Nyhol january 2016 by NY Hockey OnLine

NY HOCKEY January 2016

VOLUME 5 ISSUE 4

E-MAGAZINE

째WNYGVIH Underway! 째Buffalo chosen Again! 째nwhl outdoors! 째youth teams give back!

In This Issue... AHL.................................................12 Breakaway...................................... 5 Buffalo Stars..........................41-45 Cazenovia.....................................45 Central...........................................15 Colgate’s Starr Arena................16 East.................................................26 Erie CC...........................................51 Gridley Coaching.......................14 Hoosac...........................................13 IIHF.................................................... 9 Janosz Goaltending..................54 Lockport Express.......................45 Muzyi.............................................30 Nichols School............................46 North..............................................33 NWHL............................................... 6 NY Rangers/Petersen...............27 NY Raptors Rap...........................29 Rome Tourney.............................23 Sled, NY Rangers........................28 USA Sled.......................................11 West................................................36 Warm Hearts...............................37 WNY Boys High School............38 Webster Girls...............................39 WNYGVIH......................................53

Dear Readers: Happy 2016! It is hard to believe that 2015 is behind us. What a great year, especially for hockey. With that said, we now look ahead to the New Year. Hockey is in full swing at all levels. For me, 2016 marks a new chapter in my life. As of January 1, 2016 I’m officially retired from my 37-year job at Niagara County Community College. While I’ll miss NCCC, I will now be devoting all my energies to NY Hockey OnLine. Janet, Koz and myself have been busy on the road visiting arena’s where games and tournaments have been going on. In this issue Janet and Koz continue their coverage of Division I and III college hockey for the men and women. There are also some updates on news regarding some of New York State’s junior teams. We also appreciate the news stories and photos that are continually emailed to us. We not only use them for the magazine, but several have ended up on our web page. We would also appreciate it if you could continually forward the magazine to as many of your friends and family as possible. As always, we continue to look for more sponsors for our magazine and web page. If you know of anyone please let us know. While we may be at the start of a new year, we all know that we are in the middle of a great hockey season. Good luck and safe journey’s to all of you. Best Wishes, Randy Schultz Publisher/Managing Editor New York Hockey E-Magazine extends its condolences to the family of James Duke. Duke was an active volunteer with the West Section. Memorials may be made in James’ name to www.hockeymomfoundation.org

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

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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www.nyhockeyonline.com “Mom, I’m finally on a team!”

hose words were actually spoken by a ten year old boy on the night of his first sled hockey practice. He had heard about being on a team. He had seen his brother be part of a team. Now it was, finally, his turn. The Wheelchair Sports Federation is planning its second bi-annual charity event — Breakaway 2016 — at the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park on February 9 in order to raise money and awareness to support its sled hockey program for physically disabled youth in New York City. At the first Breakaway event over 300 guests come out on a very wintery day. Breakaway 2016 promises to be even bigger and better. Hockey great Mark Messier will be in attendance and supporting the WSF Sled Rangers as our Special Guest. At the last Breakaway event in 2014, 23 physically disabled athletes took part in the program. In the intervening 18 months, the numbers have grown so that now over 40 disabled kids will be taking part. The program is divided into 3 teams and creating NYC¹s very first sled hockey league. Organizer and hockey Dad, Bill Greenberg explaines to NY Hockey E-Magazine. “My own 12-year son Sam was born with a birth defect of his spinal cord, making him paralyzed below his waist. When Sam, or any of our disabled athletes, walks or wheels into his classroom, and says he is a hockey players, it makes his able-bodied friends look at him differently, it makes his parents look at him differently, and it makes him think about himself differently. “We are increasing independence, developing selfesteem, and growing self-confidence through something as simple as playing sports. In addition, we are exposing them to the teamwork, friendship, and competition that

Around New York State / Page 5 comes from playing sport; this is common for most able-bodied kids but very rare for the physically disabled,” continued Greeberg. Athletes are aged between 5 and 21, and reside in all five boroughs of New York City, as well as Long Island, Westchester and Rockland Counties, and southern Connecticut. The kids and families are from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. The Wheelchair Sports Federation is committed to covering the costs for any athlete who wants to play, regardless of their ability to pay. They are looking to raise money to pay for sleds and equipment, ice time, transportation, development, and outreach. Your support will help even more physically disabled kids achieve the dream of being on a team. This event will showcase the team skating on the ice as well as provide an opportunity for guests to try skating in a sled. There will be, of course, buffet dinner and drinks, a live auction, and music. The Wheelchair Sports Federation is organized as a Public Charity and is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)3, so most of your donation amounts will be tax deductible. The 501(c)3 determination letter can be found here. Because of good friends they have the ability to offer the opportunity for kids with disabilities to play Sled Hockey in the New York area. Please go to http://www.wsfsledrangers.org/register in order to purchase your admission and to donate. Space is limited so please register early if you plan on coming.

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Around New York State / Page 6

Around the NWHL

NWHL ALL-STAR FAN VOTING RESULTS

After Hilary Knight and Emily Pfalzer picked the first 22 NWHL All-Stars, it was the fans turn to vote. And they did. In very big numbers. Madison Packer (New York), Morgan Fritz-Ward (New York), Devon Skeats (Buffalo) and Hayley Williams (Buffalo) were the top four vote getters and have been named to the inaugural NWHL All-Star Game in Buffalo, New York on January 24, 2016. NWHL fans cast nearly 63,000 total ballots in making their decision. Packer was the top vote getter with 13,397. Packer and Williams will go to Team Knight, while Fritz-Ward and Skeats join Team Pfalzer, a continuation of the original NWHL All-Star Draft order that took place on December 10. The final rosters are as follows: Team Pfalzer: Brianna Decker, Meghan Duggan, Kelley Stedman, Shiann Darkangelo, Zoe Hickel, Emily Field, Megan Bozek, Blake

ary 24. Tickets for both the NWHL AllStar Game ($25 each) and two-day packages including Skate With The Stars ($125 each) are available at www.nwhl.co/buy-tickets.

DUNKIN’ DONUTS Partners with NWHL Bolden, Gigi Marvin, Nana Fujimoto, Brittany Ott, Morgan FritzWard, Devon Skeats. Team Knight: Kacey Bellamy, Kelli Stack, Alyssa Gagliardi, Shelby Bram, Kaleigh Fratkin, Janine Weber, Jordan Smelker, Jordan Brickner, Amanda Pelkey, Brianne McLaughlin, Jaimie Leonoff, Madison Packer, Hayley Williams. All-Star festivities begin on Saturday, January 23 with a VIP Skate With The Stars featuring the players themselves. This ticketed event, limited to 80 people, allows fans to get on the ice with the NWHL’s All-Stars and runs from 8:45 PM 10:30 PM. Fans should bring their ice skates, as rentals will not be provided. The 2016 NWHL All-Star game begins at 2:00 PM on Sunday, Janu-

Dunkin’ Donuts is skating in as the first official corporate sponsor of the new National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL). As part of a new multi-year agreement announced today, Dunkin’ Donuts is now the official coffee and quick service restaurant of the NWHL. Through Dunkin’ Donuts’ partnership, the brand will coordinate youth hockey clinics with team representatives in each market throughout the league’s inaugural season. Along with league sponsorship, Dunkin’ Donuts has also entered into a personal services agreement with NWHL team Buffalo Beauts’ star and US Women’s Team Captain, Meghan Duggan. Duggan has been a member of the US Women’s National Team since 2006 winning 5 IIHF Women’s World Championships and 2 Olympic Silver medals. Additional highlights of the partnership include the Dunkin’ Donuts logo featured on all team jerseys, signage on league goal posts and behind each bench, and

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advertising on www.nwhl.co and each team website. “The popularity of women’s hockey is rapidly growing and our sponsorship of the National Women’s Hockey League is a perfect way for Dunkin’ Donuts to support this exciting new league,” said Tom Manchester, Vice President, Field Marketing, Dunkin’ Brands. “Additionally, the founding four franchises are located in key Dunkin’ Donuts markets in the Northeast, and we believe our guests will be excited to learn more about the NWHL and help them make this inaugural season a wonderful success.”

Rylan Honored

hat does NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan have in common with Carli Lloyd, Diana Taurasi, Serena Williams and Loretta Lynch? All were named to ESPN’s IMPACT 25, a who’s who of 25 athletes and influencers who have made the biggest mark on women in sports this year. Rylan is also up for ESPNW’s Woman Of The Year award, which will be chosen in February. Yahoo’s Puck Daddy has also named Dani as #2 on its list of the Top 10 Hockey People of 2015.

Around the State / Page 7

NWHL VS CWHL IN Winter Classic

omen’s hockey history was made once again on New Year’s Eve 2015 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Les Canadiennes of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and the Boston Pride of the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) took the ice for an exhibition game, continuing a long standing rivalry between the two cities. The Outdoor Women’s Classic, hosted by the NHL as a part of this year’s Winter Classic program, was presented by Scotiabank. The format of the Outdoor Women’s Classic was unconventional, with two periods at 15 minutes per period. The Boston Pride’s roster were joined by three players from the Connecticut Whale and two players from the New York Riveters. Connecticut players included Kate Buesser (Wolfeboro, N.H.), Shannon Doyle (Baldwin, Ont.), Kaleigh Fratkin (Burnaby, B.C.) and New York players included Meghan Fardelmann (Lansing, Kans.) and Bray Ketchum (Greenwich, Conn.). As the players prepared for puck drop, Boston Pride head coach Bobby Jay provided some words

www.nyhockeyonline.com of encouragement for his players, “It’s a tremendous opportunity. Take a second to enjoy it and soak it in, but then you need to find a way to focus and play well. You’ll enjoy the memories a lot more if you play to the best of your ability.” The entirety of the game involved back and forth play all over the ice. Three of five faceoffs in the first period were won by Montreal and the other two were won by Kate Buesser and Casey Pickett (Wilmington, Mass.) of the Pride. Eleven shots were fired for both teams in the first, seven for the Canadiennes and four from the Pride. Only one of the 11 shots found the back of the net, and it came from the stick of Montreal player number 9, Kim Deschênes (St-Quentin, NB). Deschênes explained the goal that came with 3 minutes and six seconds left on the clock, “I was alone in front of the net, it was a great pass from Marin.” Deschênes was assisted on the goal by Noémie Marin (Acton-Vale, Qué.). During the first half of the game, Boston Pride forward Denna Laing was injured after hitting the boards. She was transported from Gillette Stadium to Massachusetts General Hospital. The NWHL will issue an update on her condition as it is made available. A hooking penalty was called with 11:33 left on the clock in the second period by Les Canadienne forward and Olympic gold medalist Marie Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Qué.). Eight face offs took place in the second period, five won by the Pride and three won by the Canadiennes. Once again, 11 shots were fired by both teams, six from Montreal and five from Boston. With 3 minutes and 12 seconds showing on the clock, Blake Bolden (Cleveland, O.H.) tipped in the game-tying goal on a give-and-go pass from Rachel Llanes (San Jose, Calif.) and Jillian Dempsey (Winthrop, Mass.). Blake Bolden shared her excitement about playing in the first Outdoor Women’s Classic, “It’s a dream come true. It’s something that, when you’re a little kid, you’d never think you’d be able to

Around New York State / Page 8 do. It’s surreal. I don’t think there are words to describe everybody’s emotions.” The first Outdoor Women’s Classic ended in a 1-1 tie between Les Canadiennes and the Boston Pride. Both teams return to Gillette Stadium tomorrow to make appearances at various events before and during the Winter Classic at Spectator Pavilion.

NWHL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Week 1 (October 11) - Kelli Stack, Connecticut Whale Week 2 (October 18) - Zoe Hickel , Boston Pride Week 3 (October 25) - Brianna Decker, Boston Pride Week 4 (November 15) - Nana Fujimoto, New York Riveters Week 5 (November 23) - Kelley Steadman, Buffalo Beauts Week 6 (December 1) - Devon Skeats, Buffalo Beauts Week 7 (December 8) - Jillian Dempsey, Boston Pride Week 8 (December 15) - Shiann Darkangelo, Connecticut Whale Week 9 (December 22) - Hilary Knight, Boston Pride

NWHL STANDINGS AS OF DECEMBER 22

Connecticut: Boston: New York Buffalo:

8-0-0, 6-3-0, 2-5-1, 1-6-2,

14 points, +12 GD 12 points, +13 GD 5 points, - 12 GD 4 points, -10 GD

WHALE GM RESIGNS

he National Women’s Hockey League announced the resignation of Connecticut Whale General Manager Harry Rosenholtz. Rosenholtz joined the club in August and was responsible for the majority of the Whale’s roster construction before the season. The team currently sits atop the NWHL at 8-0-0. (Continued on page 12)

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USA

Around the State / Page 9

Hockey announced it has selected the Buffalo Sabres, along with First Niagara Center, HARBORCENTER and Ralph Wilson Stadium as host for the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-20 Championship (commonly referred to as the IIHF World Junior Championship). The 10-nation tournament features the world’s best men’s players under 20 years of age and is a 31-game event that takes place over the course of 10 days.

Pegulas, and everyone involved with the Sabres and Bills organiza-

F H I I 8 1 ost 20

H o t o l a Buff Past IIHF World Junior Championships in the United States Buffalo, N.Y. (2011) Grand Forks, N.D./Thief River Falls, Minn. (2005) Boston (1996) Anchorage, Alaska (1989) Minneapolis/St. Paul (1982) For the first time ever, the IIHF World Junior Championship will include an outdoor game as part of the preliminary round with the likely matchup between the U.S. and Canada. “It was an extremely difficult decision as all three finalists in contention to host the event were exceptional,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “We’re excited to be returning to Buffalo and are most thankful for the extraordinary support of the

tions and Pegula Sports and Entertainment. We look forward to an outstanding event.” “Needless to say we’re thrilled to be selected,” said Terry Pegula, owner of the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills. “USA Hockey had three terrific finalists and we are truly honored to be hosting this magnificent event. I know our community and region will be great hosts for teams and fans from around the world for what we expect to be the best World Junior Championship ever held in the U.S.” “It is a pleasure to have the IIHF World Junior Championship return to Buffalo,” said René Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation. “The last tournament held here in 2011 generated a huge following and we are even more excited about the organizing committee’s plans to hold an outdoor game as part of the tournament. This will be the first time ever that we’ve had such a game as part of the World Juniors, and an outdoor ice hockey game at Ralph Wilson Stadium will without a doubt be a memorable occasion.” “The World Juniors is one of the most anticipated

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Around the State / Page 10 John LeClair (1988, 89) Brian Leetch (1985, 86, 87) Mike Modano (1988, 89) Zach Parise (2003, 04) Brian Rafalski (1992, 93) Mike Richter (1985, 86) Jeremy Roenick (1988, 89) Ryan Suter (2003, 04, 05) Jacob Trouba (2012, 13) Keith Tkachuk (1991, 92) John Vanbiesbrouck (1982, 83) Don Waddell (1977, 78) Doug Weight (1991)

championships on the hockey calendar each year and we look forward to having the event back in our country in 2018,” said Jim Smith, president of USA Hockey. “We know Buffalo and Western New York will be outstanding hosts and an outdoor game will be a terrific addition to an already great event.” Ticket information will be released in the first half of 2016. Fans can keep up-to-date by visiting BuffaloWorldJuniors.com. The United States has earned eight medals in the event’s history, claiming gold in 2004, 2010 and 2013, silver in 1997 and bronze in 1986, 1992, 2007 and 2011. Below is a sampling of some of the top American players that have competed in the IIHF World Junior Championship. Kevyn Adams (1994) Tony Amonte (1989, 90) Chris Chelios (1982) Chris Drury (1996) Jack Eichel (2014, 15) Brian Gionta (1998, 99) Tony Granato (1983, 84) Bill Guerin (1989, 90) Erik Johnson (2006, 07) Patrick Kane (2007) Chris Kreider (2010, 11)

NY’s Schneider Goes Into HOF! Ron DeGregorio (Salem, N.H.), Chris Drury (Trumbull, Conn.), Angela Ruggiero (Simi Valley, Calif.) and Mathieu Schneider (New York, N.Y.) were formally enshrined into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame during a sold-out ceremony at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel. In addition to the induction of the Class of 2015, Jeremy Jacobs (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Bob Crocker (East Boston, Mass.) both received the National Hockey League’s Lester Patrick Trophy and Emile Francis was presented with the Wayne Gretzky International Award. “It was an extraordinary evening honoring some of the best in our sport, all of whom have made a tremendous impact on hockey in the United States and around the globe,” said Jim Smith (Mount Prospect, Ill.), president of USA Hockey.

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Around the State / Page 11

he 2015 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team was named the Paralympic Team of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee at the 2015 Team USA Awards held in Philadelphia. The Team USA Awards recognize the oustanding achievements of Team USA athletes year-round. Athletes and teams considered for the six Best of the Year awards were finalists for Best of the Month honors, dating back to the fall of the previous year and coinciding with the sport calendar. “This award recognizes a special group of players,” said Dan Brennan, general manager of the 2015 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. “To finish the season undefeated was an incredible accomplishment and says a lot about the players, staff and volunteers involved in helping our sport grow.” Team USA went undefeated (12-1-0-0/W-OTWOTL-L) and ended the season as world champions on home ice. After defeating Russia, 2-1, in overtime to win the 2015 World Sled Hockey Challenge in Leduc, Alberta, the U.S. outscored its opponents 29-1 while going a perfect 5-0 to claim the gold medal at the 2015 IPC Sled Hockey World Championship. The U.S. finished both tournaments as leaders in goals per game, goals against per game, power play percentage and shutouts. In 13 games, Team USA scored 59 goals, allowed just six goals and set 12 team records to finish the season undefeated for the second time in team history. The six awards were presented during a live taping of the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Year ceremony, held tonight at the University of Pennslyvania’s Houston Hall in Philadelphia. The awards show — which featured NBC’s Natalie Morales as host and retro pop/soul artist Andra Day as the musical guest — will be televised Dec. 27 on NBC

Sports Network (NBCSN) from 3-4 p.m. ET. The year-end celebration also recognized Pennslyvania native Jerri Johnson as the recipient of the Building Dreams Award, presented by USG, which honors an individual, group or community that has gone above and beyond in its support of Team USA.

USA National Sled Team Named 2015 Paralympic Team of the Year by USA Olympic Committee

The six athlete and team award winners were determined by online fan voting at TeamUSA. org/Awards, where nearly 200,000 fan votes determined 50 percent of the final tally. Members of the Olympic and Paralympic family — including an esteemed panel of Olympic and Paralympic journalists — accounted for the other 50 percent. NOTES: Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) was a finalist for Paralympic Male Athlete of the Year and Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was a finalist for the Olympic Male Athlete of the Year … USA Hockey led all National Governing Bodies with three finalists … The 2016 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, which includes 15 players from last year’s team, is currently in St. Louis, Missouri. The camp will be the final tune-up for the 2016 World Sled Hockey Challenge in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, from Jan. 15-24, 2016.

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Around the State / Page 12

AHL Teams with I Love New York!

ive New York State American Hockey League teams – Albany Devils, Utica Comets, Rochester Americans, Binghamton Senators and Syracuse Crunch announced a partnership with Empire State Development’s Division of Tourism/I LOVE NEW YORK. The announcement, first made at the Third Tourism Summit held in October, is part of a $50 million commitment to the tourism industry to promote statewide tourism, create jobs, and attract more visitors to every region of New York. “Tourism is vital to New York’s economy – it supports more than 850,000 jobs and creates economic opportunity in every region of the state,” said Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky. “When

people visit New York, they fall in love with all that our state has to offer. We are proud to work with the New York American Hockey League teams to further increase travel throughout the state and support the tourism industry as it continues to grow.” The five AHL New York Hockey teams will partner with I LOVE NY as they aim to increase the economic impact of spectators at New York winter sporting events and expose sports fans to New York State winter getaway opportunities. New York State tourism destinations will be promoted at team games and events and the AHL schedule will be featured on I LOVE NY platforms. “Partnering with I LOVE NY is an honor and another example

of how their organization greatly impacts our State’s tourism industry. We look forward to growing the sport of hockey in the State of New York while simultaneously having a positive impact on tourism,” said Utica Comets President Robert Esche. The third New York State Tourism Summit brought hundreds of tourism experts to the Capitol to discuss innovative ideas and new ways to encourage travel to all 11 vacations regions of the State. As a result of the Governor’s support of tourism, the industry has seen an increase in spending, state and local tax revenue, visitors and employment since 2011, and a record-breaking economic impact of $100.1 billion in 2014.

NWHL News Continued

“We’d like to thank Harry for his service and dedication to women’s hockey,” said NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan. “It’s obvious to those who have watched the Whale play that they’ve got incredible tenacity, toughness and resiliency. He was a part of building that.” The search for a replacement General Manager, who handles both player personnel and business operations in a given market, begins immediately. George Speirs will assume the role on an interim basis.

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Around the State / Page 13

Girls Program Announced at Hoosac School

oosac School is excited to announce the addition of Girls’ Ice Hockey, starting in the 2016-2017 school year. Hoosac School, founded in 1889, is a private co-educational boarding school located in Hoosick, NY near the borders of Vermont and Massachusetts, in Upstate New York. “From the moment I met Bill I knew he was the right person for Hoosac. He displays the same ideals, a dedication and enthusiasm for each individual student, that Hoosac was founded on,” Dean Foster, Head of School Upon accepting the position, Coach Ward stated, “I am thrilled with the opportunity to create and build the Girls’ Hockey Program at Hoosac. I look forward to recruiting female

student-athletes from around the world to enhance an already well-established, diverse student body, and then developing those student-athletes aspiring to a college hockey career. Hoosac prides itself on developing the whole person, which is the philosophy I have stressed in my nineteen years of coaching hockey at various levels. I will utilize my connections within the college hockey community to help our student-athletes find the best fit for their college education.” Bill Ward, Director of Girl’s Hockey Bill Ward (pictured) is one of the most respected coaches in the history of girls’ prep school hockey. Over the course of 12 years, Bill has helped 40 studentathletes achieve their dream of playing Division I college hockey, and 43 players who moved on to Division III college hockey. Three of Bill’s players went on represent National Teams: Taylar Cianfarano with the United States U18 Team, Kali Flanagan with the United States U22 Team, and Denisa Krizova with the Czech Republic U18 and Senior National Team. Two players, Celeste Brown and Beth Hanrahan, are currently playing professional

hockey for the New York Riveters of the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL), and one player, Nicole Giannino, is playing for the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL). Bill has built relationships with coaching staffs at every Division I and Division III women’s college hockey program in the United States. His expertise in women’s hockey is respected around the world. “Coach Bill Ward’s knowledge and expertise in developing ice hockey players at the College Preparatory level is unparalleled. I am proud to say that he is my daughter, Sarah Sinning’s, coach and mentor, and has had a profound impact upon her development, both as a hockey player and a young adult who is about to achieve her dream of playing college hockey,” John Sinning, Long Island

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Developing Hockey Sense

started playing hockey back in the sixties, mainly on ponds. I didn’t start playing organized hockey until I was 11. The game of hockey was very different back then. Players were smaller, the speed of the game was slower, and it seemed like there was a lot more open ice out there. I remember not having to wear a facemask as a high school player. Can you imagine doing that today? Go back and watch some NHL clips from the 60’s and 70’s. Compare that to what you see in an NHL game today. Players today are bigger, stronger, and most importantly faster. Hockey is a “read and react” sport. The amount of time that today’s players have to react to the unfolding play is minimal. Good instincts and “hockey sense” are invaluable tools. Some coaches would tell you that hockey sense cannot be taught or developed. I don’t buy that. I do believe that some players are born with more ability to see the ice and anticipate than others, but I think all players have the potential to improve their hockey sense. As coaches, we have the ability to put our players in a practice environment that can facilitate this development. Fifteen years ago I had the opportunity to attend a coaching clinic in Lake Placid. The lead instructor was Bill Beaney, and the topic for the clinic was “Small Area Games” (SAG’s). Bill was the long time head coach of Middlebury College. He had tremendous success during his tenure at Middlebury, and I think he would tell you that his use of SAG’s had a lot to do with that. The Lake Placid clinic was my introduction to using SAG’S in practice, and I have been a big fan ever since. There are plenty of SAG’s out there. There is a SAG book that we give out at Level 1 coaching clin-

Coaching With Gridley / Page 14

Coaching With Gridley by Chuck Gridley

ics. We have additional SAG’s on the USA Hockey website. You can also find them on “YouTube” and other places on the web. Once you choose a game, be sure the players understand the rules, and make sure you keep score. Let them figure out the rest. Let the game be the teacher. Make sure that the “compete level” is high by putting something at stake (ie; pushups for he losing team). Keep the intensity up by making each “shift” in the game similar to a shift in a real game (45 seconds to 1 minute). By putting your players in game type situations at game speed, you are creating a learning environment that will help them improve their instincts and their “hockey sense”. This will help them compete in the fast paced game of hockey in the 21st century. Chuck Gridley New York Coach in Chief

CENTRAL NEW YORK

www.nyhockeyonline.com By Warren Kozireski

Central Hockey / Page 16

FIVE GAMES LEFT FOR COLGATE’S STARR RINK

he old hockey b a r n features the curved roof, the hallway of team pictures for every season dating back to 1920-21 and the enclosed glass cases just inside the main entrance of notable former players such as former or current NHLers Andy McDonald, Mike Milbury and Dave Gagnon among many. Starr Rink at Colgate University was opened in 1959 and has served as the home of every Raiders home indoor hockey game in history (prior to its opening all games were played outdoors). Dedicated to J. Howard Starr, hockey coach from 1932-50 and Professor of Physical Education Emeritus, on December 11, 1959 in the new Reid Athletic Center. The schedule now dictates that only five more regular season games remain for the men and nine more for the women before the doors close for good. “ I t ’ s been a process and it’s been very rewarding for me personally and for a handful of other people who have been here from the beginning,” R a i d e r men’s head coach Don Va u g h a n said in ear-

ly December. “I think we had our first meeting on the new rink 12 or 14 years ago and a number of things happened between now and then (such as) a change in (college) President and the economy, but to see it rise out of the ground the last few months has been really exciting. “It’s says that hockey and athletics are important to Colgate and to our administration and it sends a strong message to our alumni, our fans and especially recruits. “We’re going to miss Starr and there is a tremendous amount of history here, but it’s time. This building is getting tired and it’s exciting to be moving into a new building and I think it speaks volumes about the commitment the university is making to the program.” Class of 1965 Arena is well under construction with completion expected for the 2016-17 campaign. In addition to the rink, First Game at Starrs it will inRink December 1959 clude office and locker room space for six of the program’s 25 varsity sports– men’s and women’s hockey, lacrosse and soccer. (Continued on Page 24)

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Central Men’s College Ice Hockey Report by Warren Kozireski Wkozires@brockport.edu

BROOME CCC

The Hornets are having a nice rebound season at 7-4 overall and 3-3 in NJCCA competition at the holiday break. Two of those losses came against defending champ Erie and they will get two more opportunities in the second half. Sophomore Austin Campbell (Binghamton) was atop the team scoring list with 19 points while freshman Geno DeAngelo (Binghamton) led with 12 goals including three on the power play. Austin Bradish (West Chazy) was second with 11 helpers while Josh Maus (Binghamton) chipped in four goals. Sophomore goaltender Owen Miller (Endicott) earned four of the team’s wins over eight starts, but was being challenged by freshman Patrick Massey.

COLGATE

The Raiders didn’t foresee themselves near the bottom of the ECAC standings at the break, but two wins and one tie over a two month period will net that result. As alarming is the number of goals they have allowed in conference road or neutral site games—21

Central Hockey / Page 17 in five games. Four seniors were pacing the team led by the Spink brothers Tyson in goals and Tylor in assists and with 15 and 12 points respectively. Senior Mike Borkowski also had seven goals. “The locker room is a bit down right now and we’ve played with a short bench and our guys have been at it since August with the Europe trip and Belfast,” head coach Don Vaughan said after their final home game of the first half. “We’re a little beat up and we’re a little tired, so I think separation sometimes is a good thing and not just the rest, but getting away from here. So the break is coming at a good time for us.”

CORNELL

One of five ECAC teams in the national rankings--#9—the Big Red were just one point behind unbeaten in conference Quinnipiac and riding a seven-game unbeaten streak at the break. Typical of Cornell hockey, goals were still a premium as Anthony Angelo led with six with no one else having more than four through 11 games. Jeff Kubiak led with eight assists and 11 points while freshman defenseman Alex McCrea was making a bid for the conference All-Rookie team with one goal and seven assists. He was named the league’s Rookie of the Week the first week in December after he helped the Big Red to a weekend sweep of nationally-ranked St. Lawrence and Clarkson at Lynah Rink. He became the first member of the Big Red to post three points in a game since January, scoring his first collegiate goal and adding two assists in the 2 victory over Clarkson. After posting back-to-back shutouts at nationally-ranked Yale and Brown Nov. 21-22, junior goaltender Mitch Gillam was named the ECAC Hockey Player of the Week. Gillam made a total of 57 saves over the two games. He played every second of the first half in

www.nyhockeyonline.com goal. The Big Red have a rough ride to the finish with six of their final ten games on the road.

CORTLAND With just one win and two ties, the Red Dragons will need a huge second half push to qualify for the postseason (top six). Sophomores Darren McCormick (Buffalo) and Dan Broderick (White Plains) continue to dominate the offense with 15 and ten points respectively while senior Sam Pinsler has already scored a career high four goals and freshman Shane Bennett (Grand Island) has six including a short-hander.

ELMIRA The Soaring Eagles entered the holiday downtime with just one loss over their last six games, and that came in overtime against defending champion Trinity. But most were in non-conference games and their 1-4 start has them looking up at most of the ECAC West. Seniors Brian Depp, Carter Shinkaruk and Tommy Sumi have combined for 40 points with Shinkaruk one goal away from 40 career. Freshman Sandro Aeschlimann has been in net for five of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six victories.

HAMILTON The Continentals were 2-1-1 in December with their only loss in overtime to defending national champ Trinity. Sitting in the middle of the pack, the bulk of the NESCAC schedule is in 2016 with a key four-game

Central Hockey / Page 18 conference road trip to start in January. Goals have been hard to come by but Robbie Murden led with five and added four assists. The rest of the team combined had 16 goals. Junior defenseman Conor Lamberti (Kings Park) was tied for second on the team with five points.

HOBART Ninth-ranked Hobart was scoring goals in bunches and atop the ECAC West standings at 5-1 before the holiday. 17 different players have scored over 12 contests led by seniors Mac Olson and Brad Robbins with eight and seven respectively. Junior Nick Bingaman (Bedford) stood third with 10 points and Mitch Beyer (Clifton Park) was the top-scoring defenseman with four points. Interestingly the power play had converted only seven goals on 57 chancesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ranked 60th of 76 teams in Division III. Senior goaltender Lino Chimienti had a 1.57 goals against average with an 8-1-2 record at the break.

MOHAWK VALLEY CC The Hawks had four wins, but none came against conference competition through December. Two overtime losses in NJCCA games might create some momentum in the second half. Per usual, the team was not providing individual players stats to the league.

MORRISVILLE The team is hoping their tie and overtime win three-point weekend against Canton that broke a seven game losing streak

www.nyhockeyonline.com launches them into a strong second half, but they will need to reduce their league-worst goals allowed to give them a fighting chance to make the postseason. Recruits Danny Liscio and CJ Stubbs sat atop the team scoring leaders with a combined 27 points with freshman defenseman David Landau showing offensive abilities with two goals and five assists over the first 12 games to team with MJ Maerkl on the blueline. Freshman Brett Johnson (Bronxville) also has added a pair of goals.

OSWEGO It’s been at least 16 years since the Lakers had three conference losses in the first half of the season, but they still find themselves just two points out of first place with the parody of the SUNYAC conference. The team has not scored goals at the pace of past seasons with team leaders Alex Botten, Shawn Hulshof and Kenny Neil each with five. And they received only six total goals from the sophomore and freshman class combined.

Central Hockey / Page 19 There is also a decision coming in net with Niagara transfer Adrian Ignani winning four of the first six and incumbent Matt Zawadzki winning two.

UTICA The Pioneers took a four-game winning streak into the break—all non-conference with two in their Radisson Thanksgiving Showcase—but had lost their last three ECAC West contests. Freshman Hayden Dawes led the squad with six goals and ten points and sophomore Anthony McVeigh was tops with seven helpers. Freshman goaltender Michael Frederick was sporting a 1.98 goals against average with a 7-2-1 overall record, but that ballooned to 2.76 in ECAC West action. He earned the ECAC West Rookie of The Week honors in early December for the second time. He is first in the ECAC West in saves (215), second in the conference in goals against average (2.23), and third in the conference in save percentage (.923).

The “Mite Before Christmas” by the OSMHA The Oswego Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) hosted its 30th Annual Oswego Mite Invitational Tournament, “The Mite Before Christmas Tournament,” on December 20. The Christmas themed event hosted more than 200 6-8 year-old hockey players spanning 19 teams and 3 divisions which included a special visit from Santa! Congratulations to all Mite Red, White, and Blue teams on outstanding play in the tournament! OMHA utilizes the American Development Model (ADM) by USA Hockey to maximize age appropriate skill development with fun station based learning.

The Pee Wee Team from Whitestown played Valley’s Pee Wee team. After the game they posted for photos with the USMC Commandant. The over 30 toys donated at that game went to the USMC to be presented to children less fortunate to make their holiday special

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Central Hockey / Page 20

Central New York Women’s College Hockey Report By Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com

Utica Pioneers

The Pioneers received votes in both d3hockey.com and USCHO.com polls on December 7. Utica picked up a season-high six points in the December D3hockey.com rankings, placing the Pioneers just outside the top-10 and eight points behind tenth ranked Castleton University. UC is second in the “receiving votes” category in this week’s USCHO poll, just one vote behind Wisconsin- Stevens Point. The Pioneers have compiled an 8-2-1 record (5-2-1 ECAC West) so far this season, with their only losses coming to nationally ranked No. 2 Elmira College on Nov. 21 and 22. UC has outscored its opponents 31-14 on the year and the Pioneer power play is seventh nationally with a 27.8 percent success rate. Senior Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) is tied for fourth nationally with 1.91 points per game. Her 12 goals also rank third in the country. Junior Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) is tied for first in the nation with 1.27 assists per game and classmate Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School)

recently set a program record with three straight shutouts. Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry) was named ECAC West Goaltender of the Week for December 7 and again on December 15. Goin and Janessa Haasbeek were named to the d3hockey.com National Team of the Week December 8 and Haasbeek received the honor again on December 15. Utica returns to the ice on January 10 against Norwich at home.

Syracuse Orange

Senior Melissa Piacentini go two assists against Penn State giving her the distinction of being the first player to ever record 100 points for the Orange. Her two points put Syracuse over the Nittany Lions 3-1 in CHA play. Jessica Sibley was named CHA Player of the Week December 7 after she led the Orange to a 1-0-1 weekend against Penn State. Sibley scored the game winner in a 3-1 victory and the lone goal in the 1-1 tie. The Syracuse women’s ice hockey team heads into winter break with an 8-10-2 overall record after 20 games, but more importantly a 5-1-2 record in College Hockey America play. The Orange have eight remaining conference games slated for 2016.

With 12 total points, Syracuse currently resides in second place in the CHA, which is two points behind top team Mercyhurst. The Lakers are still undefeated in conference play, but both sides will face off four times in 2016. The top three teams in the CHA are separated by only three points (Mercyhurst 14, Syracuse 12, Robert Morris 11). Along with all four games against Mercyhurst, Syracuse still has a home series left against third-place Robert Morris. Midway through the season, Syracuse has three players in the top five of the CHA for most points. Senior Melissa Piacentini and sophomore Stephanie Grossi are currently tied for second in the league with 22 total points. Grossi leads both the Orange and the CHA with 16 assists while Piacentini is atop the conference with a plus/minus of +17. Piacentini, Grossi and senior captain Nicole Ferrara are the top three players in the CHA when it comes to plus/minus. After sitting out all of the last season, Ferrara has had a solid return for the Orange, scoring a teambest nine goals to go with nine assists for 18 points. Of the 14 games remaining on the Syracuse schedule, 12 of those contests are against CHA opponents. The Orange will start off the 2016 campaign on Monday, Jan. 4 against Colgate before taking on Union on Tuesday, Jan. 12 for its non-conference finale.

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Down the stretch, Syracuse has eight of its 14 games at home, which includes the final four games of the season. The Orange will take on Robert Morris on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 before its final regular season series against Lindenwood on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20. The CHA quarterfinals will be from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28. The semifinals will be the following weekend on March 4 with the championship taking place the next day.

Colgate Raiders

The Colgate women’s ice hockey team found itself back in the national polls this week for the second time in program history. After sweeping the North Country last weekend with a 3-4 overtime win at #5/6 Clarkson and a 2-1 victory over St. Lawrence, Colgate continues to impress. The Raiders held the No. 10 spot in the USCHO.com Division I women’s hockey poll during the week of Nov. 23 but were back in the honorable mention category the following week after a split series with Mercyhurst. Greg Fargo’s team rebounded with strong showings against Clarkson and St. Lawrence to make their overall record 10-3-5, and earn their first two ECAC Hockey conference wins of the season. ECAC Hockey has three other teams in the top-10 poll with Quinnipiac, Clarkson, and Harvard claiming the fifth, sixth, and eighth spots, respectively. The underclassmen are having a huge impact on the team with three first-years leading the team in goals and points. Rookie Bailey Larson (7G, 11A) currently leads the way in points with 18. Behind her with 13 are first-years Jessie Eldridge (8G, 5A), Shae Labbe (8G, 5A), and sophomore Lauren Wildfang (4G, 9A). The entire team can be credited with the program’s impressive record so far, as 16 players have at least one point throughout the season.

Central Hockey / Page 21

Senior Nicole Gass and juniors Cat Quirion and Hannah Rastrick have been strong on defense and are key in Colgate allowing only 38 goals in 18 games so far. Rookie goaltender Julia Vandyk has stepped up and made big saves when needed, as she recorded both wins in net over the weekend. Her overall record on the season stands at 6-0-1, with a .939 save percentage and 1.69 GAA. The Raiders won’t have another game until Jan. 4 at Syracuse due to the holiday break. They look forward to continuing their winning ways in the second half of the season as they make a run for a spot in the ECAC Hockey playoffs.

Elmira Soaring Eagles

Elmira College women’s ice hockey remained as the No. 2 team in the country according to the latest U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) national poll. Elmira wrapped-up the 2015 portion of its season schedule this past weekend, as the Soaring Eagles swept the regular-season series with SUNY Potsdam. The Soaring Eagles scored a lopsided 5-0 win over the Bears on the road Friday night before edging Potsdam the following afternoon by a single goal at Maxcy Ice Arena, 3-2. Plattsburgh State remained atop the national poll after earning a pair of conference victories against Buffalo State. Aside from Plattsburgh and Elmira, the top-five experienced a bit of a shakeup this week. Lake Forest College moved up two spots to No. 3 in this week’s rankings. The Foresters are unbeaten this year with a 10-0-1 record, which includes a win over one nationally ranked team. Checking-in at No. 4 for a second consecutive week was Adrian College, who picked up a pair of victories over the weekend against Marian University. Rounding out the top-five was Middlebury College, who dropped two spots after going 1-0-1 against Connecticut College over the weekend.

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Central Hockey / Page 22

Left: Oswego Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Teams present donations to Oswego area service organizations providing for those less fortunate.

The Soaring Eagles will enjoy an extended break from competition, as the Elmira women resume their 201516 season schedule on Saturday, January 2nd, with a non-conference game against Williams College. Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena in Pine Valley, NY. Elmira Concludes First Half of Schedule as Nation’s Second-Ranked Team

Oswego Lakers

Amy Templeman was named to the d3hockey.com Team of the Week after she scored her first collegiate goal in a 1-1 tie with Hamilton. The Lakers played their December 4 and 5 games for the United Way Food Drive and Teal Gate Ovarian Cancer Awareness. They shared proceeds and donations of cash and toys from the games to the Human Services enter and Catholic Charities of Oswego County.

Cortland Red Dragons

The Red Dragons are 1-6-1 overall as they return to the ice on January 5 against Hamilton.

Cornell Big Red

Hanna Bunton, Micah Hart, Cassandra Poudrier were named to the Canadian National Team for the 2016 Nations Cup, previously the Air Canada Cup. They will play January 4 through 6 in Fussen, Germany against Finland, Germany, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland. The Big Red are 6-6-2 as they head into 2016 against Harvard on January 8.

Hamilton Continentals The Hamilton College women’s hockey team wrapped up the first semester with a 2-2 tie against visiting Colby in a NESCAC game at Russell Sage Rink Saturday afternoon. The Continentals are idle for the next four weeks after

starting the season with a 3-2-1 record. The Continentals will host Wesleyan in their next contest, taking on the Cardinals Sunday, Jan. 3. It will be a non-conference game between the NESCAC rivals.

William Smith Herons Head Coach Jaime Totten recently announced that sophomores Rebecca Begley, Hedi Droste, Krista Federow, and Catherine Linehan will serve as the first captains of Heron ice hockey. William Smith (3-5-2, 1-5-2) completed the 2015 portion of its scheduled with a weekend split against ECAC West foe Chatham. Prior to the weekend series, Totten named Begley, Droste, Federow, and Linehan captains. Begley currently leads the team with four goals, six assists and 10 points and is averaging a point a game so far this year. She is third in the conference in defenseman scoring, one point behind the conference leaders. (Continued on Page 25)

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Central Hockey / Page 23

Rome Northeast Silver Stick Tournament A Success! (Submitted by Kristin Fleet Haag, CPA)

Here are the results from the Squirt Travel Championship Game (Rome Red 5 vs. Central Outlaws 3). Rome Red Squirts, led by Head Coach Dan Pylman and Assistants Mic Occhipinti and Rob Kopek, are the Northeast Regional Silver Stick Champions. They went undefeated in the Silver Stick Tournament, beating Troy Titans, Central Outlaws, Bethlehem, and Rome White. Rome Red faced the Central Outlaws for a second time in the Championship Game on Sunday. Rome Goals: Period 1 - 4:28 Drew Kopek, assisted by Alyssa Nardslico and Andrew Murray Period 1 - 2:20 Andrew Murray, assisted by Alyssa Nardslico Period 1 - 33.5 sec Andrew Murray Period 2 - 6:39 Carmen Orton, assisted by Michael Occhipinti Period 3 - 10:47 Andrew Murray, assisted by Jacob Swavely Central Outlaws Goals: Period 1 - 6:32 Henry Jackson Period 2 - 6:10 Henry Jackson Period 3 - 9:47 Noah Kissiloff, assisted by Liam Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor and Henry Jackson Rome Goalie Justin Rosinski had 7 saves, while Central Outlasw had 17 saves. The Rome Squirts will go on to compete at the International Silver Stick Finals January 24 - 26, in Forest, Ontario, Canada. Bantam: Other Rome Teams, Rome Bantams defeated Bethlehem 7-0 on Friday evening. They lost to the

Central Outlaws on Saturday night 4-3, and lost in the Cross Over game against Onondaga 3-1. Onondaga defeated Oswego in the Championship game 2-1 on Sunday evening. Pee Wees: Rome Pee Wees lost to New Hartford Friday morning 6-4 and Tonawanda Friday night 5-1. Rome defeated Binghamton 2-0 on Saturday. New Hartford Pee Wees defeated Tonawanda 2-1 in the Championship Game on Sunday evening. Squirts: Rome White: Loss vs. Troy 3-2 (Friday 10:30 am) Loss vs. Rome Red 7-1 (Thursday 6:00 pm) Win vs. Bethlehem 2-0 (Saturday 3:10 pm) Loss vs. Central Outlaws 6-0 (Sunday 9:20 am) Squirt House: Rome Loss vs. Salmon River 6-0 (Thursday 7:00 pm) Rome Loss vs. Oswego 5-0 (Friday 2:00 pm) Rome Loss vs. Valley 3-0 (Sunday 7:00 am) Valley won the Championship Game on Sunday over Oswego 4-3 in Overtime.

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Central

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Starr Rink Continued from Page 16 Class of 1965 class members, led by gift chair Jim Himoff, Peter Desnoes, Peter Kellner, John McGonagle, and Robert Forster, offered more than $22 million in support for Colgate to mark their reunion this spring. Their generosity also ensured that Colgate hockey’s home ice, located inside the arena, would be known as the Steven J. Riggs ‘65 Rink, in memory of classmate Steve Riggs, killed in Vietnam in 1968. Riggs was team captain and was inducted posthumously into the Colgate Athletics Hall of Honor. During a luncheon on May 30, 2015 members of the Class of ‘65 signed a beam that will be used in the construction of the arena. Steve Riggs Jr., son of First Lieutenant Steven J. Riggs Sr. and an honorary member of the Class of 1965, was one of those who signed. “There was a lot of grassroots fundraising as well and we pulled a lot of money together fairly quickly during the quiet phase and honestly it would not have happened without a core group of trustees and the head of our Advancement, Murray Decock. Those people kept this project afloat when it was on its last breath a couple of times, so they deserve a lot of credit.” As many programs throughout Division I hockey have opened new facilities such as Quinnipiac, Penn State, RIT and Canisius, they have seen virtually an immediate bump in the quality of players they are able to recruit and that should also hold true for the Raiders coaching staff. “We have (already seen improvement) actually. Kids make decisions for a lot of different reasons, but for 18 and 19 year olds facilities are a big part of that reason. And we’ve gotten some commitments from some kids that we wouldn’t otherwise have for sure because of the facility.” If you have ever taken in a game at Starr Rink and want to get back for one more look or it’s been on your hockey bucket list for quite a few years, you have only five more chances to see the men’s hockey team and check that box: Jan. 22 vs. Harvard, Jan. 23 vs. Dartmouth, Feb. 12 vs. Yale, Feb. 26 vs. Rensselaer or Feb. 27 against Union. The women play home on Jan. 12 vs. Cornell, Jan. 15-16 against Brown and Yale, Jan. 22-23 vs. Clarkson and St. Lawrence, Feb. 5-6 vs. Princeton and Quinnipiac and Feb. 19-20 against Harvard and Dartmouth.

www.nyhockeyonline.com Womens College Continued from Page 22

After recording four points (2g, 2a) in an opening weekend sweep over UMass Boston, Begley earned a spot on the ECAC Women’s West Weekly Honor Roll. Last season, Begley was named to the ECAC Women’s West All Rookie Team. In 35 career games in a William Smith uniform, Begley has 18 points (6g, 12a). Droste has two assists in seven games this season. She plays a key role on the Herons’ top power-play unit, playing the opposite point from Begley. Last season, Droste collected six points on two goals and four assists. She set up both the tying, and game-winning goals in William Smith’s first varsity win last season against Neumann. Federow is second on the team with three goals and four assists. She has registered a point in seven of the Herons’ 10 games so far this season, and pocketed the game-winning goal against UMass Boston. Federow has played in all 35 of William Smith’s games the past two seasons and is the all-time goals and points leader with 14 and 26, respectively. As a first-year, she was named the ECAC West Rookie of the Week once. Federow scored the Heron’s first varsity goal at the Cooler, a shorthanded goal. Linehan’s two goals are fourth on the team this year. Her first goal of the season came late in the third period against the Knights and was the game-tying goal. She scored an unassisted goal against Chatham. In 33 career games, Linehan has seven goals and six assists for 13 points. She is third in career goals. Linehan completed her rookie season with three power-play goals and won the Ice Hockey Coaches Award. The Herons will be back in action on Jan. 5 when they travel to Morrisville for a non-conference game. William Smith will be back at The Cooler, Jan. 8-9, when it host Division II Franklin Pierce for a pair of games.

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Morrisville Mustangs The Morrisville State Women’s Ice Hockey team was shut out for the fourth time this season as they suffered a 4-0 loss at home in their final game of 2015. The visiting Pioneers from Utica College tallied 40 shots on goal in the game, 32 of which came in the first two periods alone. The high number of shots paid off for the visitors as they found the back of the net twice in each the first and second periods. The Mustangs had their best opportunity to score at the end of the first period as they forced the Pioneers into back-to-back penalties with less than two minutes remaining. However, the one minute and thirty second 5 v 3 skater advantage did not work out for the Mustangs as Utica ran their penalty kill defense to near perfection. The Morrisville women, who have not posted a win since November 21, will look ahead to 2016 when they return to the ice at home against William Smith on Tuesday, January 5 at 7:00 PM.

Send Us Your News: Janet@nyhockeyonline.com or Randy@nyhockeyonline.com Deadline for February is January 23!

East Hockey

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EAST Hockey / Page 27

NYR Sign Petersen Free Agent’s Dream Comes TruE!

he New York Rangers announced that the team has signed free agent Kayleigh Petersen from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey to a one-day contract. Petersen becomes the first female in franchise history to sign a one-day contract with the team. Petersen, 8, has been scouted during her House Mite League games this season, and the Rangers felt it was the appropriate time to offer a contract. “She has tremendous skills and we felt her strength and character are through the roof,” said Adam Graves, Rangers Hockey Operations Department. “We are proud and honored to have her as a part of the Rangers organization.” From East Brunswick, New Jersey, Petersen began playing hockey at age five and is also currently enrolled in Ballet, Hip Hop and Gymnastics. Her speed, skill and courage have impressed Rangers talent evaluators in her various Intro to Hockey lessons over the last two seasons, as well as at her most recent stint at Full Day Hockey Camp. Petersen is expected to join the team on the ice prior to tonight’s game against the Colorado Avalanche at Madison Square Garden at 7 pm. The game, which is “Garden of Dreams Night” at MSG, will help raise awareness for the Garden of Dreams Foundation, a non-profit organization that works with The Madison Square Garden Company and MSG Networks Inc. to positively impact the lives of children facing obstacles. Children from several of the Foundation’s partner organizations will be on hand to participate in a series of once-in-a-lifetime experiences with the Rangers, both before and during the game.

Story reprinted with permission of the New York Rangers.

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EAST Hockey / Page 28

By Matthew Calamia – / GO SKATE! Rangers Youth Hockey Blog

“I

t’s too easy to give up” is what Army Sergeant Bryan Dilberian said minutes before taking the ice at Madison Square Garden with his Wheelchair Sports Federation New York Sled Rangers teammates. Just over four years ago on July 1, 2011, Dilberian, a native of Brooklyn, was on a tour of Afghanistan when he and his fellow soldiers hopped a wall after an encounter with the enemy. He’s quick to mention that they completed the mission, but he lost both his legs and his left arm when he landed on a 30-pound Improvised Explosive Device, or IED. Dilberian also lost his best friend. “I’m sorry for my friend’s life, but as far as me losing my limbs, I still have one more,” he said with a determined yet joking demeanor. It’s that demeanor that led Dilberian, 29, to learn to walk with the use of prosthetic legs less than two months after his injury, and that led him to become the first triple amputee to return to active duty despite nearly 30 surgeries to fix his legs, arms, face, chest and back. “I went through all the pain,” he said. “But pain is weakness leaving the body. Thank God. He gave me the strength to let me do what I do.” Dilberian was honorably discharged from the military and now works as a candidate investigator for the Fire Department of New York, and also does public speakings. “It’s not over until the fat lady sings for me,” he said with a laugh, showing again his sense of humor that has helped him find the positive despite so many negatives being thrown his way. Dilberian is now in his second season with the Sled Rangers, which is affiliated with the Wheelchair Sports Federation and plays in the Northeast Sled Hockey League, and is comprised of over 40 physically disabled athletes, several of whom are disabled vets like Dilberian. “I love it,” he said. “We travel all over the Northeast coast, playing a bunch of guys, a lot of veterans on the other teams. It’s loads of fun.” Private First Class Len Lacina was an army M1 Armor Crewman who was left partially paralyzed with

Sled Hockey at The Garden

memory loss due to an adverse reaction to a medical treatment. “I’m slowly getting back,” he said Tuesday at The Garden. “Going to be able to walk with leg braces all the way up to the hips and get back on my feet.” Like Dilberian, Lacina is in his second season playing sled hockey. He started as a defenseman but after an injury to the team’s goalie, he moved between the pipes. “I’m not bad, and I’m not good,” he said with a laugh. For Dilberian, a lifelong hockey fan, Tuesday night was extra special to be able to play at The Garden, a place he’d seen so many events at. “The only time I was ever at MSG was in the seats,” he said with another laugh. “Now, actually being on the ice that NHL players play on, it’s pretty cool.” Despite what he lost, Dilberian said quitting is not an option. “It’s too easy to sit on your [butt],” he said. “ I was never that guy to just sit around and do nothing. I was always fighting the fight. At the time, I was 25 years old. I was [in my] prime and I’m still in my prime now. I’m 29 years old. It’s just — keep fighting. The day you quit is the day you let the enemy win.”

Reprinted With Permission of the New York Rangers

www.nyhockeyonline.com Special to NY Hockey By Michael Meyers NY Raptors

East Hockey / Page 29

Raptors Rap

T T

he New York Raptors is an American Special Hockey team for special needs youth who can skate on the ice .

he New York Raptors had their second home game of season on December 13 2015 at Westchester Skating Academy in Elmsford, New York . They played their second home game against a new special hockey team who they have never played before. The new special Hockey team are the Mercer Bulldog from New Jersey. Mercer Bulldog started in the American special hockey league in 2010. The New York Raptors played against their first college special hockey team. The collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name is Gonzaga University from New Jersey . Gonzaga Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special hockey started in 2010. Gonzaga University called their special hockey the Mercer Bulldogs. The New York Raptors lost to the Mercer Bulldogs and the final score was New York Raptors 8 and Mercer Bulldog 10 on December 13 2015 at Westchester Skating Academy Elmsford New York .

ew York Raptors held their home tournament on November 28 2015. The tournament is called Turkey Tourney. New York Raptor lost two games of their home tournament . The Raptors played the first game against the New Jersey Dare Devils at Hommocks Ice Rink, Larchmont New York on November 28 2015 . In game one the New York Raptors lost to the New Jersey Dare Devils and played their Second game against the Southern Connecticut Storm. In game two the New York Raptors lost to Southern Connecticut Storm. The Raptors did well and a good job at their home tournament on November 28 2015. From Team mates Kimberly Laverne Jones.

he New York Raptors had their first away game of the season on December 12 2015 . They played their first away game against the New Jersey Dare Devils at Richard J. Codey Arena in Essex County Parks, Orange, New Jersey . New York Raptors lost their first away game against New Jersey Dare Devils on December 12. They did good job because they passed the puck better and also score the goal . I got this from my coach Mike. From Kimberly Laverne Jones . (New York Hockey E-Magazine Thanks Michael and Kimberly for their stories)

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Aviator’s Muzyi Retires Early!

here are times when sports just aren’t fair, or life for that matter. That reality was brought back in to focus this past week when beloved Aviators forward and Gaylord, MI-native Seth Muzyl was forced to walk away from the game he loved to play. No, it wasn’t that Seth’s career wasn’t going anywhere, quite the opposite. He has the talent, workethic and attitude any coach would want on his team. The sad reality for Seth was, following fluky play during a practice two weeks ago, he had suffered the fifth significant concussion of his hockey career and doctors finally had to tell him enough was enough. “When I heard the news my heart sank, both professionally and personally,” said Aviators Head

East Hockey / Page 30 Coach Mike Stanaway. “He is a terrific hockey player and an even better person. He had a bright future ahead of him and it’s just sad to see his hockey career end in that manner.” Stanaway is especially familiar with Seth and the Muzyl family. Put aside the proximity of their home towns, just about 200 miles and a Mackinac Bridge crossing between Marquette, MI and Gaylord, MI, Seth’s older brother Cole also played for Stanaway with the Southern Oregon Spartans in 201213. While Seth was well on his way to a college hockey career and perhaps beyond, Stanaway fully expects him to continue in the sport he has so much to give back to. In his two seasons in Brooklyn, Seth was part of the Aviators USPHL Empire Championship and USA Hockey National Runner-Up team and was, once again, a big impact on the Aviators NA3EHL team this season. “Over the past two seasons he had a tremendous impact on our hockey team,” said Stanaway. “He was a joy to coach and unfortunately I feel he was just beginning to scratch the surface of his ability. I know Seth will go to school and hopefully he can get back involved in the game in some fashion whether it be volunteering or coaching down the road.” Seth’s unfortunate early retirement from playing at just 20 years old, has brought to light, again, the unfortunate rise in concussions, not just in hockey, but throughout sports. “I think a big issue and something you have talked about significantly,” said Stanaway. “I don’t know whether it is the over saturation of junior hockey, the fact that

kids aren’t taught how to properly give and take hits at a younger age or whatever the reason may be, the amount of violent hits to the head and concussions in on the rise. We are only half way through the season and our team already has seven concussions. That is just an alarming number.” The “you” Stanaway was referring to is former Aviators’ Associate Head Coach Cliff Cook, who still works for the team as its media relations coordinator and recently broadcast an episode of his show First Call on JuniorHockey. com with Cliff Cook discussing the concussion issue: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=89351 Where there was once a fine line between toughness and cautiousness, more and more coaches are thankfully beginning to lean the way of an over-abundance of caution when it comes to all head injuries. “If there is a fine line it should go away really fast,” said Stanaway. “There is no room to mess with your head. There are just too many medical consequences and too many health risks involving concussions. I feel it is an easy decision, sit out until you are 100 percent cleared to participate by a medical physician.” The Aviators remain on holiday break before returning to Aviator Sports and Events Center for a two-game series against the Lockport Express Jan. 9-10. As always, Aviators games are available on www.fasthockey.com.

www.nyhockeyonline.com ARMY The Black Knights were playing tight hockey with six of their first 16 games going to overtime. Their modest four game unbeaten streak launched them into the tight middle of Atlantic Hockey just two points out of third place with two games-in-hand on some teams. Junior defenseman Ryan Nick entered this season with one career goal, but has a team high five along with sophomore forward Brendan McGuire. Army swept a weekend league series for the first time since 2011 with a pair of wins over Sacred Heart in a home-and-home series. Taylor Maruya scored his first collegiate goal Nov. 28 at Canisius.

HUDSON VALLEY CC Freshman Sean Spohr’s overtime winner gave the Vikings a 3-1 December record and evened their NJCCA record at 3-3 at the break. Spohr leads the team with five goals with classmate Tyler DeMarco one behind. The team needs to find more offense as they managed only 23 goals over their first 11 contests and just 13 in six league games. The reopen after the break with a pair at defending national champion Erie, who shut them out twice in November.

East Hockey / Page 31 M A N HATTANVILLE

East Men’s College Ice Hockey Report

The surprising Valiants earned points in all but three of their first 11 games prior to the holiday break. Included were three 5-4 overtime victories on home ice. The recruiting class was proving to be the difference from last season with freshman goaltender Tyler Feaver earning four wins during the first half, Cory Andersen leading the team in scoring, Matt Lippa in goals and Eric Berglund in assists through 11 games. The only senior in the regular lineup—forward Matt Coleman (Brentwood) -- reached the 20-goal career mark.

R.P.I. Tied for third in ECAC thanks to a nine- game unbeaten streak earlier this year matching the eighth longest in school history for a single season, the Engineers were one of league’s surprise teams with Cornell. Junior forward Riley Bourbonnais (Greece) leads the team with eight goals and four assists for a team-high 12 points in 17 games. Freshman goaltender Cam Hackett saved the day when starter Jason Kasdorf missed time with

by Warren Kozireski Wkozires@brockport.edu

an injury as he was 6-2-2 in ten appearances. He was named ECAC Rookie of the Week for week ending Nov. 15 after he went 1-0-1 with a 2.35 goals against average and a .933 save percentage totaling 70 saves, including a career-high 41 in the RPI’s 3-2 overtime victory over then-No. 10 Yale. The Engineers played to a scoreless draw for the just the fifth time in school history on Dec. 12 against eighth-ranked Harvard. The most recent such occurrence took place on January 29, 1927. Jesper Ohrvall was named ECAC Rookie of the Week Dec. 15 after he recorded his first three collegiate goals in a weekend sweep of Arizona State. RPI senior Chris Bradley (Williamsville) was tied for second in the nation in blocked shots with 37. Freshman Alex Rodriguez scored his first collegiate goal Nov. 24 against the University of New Hampshire. Freshman Jesper Ohrvall scored the first two goals of his collegiate

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career in a 5-1 victory over Arizona State University Dec. 11.

East Women’s College Report by Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com

UNION The Dutchmen entered the break on a four game unbeaten streak including two shutouts as they hope to turn around the slow start. Junior goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos blanked ranked Merrimack on the road and Dartmouth on home ice—his first shutouts since his freshman season. Spencer Foo was named ECAC Player of the Week Dec. 6 as he had had a hand in five of Union’s seven goals in a weekend against Harvard and Dartmouth. He led the team in scoring while Ryan Scarfo was tops with nine goals including four with the man advantage. But the team needs to generate scoring from deeper in the lineup as three forwards accounted for 21 of the squad’s 44 goals in the first half. Union has been dominant in the face-off circle this season, winning draws at a 56.3% clip, which ranks second in the nation.

Union

Union closed out December at Maine with a 2-2 tie and a 1-0 loss. Melissa Black collected her 500th save against Yale. She has made 538 saves in 817:40 minutes played. The team helped raise $1,000 for local children and provided hats to children battling cancer through the Love Your Melon program headed on campus by Union Captain Kathryn Davis. Union returns to the ice January 2 against Vermont.

RPI

The Engineers ended the season 2-0 over Brown with Louisa Selander netting her first collegiate shutout, maing 20 saves. MaKenna Thomas had her first collegiate goal, an empty netter with 55 seconds left in the game. RPI broke its 6-game winless streak with the shutout out

the Bears. They return to the ice January 2 and 3 at Mercyhurst.

Manhattanville

A 5-0 win over Neumann put the Valiants 3-4-0 overall as they close out 2015. Their break doesn’t last long as they return to the ice January 2 and 3 at the Rutland Heald Invitational. Rose Pijaca was named NEHC Co-Rookie of the Week with 20 saves in her first career shutout.

North Hockey

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Northern New York Men’s College Hockey Report by Warren Kozireski

Wkozires@brockport.edu

CANTON The Roos were finding the sledding tough with only two wins and two ties through the first half of the season. And it doesn’t get any easier with seven games against the SUNYAC top tier after the play at the Middlebury tournament to start the New Year. Forwards Josh Souva (Oswego) and Eric Witzel both were in double figures with defenseman Ben Beasley right behind with nine points and freshman Nick Lepone tied for the team lead with five goals.

CLARKSON The Golden Knights were Jekyll & Hyde with seven wins out of conference, but were 0-5-2 in ECAC action at the break. Even odder was that their two ties came against two of the top ECAC teams—Quinnipiac and RPI—with one on the road. AJ Fossen was leading the team with seven goals—five on the power play—while Sam Vigneault led with 13 points. Junior Bryan Sinz tallied his first career goal in his 46th game Nov. 28 against Arizona State.

North Hockey / Page 36 PLATTSBURGH The Cardinals entered December as the top ranked team in the country, but ended the first half with their first blemishes of the campaign—a tie at Brockport and a loss at Geneseo. They stood in second place in the SUNYAC conference. Senior forward Kevin Emmerling was second in the nation with six power play tallies and was leading the squad with eight goals. Dillon Fox and senior defenseman Rich Botting (Binghamton) were tied atop the scoring chart with 11 points each. Freshman Pat Egan (Gates-Chili) had only played eight games, but was among the top-13 in rookie scoring in the country.

POTSDAM The Bears stumbled a bit in December with a 1-2-1 record, but remained in first place in SUNYAC at the holiday break. Sophomore forward Dylan Vander Esch stood fourth nationally with 12 goals while goaltender Brendan McMenimen, seeing his first collegiate action despite being listed as a sophomore, was taking over the number one job with a 6-3-1 record in ten games. Freshman goaltender Nate Skidmore (Syracuse) made 34 saves to earn his first collegiate victory Dec. 11 versus Johnson & Wales and was named SUNYAC Rookie of the Week. Senior defenseman Brad Campagna (Monroe) netted his first goal of the season and third of his career in a 6-6 tie at Brockport Dec. 5. Sophomore defenseman Sean Kacerosky registered his first career goal in the same game.

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ST. LAWRENCE With four road conference games in December and three more when ECAC action resumes in January, the Saints will benefit from all that travel with eight of their final 12 games on home ice. Bronxville native Alex Hagen played in his 100 collegiate contest Dec. 11 at Vermont. Defenseman Gavin Bayreuther led the team in scoring with six goals and 13 points with sophomore Mike Marnell tied for the team lead with six goals.

Clarkson

Clarkson closes out 2015 with a 4-0 win over Cornell and at 15-3-2 overall and 3-3-2 in the ECAC. They return to the ice January 8 and 9 against Yale and Brown, respectively.

He was honored again Dec. 15 as he matched his season-high with 41 saves on 42 shots as the Saints beat Vermont 4-1 to finish the first half of the season at 105-2, the best 17-game record since 2005-06.

Northern New York Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College Hockey Report by Janet Schultz Janet@ nyhockeyonline.com

Potsdam

ECAC West Player of the Week Jordan Ott had 4 points in a weekend sweep of New England. Rylie Murray earned Rookie of the Week honors for a goal and an assist and was also named to the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week. They meet Hamilton on January 12.

Plattsburgh

Sophomore Kyle Hayton was named ECAC Goaltender of the Week Nov. 20-21 after he earned his second shutout in the last three starts at Quinnipiac, the first scoreless tie in St. Lawrence program history. He had 72 saves on the weekend.

Bridget Balesy was named to the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week for her 2 assists in a 4-0 victory over Castleton. She was also named ECACW Player of the Week on December 1 and 8. Plattsburgh ended 2015 12-0-0 as they swept Buffalo in a two-game stand. They return to the ice at the Theresa Humes Tournament on January 2-4.

St Lawrence

The Saints are 9-9-1 overall as they close out 2015 with two loses against Cornell and Colgate. They return to the ice January 6 against Merrimack.

Canton

The Roos donated over 300 food items to the Canton Neighborhood Center. One young fan donated 60 food items herself and was honored at the game and presented with a Roos Jersey. Freshman Tess Adams scored her 10th goal of the season in a 3-1 loss to the University of New England. The Roos head to the Codfish Bowl on January 4-5.

West Hockey

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MAKING SAVES; WARMING HEARTS!

olin Kosmicki is a goaltender with a warm heart! Four years ago Colin began collecting gently used coats, hats and mittens. He then donates them to the Rochester Open Door Mission and also has a collection in Elmira that goes to the Good Samaritan shelter. Colin drops boxes all over the community with the primary location being Bill Grays Regional Iceplex where Manager Chris Woodworth works with him to gather the coats. Other locations are scattered throughout Monroe County. Teams from all over New York State bring in bags of coats to donate when coming to the arena to play. “The kids are excited knowing they are helping a fellow hockey player and Colin gets edcited because he knows he is helping his own community,” said Colin’s mother, Maureen. Last season Colin was named one of America’s top five Kindest Kids by The Today Show/Sprout and NBC. He was also a recipient of the Rochester City Police Department, Do The Right Thing Award and his local school district presented him the Pittsford Pride Award, after his teacher and principal nominated him. “It’s not about the awards in Colin’s eyes, it is truly helping others,” said his Mom. “He is a little boy with a big heart!” The project has become contagious with one of his teammates from the Rochester Redwings meeting with his own principal to set up a dropbox of his own. 2005 Besides playing hockey, this is what hockey players do best--help others and their community. For more information on Colin’s project go to https://www.facebook. com/Warm-Hearts-Warm-Bodies-By-Colin-643882145635123/

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WNY Boys High School Hockey Iroquois JV Hockey

Coming off a strong effort against Hamburg the Iroquois junior varsity Chiefs looked to continue their winning ways against Lew-Port. In a contest that featured many ebbs and flows it is only fitting that it ended in a 4-4 tie. The Chiefs were down two goals at first but managed to come back at two different points throughout the game. Lead by Sophomore Captain Sam Rider with two goals and Freshman Dylan Giancarlo, who added a goal and an assist, the Junior Iroquois dominated certain portions of the game. Continuing his strong play was freshman Luke Pukalo who assisted on a beautiful goal my Alden Central’s Eric Mattoon. Rounding out the effort and having arguably his best game of the year was Freshman Eric Kingston who continues to show improvement each game. Defensively, 8th grader Shane Guasteferro consistently displayed toughness and escapability in his own zone. Iroquois next tilt takes place on 12/20 at Leisure Rinks against St. Joes. The Iroquois Junior Varsity team has been battling against tough opponents all year. The game against St. Joes was no different. Playing the division leading Marauders, Iroquois stood tall for two periods before finally faltering 6-2. Sophomore goalie Tyler Pache held his own in his first career action thwarting many St. Joes opportunities throughout the first two periods. Providing the offensive spark again were sophomores Sam Rider and Dylan Schiffhauer. Coming back from a long break Josh Harris also contributed in the losing effort. Defensively Alexis Missel stood out making a handful of stand up plays throughout the game. The Chiefs look to get back to winning after the Christmason Sunday night (12/27) at Leisure rinks and Monday (12/28) afternoon at the Harborcenter downtown.

Iroquois Varsity On December 13 the Iroquois Alden varsity Chiefs continued their winning season with a 4-1 win against Jamestown at Leisure Rinks.

With a slow start, the Chiefs fell behind 0-1 early in the first period. They tied it up quickly with an unassisted goal by Alden’s Spencer Hrynczak. Before the end of the first, the Chiefs had pulled ahead with a goal by Dylan Giancarlo assisted by Nathan Efstation and Joe Russo. The rest of the game, the defense, led by goalie Colton Degrace left the Jamestown team scoreless. The Chiefs third goal was again scored by Dylan Giancarlo assisted by Spencer Hryncak and Owen Creighton. In the third period, the Chiefs continued to dominate the scoring opportunities with a goal by Alex Held assisted by Jamie Bonn. Leaving Jamestown behind with a final score of 4-1 giving the Iroquois Chiefs their seventh win of the season. On December 20 the Chiefs faced the Buffalo Explorers in a head to head battle of two division leading teams. The Chiefs, with a 7 wins and 1 loss record, versus the Buffalo Explorers, with a 5 win, 0 loss, 2 tie record. The Chiefs struck quickly four minutes into the game with a power play goal by Alden’s Gage Mueller assisted by Jamie Bonn. Midway trough the period Alex Held scored unassisted with a shot from the slot. The Chiefs third goal came with just under a minute remaining in the first with Mueller’s second goal of the night assisted by Alex Held and Jamie Bonn. Buffalo opened up the second period with their first goal of the night. The Chiefs struck back just under two minutes later with a goal from Ryan Coulombe with assists from freshman Colton Czajka and Alden’s sophomore Spencer Hrynczak . Buffalo responded eleven seconds later with a tally of their own on a hard drive to the net. Late in the second period, while on the power play, Meuller scores his third goal of the game with a drop pass from Garrett Miller assisted by Jamie Bonn. The third period scoring started with Iroquois sixth goal of the game. This was a power play goal scored by Held for his second of the game assisted by Meuller and Spencer Hrynczak. Buffalo strikes back late in the period with their third goal of the night. Iroquois final goal of the night came with 1:42 left in the game with a goal by Jamie Bonn assisted by Meuller. (Continued on Page 53)

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Mentors On And Off The Ice – Strengthening Girls Hockey

Submitted by Webster Youth Hockey

n most youth sports organizations we read articles and hear about great coaches and the great things they do to teach kids the skills of their sport. My favorite articles are really about the deeper lessons kids learn from playing team sports… the lessons of leadership, selfesteem, discipline, camaraderie, team spirit. This story is about the kids getting involved to teach each other and themselves these great lessons! Two weeks ago I witnessed a change in the way Webster Youth Hockey’s (WYHA) Lady Cyclones program is strengthening these lessons for the girls’ teams. Webster’s Kyle Johnson, coach of the Lady Cyclones U19 girls’ team, introduced a big sister program to the program and day one was a great success! WYHA’s goal is to grow girls’ hockey. This will happen over time by providing MORE CHOICES and providing them EARLIER. WYHA is also working to create a culture within the program that encourages girls to join and stay involved with hockey. SO what is step one? The big sister program. The idea is an extension of a similar program executed at Our Lady of Mercy High School and was brought to hockey by sisters who are on two WYHA teams. Sophia Johnson – age 12, and Ellie Johnson – age 16, brought the idea to their Dad, Kyle, who coaches girls’ hockey for WYHA. If peer mentorship works at school, let’s try it on this ice.

So the U19 girls’ team (ages 15-19) and the U14 girls’ team (ages 10-13) has joined forces. The U19 girls will practice with the younger girls, increasing the impact of lessons on ice. All of the girls on both teams have committed to attending each others’ games and cheering each other on and learning from their plays. Friendships will form at deeper levels. Younger girls respect the older girls for what they have accomplished and will strive to do the same. Results from studies of girls’ hockey players indicate that girls will stay in hockey longer if they play with other girls. Most youth programs have co-ed teams until girls are 12, when checking is often introduced. This is also a time when the ratio of girls to boys shifts significantly to most teams having over 75% boys. At the same time, kids are forming social ties to others on their team, an important aspect of team sports. Since girls get ready in separate locker rooms they often miss out on this aspect and begin to

www.nyhockeyonline.com feel less connected to their team. In search of girls teams, not many strong programs exist, so girls have few choices to play girls hockey and often leave the sport altogether. At the inaugural event, the girls skated together, practiced real drills, then got silly and played some on-ice games. Size didn’t seem to matter, with the younger girls getting right into the mix regardless of sometimes significant differences between them and the older girls. Afterwards they enjoyed Halloween candy and hanging out, and talked about the benefits they will achieve out of this program. Here’s what some of the girls had to say after their Halloween fun skate…. Sophie (U14) – “It’s good to be around older, good influences. My sister is a goalie but can’t help me in my position. It’s nice to be with someone who can advise me on my own position.” Delaney (U19) – “I’ve been skating since 2nd grade and it’s cool for younger girls to see older girls skating.” Sierra (U19) – “I like being a big sister so I can give advice I didn’t have and show the younger girls skills. Working hard 100% will get you far in hockey and beyond.” Ariana (U19) – “This is a great way to make new friends beyond your own team, friends from all over Rochester, and now the U14 girls will experience that too!” Megan (U19) – “We are a community of girls’ hockey players and the U14 girls are so cute. We can be there to support each other. I loved having

West Hockey / Page 40

someone to look up to.” On a larger scale, WYHA would like to add enough girls to the programs to ensure choices earlier. Offering teams at the U10 level, when kids start playing games, is a high priority. Of course, that requires not only great efforts internally within WYHA, but also within the entire Great Lakes Girls Hockey League (GLGHL) to ensure there is a base of competition meaningful enough to make these teams effective. This will mean efforts by all organizations to grow the numbers of girls playing hockey and give girls the home on the ice they are looking for. This also means creating connections with college women’s teams and adult women’s teams…getting older girls back to the youth programs to coach and show the younger girls what is possible. WYHA’s program proudly comprises 20% females within the

registered skaters. This is a great start to creating a community of girls to promote and sustain this sport among female players. The energy in the room after WYHA’s first mentorship Big Sister event was electric! Choices…girls needs more choices and earlier choices. And WYHA is on its way to making that happen. For more information contact us at: www.wyha.com / girls@ wyha.com Photos provided by Webster show the Webster Youth Hockey girls having fun as part of new mentorship program and the Lady Cyclones U19 and U14 teaching each other.

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Buffalo Stars Hockey

he Buffalo Stars Minor Peewee team recently held a bottle and can drive at the rink to raise money for Patient Santa. Patient Santa is a private event for families who are touched by spectrum disorders such as Autism. The Team would like to send a great big thank you to everyone who contributed their time, cans and cash donations. They were successful in their wish to provide these families with an experience for their children. Pictured above are players who

volunteered, the founders of Patient Santa ~ Joe and Kelly Vanslyke and the owners of We Rock The Spectrum, Jeff and Jessica Sills. In conjunction with the Annual Family Christmas Party, the Buffalo Stars conducted a Food Drive to support the Food Bank of WNY. The drive was held in the lobby of Holiday Twin Rinks on Saturday, December 19. At the same time the Buffalo Stars collected new, unwrapped toys for children, infant through early teen, hospitalized at Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital.

Players will deliver the toys in January. The Buffalo Stars Mites collected new pajamas and books for children in need and delivered through The Pajama Program. What makes for a good night? For most children, bedtime is a time of comfort, love and security. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a time when children crave intimacy with their moms and dads, a few minutes of bonding and sharing in a safe, secure environment. But for the millions of children living in poverty in America, a

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Buffalo Stars Hockey good night is a luxury they do not often experience. The One Million Good Nights Campaign will allow the Pajama Program to essentially double its current capacity to distribute an additional one million new pajamas and one million new books to reach more children in need throughout the country.

favorite college team, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. However, athletics are not the only avenue for him as Alex excels in Science and hopes to one day use that skill to pursue a career as a Pharmacist. Hockey is Alex’s favorite hobby, but off the ice, “CatMan” (as he is known by his peers) also likes watching movies such as Red Steel or settling in with a ham sandwich and tuning in SPOTLIGHT PLAYERS to his favorite TV show, Henry Alex Catlin of the Minor Pee- Danger. He’s also a Superman and Pop Music fan. wee AA Catlin is looking to supplement his stalwart defensive play with a goal or two this season. Unfortunately, Alex recently suffered a broken growth plate in his foot and will be missing a month or two of ice time. We will sorely miss him on the ice, but he has been an incredible team-mate on the bench and is an inspiration through his resil Alex Catlin is a 5-foot, ience during his recovery. Both 96-pound defenseman for the on and off the ice, Alex exempliBuffalo Stars Pee Wee Minor fies the word “team-mate” and hockey club. Hailing from Buf- we wish him all the best for a falo, Alex has the size and the speedy recovery! shot from the point to emulate his favorite NHL player, Victor Hedman. Currently in Sixth Grade, Catlin has aspirations to reach the NHL one day, perhaps after playing the back-end for his

Connor Fetzer of the Bantam Major team.

Connor Fetzer is 14 years old and a 5’5”, 107 lb Goaltender. The ninth grader is from Lakeview and plans to become a professional athletic trainer. His favorite college team is the Clemson Tigers and he also enjoys pizza, pop music, Americas Got Talent and social studies. His favorite movie is Pixels, his favorite super hero is Captain America. Cujo, as he is known, sites his Dad as his role model and considers Mom and Dad to be his personal heros for the hard work they do to be good role models. Connor is a perfect gentleman and yet a Warrior at heart. He always gives 100 pct. on and off the ice. His technical skills are second to none and it shows by making one amazing save after another. Every game

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Buffalo Stars Hockey the stands rumble with, “WOW!!!!!!... Connor!!!! shake. Peewee Red could not be more proud of Woohoo!!!..” And if you look real close you can these two fine individuals! see a smile through his cage while he says, “Bring it on!!” Full Season Midget

Pee Wee Red Announces Captains

he Buffalo Stars Peewee Red team recently announced the selection of their team captain, Drew Molino. N o w they proudly introduce the Team’s Alternate Captains,

Dylan Janish and Jaidyn Torres. These two remarkable individuals were not just selected for their talent on the ice but rather their dedication, effort, and leadership they bring to the team. As a Co-Captain’s it becomes their responsibility to lead the team and help motivate and encourage every teammate. It also bears the responsibility of providing leadership and emotional balance when the team is not performing at our best. It’s a pleasure to have Dylan and Jaidyn represent Peewee Red along with Captain Drew Molino. Through their steady demeanor and tireless effort we are pleased to have these fine individuals lead us through the rest of our season. If you see Dylan Janish and Jaidyn Torres around the rink please give them a congratulatory hand-

Teams Announced

fter an absence of a year, the Buffalo Stars will ice two full season Midget teams. The Buffalo Stars will operate a Midget U16 and a Midget U18 team that will play a full season schedule. The teams will participate in a AAA schedule with both the National Junior Prospects Hockey League: http://nationaljuniorprospects. comand the Eastern Junior Elite Prospect Hockey League:http://www.ejepl.com/page/ show/530744-home The team will also participate at the local level in the Western New York Hockey League. A 60-65 game schedule will be on tap and the full schedule will be available by Training Camp in August. The Buffalo Stars will work with local High School Coaches in order to allow the player the participate with their High School teams if they so choose. The Buffalo Stars are pleased to announce that longtime youth hockey coach Mark Mendel will assume the Head Coaching duties for the U16 team. With more than 25 years of coaching experience, Mark has coached 18 seasons at all age levels with the Niagara Junior Purple Eagles and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to the table. The Buffalo Stars will announce the U18 Head Coach at a later date. For more information about the Buffalo Stars Full Season Program contact Pete Preteroti at 4910375 or Mark Mendel at 523-6936.

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Buffalo Stars Hockey Chase Nowak: Player of the Week (12/6)

A sixth grader from Hamburg, “Stotzy” (as his friends call him) is a solid allaround athlete, using his talents both on the ice and on the football field. He excels in physical education and has his sights set on a career in the NHL, after perhaps lacing up for his favorite college team, St. Lawrence UniChase Nowak is a true team player. When he de- versity. Once he gets to the “Big Show”, he hopes cided to make the move from House to Travel, he to emulate his favorite NHL player, Jack Eichel. inspired many of his teammates to follow. When asked why Eichel is his role model, Luke Chase is the silent leader of this team. He does simply replied “Because he is so good at hockey.” all his talking on the ice. Whether it’s scoring a When Luke isn’t on the ice or field, he likes hat trick or digging the puck out from behind the to spend time watching movies, such as Rememnet, he never quits. Chase has only one speed. ber the Titans, or catching his favorite TV show And that’s FAST. Keep up the good work. American Ninja Warrior. Or, he’ll grab a slice of Chase is 14 years old and plays Center. He his favorite pizza and throw on some tunes like is 5’10”, 130 pounds and a ninth grader. His fa- “Hit the Quan”. Luke definitely isn’t shy about vorite subject is World Georgraphy and he plans jamming out to a tune! a career in Business. He is a fan of the Oregon In terms of heroes outside of the sporting Ducks and likes pop music and football. world, Luke is a fan of Superman, but his per His role model is his father. sonal hero is Ryan Byrne. As Stotz put it, “Ryan Byrne is a great guy, he’s strong, teaches me lots Luke Stotz: Player of the Week (11/29) of cool things and is fun to be around.” Sounds to us like that’s a great guy to look up to, Luke! Luke Stotz is an 11 year-old Left Winger for the Buffalo Stars Pee Wee Minor hockey team. Luke has tremendous speed and skill and, standing 5’ 1” and 84 pounds, can use his frame to get into the dirty areas and possess the puck. Putting these skills to use will help him reach his target for this season, which is to score 15 or more goals.

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Buffalo Stars Hockey Mark Vertino: Player of the Week (12/13) Mason Vertino has just turned 5 years old. The 3’10”, 45.8 lb Wing is from Buffalo and is a Kindergartener. He likes art and plans to be a doctor. His favorite NHL Player is Datsyuk the “magician” and he also enjoys hockey, collecting hockey cards, soccer and riding his bike. His favorite movie is “Jack Frost” and his favorite TV program is Goosebumps. He also likes pizza and the song “Budapest.) His goals for this season is to score a goal and improve his skating.

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Caz Turns Out To Help Emmett

he Cazenovia Ice Hockey Association held a benefit ice hockey game for 10 year old Emmett Jakubowski. Emmett, a student at Frederick Law Olmstead School, is suffering from Leukemia. The hockey game was held December 14 at Riverworks against the Buffalo Sabres Thunder.

Lockport Express Shoot-Out Winner!

owell Motors Ford was thrilled to give away $1,100 dollars during the Howell Motors Shootout this weekend! During the first intermission of everyLockport Express home game Howell Motors Ford hold a shootout where contestants can shoot a puck into a tiny hole in a board for a chance to win a fabulous prize such as a gift certificate the Sub Delicious in Lockport or if they make it into the hole they win the ever growing pot of money starting from the first home game. This weekend saw the first money winner, Bob Fontaine! Congradulations Bob! The shootout is brought to you by Howell Motors Ford, Where Friends Send Friends since 1914!

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Nichols High School Nichols Girls Hockey Finishes 2nd in Deerfield College Invitational Showcase

on league play, before heading to Washington, D.C. in February to participate in the College Showcase Challenge Cup against the top teams from North America.

Nichols Boys December Review

he Nichols Girls Prep Hockey Team traveled to Deerfield, Massachusetts with the hopes of capturing their 3rd straight Holiday Showcase

Title. In Nichols first game, Nichols took on Stanstead College and won a hard fought game by a score of 3-1. The game was a tight game with exceptional physical play and Nichols would seal the game with an empty net goal with a minute left in the game. In Nichols second game of the day, they would take on host Deerfield Academy. Nichols came out a little sluggish, after their morning game, but would take control of the game by outshooting Deerfield by a margin of 36-8 and won by a score of 4-0. On Saturday, Nichols would take on NAPHA rival RNS from Nova Scotia. Nichols has never lost to RNS in 10 games, but again started out slow and got behind by a score of 1-0 on a questionable play that was offsides to give RNS their first goal. Nichols would take control the second half of the game, but could not beat the RNS goalie, before RNS would seal the game late to win by a score of 2-0. To close out the tournament, Nichols would make a statement by playing Vermont Academy to win by a score of 2-0, and pouring 50 shots on goal. Nichols placed 2nd in the tournament, but was still an overwhelming success as this tournament was heavily scouted by the colleges as the players had great exposure. As Nichols heads into the Christmas break, the team has a record of 10 wins and 1loss, ranked 4th in the United States. After the first of the year, Nichols schedule will be focused

very year just before the holiday break, the Nichols Prep team hosted a Teddy Bear Toss to support Women and Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital. The Boys headed off to the 68th Annual Lawrenceville Tournament and headed home with a 1-2-0 record. They then took off for Belmont for the Belmont Hill-Nichols Tournament which they ended with a 1-2-1 record. Prior to the tournaments Nichols dropped two games with a 5-1 loss to St. Andrew and a 5-2 loss to Ridley. Currently on the leader board with 19 goals is Erik Urbank. Urbank also leads in assists with 17 giving him 36 points. Steve Senese follows with 31 points on 17 goals and 14 assists.

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Western New York Women’s College Hockey Report by Janet Schultz Janet@nyhockeyonline.com JDSchultz3663@gmail.com

Buffalo State Bengals

The Bengals fell to #1 Plattsburgh in the final game of 2015. They return to the ice in the New Year against Canton on January 9 and 10. The Bengals 8-game win streak ended November 28 against Williams.

Doodle Bugs + Hockey = Fun!

hildren’s Centers announced an integrated partnership on a variety of programs and events at the Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex. As part of this newly formed partnership, the Iceplex Learn to Skate programs will now be known as Doodle Bugs! Children’s Centers Learn to Skate Program. The all ages program, which takes place at the Iceplex year round, is one of the largest learn to skate programs in the United States, teach-

RIT

The final game against Lindenwood found the Tigers going winless in CHA play until they tied the game 1-1. Mallory Rushton scored for the Tigers with 1:19 left in regulation. Reagan Rust was named Novrmber’s CHA Rookie of the Month as she led all the Tigers with 3 goals/3 assists in 9 November games. They return to the ice at Providence College on January 8-9.

ing hundreds of local residents the fundamental skills of ice skating. In addition, Doodle Bugs! Children’s Centers will officially sponsor multiple special events that take place at the Iceplex throughout the year. The first one being the annual Skate with Santa event, which takes place Saturday December 19th from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. This ice skating event features holiday music, decorations, free photographs and an opportunity to give Santa a holiday wish list. The Doodle Bugs! Children’s Center team will be on site throughout the event, offering children free face painting and a holiday craft zone. “An active lifestyle is a major part of our program’s founda-

tion, so we are thrilled about this partnership with the Iceplex!” said Kate Bogdan, Marketing Manager for Doodle Bugs. “When kids are active, they develop positive feelings about physical activity and cultivate lifelong healthy habits. Ice skating is a wonderful way to keep young kids active all year round!” For more information on the Doodle Bugs! Children’s Center Learn to Skate Program, visitwww. billgraysiceplex.com/learn-to-iceskate.html.

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Western New York Men’s College Hockey Report by Warren Kozireski

Wkozires@brockport.edu

BROCKPORT The Golden Eagles ended the first half on a bit of a high note tying then-#1 in the nation Plattsburgh 1-1 and tying nationally ranked Potsdam the next night 6-6 on home ice. That put them in the middle of the tight SUNYAC and in the fight for a top-six playoff spot. Freshman Tim Kielich (East Aurora) scored his second-on-the team fourth goal in the Plattsburgh game and continues to impress and earn more ice time. He, leading scorer Chase Nieuwendyk and sophomore Ryan Kangas have combined for 18 of the team’s 38 goals and 20 of 58 assists at the break.

BUFFALO STATE Junior Mike DeLaVergne made 33 saves to register his first collegiate shutout over Cortland in the final game prior to the holiday siesta. That gave the Bengals a standings boost into the middle of the SUNYAC race at 3-3-1. Junior forward Taylor Pryce has already set a career high with nine goals and led the squad with 16 points. Senior Brett Hope was second with ten points and only nine games away from the century mark in his career. He would become just the fifth Bengal to do so and, if he plays in every regular season game, would

West Hockey / Page 48 tie Trevor McKinney (2009-13) for the school record with 104 career games played. Drew Klin (200913), Nicholas Petriello (2007-11) and Mike DeMarco (2003-07) are the others to reach 100.

CANISIUS Even with one of the youngest teams in Division I, the Golden Griffins were in position to host a first round playoff series as of December. Despite having only five wins through the first three months, they were all conference victories. “It is really hard to win and I do feel that we are progressing forward and I feel like we’re improving every game and I think we’re learning that the price for success is paid in advance,” head coach Dave Smith said. “We have freshmen in some key spots and I think they are performing very well, but we haven’t learned how to win yet. Last year we had it, but that was 12 seniors ago.” Senior Ralph Cuddemi recorded two points on a goal and an assist Dec. 13 against Robert Morris and in doing so, became the ninth Griff in program history to record 100 career points and the fourth to reach the 50-goal mark. Junior Shane Conacher was named Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week after the first week in December after he totaled five points on two goals and three assists to help the Griffs split the weekend series with Air Force. He entered the break tied for sixth in goals (11). He now has four game-winning goals this season, which is just one shy of the single-season school record held by three players. Canisius entered the holiday break 5-1-0 this season when scoring on the power play and 0-10-1 when failing to score with the extra man. The Griffs play all five weekends in January with only their regional tilt with rival Niagara and the final weekend against Air Force on home ice.

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ERIE CC

per game and had 19 including 11 assists.

The defending champion Kats were acting like they wanted another ring running the table at 6-0 in the first half by a combined 32-10 margin. Aaron Wanat (Cheektowaga) and Trevor Evans (Newfane) ran 1-2 in the nation in scoring with 34 and 30 points respectively with eight other at ten or more points. Christian Nati (Lockport) was third on the team with eight goals while Jordyn Bellitto (Orchard Park) had seven. William Korczynski (West Seneca) took a 7-3 record into the break while freshmen net-minders Kyle Fallon (Orchard Park) and Jacob Bell (Buffalo) each picked up their first collegiate wins over the first 14 contests.

Freshman Anthony Marra was making a solid bid for the SUNYAC All-Rookie team with three goals and 11 assists over his first 11 collegiate contests and classmate Devin McDonald was off to an 8-0-1 start and a 2.10 goals against average beginning to his career.

FREDONIA In the mix for a top-six playoff spot, the Blue Devils may have turned the corner on their season in December earning five of eight points and their only loss coming in overtime to traditional conference powerhouse Oswego on the road. Team was finding more offense than in past seasons led by Marcus Ortiz, Taylor Bourne and Luke Rivera. Defenseman Ryan Wilkinson was two assists from tying his career best season mark of 12. Freshman goaltender Eric Bogart was earning more playing time of late splitting the last three weekends with senior Jeff Flagler and evening his record to 2-2 with a .911 save percentage.

GENESEO One conference loss and two ties will relegate you to fourth in the ultra-competitive SUNYAC and that’s where the Knights will embark on the second half. Plus a five-game winning streak where they averaged five goals per game. Trevor Hills (Honeoye Falls) ended the first half with a hat trick Dec. 11 against Nazareth and was tied for fourth in the nation with 11 goals. Stephen Collins (Pittsford) stood fourth nationally in points

NAZARETH One point separated third from sixth in the packed ECAC West as the Golden Flyers, coming off two losses, head north to play in the Plattsburgh Tournament the first two days in the New Year with Fitchburg State and Colby. Finding more offense will be a goal in the second half. Dominik Gabaj had just five goals and 12 points, but stood atop the team scoring chart at the mythical midway point. Freshmen David Powlowski and Brad Pizzy have both worked their way into more prominent roles of late with four power play goals combined. Senior goaltender Ed Zdolshek played every minute in the first half, so look for the coaching staff to work freshman Ty Hough into at least a few games in the second half. And maybe senior net-minder Jordan Demo (Cazenovia) will see his first collegiate minutes before the end of the campaign if the situation allows.

NIAGARA Weekend splits in December still had the Purple Eagles in last place in Atlantic Hockey, but a weekend sweep from the middle of the pack The team’s 2-0 win at RIT Dec. 11 marked their first win in the twelfth month since the 2012 season. Junior goaltender Jackson Tiechroeb registered the shutout in his season debut—he missed the first two months-plus due to several injuries. “It felt great; I was excited to get out there and put on the jersey again with the boys and play, Tiechroeb said. “I got out there and felt confident; everything was going our way. A lot of speedbumps, but I’ve tried to stay positive through it all.” After the Purple Eagles parted ways in December with junior forwards Pat Conte (Niagara Falls) and

www.nyhockeyonline.com Phillip Nasca (according to the Niagara Gazette), they signed Smiths Falls forward Johnny Curran to join them in January. The 5-foot-10, 175 lb. becomes the tenth freshman on the 28-man roster. In his first full season with Aurora in 2014-15, Curran posted 28 goals and 37 assists, giving him a teamleading 65 points in just 52 games played. This season, Curran played 22 games with Smiths Falls, posting 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points. Derian Plouffe scored his first career hat trick Dec. 4 against Bentley—the first hat trick for a Niagara player since Nov. 15, 2013. Niagara had two players earn Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week honors in November. Nick Farmer recorded four assists in a 5-4 overtime win on Nov. 20-the first four-point game for a Purple Eagles skater since Hugo Turcotte scored three goals and an assist on Nov. 16, 2013. Goaltender Joe O’Brien was also named Rookie of the Week after posting 39 saves in a 1-1 tie against Penn State back on Nov. 6. The coaching staff announced two new 2016 recruits in forwards Derek Brown and Ben Sokay via Odessa (NAHL) and Wellington (OJHL) respectively. Brown is in his third season with the Jackalopes where he tallied 48 points on 21 goals and 27 assists in 59 games in 2014-15. Sokay this season posted 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 points in his first 28 games. Throughout the start of the 2015-16 season, Niagara has been one of the best teams in the nation at blocking shots. As a team, Niagara is blocking 15.3 shots per game, which is among the top-20 in the nation. The team plays only one of the first eight January games on home ice and were 1-6 in away games during the first half, but the only win came in the last road tilt. Editors Note: According to the Niagara Gazette, the Purple Eagles have released junior forwards Pat Conte and Phillip Nasca. A source informed the Gazette on Sunday that Conte and Nasca had been kicked off the team. Neither player dressed against Bentley last weekend when the Purple Eagles split the weekend series with a 6-4 win and 3-1 loss. Recently, Conte went on the record with the Gazette. “I was not kicked off but rather released by Coach [Dave] Burkholder due to personality and coaching style differences,” Conte said. “The coaching staff was unable to

West Hockey / Page 50 see value in my style of play, therefore we parted ways. I have fulfilled one of my life goals by playing for a Division I team and wearing the Purple Eagle jersey with pride.” Conte had one goal this season in six games, while Nasca had not recorded a point.

R.I.T. With only two wins since November 8th, the Tigers were still tied for fifth in the conference and just one point from third place but still more than disappointed in their start coming off last year’s playoff championship and NCAA playoff appearance. “I think it’s a mindset of we did this last yearwe did that last year, but nothing matters anymore,” Greece native and junior goaltender Mike Rotolo said in December. “Nobody care that we made the NCAA tournament, nobody cares that we beat Minnesota State. Those are great accolades to put on walls and remember in your later life, but now is now and we don’t have the same team we had last year. We have a very good team in there, but we have to go on the ice and prove it.” Senior forward Josh Mitchell entered the break seven points shy of 100 career points. He was also tied for seventh in team Division I history with 66 assists and was only six away from the top-five Tigers. On Nov. 13-14, the Tigers dropped consecutive games in overtime to Bentley at the Polisseni Center— the first time RIT was swept in a weekend series at the Gene Polisseni Center. RIT also had not lost a home game in overtime since Nov. 9, 2007 and the first time at the Division I level they suffered losses in the extra session in consecutive games.

OTHER AREA NOTES: •Greece native Jordan Masters was leading new Division I program Arizona State in scoring. The freshman had six goals and 11 assists through the first 17 games. •Holy Cross sophomore Paul Berrafato (Williamsville) was named Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Month in November. He went 5-2-0 during the month, posting a 1.84 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.

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ECC On The Top Article by: Mark Jagord

or the first time this season, the National Junior College Athletic Association ranked the defending NJCAA hockey champion Erie Kats as No. 1. It took some time, but Erie is now back where they were at the end of last season after capturing the school’s second national championship. After five polls that saw the Kats start at No. 3, the top two spots in this season’s first poll were given to western Region 13 opponents Williston State and Dakota College-Bottineau, respectively. After the first poll, Williston State – runner-up to Erie in the 2105 title game – slipped to the third spot and the Kats have been hovering at No. 2 for the past three polls. That all changed last week when the previous once-beaten Lumberjacks dropped three-straight to go 9-4 on the year, and it opened the door for Erie to claim No. 1. Dakota dropped a pair of games to Iowa State by a combined score of 8-4 and then fell to St. John’s University’s JV squad at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. before jettisoning to No. 2. The Kats looked poised for another solid run at the title as they head into semester break. Aaron Wanat and Trevor Evans, two returning ECC All-Americans, lead all NJCAA scorers with 34 and 30 points, respectively. ECC blueliner Tim Duffy leads all NJCAA defenseman in scoring with 16 points, while returning AllAmerican goaltender Will Korczynski is tops in wins (7) and second in goals-against average. The Kats also hold the top six spots in NJCAA plus-minus ratings with Evans leading the way, followed by Richard

Procknal, Wanat, Brett Ross, Duffy and Jaret Werner. Erie is perfect at 6-0 in NJCAA region play, and although the Kats are showing four losses (three by just a single goal), no opposition has overpowered the Kats through their first 14 games. Oswego State may be the only team to beat Erie by more than a goal (3-1 win), but the Kats have also already beaten the Lakers in Oswego. Last weekend, Erie took three of four points going into the break. They set a school record for goals in a 20-1 win over St. Bonaventure before dropping a 4-3 OT road contest at Syracuse. Erie has a dozen games remaining before playoffs begin in late February. Next semester’s schedule starts with a home contest Jan. 8 against nationally-ranked University at Buffalo.

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It’s Nomination Time!

T 3rd Annual Tyler Putnam Awards Ceremony!

he 3rd Annual Tyler Putnam Youth Hockey Awards The response to the three new award categories has been outstanding! We have received a very large number of nominations and cannot wait to recognize the “coach of the year”, the “organization of the year” and the “arena of the year” at the

NEW AWARD CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2016 CEREMONY COACH OF THE YEAR: recognizing an exceptional, dedicated, hockey coach who has had a positive, lasting impact on his/her players, parents of his/her players and organization/program he/she represents. ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR: recognizing a hockey organization/program that has met or exceeded the members expectations, delivers a consistent and enjoyable experience for its members, and has shown growth in all keys areas. HOCKEY ARENA OF THE YEAR: recognizing a local hockey arena, it’s owners and staff for not only providing a safe, clean, comfortable arena for hockey players and parents but for offering additional amenities and resources for their customers at affordable prices. Go to: http://kwiksurveys.com/s/hlrvpFwM The 2016 Tyler Putnam Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Saturday March 12, 2016 at the Whitter House in Rochester, NY. Last year’s award ceremony hosted over 200 of Rochester NY’s who’s who in youth hockey and celebrated over 20 award winners from 20 different hockey programs in the greater Rochester, NY area and Syracuse, NY. Tyler Putnam’s Story Tyler Putnam’s dream was to play for his High School Hockey team, The Irondequoit Eagles, Junior Hockey, Division I Hockey and ultimately Professional Hockey. Tyler was able to realize two of those dreams, having played for The Irondequoit Eagles as an eighth and ninth grader and then with the Maksymum Junior team here in Rochester, NY. At the conclusion of his first Junior season, Tyler was well on his way of realizing his next dream as he was offered roster spots on five Junior A teams from Rochester, Minnesota to San Diego, California. In July of 2011, Tyler’s hockey dreams ended tragically when he died of an illness called “meningococcemia”, which is an infection that affects the bloodstream. Tyler Putnam was known for his high energy, incredible work ethic, and desire to achieve his goals. Tyler has been memorialized with a banner hanging above the ice at a local hockey arena as well as by a memorial helmet sticker that dawns the symbol of a hard hat – a symbol of Tyler’s hard work and dedication to the game that he loved--HOCKEY!

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Buffalo’s final tally came with 1:03 on the clock for a final score of Iroquois/ Alden 7, Buffalo 4. Iroquois net minder Colton DeGrace, backed by a strong defensive core led by Garrett Miller, Owen Creighton, Tim McCormick, Cam Giancarlo, Adam Czech (Alden), and Cole Miller

Photo Page / Page 53 played hard to secure Iroquois it’s 8th victory of the year. (Iroquois Hockey Stories Submitted by Team) We encourage all high school teams to submit their stories by sending them to Randy@nyhockeyonline.com or call Randy at 751-6524.

WNYGVIH 2015-16 UNDERWAY

he WNY Girls Varsity Ice Hockey League opened their sixth season on December 1 Amherst/Sweethome/ Clarence facing off against Williamsville at Northtowns Center. Williamsville on with a 5-3 victory. This was Clarence’s first appearance as part of the WNYGVIH and the Katz.. It was then off to Lincoln for Orchard Park/Frontier taking on Kenmore/Grand Island with Kenmore/Grand Island winning 5-0. This was Grand Island’s first appearance with WNYGVIH. Leading the scoreboard as of Dec. 22 are Katilyn DrewMead (Monsignor Martin, pictured below) with 7 goals and 4 assists and McKenna Rushford (Amherst/Sweethome/Clarence) with 6 goals and 4 assists. In goal Monsignor Martin’s Brianne Gawronski (Monsignor Martin, Pictured above) has 3 wins and 2 shutouts in her 135 minutes of play. Mia Wendell (Williamsville), Rosie Quattro (Williamsville) and Cara Klopp (Kenmore) have all had a shut out this season. The League returns to the ice in regular season play on January 5 when Monsignor Martin takes on Kenmore at Lincoln Arena. Sectionals will be held January 28 through February 3 with the champion heading to the NYS Championship in Albany on February 5-6. WNYGVIH Federation playoffs are February 8-12.

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

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BLOCKING VS REACTING SAVE SKILLS By: Bob Janosz

Last article focused on the necessary footwork in order to be squared and set for the shot while maintaining appropriate depth. Before we cover the technical aspect of how to actually make the save we must determine the situation. The butterfly and its variations are the cornerstone of the goalies save skill set, more specifically the goaltenders “down game”. Simply stated all saves are made by “staying up” or “going down”. The goalie should always strive to “react” to the puck but must know when a “block” or “seal” type save is needed. BLOCKING SAVES. Blocking saves should be used when the goaltender does not have time to react to the puck. They should be used when the puck is in close proximity to the goalie. They are also used when the goaltender is screened or there is a risk of a deflection. Maximum net coverage on shots from the middle is obtained with a butterfly or butterfly block. Net coverage from bad angles can be used with a Post Lean or Post Load (VH or RVH). With all blocking saves the goaltender should close holes but not “glue” their limbs to their body. They should always track and react to the puck. 1. Maximum net coverage. 2. Allows the goaltender to make saves on shots in tight. 3. Eliminates pucks going “through” the goalie. Although blocking saves are necessary; they must be used properly and in the right situation. The timing, positioning, and technique of the block are all equally important. Many goaltenders overuse blocking skills because of impatience or weak puck tracking ability. Here are some problems associated with “blocking” saves: 1. Loss of rebound control 2. Block too early opening up the top of the net 3. Blocks when there is time to react. REACTING SAVES. Reacting saves should be used when the goaltender has time to react to the puck. They are also used in unpredictable “scramble” type of plays when things don’t go as planned. The goaltender should strive to react as much as possible, but be able to incorporate a blocking save when need be. Tracking the puck sooner off the shooters stick will allow more time to react. Reading the situation and the shooters body language will also increase reaction time. Here are

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

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some benefits of “reacting: saves: 1. Improved ability to make the save by reacting to the puck. 2. Improved rebound control. 3. Increased agility by not being” locked” into a position. As with blocking saves reacting saves are necessary, but must be used in the right situation. Trying to react to every play is impossible and normally leads to what would be considered “soft” goals. Here are some problems associated with “reacting” saves: 1. Pucks go “through” the goalie. 2. An abundance of goals by tips and deflections 3. An abundance of bad angle and goals from in tight. There are many variables that must be considered when using either a blocking or reacting save. Goaltenders may be closer to either a “reacting” or “blocking” goalie, but still must be able to use both save skills. Smaller goalies will have to react more. Bigger goalies can block more. The athleticism and puck tracking ability of the goaltender will also determine what part of the spectrum they’re closer to, but ultimately the goaltender must find where they have the most success. For more information on the Janosz School of Goaltending In-Season Clinics and Private lessons go to www.bobjanosz.com or call (716) 308-9224.