and he took over the game. When he’s confident he’s scary.”
FREDONIA The Blue Devils have split every conference weekend heading to the final pair in January to put themselves in the playoff hunt in the SUNYAC conference. Orchard Park native Josh Biasillo had his first career two assist game Jan. 19 versus Brockport. Erie CC transfer Tyler Riter (Orchard Park) was second on the team in points and tied for second in goals through his first 12 games.
GENESEO Five games remain in the conference regular season as the Knights fight with Oswego for first place and the top seed in SUNYAC. “At the end of the day I think it’s a good thing that
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26 saves for his first collegiate shutout Jan. 20 as Purps beat Holy Cross 6-0. Defenseman Chris Harpur netted his first collegiate goal Jan. 5 versus RIT. Freshman goaltender Brian Wilson (right) was named Atlantic Hockey’s Rookie of the Month for November after starting every game going 3-3-1 and ranked fourth in the conference with a 2.59 goalsagainst average. “Seven of us standing here would not have said that this would be our record (at the halfway point),” head coach Jason Lammers said. “We’re in a good place.” Sophomore defenseman Andrew Pizzo transferred to Division III Plattsburgh at the holiday break.
we lost to Cortland (in December I n overtime after a comeback) because, if we would have won that game in overtime, it would have been a very, very bad lesson for our team so we were able to use that loss as motivation,” head coach Chris Schultz said. Conlan Keenan (Penfield) stood ninth in the nation in points per game through Jan. 25. Former Knight Zachary Vit is the head coach of the Potomac Patriots of the junior U.S. Premiere Hockey League. Vit scored 50 goals and 126 points in his 109 game collegiate career.
NAZARETH The Golden Flyers had their seven game unbeaten streak snapped and had lost three straight with one more game remaining in January. Ray Falso (Skaneateles) led the squad in points (15) through the first 18 games. Freshman goaltender Sean Kuhn (Glens Falls) made 56 saves to earn the win in his first career start at Potsdam Jan. 6. Senior forward Oliver Janzen was four games from 100 career while senior defenseman Ryan Walter was six games away and forward John Power seven from the same mark.
R.I.T. Freshman Ian Andriano made his first career start Jan. 19 and got his first shutout one night later against Canisius to end a four-game conference skid for the Tigers. “I thought he did quite well,” head coach Wayne Wilson said after the first game. “The scoreboard may not indicate that…but I thought he played well.” Sophomore goaltender Christian Short makes 28 saves for first collegiate shutout in RIT’s 4-0 win at Providence Dec. 9. Senior Myles Powell needed 11 points over the last 11 contests to join the 100-point career club. Forward Erik Brown had a seven-game goal scoring streak stopped Dec. 8 at Providence. The streak tied a Division I team program record originally set by Matt Crowell during the 2008-09 season. Junior forward Gabe Valenzuela was named the Atlantic Hockey Association Player of the Month for Nov. after leading the Tigers with 11 points on four goals and seven assists and was plus-7.
NIAGARA The Purple Eagles were only 2-4-1 in January with two games remaining as they try to hold on to a first round playoff bye in Atlantic Hockey. Senior Stanislav Dzakhov (right) netted his first career hat trick and freshman goaltender Brian Wilson makes
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Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles Girls 19U Ranked 13th in the United States Recently junior Ally Watrous committed to Quinnipiac University bringing the number of Coach Welch’s players who are currently committed or gone on to play college hockey at over 80. The remaining underclassman who are not committed as of the time of this article are being heavily recruited. The team will regroup after playing for their respective high schools and resume play in early March. The Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles will prepare to defend the New York State Championship for the 4th consecutive year and return to the USA National Championship which will be held in Marlboro, Massachusetts. The teams focus is to develop each players skill set to prepare them to play college hockey, provide exceptional exposure to the colleges, have fun, and to play championship hockey.
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he Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles Girl’s 19U team coached by Scott Welch is the highest ranked girl’s team in New York and ranked 13th in the United States. The Niagara team was the only team from New York to advance to the Medal Round of the East Coast Wizards Holiday Tournament held in Boston, finishing 2nd overall. The team has an overall record of 22-8-2. For the 3rd consecutive year, every senior is committed to play college hockey: • Ciara Barone-Providence College • Jada Brenon-Holy Cross • Morgan Bronstein-Trinity College • Gabby DeMeo- Nazareth College • Rene Gangarosa-Penn State University • Emily Kromer- Nazareth College • Taylor Pietrowski-Cornell University • Holly Schmelzer-Plattsburgh State
Photos show Holly Schmelzer playing for Williamsville High School and E. Kromer and DeMeo playing for Frontier/LakeShore/Orchard Park of the WNYGVIH League. (Story provided by Coach Scott Welch; photos by Janet Schultz)
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OTHER AREA NOTES: • Holy Cross senior Paul Berrafato (right) (Williamsville) was named Atlantic Hockey Goalie of the Month in Nov. He was 2-1-3 in conference games and led all Atlantic Hockey goalies in minutes played (556:41), goals against average (2.37), and save percentage (0.918). • Orchard Park native Griffin Loughran of Fargo in the USHL has committed to play at Northern Michigan in Fall 2018. • Amherst native and lineman Fraser McIntyre is among seven Americans chosen to work men’s games at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Dina Allen (North Tonawanda) will referee women’s games.
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Travel try-out dates for the 2018-2019 season are as follows: March 27-29, 2018 for 12U, 10U, Girls 10&12U April 11-13, 2018 for 14U, 15U, 16U, 18U and Girls 14-19U Travel Coaches will be posted on our website in February 2018 Exact date and times can be found on our website at www. amherstyouthhockey.org or our Facebook page. Tryout cost is $20.00 and all players coming from another Association must bring a NYS Release. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to call our association at (716) 631-0850.