March 2015

NY HOCKEY

E-MAGAZINE ECC TAKES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

MARCH 2015

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 6

MASSENA HS GIRLS STATE CHAMPS!

Inside:

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In This Issue: NYS Girls Championship..................5 Empire State Games..........................6 NY Draft..................................................7 Janosz Goaltending...........................8 Coaching with Gridley................... 11 Central New York............................. 12 Hockey & Girl Scouts...................... 18 Eastern New York............................. 19 Nystrom, Bitetto............................... 20 North.................................................... 24 Massena Champs............................ 25 Sabres Welcome Massena............ 26 Beekmantown.................................. 31 Thousand Islands............................. 32 Western NY........................................ 34 WNGVIH.............................................. 34 ECC National Champs.................... 36 Skate Ahead...................................... 38 Iroquois Hockey............................... 40 Overcoming Obstacles.................. 41 Buffalo Stars Beat............................ 43 Lockport Express...................... 44, 52 WNY Club Champs.......................... 49 Regals Review................................... 53 GLGHL.................................................. 54 Nichols................................................. 56 WNY Section VI Fed........................ 57 Photo Pages....................................... 60

Dear Readers: As we drift from February to March baseball’s spring training is upon us. What that means to hockey fans is that the playoff season is in full swing.

Some championships have already been determined. The cover of the March issue of NY Hockey OnLine Magazine is evident of that with the Erie Community College Kats championship.

The girls State High School Championships have also concluded with Massena winning their first title. As we went to press the boy’s high school championship trail was halfway home to its final destination in Utica.

Janet, Koz and I will be on hand as the high schools and four-year colleges and universities continue their “March” (sorry, no pun intended) to their respective titles. Regional tournaments will also be going on.

Photos from many of the different title games are featured in this issue. Janet also wanted me to tell you that more photos will be featured in future issues of the magazine.

Columnists Bob Janosz and Chuck Gridley are back with their informative monthly columns. Koz and Janet provide you with their monthly reports of the men’s and women’s college hockey scene.

The March issue also has features on a Girl Scout connection with hockey, the newest Buffalo Sabre who hails from Massena and the new Lockport Express team that will be hosting a playoff series in its initial campaign.

As always, keep sending us your stories and photos. We appreciate those who have contributed in the past and it seems as though the contributions continue to grow each month.

Please remember to pass the magazine along to all of your members. Our success is based on views and you can help make to keep those numbers growing each month.

Best Wishes and Good Luck to all of you who are involved in the playoff run.

Randy Schultz Publisher/Managing Editor NY Hockey OnLine

NY Hockey On-Line (E-Magazine) 3663 Irish Road Wilson, New York 14172 716-751-6524 nyhockeyonline@ nyhockeyonline.com

Columnists Warren Kozireski, Wkozires@brockport.edu Janet Schultz Randy Schultz Rob Sedia Chuck Gridley

Publisher &Managing Editor Randy Schultz Randy@nyhockeyonline.com

NY Hockey OnLine is an equal opportunity employer.

Contents 2014-15 NY Hockey Online All rights reserved

Designer/Photographer Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com

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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Around New York State / Page 4

Photos by Janet Schultz; Janet@nyhockeyonline.com

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Around New York State / Page 5 Two first period goals was all that the Kenmore Devildogs needed as they defeated the Thousand Islands/Alexandria Bay Lady Islanders, 2-1 Friday night. With the win Kenmore would play in the championship game for the 2015 New York State Girls High School Ice Hockey Championships being hosted at Harborcenter.

Ana Orzechowski opened the scoring for Kenmore with an unassisted goal at the 1:32 mark of the first period. They increased their lead, 2-0, less than seven minutes later when Taylor Story scored. Lina Mirabella assisted on the goal.

Alex Bay closed the gap to 2-1 with 25 seconds

K

Massena High -- 2015 NYS Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Champions

yrsten Stone is only a 10th grader playing girls high school hockey. She is also one of the smaller players on the Massena High School girl’s team.

But on Saturday afternoon she stood tall in the nets for Massena as she led her team to victory over Kenmore, 3-0, and winning their first New York State Girls High School Ice Hockey Championship.

In six periods of hockey during the two-day championship series, Stone gave up only one goal, that coming in Massena’s first game of the series against Beekmantown.

Massena opened the scoring in the first period.

Amber Thomas scored at the 1:28 mark giving Massena an early 1-0 lead. Molly O’Connell assisted on the goal.

Following a scoreless second period, Massena increased their lead, 2-0, in the third period on a goal

by Amber Thomas. Bailey Dillabough assisted on the goal.

Massena rounded out the scoring late in the period on an empty net goal by K.C. Herne.

The tournament opened on Friday, February 6 at HarborCenter in Buffalo with Alexandria Bay/Thousand Islands taking on Kenmore.

remaining in the opening period when Miranda Kolb scored. Sydney Aubertine assisted on the goal.

Up next it was Massena taking on Beekmantown.

Despite an early goal in the third period by Beekmantown’s Kallie Villemaire, it was not enough as the Massena Red Raiders defeated Lady Eagles, 2-1 in the second game of the 2015 New York State Girls High School Ice Hockey Championships .

Massena opened their lead in the second period, 2-0 on a goal by Abbey Paquin. Emily Wilmhurst and Mia Jermano assisted on the goal at 4:32.

Massena opened up the scoring late in the first period on a goal by defenseman, Bailey Thomas. Assists on the goal went to K. C. Herne and Abbie Paquin.

With the win Massena advanced to the Championship game against the Kenmore Devildogs, and the Championship.

This was Massena’s first appearance in the Championships. The program is in its eighth year.

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ESWG Report:

NYC and Hamburg Hawks Take the Gold!

T

he Empire State Winter Games are the closest thing NYS has to its own Olympics. And for women in ice hockey, it’s one of the biggest competitions they compete in.

The teams are made up of women from each region of the State. Over the years the West and North have dominated the Hudson Valley and NYC regions.

This year proved to be different.

New York City took the gold back to the City.

It was a historical weekend for these women.

They don’t have the opportunity to play together as in the other regions, and in many cases they are slightly older than their competition. A lot of this is due to cost and the less number of players.

The women in NYC that want to play at a higher level travel out of the city so they have the oppor-

Around New York State / Page 6 tunity to play against their northern counterparts. Despite all this, their determination, perseverance, desire and character; plus passion for the game, drive them to compete.

When they took to the ice in their first game versus Hudson Valley in the first game, they also knew it could be there last.

Hudson Valley took the lead early and for most it seemed that would be the story of the game; given NYC history.

However, these women did not let history determine their outcome. They used their skill and passion take over.

They tied the game and then took the lead 2-1.

They took two penalities and Hudson Valley pulled their goalie for an extra attacker but NYC held their lead. Coach Mark DeSimone and his staff set strategy and the players did the rest. NY scored on the open net and then maintained a 3-1 victory to move them on.

Once they got on the move, they were unstoppable winning all of their contests that weekend.

The Games opened with Adirondack tying Central 1-1. Eleven games were played on Saturday with New York City winning all 8 of their games. Adirondack went 1-2-1; Central, 1-1-2; West 2-2-1 and Hudson Valley four losses.

That set up the semi-finals to pit New York City against Adirondack and Central against WNY. NYC and WNY were victorious and headed into the Gold Medal Game.

NYC beat the West 7-3 and took home their first gold medal. WNY took the silver and Central the bronze.

Team NY is made up of six girls from Brooklyn, one from Staten Island, three from Queens, six from

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Around New York/ Page 7

Manhattan and three from the Bronx.

For the first time in EMSWG there was a 12U division.

Teams from Saranac Lake, Potsdam, CNY Bobcats, Rochester, Chazy, and Hamburg competed.

The semis put Hamburg beating Chazy 7-1 and the Rochester Edge beating Potsdam 2-1. In the Bronze game Potsdam beat Chazy 4-3.

The Gold Medal game found two WNY teams pitted against each other with Hamburg beating the Edge 9-3 for the victory.

Four NYer’s Make Mid-Year Draft List Greenway, Bracco, Cecconig

A

By Warren Kozireski

year after Syracuse native Alex Tuch and Mahopac’s Sonny Milano were first round NHL draft picks, there are four more who hope their name is called when the 2015 National Hockey League Entry Draft is held June 26-27 in Miami.

If the projections hold, none will be called on Day One of the draft, but Day Two should rove fruitful in pursuit of their hockey dream.

Potsdam native Jordan Greenway is the top-ranked from New York State at 22nd among North American skaters. The 6’5”, 222 lb. forward is currently skating for the U.S. National Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he had two goals with 11 assists and was a +10 in just 11 games.

Teammate Jeremy Bracco of Freeport is ranked 36th among North American skaters. The 5’9”, 173 lb. forward was tied for the team lead with ten goals, led the team in plus/ minus at +14 and stood third with 20 points over 13 games.

Defenseman Joseph Cecconi is ranked 70th The 6’2”, 205 lb. native of Youngstown had two goals and nine assists through the first 45 games this season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL.

And Williamsville’s Dennis Gilbert is ranked 72nd. Playing for the Chicago Steel, the defenseman had three goals with 14 assists and 75 penalty minutes in 42 games. The Buffalo Jr Sabres product stands 6’2, 195 lb. and is the nephew of Buffalo Sabres Vice President of Public and Community Relations Michael Gilbert.

Greenway is rated an “A” player by NHL Central Scouting meaning he is projected as a potential first round selection. Bracco and Cecconi are both listed as “B” players, which projects to a second or third round choice and Gilbert is “C”, which means a fourth, fifth or sixth rounder.

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J A N O S Z G O A L T E N D I N G

HANDLING THE PUCK

By Bob Janosz

H

andling the puck is an important but often overlooked skill for goaltenders in today’s game. This is an area of weakness for the majority of youth level goaltenders. They either leave too many rims or turn the puck over too much. In many cases coaches get frustrated with the turnovers so they discourage the goalie from handling the puck. This can lead to a lack of confidence and skill as goalie moves up to the higher levels. In this article I will give some simple tips to help effectively move the puck.

PHILOSOPHY- The goaltenders job is to help start the breakout by “setting” the puck for a defenseman or by “moving” it to an open teammate. The goaltender doesn’t necessarily require a great shot to be a proficient puck handler but it does make life easier on clears and rims. For the most part the goaltender will be making a short pass to their defenseman in the corner or winger on the half wall.

APPROACH- The goaltender should start just inside the top of the crease and anticipate; not cheat, as the player approaches center ice. Being too aggressive will lead to a greater distance to travel.

Being too deep will cause the goaltender to lose speed by having to rotate too much to get behind the net. I like either the continuous T-Push or Tpush to C-cut as the best method of getting behind the net quickly.

D TO CORNERS- The defensemen should make them self available for a pass in each corner whenever possible. A common mistake is that the defensemen follow the attacking fore checker and they DO NOT make themselves available for a pass. This limits the goaltenders options. The defensemen should also skate back HARD to allow the goaltender (and themselves) more time to make a play.

FACE UP ICE- The goaltender should strive to face up ice whenever possible. Obviously this will make reading the fore check much easier. If the goaltender does not have enough time to complete-

Janosz Goaltending / Page 8 ly face-up ice they should at least rotate enough to be able to see both walls. The goaltender should also look over their shoulder AS they are going back to stop the puck and not AFTER they stop the puck. Most teams send 2 fore-checkers hard with the 3rd forward trying to take away the strong side half wall.

Diagram- Typical fore-check.

1. Backhand side- Try to stop the puck with one or two hands with the top hand being on the butt end to be able to move the puck quicker. Pull the puck off the boards and face up ice when possible.

2. Forehand side- Stop the puck with one or two hands at the butt-end and face up ice.

COMMUNICATION- it is imperative for the goaltender and defensemen to have simple cues to help in the decision making process. Every team may have their own system but some common cues are: PLAY IT, LEAVE IT, RIM IT, OVER or by simply calling the goalies name if they are open.

1. Play It or Rim It- The goaltender plays the puck around to the winger or they shoot the puck high and hard to clear the zone. This is more of a last resort when there are limited options.

2. Leave it- The goaltender leaves the puck in a position where the defenseman can pick it up on his forehand.

3. Over or Reverse- The goaltender plays the puck to the opposite side that they are facing (usually a backhand pass).

4. Goalies Name- The defenseman that wants the puck and is open is the only player that calls for it. )I think this is the easiest system.

In summary, handling the puck is an important skill for the goaltender to possess. They can start the breakout and cut down on defensive zone time for their team. It was also help out their defenseman from receiving unnecessary body checks.

The keys are to have good communication with their teammates, read the fore check, and execute the safest play.

(Diagrams on next two pages)

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Janosz Goaltending/ Page 9

Diagrams 1. Goaltender faces up ice to read the fore-check.

J A N O S Z G O A L T E N D I N G

2. The goaltender faces up ice and passes to the D in the corner.

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Janosz Goaltending / Page 10

3. The goaltender plays the puck on his backhand. D calls “over” or “reverse”.

J A N O S Z G O A L T E N D I N G

4. The goaltender plays it around to the winger since both D are covered.

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“Quiet on the Bench”

I

Coaching with Gridley / Page 11

COACHING WITH CHUCK GRIDLEY

attended a college basketball game recently. The game was between two successful D-1 programs, with tremendously succross-ice passes. It takes cessful coaches. (The schools and tremendous patience the coaches will go unnamed). I New York District Coach in Chief sometimes to stay posiwas struck by the way that one of tive after yet another goal the coaches dealt with his players is scored against our team when they made a mistake. First because of a bad turnover. of all, they were immediately But next time this happens (and it will!) try an experiment. pulled from the game. The coach would then meet them at Stay calm, completely positive, and teach. See if this tactic the bench, get in their face, and yell at them ………loud and long. Most of the players who had to endure this did not is more effective than an aggressive, negative approach. look at the coach during these tirades. I would not presume Maybe the real solution is to say little, or nothing at all. to criticize this coach or his coaching style, it just made me I had the opportunity to sit behind the Yale bench during the wonder how effective these actions are in accomplishing Frozen Four Championship game game 2 years ago. I was struck by how little the desired effect.

First, lets agree that there are differences between Keith Allain said to his team during that game. Most coaching D-1 college basketball and youth sports. The youth coaches, including myself, tend to speak more than competition is different, as well as the ages of the players we need to on the bench. I think Keith, like many good and the expectations. But as coaches, we all understand coaches, has learned that practice is where we have the opwhat this college basketball coach is trying to accomplish. portunity to teach. When the puck drops, you need to trust He is trying to change a particular behavior. My very basic your players. Give them the space to be creative, and occasionally.......to make mistakes. question is this…does it work?

We all wrestle with finding ways to reach and teach our players. Anyone who has coached, or taught, or parented knows that kids are different from one to the next. What works for child A does not necessarily work for child B. Most of my research on this topic is anecdotal…it comes from coaching kids of all ages and all abilities. One thing that seems to be universal is that kids respond better to positive reinforcement than they do to negative. Watch a child who is being scolded. They usually curl up in an emotional ball, not hearing most of what’s being said to them.

Sometimes our actions are just a sign of our own frustration. We may have a defenseman who likes to make

Chuck Gridley NY District Coach in Chief

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CENTRAL NEW YORK

Congratulations Coaches Clausen & Dillon!

Utica Coach David Clausen on Your 200th Career Win! Oswego Coach Diane Dillon on Your 100th Career Win!

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Central Hockey / Page 13 named CHA Player of the Week and Grossi Rooki of the Week. Piacentini had 5 points in a 3 pt. weekend with 3 goals, breaking the school record.

Alysha Burris received CHA Rookie of the Week honors on February 23 for her 2 goals in a 4-1 win over RIT. Graduating this season are Nikki Kieffer (Rome/Lysander), Nicole Schwartz, Marissa McNamara (Camillus/Lysander), Louise Steele-Norton, Samathan Pucci (Pearl River), Madison Christoff and Kelsey Dowdall.

Central New York Women’s College Hockey Report

by Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com

Utica Congratulations to Head Coach Dave Clausen on his 200th career win. It came at the hands of the Buffalo State Bengals when the Pioneers got the overtime winner in a 3-2 game. Utica also seeded fourth in the ECAC West and faces Buffalo in the first round of the playoffs at press time.

Utica went 10-10-5 overall and 7-7-4 in the ECAC West.

Syracuse

Stephanie Grossi was named CHA Rookie of the Month for January as she leads the team in points with 24. She also leads the CHA in assists with 16 and had 7 points in 8 games in January. She received the same honor in November and on January 9 was named CHA Rookie of the Week. Grossi is second in the CHA in +/- with a plus -12 rating and has 24 points which is fifth in the nation.

On February 16 Melissa Piacentini was

Colgate

Colgate closed out its season with a 5-3 loss to RPI. They went 7-25-3 overall and 4-16-2 in the conference.

Melissa Kuber closed out her college career with a team-high 11 goals this season.

Honored as they played their final game were Seniors Susan Allen (Rochester), Taylor Craig, Miriam Drubel, Katie Case, Melissa Kuber and Brittany Brooks.

Elmira

The Soaring Eagles Kelly Crawford was named ECAC West Goalie of the Week for February 9 with a ca-

reer high 26 saves in a 5-0 shutout of Buffalo.

Elmira ends the season with a perfect win record 7-0-0 and the nations top winning percentage of 1.000. The Soaring Eagles also got their 300th win in program history following a 6-2 win over William Smith.

Cassidy Delainey was named EC Athlete of the Week after leading the team to the win over William Smith. She had 3 goals and 2 assists; both goals were winning goals. She also was named ECAC West Player of the Week February 23 after leading the team to a win over Oswego with 4 pts. on the weekend with 3 goals, one a powerplay; and 15 powerplay goals on the season.

Honors were numerous at Elmira with Ashton Hogan being named ECAC West Player of the Week on February 16; Ashley Ryan getting EC Athlete of the Week February 23 and Kyle Nelson receiving ECAC West Goaltender of the Month on February 23.

Elmira will host the ECAC West Semi-finals. They received a bye as first seed. Elmira is 23-1-1 overall and 18-0-0 in the conference. They took the ECAC West Conference title outright for the first time since 2008-09.

Elmira is #1 in the nation according to USCHO and D3hockey. com Buffalo’s Rachel Gramp was named to the ECAC West All Rookie Team.

The Soaring Eagles will graduate Erin Weston, Lind-

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www.nyhockeyonline.com say Buffows, Ashley Ryan (Rochester), Cassidy Delainey, Ashton Hogan, Brooke Wilgosh and Marissa Mongillo.

Oswego The Oswego State women’s ice hockey team defeated Stevenson University 2-0 giving Head Coach Diane Dillon her 100th career win.

Dillon has been head coach of the team ever since its reboot in 2006.

With that win the Lakers capped another milestone, eclipsing its 16 regular season wins from last year by improving to 17.

The Lakers also were recognized by the ECAC West as Alli Ulrich received ECAC Player of the Week honors on February 2. She had 6 pts. in two games vs.

Buffalo State and Olivia Ellis was named Rookie of the Week for a 5 pt. weekend against the Bengals.

On February 16 Ellis was named Rookie of the Week once again; this time for 3 pts. in the Stevenson win.

Named to All Conference ECAC West was Bridget Smith, First Team; Olivia Ellis, Honor roll plus All Rookie Team and Alli Ulrich was named to the honor roll.

Oswego plays #6 seed Cortland in the ECAC W Quarterfinals.

Hamburg’s Bridget Smith will graduate this season.

Cortland

Cortland clinched its first ever ECAC West playoff berth with a 3-2 win over William Smith, in its inaugural season. They face Oswego in the first round of playoffs.

Deanna Meunier was named ECAC West Goaltender of the Week for her second shutout of the season. This time she stoppedd 32 shots in a 1-0 win over Buffalo State.

Graduating from the program are Chelsie Hausberger (West Seneca/Buffalo Bisons); Given Paul and Abbie Adams

Central Hockey / Page 14 (Potsdam).

Cornell Ending the regular season with a 16-19-3 overall; 14-6-2 conference record, the Big Red will face St. Lawrence in the quarterfinals of the ECAC DI hockey program. They have home ice advantage.

Honors continue for the team with Jillian Saulnier named ECAC Player of the Week on February 3 and also nominated for the Patty Kazimeier Award.

Brianne Jenner was named ECAC Player of the Month for January and ECAC Player of the Year for leading the conference in points with 14 goals/31 assists. She was named to First Team All Ivy Team.

On February 20 Emily Fulton garnered Player of the Week honors for 5 goals and 2 assist in 3 games.

Erin O[Connor received Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors as she led the freshmen in the conference with 7 goals and 18 assists. She had 4 powerplay goals and 11 powerplay points; placing 6th among DI blueliners in points. She was also named the 2nd Team All Ivy. Cornell bids farewell to Seniors Jenner, Saulnier and Emily Fulton.

Hamilton

Hamilton secured a playoff berth in the NESCAC playoffs after a 2-1 win over Colby. They went 10-9-4 overall and 4-8-3 in the NESCAC. Sam Walther was named NESCAC Goaltender of the Week on February 16 with a .979 and 0.48 GAA. She went 1-0-1 on the weekend against Bowdoin College; which included a 2-0 shutout on the second night.

Walther is second in the conference with a 1.83 GAA and tenth with a .931save%.

Hamilton will face Middlebury in the quarterfinals.

Congratulations goes to Seniors Courtney Power and Sara Schuchardt.

(Continued from page 17)

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Central Men’s College Ice Hockey Report

by Warren Kozireski Wkozires@brockport.edu

BROOME CCC A 12-6-0 regular season record gave the Hornets the third seed for the national championships, but their season ended with a 7-0 loss to second-seed and defending champion Williston State in the semi-finals.

Cory Della Stua finished with 50 points in 22 games to lead the team and finish second in the nation.

Next year should be a good one with just seven sophomores departing and 20 freshmen back including all of the goaltenders.

COLGATE The Raiders entered the final weekend of the regular season with a chance to earn a first-round bye. Colgate is tied with Harvard for the fourth and final firstround bye, but Harvard owns the tiebreaker by way of head-to-head results. They had secured playing the first round at home if needed.

The Raider honored seniors Brendan Corcoran, Spiro Goulakos, Daniel Gentzler, John Lidgett, Brooks Herrington and Joe Wilson (East Syracuse) prior to their Feb. 21 game against RPI. “It was a little emotional seeing my classmates skating up to their families,” Wilson said. “All the years playing here have been great and all the aunts, uncles and friends here, it was pretty special. It’s been special playing in these (ECAC) rinks. Obviously I’d like the keep playing (after the season), but right now I’m focused on

Central Hockey / Page 15 this season and graduating—I’m on track.”

Sophomore goaltender Charlie Finn leads the nation with six shutouts and tied Mark Dekanich (200607) for the team record for shutouts in a season.

Since the start of the 2012-13 season, Colgate is 352-5 when holding the lead after two periods.

CORNELL The Big Red clinched at least home ice for the first round of the ECAC Hockey Championships. The Big Red is also still in the hunt for one of the league’s coveted top four spots, which leads to a first-round bye.

With two games remaining in the regular season, Cornell trails thirdplace Yale by four points and fourthplace Colgate and Harvard by three points apiece — though the Big Red owns the individual tiebreaker with both of those teams.

The Big Red is second in the nation with a 90.2 percent success rate on the penalty kill, trailing just Bowling Green (91.6 pct.). Within that number is an impressive streak against two-man disadvantages.

Cornell entered the next-to-last weekend of the regular season a perfect 20-for-20 killing off three-on-five scenarios over the last three seasons, spanning a total of 18 minutes, 25 seconds.

Freshman fourth-line forward Jared Fiegl scored his first collegiate goal with 3 minutes, 59 seconds remaining in the third period to help Cornell salvage a 3-3 tie at Harvard Feb. 14.

CORTLAND The Red Dragons had just three conference wins and missed the postseason for the seventh consecutive year.

Senior Nick Zappia (Manlius scored twice Feb. 6 to reach the career 100-point mark. His collegiate totals of 55 goals and 45 assists make him the 11th player in school history to reach the century point mark, and he ranks third at Cortland in career goals scored. He was named SUNYAC Player of the Week after his four goal weekend.

Cortland’s four seniors—Kevin Antonik (Central Islip), Michael Mar-

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www.nyhockeyonline.com kowitz (Staten Island), Jeff Vanzant and Nick Zappia (Manlius)—were honored prior to the final home game. Zappia, who entered the game as Div. III’s leading point and goal scorer, had a 26-game pointscoring streak dating back to last season snapped and finished his career sixth in scoring at Cortland with 109 points on 58 goals and 51 assists.

ELMIRA

Defending champ finished in fourth place in the ECAC West and earned a home first round playoff game against Utica.

Jarryd ten Vaanholt led the team in goals (12), assists (22) and points (34).

HAMILTON A 7-7-1 conference record put the Continentals in sixth place in NESCAC and a quarterfinal playoff game at Connecticut College, a team they beat twice during the regular season.

Robbie Murden led the team in goals and assists.

HOBART The Statesmen finished the regular season in first place, the No. 1 seed in the ECAC West tournament and received a first round bye. After finishing the regular-season with a 19-6-0 overall record and a 12-3-0 mark in conference play, the Statesmen headline a six-team field that began quarterfinal play on Feb. 23 followed by semifinals on Feb. 26 and the championship on Sat. March 7 at the highest remaining seed.

Brad Robbins and Frank Opinger were named ECAC West Player and Goaltender of the Week respectively Feb. 16. Robbins had the game-winning goal while Opinger two shutouts over the weekend.

MOHAWK VALLEY CC

Central Hockey / Page 16

MORRISVILLE The Mustangs finished 5-9-2 and in seventh place in the tight SUNYAC. Going only 3-6 over the second half of the conference schedule sealed their fate.

The team loses four seniors in Robert Molinaro (Yonkers), Matthew Beer, Alex Lewis and Eric Geertz (Penn Yan)—all forwards—who combined for 17 goals and 19 assists.

OSWEGO The Lakers relinquished their SUNYAC regular season crown o the final day of the regular season with a loss to Potsdam combined with a Plattsburgh win. They still earned a first round playoff bye and will host the second lowest seed in the quarterfinals.

Sophomore sniper Shawn Hulshof led the team with 19 goals and 40 points. His goal total stood tied for fourth in the nation. Classmate Alex Botten was tied for second nationally in assists per game.

The Lakers head into the postseason with the third best offense (4.67 gpg) and the 12th best defense (2.21 gpg).

UTICA The Pioneers earned the No. 5 seed in the ECAC West Conference Tournament and traveled to No. 4 Elmira College for first round action.

Defenseman Vinny Stefan was named the ECAC Men’s West Conference Rookie of the Week for the first time in his career Feb. 2 after he totaled three assists over two games at Manhattanville.

Freshman defender Dalton Carter was named the ECAC West Rookie of the Week on Feb. 16—his second appearance as the Conference’s rookie of the week—after he scored twice and added three assists over two games.

Freshman Kollin Schultz (Buffalo) scored his first collegiate goal Feb. 7 versus Hobart in just his second career game.

The team allowed 112 goals while scoring only 23 on their way to a 6-13-1 record, but winless in 2015.

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Central News & Notes Elmira Jackals News and Notes:

Peewee travel tryouts are scheduled for 3/10/153/12/15. All players born in 2003 or 2004 that would like to play on the travel team are welcome to attend. Tryouts for other levels will be held in April- stay tuned for more information. Check the website for all the details.

Anyone interested in coaching for the 2015-16 season should go to our website and complete an online Coaching Application ASAP. You can find the form under ‘Online Forms’ in the vertical menu on the left hand side of our home page.

SAVE THE DATE: Our end of year banquet (for Mites and above) will be on Monday, March 16 at 6:00pm.

Snowbelt John Abbott Memorial JAM Winners Squirts: Midstate Blue, Auburn White, Rome 1, Cortland Red, Valley 2, Elmira Red, Corning, Geneva, Rome 2.

PeeWee: Auburn, Binghamton White, Rome Red, Camillus 1, Onondaga, Binghamton Red, Midstate, Center State.

(Women’s College continued from Page 14)

William Smith

As they close out their Inaugural Season, William Smith had two players recognized for their achievements in February.

Maggie Salmon was named ECAC West Co-Rookie of the Week after stopping 89 of 90 shots on goal in a 1-1-0 weekend against Cortland.

Rebecca Begley was named to the ECAC West Honor Roll with a team record high 3 pts. with 1 goal and 2 assists versus Cortland.

She was also named to the ECAC West All-Rookie Team as she led defenders with 8 points.

Central Hockey / Page 17 Bantam: Oswego, Salmon River, Thousand Islands, Geneve, Whitestown.

Midget A: Camillus 2 Midget B: Mohawk Valley Midget C: Lysander Congratulations to All.

Around Central New York... ...The Valley Squirt 05 team came within one goal of winning the Jamestown Cup over MLK Day weekend. They lost to the Buffalo Saints. ...The New Hartford Squirt A team won 2 and lost 1 at the Jimmy Welch Tournament. They first faced and beat Worcester; then lost 6-3 to the Rattlers and then beat the CT Riverhawks 3-1 in the third round. They faced the Berkshire Rattlers in the Championship game losing and bringing home second place. ...The Rome Pee Wee Blue took first place in the Snowbelt Pee Wee Division. ...Taking Sportsmanship Awards for Fair Play Points in the Snowbelt League were Camillus 1, Rome 1, Lysander 1, Oswego White 1, Lysander 2 and Valley 1. ...Baldwinsville defeated West Genesee High School 5-0 in Section III, Division I semi-finals. This is Baldwinsville first title in the school’s history and West Genesee has been the Champion for seven years. A major upset!

William Smith went 3-20-1 overall with their best stretch late in the season against #1 Elmira (a goal in the third); #9 Oswego (tied going into third period) and #6 Cortland (a 4-0 win).

After their first year, we will see the return of these players for the 2015-16 season.

Last Minute Central College News: ...Rachel Lenard (Buffalo)had two goals for Oswego to take them to the semi-finals in ECAC West play.

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Central Hockey / Page 18

Hockey + Girl Scouts = SUCCESS!

by Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com

W

hen you’re involved in several activities, you may have to match a couple together to accomplish a goal.

That was true for Oswego’s Julia Roman. Julia is a hockey player and a Girl Scout, among other things.

In order to achieve her Girl Scout Silver Award she needed to complete a special project. The requirements included identifying issues she cared about, decide on whether to do it alone or with a team, explore the community, pick the project, make and plan and put it into motion and then reflect, share the story and celebrate the accomplishment.

Julia’s mom, Lisa had run the Girls Power Tournament in Oswego for the past four years. With Mom’s encouragement and guidance Julia made the Tournament her project.

“I had to contact the vendors, set up the pizza party at the Oswego Women’s College game, prepare goody bags for the participants and I announced the winners,” said Julia.

Four years ago they started with four teams. This season 18 teams from all over New York State headed to Oswego January 30 through February 1 for the competition.

“I love hockey,” said Julia, who has been playing since she was four years old.

“My brother played and I can’t remember when I didn’t like it,” she continued.

She played with the boys for a while and as she grew older her Dad, Tom, formed a girls team, which he also coached.

“It’s never the same old thing; there’s always something different going on,” she explains. “I like the skating, scoring and the fun and high energy of the game.

“You also have to think,” said Julia.

She favors the Montreal Canadians and the Dallas Stars with Oswego’s Erik Cole.

Outside hockey, the 7th grader is also a soccer and lacrosse player, she plays the violin and dances, runs track and field and in the summer you may find her at the nearest golf course.

“I’d like to play college hockey someday,” said Julia.

“I just want to keep getting better and play at the best level I can.”

Julia has two hockey-playing brothers, Neil, 11 and Lou 8. They both play in the Oswego Hockey Association.

Julia is truly another example of how hockey shapes and molds our youth and how they can incorporate hockey into many aspects of their life.

So Julia, we reflected and shared your story. Now celebrate your accomplishments!

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East Hockey

2015 ESWG ChampS!

Congratulations NYC Women!

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Game at Nassau Means Many Things to Nystrom, Bitetto

East Hockey / Page 20 Bob, won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders as a player in the 1980s.

“There are a couple pictures of me, I could barely even walk, and I was out there on the ice with my sister,” Nystrom said of his first skate at Nassau. “I remember coming with my Dad early in the morning and just me and him would have the ice.”

Nystrom has played in front of his father and family as a visitor on several occasions before, and shown the ability to produce dramatic moments. Losing the chance to play in a venue where his father is held in such high regard won’t be easy, according to the winger.

“It’s a little sad to know what the future holds,” said Nystrom. “I scored in my first game here, that was pretty special. That’s kind of a storybook. I think my first game on the Island, I had an entire section of family here. To score a goal was quite the thrill. Whenever I play here it brings back good memories and a lot of good feelings. I’m happy to be back.”

The impact of four-consecutive championships for the Islanders has expounded outside of the Nystrom family too. Nystrom said there’s reason to believe that the play of his father and the Islanders in the 1980s has led to players like his teammate Bitetto playing in the NHL. “I think part of it is those teams that won the Cups, the kids that are making the NHL, it’s their parents that lived

By Thomas Willis - NashvillePredators.com (@TomAWillis)

H

ockey is a sport rich with tradition. And as historic games from decades past are recounted, it’s often the old and even retired arenas hosting those contests that are reflected on with an equal level of nostalgia.

That’s why when a hockey venue, like Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, hosts its final season there are a plethora of touching memories and stories that come to the forefront.

Playing against the New York Islanders at Nassau before the team moves to Brooklyn for the start of the 201516 campaign is a regular season game full of significance for Nashville Predators players and Long Island natives, forward Eric Nystrom and defenseman Anthony Bitetto.

For Nystrom, facing the Islanders on Thursday stands as the closing of a chapter that spans two generations, while for Bitetto, the game is a new beginning.

Nystrom grew up on the Island while his father,

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East Hockey / Page 21

through that era,” Nystrom said. “That kind of put Long Island on the map as a hockey city. There’s been some great coaches in the youth hockey programs here. It’s amazing to see, we have another Long Island kid on our team, who’s up. It’s great to see Long Island kids making it to the NHL.” Thursday, Bitetto will be experiencing what Nystrom did years ago: The opportunity to play in front of family and friends at a venue filled with emotions and memories significant to him since childhood.

“I lived 15-20 minutes away from here, so getting to play an Islanders team you watched growing up, it’s going to be a special game,” Bitetto said. “It’ll be special having my family here and there will be a ton of fans. It’s going to be a moment that you dreamt of as a little kid - coming back and playing here. This could be the Preds’ last game in this building, you never know. It’s going to be one that I remember for my [whole] life.”

In years past, Bitetto not only attend games at Nassau as a rival New York Rangers fan, but skated during intermission programs as a youth hockey player.

“I was actually walking over from the Marriott with [Seth] Jones and I said: ‘it hasn’t changed. I remember all this from when I was coming and watching them.’ It’s a special feeling and coming down the same escalator I did however many years ago, it’s going to be pretty special tonight.”

The Islanders and Predators have met on the Island less than 10 times over the Preds 17 years as a franchise, resulting in a long list of meaningful angles when they do. Thursday’s contest will be no different.

The Predators and Islanders first meeting of the 201415 season will be a pretty emotional night for both Bitetto and Nystrom, let alone the fact that it’ll feature two division leaders squaring off and Nashville Head Coach Peter Laviolette’s return (the bench boss spent two seasons as the Islanders head coach from 2001 to 2003).

“It’s exciting that we’re a first place team and they’re a first place team,” Nystrom said. “To be a part of that is great for both organizations...It’s going to be a huge game for both teams.”

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Eastern New York Men’s College Hockey Report

by Warren Kozireski

Wkozires@brockport.edu

ARMY The Black Knights will be on the road for the first round of the Atlantic Hockey Conference playoffs at Sacred Heart on the weekend of March 6-8.

Freshman Tyler Pham stood atop the team scoring chart with two games remaining in the regular season with eight goals and 18 assists in his bid for the conference All-Rookie team.

Goaltender Parker Gahagen (Buffalo) has had a career-best season with five of the team’s seven wins, a .911 save percentage and 2.98 goals against average.

Mike Preston scored his first collegiate goal in a 2- 1 win Feb. 14 versus Canisius.

HUDSON VALLEY CC The Vikings finished the season 3-102 and missed out on the postseason.

Three of their top scorers finished their eligibility in defenseman Nick

East Hockey / Page 22 Dennis (Latham) and forwards Nick Carrizzo (Fishkill) and Matt deMoulpied (Clifton Park), but leading scorer Brandon Doherty (Hopewell Junction) should return.

MANHATTANVILLE The Valiants were winless since Jan. 23 and finished last in the ECAC West and traveled to Nazareth for a first round playoff game.

The team failed to have a player score ten or more goals in a season for the first time since at least the 1999-2000 campaign.

Teagan Waugh finished with nine goals and Stephen Gaul had eight.

R.P.I. The Engineers were winless in its last eight games (0-7-1) heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

They were likely to be headed to the road for a first round playoff series.

John Carter became the eighth inductee into the prestigious Hockey Ring of Honor on Feb. 14. A two-time national All-America and the second leading point producer in school history, Carter helped Rensselaer to the 1985 NCAA Championship 30 years ago.

RPI sophomore goaltender Jason Kasdorf was part of the seven-player deal in February going to Buffalo from the Winnipeg Jets.

“I’m really excited to be a part of the organization,” Kasdorf said.

“I’m trying to focus

on the rest of the regular season—we only have two games left in the regular season and then playoffs. Just trying to keep my focus here right now.”

UNION The Dutchmen had trouble scoring goals over the last weekends of the regular season being held to one goal or fewer in five consecutive games including three straight shutouts. The first shutout was their first in 98 games dating back to Nov. 2012. They were locked into a first round road playoff series in the ECAC. Senior forward Daniel Ciampini was named ECAC Hockey Player of the Month for January marking his second consecutive honor and third in his career. Ciampini’s January highlights included an NCAA season-high six-point effort (3-3) against Rensselaer in the Mayor’s Cup – which tied a school record for points in game – and surpassing the 100-point mark in career scoring.

He was also selected as the Hockey Commissioners’ Association National Division I Player of the Month.

Ciampini moved into elite company on Union’s all-time season and career lists. Ciampini’s 24 goals are the second-most in a season, while his 43 points rank fourth-best. The right winger has also moved into second place in career goals (61) and gamewinning goals (13).

Colin Stevens (Niskayuna) became the school’s winningest goaltender on Jan. 24 and shares the top spot with Kris Mayotte (2002-06) for

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East Hockey / Page 23

East Women’s College Report

by Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com

Union

career shutouts (10). Stevens’ career .923 save percentage is second-best in school history and his 2.16 career goalsagainst average rates third-lowest all-time.

OTHER AREA NOTES: ...Mercyhurst senior forward Matthew Zay (Glendale) was named Atlantic Hockey Association Player of the Week Feb. 15 after he led the Lakers in scoring with two goals and three assists in a two-game sweep of Niagara. ...In photo above: Capital District Mayor’s Cup Presentation (left-to-right): Union Hockey Players Rick Bennett, Charlie Vasaturo, Mike Vecchione, Sam Coatta accept the Capital District Mayor’s Cup from Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy. Union beat RPI 8-3.

(Photo credit: Trent Hermann/Carlyn Studios)

Shenae Lundberg had her 3,000 career save on Senior Day in a 4-0 loss to Cornell. She is the 21st NCAA women hockey player to make the 3,000 club.

Union honored Seniors Lundberg, Kelly McGrath, Bryanne Panchuk, Alex Tanorell-Fontaine, Haley Welch (Amherst/Buffalo Bisons) and Christine Valente.

Union ends their season 4-22-8 overall and 1-16-5 in league play.

RPI The Engineers defeated Colgate 5-3 on Senior Day. They also honored Kathryn Schilter, Ali Svoboda, Delaney Millbrook (Niagara University), Taylor Mahone, Marianne Walsh, Brianne Piper and Kelly O’Brein.

RPI ends the season 7-23-4 overall and 5-16-1 in conference play. They closed the season with a 5-3 loss to Colgate.

Manhattanville On February 2 Freshman Sara Sinning was named ECAC Rookie of the Week for her first career multi-goal game in a 5-4 OT win over the University of Massachusetts/Boston.

Kirsten Shaughnessy was named ECAC Goaltender of the Week February 23 for her 21 saves in a 2-0 shutout of St. Michaels.

The Valiants are in the top three seeds following a 2-0 win over St. Michaels and are hosting UMass/Boston in the Quarterfinals at press time.

They went 10-10-5 overall and 8-6-3 in the ECAC East play.

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North Hockey

2015 New York State Girls High School Varsity Champions -- MASSENA!

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Massena Takes Championship

The Massena Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Team brought home the Championship Trophy from Buffalo. They took the NYS Girls High School Ice Hockey Championship for the first time in the school’s history.

Getting there they first beat Canton in the Section X Quarterfinals pitting them against Potsdam, last year’s NYS cochampion. They beat Potsdam and began packing for Buffalo.

In Buffalo they faced Beekmantown, the NYS Champion from 2013.

Massena took the lead in the first period when Bailey Thomas scored. With 6 SOG for Beekmantown and 8 for Massena they moved to the second period leading 1-0.

Assists went to KC Herne and Abbie Paquin.

In the second period Massena’s Abbey Paduano put one in at the 4:32 mark, assisted by Emily Wilmshurst and Mia Jer-

North Hockey / Page 25

mano. The scored stayed as the buzzer rung, Massena up 2-0.

While it looked like Maddi Dillabough would get a shut out, Beekmantown’s Kallie Villemaire got one past her at 3:29 in the period and it ended Massena 2; Beekmantown 1. Massena now moved to the finals.

Massena faced Kenmore. Kenmore is a five-year old program and has made it to the NYS Championship three times.

In the first period Massena dropped in the first puck at 1:28, the goal going to Amber Thomas, assisted by Molly O’Connell.

First period ended Massena 1; Kenmore 0.

In the second, a period filled with penalities on both sides, the score remained 1-0 when the buzzer rang.

Massena dominated in the third adding two more goals.

The first from Thomas, assisted by Bailey Dillabough and the last an empty netter by Herne. Massena wins the Championship in a 3-0 shutout.

Krysten Stone was named Player of the Game in both games.

(Continued on Page 30)

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North Hockey / Page 26 If there is one other thing that Bogosian has never forgotten about his hometown is the weather.

“I owe a lot to my parents (Ike and Vicky Bogosian),” continued the veteran blue liner. “With three boys in the family, all of whom played hockey, my parents were on the road a lot.

“And we always seem to get a little bit more snow than other parts of the State do. So driving to games up there could be a bit of challenge at times.

“It’s a different world up there in that part of the State.

Massena, Canton and Potsdam all have their

By Randy Schultz own identities.

Randy@nyhockeyonline.com “And we used to travel to all of those towns of there. To strangers, that area seemed to always be out in the middle of nowhere.

“But to those of us who grew up there, it is great hockey country and is pretty special to us. Growing up so close to the Canadian boarder where hockey is a religion, hockey is very important to us.”

Road trips were special to Bogosian as a youngster.

“Being way up north the way we were, our road trips could take us anywhere from Massena to Albany one way and to the Oswego and Syracuse areas the other. We also travelled quite a bit up into Canada.

“We had some pretty good battles with teams from the Saratoga area. Those were always some great games.

“I even came to hockey tournaments that were held in Buffalo. That’s one reason coming here to Buffalo is special to me.

‘My godfather (West Seneca native and former Syracuse U. football star, Dennis Hartman) lives here.”

Following two years at Cushing Academy, Bogosian chose to go the Junior route, playing for the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League.

“I think that fit my style better as a player than going the college route,” commented Bogosian. “If I had to go back I would do it the same way all over again.”

Although he started out as a forward, he switched to defense when he was at the Squirt level.

Sabres Welcome Massena Native!

W

hen Zach Bogosian was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in early February it physically brought him about 1400 miles closer to his hometown of Massena. But in his mind it brought him home to the place where he saw his first NHL game in Buffalo’s First Niagara Center (then known as Marine Midland Arena).

“I was only about eight at the time,” recalled Bogosian.

“This arena has a special place in my heart when it comes to my hockey memories.”

Bogosian grew up in Massena, where he began playing hockey when he was three. He played there until he was 14 when he attended Cushing Academy in Massachusetts.

“I go back to Massena every summer,” stated the 24 year-old defenseman. “I still have a home there.

“I still have great memories of playing in the Massena Arena, where I played most of my youth hockey. I remember having basically the same coaches while I was playing and they were Mike Zapia and Bobby Smith.

“I still see them around town when I got back to visit.”

Bogosian admits that going back home is always special to him.

“I think I’ve always kept my feet on the ground and my head on my shoulders,” said Bogosian, who was the third overall pick of the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. “When I go home I don’t get treated like an NHL player.

“I like that. I like to be treated like everyone else and just be one of the guys.

“That is the great thing I like about Massena.”

(Continued on page 28)

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Northern New York Men’s College Hockey Report

by Warren Kozireski

Wkozires@brockport.edu

CANTON

North Hockey / Page 27

PLATTSBURGH With help from fellow North Country foe SUNY Potsdam who knocked off Oswego State, the Cardinals jumped past the Lakers by one point to win the SUNYAC regular season championship and lock up the No. 1 seed in the SUNYAC tournament.

It marks the Cardinals 22nd regular season title since the conference was formed in 1977-78.

POTSDAM

The Roos earned seven of the season total of eight victories during the The Bears defeated national top-ranked Oswego on the 2015 portion of the schedule. final day of the regular season to clinch a first round Eric Witzel led the team in goals (13) and points home playoff game against Buffalo State and cost the (27).

Lakers the SUNYAC regular season title. The victory Senior David Schneider finished his career with 18 was Potsdam’s first over Oswego in exactly six years goals over 50 games. The team will also need some (Feb. 21, 2009). The home postseason game is the first bodies on the blueline with seniors Logan McDougall for Potsdam since the 2007-08 cam(Saranac Lake) and Dave Ferris (Saratoga Springs) paign. also departing.

A 2-0 win over Fredonia Feb. 6 was Potsdam’s first at Fredonia since Nov. 4, 2006. Their 10 or wins is the first time in seven seasons.

CLARKSON Jon Hall (Dexter) and Dylan Vander Esch were Needing one point on the final weekend named SUNYAC Goaltender and Rookie of the Week of the regular season, the Golden Knights respectively Feb. 2 and again after Valentine’s weekenter the last two games with just one win in February. end. For Hall it marked the fourth and fifth time he Jeff DiNallo was named ECAC Player of the Week has been recognized this season while Vander Esch Feb. 6-7 with five points over two games. Included was named Rookie of the Week for the second and was a career-high four points on two goals and two third time in his career. Hall all 53 shots he faced in Potsdam’s 1-0 victory over Geneseo for his first career assists in a win over RPI. Defenseman Kelly Summers was named ECAC shutout and the Bears’ first in just over four years.

Rookie of the Week for the same period after he Freshman defenseman Kyle Thacker buried his notched a power-play marker in each game, and a ca- first collegiate goal—the game-winner Feb. 20 against Cortland. reer-high three points (1-2) in the win over RPI. (Continued on Page 28)

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North Hockey / Page 28

(Continued from Page 26)

“The coach asked me one game if I could switch to defense for the game,” remembered Bogosian. “I said ‘sure, no problem.’

“I was a defenseman the rest of my career.”

One other coach who had an influence on Bogosian was Hall of Fame defenseman, Raymond Bourque.

“He was a volunteer coach in my second year at Cushing,” said Bogosian. “You couldn’t help but learn from him.

“He taught me a lot.”

Does Bogosian have any advice for young hockey players looking to make hockey a career?

“A lot of kids play hockey all the time when they are growing up,” concluded Bogosian. “I played in three different sports when I was growing up.

“I think when you play other sports, it helps you with the sport that you want to be really good at. I think a lot of parents who look at players like me who made it to the NHL are like robots who play hockey 365 days a year.

“Just let a kid be a kid. Don’t put a lot of pressure on them.

“Competition is part of the game. But so is fun.

“And kids should have fun playing hockey.”

month, which ranked second in the nation and his 269 saves were second-best as well for all net-minders. He ST. LAWRENCE went 6-1-0 in league play and did not all more than At 14-5-1, the Saints earned a first round bye for the two goals in a game.

ECAC playoffs and will host the quarterfinals at least. Geneseo native and senior Justin Bruckel is finishThey have been one of the top teams in the nation with ing with his best season—two goals and nine assists in just three losses in the 2015 portion of the schedule 24 games. with two regular season games remaining.

Kyle Hayton was named ECAC Goaltender and Rookie of the Month for January after he recorded six wins in nine games (6-2-1) and to tie for the nation’s lead. He logged 546:03 minutes for the (Men’s Hockey Continued from Page 27)

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Potsdam

The Bears are 9-15-1 overall and 5-121 in conference play, ending their season.

Alison Greene was named to the ECAC West Honor Roll on February 2. She had a role in all the Bear’s games vs Middlebury and St. Michaels. Greene had the lone goal in a 7-1 loss at Middlebury and 2 goals and an assist in a 3-1 win over St. Michaels. She joined the Potsdam team in January and comes from Massena.

Jordan Ott (Hilton/Rochester Edge) was given an Honorable Mention for the All Eastern College Athletic Association West. She led with 10 goals/12 assists in 25 games and leads in game-winning goals with 3 and powerplay goals with 2.

Potsdam will say goodbye to Senior Izzy Fayerman.

North Hockey / Page 29

Northern New York Women’s College Hockey Report

by Janet Schultz Janet@ nyhockeyonline.com

Melissa Sheeran was named Co-Rookie of the Week on February 24 for contributing 4 of 7 goals in a 7-1 victory over Potsdam.

The Class of 2015 includes Lynbrook’s Alyssa Park, as well as Morgan McInnis, Shannon Stewart and Ally Ross.

St. Lawrence.

Clarkson

The Saints are seeded #10 and face Cornell in the first At press time Clarkson will be hosting game of the Quarterfinals in the ECAC. Dartmouth in the ECAC Quarterfinals. The closed out their season with a 19-10-5 overall Clarkson is the top seed, Dartmouth sits record and a 13-5-4 conference record. at eight.

Graduating are Amanda Bou Honors went to Genevieve Bannon on Feb. 22 for lier, Jessica Hon, Kayla Raniwsky, Jacbeing named to the ECAC Weekly Honor Roll; Briell queline Wand, Erin Williams and CarBellerive, Feb. 22, ECAC Weekly Honor Roll; Cayley men McDonald.

Mercer, Feb. 9 and Feb. 15, ECAC Weekly Honor Roll.

Playing in their final games are Seniors Jennifer Canton Shields, Danielle Matteucci, Christine Lambert, Emily Horn and Jenne Boss.

Maddy Hetman (Troy) was named Roo of the Week on Clarkson ends their regular season 22-9-3 overall February 22 after putting up her first points of the seaand 16-4-2 in the ECAC. son which included a goal and an assist in a 4-3 overtime loss to Potsdam.

Plattsburgh Caty Darling, Oswego, is the lone senior.

The Roos went 2-22-1 overall.

Closing out their regular season with 21-2-1 overall and 16-2-0 in conference play, the Cardinals head into the playoffs.

Olivia Fox was named Rookie of the Week for February 9 after posting 2 goals and 2 assists in a game against Cortland.

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North Hockey / Page 30

Saratoga Takes Rumble Championship The Saratoga Blue Knights Squirt B team won the Plattsburgh Roadrunner Rumble. The Knights beat Boloeil (PQ) to take the championship. In the fourgame series, they beat Canton 3-0 in game one and lost to the Beloeil Tigers 5-2 in the second. The third game was the semi-final which they won 2-0 over St. Albans of Vermont. They met up with Beloeil Tigers in the Championship game and beat them 3-0 for the win.

(Massena Girls Continued from Page 25) The team coached by Jennifer Gray includes Maddie Dillabough, Bailey Dillabough, KC Herne, Molly O’Connell, Iakohehilo Cook, Ellen Greene, Maddy Mailhot, Mia Jermano, Brittany Streeter, Kahsennliostha Jacobs, Abbey Paduano, Raechel Davis, Mikenna Merry, Abbie Paquin, Emily Wilmshurst, Ellexia Lazore, Amber Thomas, Shaunessy LaClair, Krysten Stone, Bai-

ley Thomas, Logan Deshaies, Camryn Peets and Rachel Hurlbut.

Assistant Coaches are Greg Paquin and Taylor Zappia; Managers, Gisele Todd and Tim Belile and AD is Tim Hayes.

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North Hockey / Page 31

Beekmantown vs Massena NYS Girls HS Championships

Beekmantown faced Massena in the semi-finals of the NYS Girls High School Championships in Buffalo.

Massena had the only goal in the first and second periods putting them up 2-0 going into the third.

Their goals came from Bailey Thomas and Abbey Paduano.

Beekmantown put their only goal in third period when Kallie Villemaire scored at 3:29; assisted by Kirsten Villemaire and Katie Matott.

The game ended 2-1 Massena.

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North Hockey

/ Page 32

Thousand Islands/Alex Bay vs Kenmore NYS Girls HS Championships

It was a tight game as the Lady Islanders took on the Kenmore Devildogs. Kenmore scored twice in the first period and the Lady Islanders dropped one in with 25 seconds left to end the first period 2-1. Kenmore’s Ana Orzechowski and Taylor Story scored along with Alex Bay’s Miranda Kolb.

In the second only Kenmore dropped one in and the score remained 2-1 in favor of the Devildogs through the end.

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West Hockey

Congratulations Monsignor Martin High School Girls 2015 WNYGVIH FEDERATION CHAMPIONS Third Championship in Five Years!

First Shut-Out Championship Game!

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West Hockey / Page 34

Monsignor Martin Three Peats in WNYGVIH

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overtime when at 8:34 of the third period, Mauve Christ, assisted by Kaitlin Drew-Mead and Kayla Blas got one past Lauren Pray. The score now 1-0 and ends that way.

Kenmore outshot Monsignor Martin 24-20 and both Pray and goalie Brianna Gawronski were outstanding between the pipes.

Gawronski with the first shutout in WNYGVIH history in a Federation Championship.

hree Federation titles in five years! That is only one of the record-setting accomplishments of the Monsignor Martin WNY Girls Varsity Ice Hockey team.

They also recorded the first shut-out in a Federation Championship game and Coach Linda Groff-Mroz is the first woman coach in the Fed to accomplish these goals with The evening also highlighted some outstanding playher team. ers as the First, Second and Honorable Mention for The team recorded 6 shutouts in 14 games and ended League honors was announced. the season with a 11-2-1 record.

Named to First Team were: It probably is the only Championship game that was Forwards Oliva Smith, Kenmore; played 13 days after the semi-finals due to weathSarah Scolnick, Williamsville and er and spring break for area high Kaitlyn Drew-Mead, Monsignor schools.

Martin.

Well, if there are to Defense: Ana Orzechowski, Kenbe firsts they usually hapmore and Megan Ruekauf, Lanpen in WNY. caster/Iroquois.

The series began with

Goal: Lauren Pray, KenQuarterfinals on February more chultz om S 9 with Kenmore, who had t e n

Second Team: c a .

By J nline o y just come off a second place e k c Forwards: McKenna nyho finish in the NYS Girls VarJanet@ Rushford, Amherst/SweetHome; sity Ice Hockey ChampionJordan Roetzer, Williamsville and Tatum Walber, ships, defeating West Seneca/ Frontier/Orchard Park.

Hamburg 5-2. That was followed imme- Defense: Grace Simmons, Kenmore; Brianna Colucci, diately by game two with Williamsville beating Amherst/ Lancaster/Iroquois.

SweetHome 3-2 and the last game of the evening pitting Goal: Madeline Norton, Lancaster/Iroquois Lancaster/Iroquois against Orchard Park/Frontier. Lancast- Honorable Mentions: er/Iroquois took that 3-2. Number 1 seed Monsignor Martin Forwards: Julia Mings, Amherst/SweetHome; Renee had a bye and having not had to play in the Section VI play- Doherty, Lancaster/Iroquois; Emily King, Kenmore and offs, had not played since the end of January.

Briana Keppner, Lancaster/Iroquois.

The semi-finals were held two nights later and Mon- Defense: Amelia Gajewski, Monsignor Martin; Jessica Ursignor Martin beat Lancaster/Iroquois 4-2 and Kenmore bank, Frontier/Orchard Park; Olivia Jacobs, Frontier/Orshutout Williamsville 1-0 and the motion was set for the chard Park; Casey Adimey, Amherst/SweetHome; Nicole Championship game scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13.

Harris, West Seneca/Hamburg; Catie Martinez, West Sen That game fell at the hands of the weather. The follow- eca/Hamburg. ing week was spring break and rules say “no school, no Goal: Mikaela Ditonto, Frontier/Orchard Park; Brianna play.”

Gawronski, Monsignor Martin; Madison Aston, Amherst/ Everyone was watching the weather as we neared Feb- SweetHoe and Abbie Mutton, West Seneca/Hamburg. ruary 26. While very cold with little snow, schools back in Frontier/Orchard Park’s Coach Jim McCarthy took the session and games on!

Coach of the Year Honors.

The puck dropped and the first period went scoreless. The Dr. James Rusin Award for service and commitThe second period opened with penalities against both ment to the WNYGVIH League went to Ann Marie Gajewteams and ended scoreless. The crowd began to whisper

H I V G Y WN Rap!

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West Hockey / Page 35

ski.

The 5th season of the WNYGVIH Federation is now in the history books.

Coach Rick Hopkins presents Orchard Park/Frontier Coach Jim McCarthy “Mac” with the 2015 WNYGVIH Coach of the Year Award!

Monsignor Martin Team Captains with their third WNYGVIH Federation Championship trophy, Catherine Radwan, Amelia Gajewski and Maeve Christ.

Christ with the winning goal! And only goal of the game!

Coach Rick Hopkins presents Ann Marie Gajewski with the 2015 Dr. James Rusin Award for outstanding contributions to the WNYGVIH Federation.

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ECC Kats Bring Home National Championship!

BY RANDY SCHULTZ AND STEVEN MULLEN/ECC Photos by ECC

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he Erie Community College men’s hockey team went into their National Championship contest against Williston State College with only one goal in mind: Win the National Junior College Athletic Association Championship.

On a Sunday afternoon in late February in the Broome Ice Center in Binghamton, the Kats accomplished their goal. defeating two-time defending national champion, Williston State College, 2-1. But as every player and coach on the team will tell you it didn’t come easy.

“Like all teams, it was a long hall for us from the time we opened training camp in October until we beat Williston,” commented ECC head coach, Gary Rost. “But I knew we had the team that could do it.

Williston, which had not been scored on in its last three NJCAA Tournament games dating back to last season, got on the board first with 8:09 remaining in the first period. Chris West found himself all alone in front of the goal and put the puck past the goaltenders glove hand and into the corner of the net.

The Kats used a two-man advantage to finally get on the board with 4:23 remaining in the second period.

West Hockey / Page 36 Aaron Wanat beat his defender at the blue line and took a shot the goaltender could not handle. On the ensuing scramble, Tyler Riter scored his 25th goal of the season when he pushed the rebound into the net. Brad Jones also assisted on the goal.

Tournament Most Valuable Player, Trevor Evans scored the game-winner with 15:40 left in the contest.

Riter and Richard Procknal assisted on the goal as the Kats executed the 3-on-2 breakaway to perfection.

“Trevor was incredible for us,” commented Rost. “He came to us from Wilson High School and scored the biggest goal of the season for us.”

Each team was called for 12 penalties in the game, but it was Erie’s penalty kill team that made the difference. The Kats did not allow a power play goal on eight Williston opportunities.

This included a 30-second two-man advantage for the Tetons early in the second period. The Kats also successfully killed off a major penalty over the final 3:30 of the contest.

“The key of the game were those eight power play attempts by Williston,” said Rost. “We killed them all.

“Our goaltender (William Korzcynski) was a big difference for us as well. He made a lot of key saves for us when they were needed.”

Korczynski stopped 36 shots and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Tanner Swift was almost as impressive for Williston with 28 saves.

ECC finished the season with a 24-3 record, the sec-

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ond best record in the program’s history. The Kats were 16-0 against NJCAA competition on the year – it’s first undefeated season against two-year colleges in the 39-year history of the program.

This is the second NJCAA Championship for Erie, with its first coming in 2011.

Riter, Evans, Jones and Jacob Macchioni all finished in the top five in the country in scoring in 2014-15.

Rost was named NJCAA Coach of the Year. Riter and Zach Morlock were named to the All-Tournament team for ECC.

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By Randy Schultz Randy@nyhockeyonline.com Photos by Janet Schultz

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West Hockey / Page 38 “We begin with an assessment,” continued Byer. “We want to see where they are going to begin with.

“We take care of recording all of their vital statistics.

We have specific tests to see how they are going to perform.

“We check all of their areas for speed, agility, quickness, power and flexibility. They are then put on a schedule.

“With a team we will take up to nine players at a time. They will all workout together.

“All workouts are 30 minutes. During the season we recommend that athletes come in at least twice a week for an hour at a time.

“During the offseason we recommend that they come in two to three times a week for a half-

OffIceTraining: As Important As On-Ice Training!

Skate Ahead!

ared Byer has been working in the health and fitness field for the past 22 years. During that time he has created a company called Skate Ahead of Western New York.

In early February he opened up a Skate Ahead franchise on the second floor of the new Cornerstone Ice Arena in Lockport.

“Our focus will be the off-ice nutrition, fitness and skills,” said Byer. “We don’t do any on-ice training.

“All of our training is off-ice.”

So is it all hockey players that will be the cliental?

“Ninety percent will be hockey players, five percent will be figure skaters and the final five percent will be adults,” replied Byer. “It will be year ‘round with the hockey.

“We begin with players who are five or six years-old.

And we work up from there with every level being agespecific.

“We will deal with speed, agility, quickness, power, conditioning, flexibility and prevention training.”

Will all of this be done in group training?

“Most of it will be done working with teams,” answered Byer. “But we can do small groups or private training as well.”

Byer also pointed out that a player will not just walk in and begin training.

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hour at a time.

“All athletes are equipped with a chest strap. This goes on as soon as they begin their workout.

“That chest strap is transmitting their heart rate and their intensity rate to a screen that they can see on the wall in front of them. The athlete can see how things are changing in their body as they work out.

“Everything is recorded from start to finish. It gives the athlete the ability to see how hard they are working, what intensity levels we want them at. Finally, as a coach, we can see who is working hard, who is not working hard and who may be overworking.

“It’s all done in real time. In the end we send those results to the player in the form of an email.

West Hockey / Page 39

“They can then see how hard they worked and where they might need to improve. Plus, we check out their nutrition.

“We look at their weight to see if they need to gain or lose weight. We can tell the athlete when they need to eat, how to eat, what to eat and how all of that will affect their performance.

“It is very powerful stuff.”

What is the bottom line for participants?

“It has always been believed that you can perform better on the ice if you keep working out on the ice,” stated Byer. “But we believe that you can’t perform better on the ice unless you have the skills off the ice.

“Being an ex-player myself, I know there are things you can’t do to prepare for better ice performance on the ice.

“You have to do them off ice. In the end we want the athlete to improve, not only as the athlete, but as a person.”

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Iroquois High School Hockey (Reports as submitted by Iroquois Hockey)

Above: The Iroquois Varsity Chiefs celebrated their Seniors at their final home game of the season. Kneeling in front row L-R: Jon Lavis, Aiden Abraszek, Richard Karalus, Joe Giambra, Patrick Stenzel, Spencer Jones, Eric Rogers, Milos Trivanovic. Back row L-R: Maverick Blachowicz, Head Coach Dale Reinig, Tyler Hirsch, Manager Chuck Giambra, Zachary Scherer, Coach Ed Stenzel.

Chiefs Head to Championship (More Super Sunday Stories/photos on Page 49)

The Iroquois Chiefs hockey team played in the championship game at the First Niagara Center last Monday night. Led by Head Coach Dale Reinig, Coach Ed Stenzel and General Manager Chuck Giambra, the team earned their first appearance in Super Sunday after three back to back wins in the playoffs.

Unfortunately, the Chiefs lost to the #1 ranked Starpoint 4-2, but still enjoyed an exciting night of hockey at the home of the Buffalo Sabres.

The Chiefs were the first to score at the arena, on a goal put in by Alex Held, assisted by Joe Giambra. The lead lasted only a few minutes before Starpoint would knot the game at one on a power play goal.

The second period brought plenty of end to end action, unfortunately without any score from the Chiefs. Starpoint would add another, sending the game to the third with Iroquois down 2-1. Starpoint again scored early making the score 3-1. But the Chiefs answered back with a goal of their own mak-

ing the score 3-2. The second Iroquois goal was scored by Jon Lavis and assisted by Aiden Abraszek.

Goalie Mav Blachowicz shut the door for the Chiefs for the reminder of the game. However, it wasn’t enough as Starpoint would add an empty net point with under a minute left in the game, ending the night at 4-2.

As the Chiefs wrap up their 2014-2015 season, they were fortunate to have three healthy goaltenders that rotated regularly to keep the Chiefs competitive. Senior Maverick Blachowicz led the team wins, while Junior Tyler Fredette and Sophomore Colton DeGrace played consistently strong in net as well.

Ending with a record of 9-15-1, the Chiefs upped their game during playoffs, winning all three and earning their spot at Super Sunday. Their final games as a team will be played in Long Island for the state tournament.

Seniors Tyler Hirsch, Pat Stenzel, Lavis, Joe Giambra, Abraszek, and sophomore Ryan Marshall all played outstanding offense leading up to the great showing on the big stage Monday night. Steady, smart defense was consistently demonstrated all season by Spencer Jones, Richard Karalus and Garrett Miller, which helped the team debut at Super Sunday.

The young squad of excellent sophomores including Jamie Bonn and Alex Held was relentless on every shift this season.

With 11 Chiefs graduating this year, the strong line of sophomores and juniors will become an integral part of the Iroquois Chiefs hockey club next season.

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s I’ve come to know hockey players, their coaches, famiClub to learn to skate and also to find out she wasn’t a figure lies and supporters; I’ve found many that overcome skater, she wanted hockey. obstacles to play the sport they love. We’ve all read

“I played softball in the summer and one of and seen stories on players who have overcome canthe girls played hockey in the winter and asked me cer, diabetes, the passing of a to join,” she remembers. loved one, injury to themselves, She tried out in the spring financial difficulties and other and at age 11 she headed obstacles and still persevere and over to play hockey. Too old put their entire being back out on for House she ended up on the the ice for the team and the sport.

19U team, where she will tell

Those stories are an inspirayou she learned lots of things tion to so many of us, even from the older kids, not all when we don’t have hockey! problems, to continue “I played for the on.

Amherst Knights for Well, the enthusiasm 3-4 years, then went to

By Janet Schultz and friendly smile of Katie Fish is the North Buffalo Thunder Cats Janet@nyhockeyonline.com contagious. Her love of the game and her for 3-4 years and wound up at the Nineed to share her hockey with her teams agara County Coyotes,” she said. and friends is self evident when you talk to

“I finished my career with the Coyher. otes and then played for the Wheatfield And yet, she has overcome an obstacle that for Blades Senior C women and now play for the Buffalo many of us causes fear--hearing loss. Think about not being Regals Senior B women.” able to hear the sounds of the day, let alone the sounds on and She also played a little club hockey while a student at off the ice while you try to play your best.

Canisius and is currently listed as their coach, but there haven’t Katie was diagnosed with hearing loss at age four. There been enough girls to warrant a team. was no medical proof she was born with it, yet her parents “We want girls to know they can play if they attend Canisius noticed certain things and a hearing test confirmed that she and still play for their travel teams.” could not hear.

Katie is also found behind the bench. Beginning five years

She was given her first hearing aid at four. She admits she ago with the Monsignor Martin team in the inaugural year of hated preschool because that was a time of great change for the WNYGVIH Federation and then she went to the Buffalo this little girl. But through her school career she was main- Regals 14U team as an assistant and has stayed with them streamed into regular classes. through their current 19U season.

“But I had to sit in front row in every class for my entire time How does she manage all this if she can’t hear?

I went to school,” says Katie.

In high school she was assigned an itinerate teacher from Erie 1 BOCES who met with her regularly and she had a FM system that was used by the teacher to enhance her hearing.

“I also read lips,” said Katie.

She also doesn’t want to be left out of anything, which is how she ended up in hockey.

“My little brother played since he was five. Every winter Dad would build an backyard rink and we had sticks, skates, pucks, nets and since I like to do things I learned and played with him,” she explains.

One little item, he’s a left-handed player and had left-handed sticks; that’s what she used. She’s right-handed.

“I didn’t know any different,” she goes on. “But Dad took me out in the driveway and worked with me with both sticks and he told me I was a rightie.”

That was after she had been taken to Amherst Skating

Overcoming Obstacles For The Love Of The Game

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First, she does have hearing aids and in a few weeks will receive a free pair of premium level hearing aids from Hearing Evaluation Services (HES). HES held a give-away and Katie’s sister nominated her. It was a public vote and Katie received the most votes.

She has overcome obstacles which were numerous.

First being equipment. Her and her Dad’s first experience in helmet fitting was just that, an experience. The helmets have to fit tight; but a tight fitting helmet would jam her hearing aids into her head--if it could.

“Because of the extent of my loss, I have to have the aids that are behind the ears,” she explains. “Also the padding goes against the ear and caused problems.”

They finally found one that fit but at times the helmet will cover the aid making it difficult to hear.

Fitting isn’t the only problem, moisture from sweat an cover the tube that carries the sound and once again hearing is gone.

“Then there can be times when I forget to change the battery and I remember being in the middle of a play and my hearing is gone,” she explains. “At that point I have to go off the ice and into the locker toom to change it.”

“You can’t just take the tube off and blow the moisture out with a straw,” she goes on. “I have to deal.”

The game itself requires a lot of focus, attention, communication and ability to react quickly.

She manages by making sure she keeps her eye on the puck, head up and always on the swivel and making sure she’s in the front row facing the coach giving instructions.

“As a coach now I make sure all my girls can see me talk,” explained Katie. “The Coaches face you when they are talking

West Hockey / Page 42 but then when they go to use the white board, they end up turning sideways and I have to move to see them.”

She often needed skills and drills to be repeated so she could understand them. She now learns how by not being the first player to try them but rather watches and learns and then does.

“I always like to be first, so this is hard but it’s how I learn,” she remarks.

Now one other hurdle is the officials. When Katie plays no one knows of her hearing loss and that has put her in the penalty box.

“I used to not hear what they called me for and when I asked my voice was amplified due to the hearing loss and they thought I was arguing,” she smiles. “I also would not understand when the referee told us to “square up” at faceoff because they would come out jumbled up to me and I wouldn’t be in the ready position. I would loose faceoffs. Now I just square up and ignore the referee at faceoff.”

While on the ice the roar of the crowd and people screaming at the players come muffled to her; yet the sound of air horns are louder for her than the normal hearing person and can make her jump on the ice.

“The sounds of the hockey arena are different for me and a person with hearing loss has to play the game a little differently,” she goes on. “I play because I love it.”

She also loves coaching, and even pefers that to playing.

What she has with her current team is a group of girls that know about her hearing loss and help her.

“They are rock stars,” she comments. “They are patient, they will repeat what the coach says if I have been at the door or talking to another girl while he gives instructions and they look directly at me when they speak.

“They go above and beyond and helped me set aside any fears I may have had about coaching.”

Katie coaches because she feels strongly that females need female coaches and there aren’t enough out there.

“I’m a sounding board for them and they know they can tell me anything,” she says. “And they also know that if they tell me something that could hurt themselves or others that I will then, and only then, talk to their parents.”

When Katie receives her new hearing aids, she will be more grateful than anyone can know. She explained how overwhelming it was to have received so many votes and how emotional the nomination from her sister was.

Her sister said it best when she explained that “Katie just wears hearing aids. Period. She’s no different than you or me and there is nothing wrong with her--she just has extra accessories” to put on in the morning.

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West Hockey / Page 43

Buffalo Stars Beat Buffalo Stars Players Off To The All Star Games

Buffalo Stars Players Recognized

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everal Buffalo Stars U16 and U18 players have been selected to participate in the National Junior Prospects Hockey League All Star Event April 10-12 in Burlington, Ontario.

“Our All Star Event is comprised of 6 teams of combined U16 and U18 players selected from among the 24 teams in our league” said Bob Black, NJPHL Commissioner. “Our event will give each team an opportunity to participate in 4 Showcase games” The Buffalo Stars are pleased to announce that 14 players have been selected from between the Buffalo Stars U16 and U18 teams. Representing the 16’s are: Mitch Thornton, Gage Mueller, Seamus Connors; Zack Howe, Eric Korczynski, Cole Boller and Cam Wilkowski. The 18’s will be represented by: Cam Webb, Kyle Sroka, Christian Buczek, PJ Jankowiak, James Heinike, Jason Raimondi and Alex Huff. Players are selected by ballot from among the teams in the league.

Buffalo Stars U18 Head Coach Jerry Wheeler has also been selected as a Coach for one of the teams. This is his second year being selected to coach at the All Star Event.

The Buffalo Stars U16 and U18 Midgets participate in the NJPHL which is a Showcase league. All games are played over 5 different Showcase weekends between September and February. The Buffalo Stars joined this league last season. The Stars U18 and U16 teams are “modified” Full Season Teams. A full program description of our Midget program can be found at:http://buffalostars.goalline.ca/page. php?page_id=72625 Information about the NJPHL can be found at: www. njphl.com Visit the Buffalo Stars at: www.buffalostars.com

Spotlight Players of the Week February 8 Sam Molino A defensive player for the Bantam Blue. Sam is an eighth grader at Cheektowaga.

February 15 Adam Vullo A left wing on Bantam Blue, Adam is also an eighth grader.

Student/Athlete of the Month Sean Brown Sean was inducted into the National Honor Society at Williamsville South High School. He has a 94.3 grade point average and plays on the U16 AA team.

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- Saturday, March 7: 2-6 p.m., with live music from Darrell Porter at 3 p.m.; then again immediately following the game.

- Drink specials available to everyone who brings a game ticket to the preand post-game parties.

“This is L O C K P O RT, going NY— The to be a Lockport Exvery compress Junior “A” petitive seHockey Team will ries with Wilkeshost their first-ever playBarre.

They’ve off series against the been right on our Wilkes-Barre Miners heels all season March 6-8 at the new Pre- and Post-Game Parties long, so I’m exCornerstone CFCU pecting a tough Scheduled at Lock 34 Ice Arena in Lockport. matchup,” Vecchio stated.

The best-of-three elimination series “Fans will once again be treated includes games Friday at 7:00 p.m., Satto first-class hockey in a great rink urday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. ting.” (if necessary). Admission for each game is s e t T h e Express has brought much-needed $5 for adults and free for children under 12. entertainment and excitement to downtown Lock The Express, in their inaugural season, posted an impressive 24-13-2 record, good enough for second port, and no game was bigger than the one January place in the Western Division of the North American 31st when Express player Dillon Hayes scored a hat3 Eastern Hockey League. The Express handed the trick on the day his father passed away, including the league-leading Jersey Shore Wildcats their only loss winning goal in a shootout. of the season and continue to lead the league in atten- “In all my years of coaching and playing, I have never seen anything like that game. And it just proves dance.

“This has been a tremendous kickoff season for how transformative hockey can be for both players the Express,” according to Head Coach Frank Vec- and fans,” Vecchio said. “This team has cemented itchio. “Our boys came together as a team and the self in the Lockport community as a result and I really hometown fans have given us the boost we needed to hope everyone will come out for the playoff weekend.

I guarantee you will have a great time.” win in a very competitive league.”

Vecchio said as a thank you to the entire region for For more information on the Lockport Express, supporting the Lockport Express and the new Cor- visit: http://lockportexpress.pointstreaksites.com/ nerstone CFCO Ice Arena, the team will be hosting view/lockportexpress pre- and post-game parties at Lock 34 on Main Street For more information on Cornerstone CFCU Arena, visit www.cornerstoneicearena.com in Lockport as follows: - Friday, March 6: 4-7 p.m.; then again immedi- To help support the non-profit Lockport Ice facility, visit www.lockportice.org ately following the game

LOCKPORT EXPRESS TO HOST FIRST-EVER PLAYOFF SERIES AT CFCU ICE ARENA

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Western New York Women’s College Hockey Report

by Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com JDSchultz3663@gmail.com

Buffalo State

The Bengals head to the playoffs for the second time in two seasons after posting a 10-12-3 overall and 8-9-1 ECAC West record. They are facing Utica in Utica at press time and seeded #5.

Kara Goodwin was named to the Second Team ECAC West after having 20 goals and 26 points in 25 games.

Justine Silva was named Third Team ECAC West for a 2.71 GAA and .900 save %.

The Bengals honored Seniors Goodwin and Jeyna Minnick (Rochester).

RIT

The Tigers face #3 Robert Morris at press time in the CHA playoffs. RIT is seeded #6.

Brooke Stoddart received CHA Goaltender of the Week honors February 3 after stopping 35 of 37 shots in a 1-1 weekend at Lindenwood.

The Tigers honored Seniors Morgan Scoyne, Kolbee McCfrea, Marissa Maugeri, Emilee Bullerd, Lindsay Grigg, Celeste Brown and Ali Binnington.

UB

The Lady Ice Bulls are headed to the ACHA D-!! National Championship in Pennsylvania. They are taking on the University of California-Pennsylvania at press time.

This is their first appearance in the nationals in the program’s history.

West Hockey / Page 45

Around WNY: Nichols Girls Make College Commitments

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everal players for Nichols School in Buffalo have announced their commitment to college for the upcoming season(s).

Juliann Iafallo, Ohio State; Madison Sansone, Providence; Brandy Streeter, Union; Annika Zalewski, Colgate; Elizabeth Viola, Plattsburgh; Allison Gasiuk, Ohio; Madison Welch, Syracuse University; Abby Wil, Penn State.

Nichols Girls Ice Hockey was listed as #1 for the WKBW TV7 Super Winter Sports Teams for 2015.

The team posted a 31-4-3 season with two championships in two countries. They took the titles in North American Prep Hockey Association and the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association of Ontario.

This is the third year they took the NAPHA title and also their third straight CISAA title.

Other News and Notes ...The Kenmore Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Team received the #9 billing in the WKBW Top Ten Super Winter Sports Team in Buffalo for this season. Kenmore took the WNY Girl’s Varsity Ice Hockey Section VI championship and second place in the NYS Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Championships. ...Maddie Aston, a hockey player with Amherst/ SweetHome girls varsity ice hockey has decided to play softball for Canisius College next season. She has been the Goalie for Katz for the past two years. ...The Hamburg Hawks Select Team won the Jamestown Cup beating the Jamestown Lakers 4-3. Jarrett Janowsky scored the second goal and two assists. They also played the Amherst Knights, Buffalo Saints Syracuse Bruins 05s and Pittsburgh Predators. The Buffalo Saints also won their division at the Jamestown Winter Classic. ...The Hamburg Hawks Girls 12U team traveled to Lake Placid for the Empire State Winter Games and came home with the Gold. Congratulations. ...Congratulations to our Super 7 Athletes of the Week in Lauren Pray #7 on February 6 and #1 on February 13;

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West Hockey

/ Page 46

Rochester Hosting Friendship Hockey Tournament

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Abby Mutton, #2 on February 6. Bridget Bork (West Seneca/Hamburg) was #6 on January 30, along with #4 Jenna Lukomski (Williamsville) and Evan Korpoleski (Lewiston Porter Hockey) #5. ...Edd Kirchberger has been named 2015-16 Coach of the University of Buffalo Men’s Ice Hockey Team. They play at the NCHA and UNYCHL DIII level. Assisting him is Jim Egan. More on this soon. ...Buffalo Bisons Squirt Minor (pictured above) won the WNYAHL Blue/Red division Playoffs with a 2-0 victory over Southtowns. The team earned a berth in the Cross Division Final after beating Monroe County 3-2 in the WNYAHL Blue Division Playoff. Bisons Squirt Minor also finished atop the WNYAHL Blue Division with a 13-3-1 record in league play. ...The NJPE will have five teams in the NYS Tournament including the Boys 18U coached by John Nichols; 14U, Mike Woods; 12U Matt Spameni; Girls: 19U coached by scott Welch and 14U coached by Jeff Showers. Three teams took part in the WNYAHL Championships. The Pee Wee mix, Squirt Major and Squirt Mix went to the Championship round. At press time we were notified that the Squirt Mixed and Squirt Major won the WNYAHA Championship in their Division.

he 10th Annual Rochester Friendship Hockey Tournament for the Developmental Disabled will be held on April 11 and 12. The two-day event will be held at the Bill Gray’s Regional IcePlex in Rochester.

The event will run from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day.

“There will be 16 teams participating in the event,” said Thomas Simmons, a member of the Rochester Ice Cats, one of the teams that will be participating in the event. “There will be two teams from Rochester in the tournament.

“The other 14 teams will be coming from Canada and different States here in the US. There will be two divisions, one for juniors and the other for seniors.

“The players have all different types of players playing with different types of disabilities.

“This years event will have a ‘Future Stars’ game, featuring players ages four through 10, who will be introduced to the game for the first time.”

Simmons talked about the Ice Cats.

“We began about 17 years ago with 12 players,” recalled Simmons. “Eleven of those players are still with us today.

“Plus our team has grown to 50 players and range in age from four to 49.”

Simmons explained what the tournament is all about.

“One of our main goals is to teach responsibility to the players,” concluded Simmons. “There are no winners and there are no losers.

“We just want the players to enjoy the game of hockey and have some fun. And once they leave the ice they can renew old friendships and make new ones.

“It will be a weekend filled with fun.”

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West Hockey / Page 47

At the Sarah

Submitted Photos: Top Amherst 16U; center, Depew Lady Saints 12U and below, Cazenovia Lady Chiefs 19U.

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he Great Lakes Hockey League took several teams to the Sarah Backstrom Tournament earlier in February.

At the 10U level the Buffalo Regals (seeded #1) lost 2-1 to the Cleveland Lady Barons. The Depew Lady Saints and Southern Tier Storm also participated.

At 12U House the Depew Lady Saints lost to the Cleveland Lady Barons in the Championship round, taking second place.

The Amherst Knights lost 2-1 to the Indiana Lady Chiefs at the 14U House division.

Also playing were the Buffalo Shamrocks, Canandaigua Freeze and Webster Cyclones.

The Erie Lady Lions lost to KVHA 1-2 in the 14U Tier I level.

AT 16U Tier I it was Amherst Lady Knights over Syracuse Blazers 3-0 for the Championship. The Niagara County Coyotes also had a team at this level.

The Canadaigua Freeze lost to the Haldinand Rivercats 3-0 in the 19U House division. The Buffalo Stars also participated at his level.

At 19U Tier II the Cazenovia Lady Chiefs beat the Southern Tier Storm in a 4-0 shutout for the Championship. Also taking playing at the division were the Buffalo Stars, Erie Lady Lions, Southern Tier Storm and Niagara County Coyotes.

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Bisons Girls 19U Tournament Bound for 2015-2016

A

fter a successful year as a showcase team, the Bisons will be returning to the ranks of the tournament bound 19u programs for the 2015-2016 sea-

son.

The coming season will offer the girls a unique opportunity as a tournament bound Tier 2 team, while offering the girls a Tier 1 experience.

Plans are already in the works for this team to participate in the showcase tournaments such as Beantown, Stoney Creek and others, for those players who wish to get exposure to college coaches and recruiters. In addition to a regular league season the team will be doing their best to accommodate the schedule of the High School season, due to the importance the girls place on playing for their school teams.

The team plans to be tournament bound at the Tier 2 level, where in addition to exposure, there is an emphasis on player and skill development.

The team will have primarily a female coaching staff, with Head Coach Scott Then, former Olympian Shelly Looney as Associate Coach and assisted by former Bison, Nichols School, and Utica College defenseman Amanda Todd.

There will be another female assistant added later this summer.

The girls will also have access to a number of former female college players, some of whom have come up through the Bisons, giving them the opportunity to learn what it takes to play at the college level and they will have a chance to skate with these role models.

Tryout dates are Tues, March 31, 2015 at 5:30 pm and Wed, April 1, 2015 at 5:30 pm, both at North Buffalo Ice Arena.

For more information please visit the Bisons website at www.bisonhockey.net.

West Hockey / Page 48

Clarence Hosts Team From Beijing

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he Clarence Mustangs hosted a team from Beijing, China in February and played exhibition games at the new Cornerstone Arena in Lockport, Harborcenter in Buffalo and Hockey Outlet in Wheatfield. Cornerstone is the home ice for the Mustangs this season.

In the PW Major Mustanges versus BHA, the Mustangs took the 5-3 win. BHA posted a 7-2 win over the PW Minor Mustangs at Hockey Outlet.

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West Hockey / Page 49

2015 Super Sunday High School Club Hockey Champions Orchard Park/Cheektowaga, St. Joe’s, Starpoint

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rchard Park/Cheektowaga, St. Joe’s and Starpoint won their respective games in the 2015 Super Sunday High School Club Hockey Championships. All three contests were held at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.

In the opening game of the triple-header Orchard Park/Cheektowaga rolled over Jamestown, 8-2 to win the Mixed School Championship. OPC led after one period, 3-1 on goals by Joe Bienias, Michael Swacha and Anthony Cybulski. Anthony Tomassi scored the loan goal for Jamestown.

OPC added three more goals in the second on tallies by Cybulski, Marshall Cappelli and Steve Gosciak. In the third stanza Swacha would score again while Tyler Kuzdzal scored the final OPC goal. Dylan Gergman tallied Jamestown’s second goal.

Cybulski won MVP honors for the game for OPC Tomassi won it for Jamestown.

The second contest was a thriller from the beginning to its second OT ending. It was a rival game between Canisius and St. Joe’s

(Continued on Page 51)

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Western New York Men’s College Hockey Report

by Warren Kozireski

Wkozires@brockport.edu

BROCKPORT The Golden Eagles needed a come-from-behind win on the final day of the regular season to secure the sixth and final SUNYAC playoff spot. They traveled to third-seed Geneseo in round one.

Chase Nieuwendyk finished tied for 11th nationally with 17 goals. Nine of those came with the man-advantage—second in the country.

BUFFALO STATE Ending the season on a five-game unbeaten streak, the Bengals vaulted themselves into fifth place in the SUNYAC standings and a first round playoff game at Potsdam.

Juniors Ryan Salkeld and Brett Hope and freshman Jason Zaleski all finished with 20 or more points.

CANISIUS The Golden Griffins were in second place one point ahead of Bentley and three in front of Mercyhurst with two games remaining in the regular season. They clinched a first round playoff bye.

Senior net-minder Keegan Asmundson was named Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Month I for January. He posted a 1.70 goals against average and .941 save percentage in seven January contests, registering a 5-1-1 record.

He anchored the team’s seven-game unbeaten streak to end the month – the longest for the program in the regular

West Hockey / Page 50 season since the 2000-01 campaign. The highlight of the month was a shutout of Bentley on Jan. 17.

ERIE CC The Kats won their second national hockey championship in school history defeating defending champion Williston State (ND) 2-1. See page xx for photos and more.

FREDONIA Senior Stephen Castriota (Bellport) registered a natural hat trick in his final collegiate game.

Fellow seniors Brian Doust, Cory Melkert and Jared Wynia as well as sophomore Darrin Trebes (Williamsville) also played in their final collegiate contest.

The Blue Devils were winless in conference games (013-3) for the first time since their inaugural season of 198687 when they were 0-14.

GENESEO Three points during the final weekend earned the Knights third place in the SUNYAC conference and a first round home playoff game against rival Brockport.

The postseason game will mark the 90th in senior forward Tyler Brickler’s career. He had 40 goals and 45 assists though 89 games.

NAZARETH Nazareth (11-9-5 overall, 7-4-4 ECAC West) secured the No. 3 seed and best finish in program history and hosted sixthseeded Manhattanville in the first round.

Sophomore Ben Blasko tied

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www.nyhockeyonline.com for the conference lead with 20 points in ECAC West and led the team with 29 overall. He now has 55 points in 51 career contests.

NIAGARA The Purple Eagles have long been guaranteed being on the road for the first round of the playoffs, but were one point behind American International with two games remaining in their effort to sneak out of last place.

West Hockey / Page 51

R.I.T. The Tigers entered the final weekend of the regular season needed two points to secure a first round bye.

They would then host the highest remaining seed in the second round of the Atlantic Conference playoffs.

Max Mikowski (Cheektowaga) netted his first collegiate goal Feb. 6 at Niagara.

Mike Rotolo (Greece) was AHA Goaltender of the Week Feb. 2 after stopping 33-of-34 shots against Army over two games.

Senior Sam Alfieri played his 100th career game for Niagara on Friday, Feb. 13 against Mercyhurst.

Your 2015 MVPs: 1st Row: Sgroi, Greco, Tomassi, 2nd Row: Blachowiz, Cybulski, Parrish

(High School Boys continued from Page 49)

Erich Thur and Maxwell McArthur gave the Marauders a 2-0 lead. But the Crusaders came back with two goals by Tim Sgroi. That set up the four-on-four goal by St. Joe’s Michael Greco with just 50 second gone in the second OT. The 3-2 St. Joe’s victory game them their second Large School Championship in a row. Greco was the MVP of the game for St. Joe’s, while Sgroi was MVP for Canisius.

In the final game contest Starpoint defeated Iroquois, 4-2. Andrew Parrish scored two goals for the winners.

Jake Graczyk and Pat Miklinski added single goals for Starpoint.

Alex Held and Jonathan Lavis scored for Iroquois.

Goaltender Maverick Blachowicz was MVP for Chiefs, while Parrish won it for Starpoint.

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West Hockey / Page 52 ers in the area a chance to play Junior hockey,” continued Vecchio. “And we wanted to give the hockey fans in the Lockport area a chance to see junior hockey again after nearly a 30 year absence.”

The NA3EHL is a Tier III Junior Hockey League, managed by the NAHL. The primary mission of the Express and the other nine teams that make up the NA3EHL is to provide a structured developmental environment for student-athletes who have the ability and the aspirations to play at the collegiate level.

The common

Meet the

Anthony Merante, Niagara Falls

“W

hen we were granted a franchise in the Northern States Junior Hockey League for the 2014-15 season, we were very excited to be joining such a good hockey league.

The league provides a high quality of Junior A hockey and is extremely well run.

“Our challenge this year was to build a quality hockey program in Lockport, with a good, competitive team. We expect to be an asset to the NAHL as well as the city of Lockport.”

That is how Frank Vecchio, head coach and general manager of the Lockport Express, described how Express management felt when they were awarded a hockey team that plays in the North American 3 Eastern Hockey League (NA3EHL).

“Our goal was to give local play-

LOCKPORT EXPRESS

Chris Gasiewicz, Depew

was to get as many local kids as possible to try out for the team.

“Of the 23 players we kept on the Express for this season, only three were not from Western New York.

(Continued on Page 53)

Of The NA3EHL

by Randy Schultz

goal is to produce a t h - letes who are c o m mitted to excellence in academics as well as athletics.

The Express, along with two other teams in the State including the Roc City Royals (Rochester) and Syracuse Stallions, joined the NA3EHL for the 2014-15 campaign.

“We feel that there are a lot of kids in this area that are very talented hockey players and deserve a chance to show what they can do,” stated Vecchio. “Our goal this year

Dan Golba, Depew

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Tyler Shotwell, Lewiston

(Continued from Page 52)

Two of our goalies are from Ontario and Ohio and a defenseman is from the Jamestown area.

“The other 20 are locals who are all within easy driving distance from Lockport. The players are all between the ages of 16 and 20.”

Vecchio admits that the season has been very successful so far. The Express finished second in the Western Division and qualified for the playoffs.

West Hockey / Page 53 “We just want to give local kids a chance to play good, solid hockey without having to go away from home to do it,” remarked Vecchio.

“We had checked out a couple of other leagues, one being in Minnesota, but it just wasn’t what we were looking for.”

“Our owner and president, Steve Bueme, has invested a lot in this team. And interestingly enough, Steve has no vested interest in the team other than owning it.

“He doesn’t have a kid involved in the team. He just wanted to give back to the community.

“The fact that Cornerstone Arena was being built was just a situation of being in the right place at the right time. It’s new and is a beautiful place to play in.

“We lead the lead in attendance, averaging almost 300 per game.

We’re in a great town and there is a great atmosphere in the arena for our games.”

When approached and asked why he invested in a Junior hockey team for Lockport Bueme said, with

a smile on his face, “I have no idea.”

On a more serious note, Bueme continued.

“It’s a big venture to get involved with. “We had a lot of rinks interested in us.

“But it happened to be a meeting between Frank and Tate (Pitrello, a Lockport Ice board member) and here we are in Lockport. And Lockport is a great hockey town.”

Interestingly, Bueme is not a native of Lockport. He was born and raised on the West Side of Buffalo and now lives in Orchard Park.

His commute from his home to Lockport is over 50 minutes. He played the game, as did his kids.

So what is in it for Bueme?

“I just want to give back to the game and the community,” responded Bueme. “We do a lot fundraisers.

“Lockport is a great city. It is a city starving for development.

“I think it is a city that is on the way up. It is moving in the right direction.

“And the Express want to play a part in that. And I think we are.”

Regals Review!

Regals Capture Motown Classic Championship

(This is a revised article from last issue, submitted by the Regals)

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he Regals started slow in their opening game against the Michigan Troy Sting. The Sting opened the scoring but the Regals fought hard and won with a come from behind score of 4-2. Goal scorers for the Regals were Maddy Moran (2), Abbi Charvat and Cortney Staniszewski.

The next game versus the Canadian Windsor Wildcats started strong with two goals in the first by Phoebe Palmisano and Anna Pitz. Windsor rebounded with a powerplay goal in the second and tied the game midway through the period. Strong goaltending by Rose Quattro kept the game tied at 2 through the end of the game.

In a must win game versus the Livonia Knights to make it to the finals, the Regals came out on a mission and took an early lead which they never surrendered.

Strong goaltending by Rose Quattro and goals by Captain Jamie King and Heather Fitzgerald ensured the 2-1 victory and berth in the tournament finals.

The final game was a rematch against the Livonia Knights. First period goals by Jamie King and defenceman Haylee Tatar put the Regals up by two. However, Livonia scored a goal in the second. Goalie Rose Quattro shut the opposition down even when the team got in penalty trouble in the third.

Strong defensive play by defencemen Jillian Blas, Haylee Tatar, Emily Matthew, Maddie Moell, Kate Morris and Catie Martinez held the competition to six goals.

Goaltender Rose Quattro strong play was rewarded with tournament MVP honors.

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West Hockey / Page 54

GLGHL Gallagher Tournament

T

he Great Lakes Girls Hockey League held their NTB Championships at the new Riverworks Ice Arena in Buffalo.

This new venue, while covered, is open air providing a very outdoor game atmosphere for players and fans.

Taking first place in the Red Division were the Finger Lakes Freeze 2-0 over the Tonawanda Lightning.

In the White Division the Niagara County Coyotes beat the Buffalo Shamrocks 3-0 The Hamburg Hawks took the Finger Lakes Freeze 4-1 in the Blue Division.

Highlighting the opening ceremony was awarding of the first GLGHL Founders Award to Norm and Rose Robinson. The Robinsons founded the Buffalo Hornets and have stayed on board with the Buffalo Stars throughout the years.

Photos by Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com Niagara County Coyotes and Hamburg Hawks Championship photos were submitted!

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Women’s College Honors for 2014-15 ECAC West

Player of the Year: Ashley Ryan, /Rochester/Elmira College Defensive Player of the Year: Brooke Wilgosh, Elmira Rookie of the Year: Kayla Menghin,Plattsburgh Coach of the Year: Dean Jackson, Elmira First Team: Forwards: Ryan (Elmira); Ashton Hogan (Elmira); Shannon Stewart (Plattsburgh) Defense: Alyssa Parke (Plattsburgh), Brooke Wilgosh (Elmira) Goaltender: Bridget Smith (Hamburg/Oswego) Second Team: Forwards: Cassidy Delainey (Elmira), Kayla Meneghin (Plattsburgh), Kara Goodwin (Buffalo State) Defense: Phoebe Piku (Elmira), Mia Favretto (Plattsburgh) Goal: Kyle Nelson (Elmira) Honorable Mention: Forwards: Bridget Balisy (Plattsburgh), Jordan Ott (Rochester/Potsdam); Olivia Ellis (Oswego) Defense: Allison Ullrich (Oswego) Goaltenders: Camille Leonard (Plattsburgh), Justine Silva (Buffalo State)

West Hockey / Page 55

Region III Men’s Collegiate Ice Hockey All Region Teams and Coaches of the Year 2014-15

First Team: Forwards: Cory Della Stau (also Player of the Year), (Broome), Tyler Riter (Erie), Brad Jones (Erie) Defense: Aaron Wanat (Erie), Andrew Meeker (Broome) Goaltender: Will Korczynski (Erie) Coach of the Year: Gary Rost (Erie) Second Team: Fowards: Trevor Evans (Erie), Jacob Macchioni (Erie), Mike Ferranti (Broome) Defense: Nick Dennis (HVCC), Tim Duffy (Erie) Goaltender: Andrew Ross (Mohawk Valley) Second Team Coach of the Year: Matt Alvey (HVCC) All Rookie Team: Forwards: Tyler Riter (Erie) (Also Rookie of the Year), Austin Bradish (Broome), Trevor Evans (Erie) Defense: Aaron Wanat (Erie), Tim Duffy (Erie) Goaltender: Will Korczynksi (Erie)

All Rookie Team: Forwards: Kayla Meneghin (Plattsburgh), Melissa Sheeran (Plattsburgh), Olivia Ellis (Oswego) Defense: Rachel Grampp (Buffalo/Elmira College), Sam Husak (Utica College), Rebecca Begley (William Smith) Goal: Justine Silva (Buffalo State) ECAC East First Team: Defense: Rachael Morrison, Manhattanville Second Team: Forward: Alla Traun, Manhattanville

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West Hockey / Page 56

Nichols Girls Capture 4th Consecutive NAPHA Hockey Title

By Coach Scott Welch Submitted Photo

W

ith the Nichols Girls Prep A team graduating 7 players from last year’s Championship Team, they knew that this year would be a challenge to defend its NAPHA Title. Up until Nichols began their run, no team had ever repeated as the league champion and now the Nichols team has achieved a feat that may never be accomplished again. They have won 4 consecutive NAPHA Regular Season and League Championship titles. The team finishes the season with an overall record of 25-4-5 and is currently ranked the #4 Independent Prep School in the United States.

Nichols traveled to Burlington, Vermont for the NAPHA league championship playoff tournament this past weekend.

After finishing first in the regular season, Nichols would be the top seed from the MacLeod Division as they entered the preliminary round of play. In the first of 3 preliminary games, Nichols would play Rice Academy from Vermont. The game was a quick paced game as both teams would have great scoring opportunities and the game would remain scoreless through 2 periods. Nichols would finally get on the scoreboard when senior Lydia Gavner ripped a puck into the top corner of the net and a 1-0 lead. The assist on the goal went to Sarah Martin. Rice would score later in the period to tie the game at 1-1.

Nichols would answer right back as freshman Ciara Barone hammered home a rebound for the game winning goal off a shot by Olivia Zafuto. Goalie Madison Welch would finish with 20 saves for the victory.

In their second game of the day, Nichols would play Trinity College from Port Hope, Ontario. Nichols would dominate play and finally got on the score board on a goal from Rachel dePerio with assists going to Olivia Zafuto and Michele Robillard.

Nichols would seal the game on an empty net goal by Michele Robillard with the assist going to Bridgette Prentiss. Freshman goalie Jada Brenon finished the game with 20 saves and a shut out as Nichols won by a score of 2-0. In the last game of the preliminary round, with both Nichols and Stanstead already assured of advancing to the semi final round, Nichols came out sluggish could not generate any type of offense. They were outshot in the game by a total of 32-8 and would lose by a

score of 2-0.

In the semi final round, Nichols would face RNS, the McMaster Division leader, from New Brunswick, Canada. Nichols would take the lead on a power play goal off the stick of Lydia Gavner with the assist going to Marissa Higgins from the face off. Nichols would score their second power play goal of the day as Michele Robillard ripped a shot past the RNS goalie to stake Nichols to a 2-0 lead. Olivia Zafuto had the lone assist on the goal. RNS would make it a one goal game off a scramble in front of the Nichols net. Nichols would shut down the RNS attack for the rest of the game and senior Madison Welch would finished the game with 29 saves and the 2-1 victory.

With the win, Nichols would face Stanstead from Quebec, in a rematch from the preliminary round for the NAPHA League Championship. Both teams traded scoring chances in the first period and Nichols would get on the board first when Michele Robillard ripped a rocket off the crossbar and gave Nichols a 1-0 lead after the first period. Stanstead would dominate most of the second period outshooting Nichols by a margin of 16-3. Despite being outshot, Nichols made the most of their chances in the period when freshman Ciara Barone knocked in a rebound from a shot by Michele Robillard. Nichols would come out for the third period and take control of the game by outshooting Stanstead 10-5. Ciara Barone would score her second goal of the day as she buried an empty net goal to seal the game and the Championship. Madison Welch finished the game with 25 saves and her 8th shut out of the season.

For the 5 Nichols seniors, they make history as these players have won the NAPHA Title for all 4 years they have been on the team.

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/ Page 57

Canisius, Niagara Wheatfield and Williamsville East Claim Victories in Section VI

F

or a quarter of a century the Western New York Varsity Ice Hockey Federation, better known as “The Fed,” arrived on the scene in Buffalo. That’s why this year’s Section VI Sectional “Super Sunday” Championship would have made the founding fathers of “The Fed” proud.

The trio of games played provided the fans with the drama and excitement that Section VI boys high school hockey has become known for.

The first game featured long-time

rivals Canisius and St. Joe’s. George Munschauer and Grigorios Koutsomitis scored for Canisius and Jake Nichols came up with 27 saves, leading the Crusaders to a 2-1 victory over Marauders. The win ended St. Joe’s two-

year reign as champions.

In game two, Niagara Wheatfield battled rival Williamsville North. In a high scoring affair, the Falcons were led by Garrett Downie’s four-goal, five point night to defeat North, 6-4.

Niagara Wheatfield has won five Section VI Championships in their seven seasons as a varsity program.

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/ Page 58

In the final game of the night Williamsville East defeated rival Kenmore East, 2-0, led by the shutout goaltending Max Battistoni. Matt Streffan and Alex Finley scored all the goals the Flames needed for their victory.

All three victorious teams move on to the regional round of the New York State playoffs.

(Photos by Janet Schultz Janet@ nyhockeyonline.com)

More Photos in Upcoming Issues of NY Hockey E-Magazine

Large School Player of the Game Garrett Downie with Mark DiFlippo and Keith Farcas.

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/ Page 59

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/ Page 60

Random Shots From janet schultz

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