Home Blog

Irvington’s Brandon’s Helping UMass-Lowell To National Ranking

0
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 9: UMass Lowell plays Boston University during NCAA men's hockey at the Tsongas Center on November 9, 2024 in Lowell, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/UMass Lowell Athletics)

By Warren Kozireski —

One was a four-year starter at Colgate while the other set five program records tending net at Division III Skidmore and both were looking for a fifth-year experience, ideally together.

The University of Massachusetts-Lowell gave Pierson and Tate Brandon the opportunity to again play with each other and so far, so good.

“Thrilled; it’s been a great move,” Pierson said during the Adirondack Invitational in Lake Placid in late November. “The competition is fantastic, the team is really great, the coaching is unbelievable.

Obviously, I knew (Associate Head Coach) Andy Bochetto (formerly an assistant at Colgate) before. But it’s been a great move, I’m really happy with it and excited for what we’re going to do here.”

Pierson was voted by his teammates as co-captain despite just arriving this summer and is playing key minutes on the River Hawks blueline. Unofficially he was on the ice for about four of the final six minutes in a 2-0 victory over St. Lawrence in the tournament opener. Tate is waiting in the wings for his first minutes of the season as the team’s third goaltender.

“He (Tate) obviously had an unbelievable Division III career and broke a lot of records at Skidmore. We were both looking for fifth-year opportunities and…it kind of just perfectly worked out and it’s been awesome to play with him again. We haven’t played together since we were 18 (years old), so it’s been a nice reunion.

(Regarding the captaincy) we had a month of summer training, and I’m honored that the guys felt enough to vote that way, and the coaches had enough faith in me. It’s huge honor and I’m very proud to wear that “C.”

Pierson, a 6’1”, 195 lb. left shot was the team leader in blocked shots all four seasons at Colgate (led the ECAC conference his junior season) and is picking up right where he left off. He had one goal and one assist through the season’s first 13 games and was tied for second on the squad at +5 plus/minus.

Tate last year set Skidmore single-season team records for games played (27), minutes (1538), GAA (1.76), SV% (.938) and wins (19) before the Thoroughbreds lost in the NEHC championship game to eventual repeat national champion Hobart.

The Brandon’s played on every team together until they split up in juniors ending  with one season with the Connecticut Oilers and three with the North Jersey Avalanche 16-U and 18-U squads.

Peirson headed to Aberdeen in the NAHL for two seasons where he won a Robertson Cup while Tate played for the Connecticut Jr. Rangers in the NCDC.

“(The Cup) is definitely up there (with favorite memories). And winning at Colgate was unbelievable, being able to do that for a program that hadn’t done it in 30 years and for a coach (Don Vaughan) who hadn’t won in 30 years, but the Robertson Cup was a special one.

It was a long grueling season and first one in history for Aberdeen was an awesome thing to be a part of.”

Now they are hoping this season to create one last memory playing together. UMass-Lowell is 10-3-1, as this is written, and moved up from #16 to #14 in the USCHO Dec. 2 rankings, so they are on the right track.

(Photos of Pierson Brandon provided by U-Mass Lowell Men’s Hockey Team and Athletic Department)

WNYGVIH Closes Week Two with KengiPort in the Lead

0
WNYGVIH 2024=25 Season 15

By Janet Schultz, NYHOL

Snow postponed games on Thursday night. But there was plenty of action prior to that.

KengiPort is in the lead after the second week of play. Following in the overall listing is St. Mary’s of Lancaster and Hews.

KengiPort played St. Mary’s to open Monday’s games. St. Mary’s hands KengiPort a 5-3 loss with Emma Babock, Samantha Hatt (2) and Avery Szczesek (2) giving them the win. For KengiPort is was Isabella Jayme with two goals and Teagan Willats with one. Betsy Accurso gets the win after stopping 35 of 38 sog. In goal for KGIP was Ella Johnston who stopped 22 of 27. Johnston leads the league in minutes in net with 133.50.

Alena Lombardo had a goal to put Williamsville on the scoreboard in a 10-1 loss to FFLOP on Monday. Peyton Forcucci had a hat trick plus three assists, including one on Maya Griffin’s game winning goal. Griffin also had a hat trick plus one. Other goal scorers included Sojda, Lilah Cudney and Sophia Quinn. Rachel Fix gets the win by stopping 14/15 sog. In goal for Williamsville Olivia Lookman faced 19 shots, stopping 18 in 15 minutes of playing time and Anna Bacon stopped 19 of 28 with 30 minutes in net.

LIDA took a 4-2 victory over Monsignor Martin with Brynn Cafferty having the game winner unassisted.

Leah Dowling, Mia Hauser and Hailey Muff added to the score sheet. For MonMar it was Captain Addison Cherry and Ellie Black scoring. Iris Schimenti takes the W for LIDA stopping 15 of 17 and in goal for MonMar it was Kate Kelley, stopping 45 of 50.

CASH upset NiCo 5-3 with Jenny Wild having a hat trick with two unassisted goals, one being the game winner. Maya Adimey and Celia Watson added to the scoreboard while Goalie Ella Celej stopped 27 of 30 for the W. NiCO’s Sam Latini put two goals between the pipes and assisted Zimmerman on one, while Zimmerman added one more goal. Goaltending was split between Lila Jones and Jaylin Beaver. Jones stopped 13 of 18 and Beaver stopped 4 of 4.

KengiPort beat HEWS 4-1 at Paddock Arena. With goals coming from Isabella Jayme, Erin Krawczyk, Madeline Jagow and the game-winner by Savannah Samplinski. HEWS loan goal was scored by Meghan Waszkielewicz, assisted by Sophia Phillips. 

The LIDA at FFLOP game scheduled for Thursday has been rescheduled to January 14 at 4:15 p.m. at Holiday.

This weeks games:

Monday: 

Williamsville at St. Mary’s, 4 p.m.

MonMar at CASH, 4 p.m.

Tuesday

Williamsville at LIDA, 4:15 p.m.

MonMar at NiCo, 4:45 p.m.

CASH at HEWS, 7:30 p.m.

FFLOP at KenGiPort, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday

HEWS at FFLOP, 4:30 p.m.

KenGiPort at Williamsville, 4:30 p.m.

LIDA at MonMar, 4:40 p.m.

Stop out to a game, there is no admission charge.

Skaneateles’ Major Continues Family Affair at Cornell

0
Cornell’s Charlie Major, #16, on Oct. 26, 2024 at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, NY. Cornell Men’s Hockey defeated the University of Toronto 6-2. (Caroline Sherman/Cornell Athletics)

By Warren Kozireski —

41 years ago, Mark Major stepped on the Lynah Rink ice as a freshman at Cornell and now his nephew, Charlie Major, is already impacting the Big Red line-up with younger brother Henry scheduled to arrive in two years.

Charlie Major, through the first eight games of his collegiate career, has four assists—tops among freshmen on the team—and is seeing time on the power play.

“It’s been fun; a great group of guys make it pretty easy (and) I’ve been getting more comfortable each game,” major said in late November. “Everyone here is way stronger which makes it tough to adapt to it, but it’s been good.

“(being on the power play) is nice and a great opportunity. I’m trying to do what I can with it. We were struggling at the start of the season but starting to get hot which is nice.”

Cornell’s Charlie Major, #16, on Nov. 1, 2024 at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, NY. Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey lead 3-1 against North Dakota at the end of the 1st period. (Caroline Sherman/Cornell Athletics)

While playing his third of three seasons with Skaneateles High with father, Mitch, as head coach, Major started his junior career with the Rochester Selects (2019-20), the Rochester Coalition (20-21) again with his father and the Bishop Kearney Selects (21-22).

“It was awesome (playing for his father), he would tell me when I wasn’t playing up to standard and I would just take it like he’s my coach, and then when we got home it was nice to talk about. I never really got mad at him. I trusted him and he knows a lot about hockey.

“(Skaneateles) is just a great youth hockey organization and really good development there. My dad has been one of the head guys for a while, it’s a great town, everyone loves hockey there and it’s cool to see.”

Then it was off to the Chicago Steel in the USHL for two campaigns where, in his second year, he netted 30 goals and 40 assists in 59 games.

“I went to a Ryan Hardy camp, and he was the General Manager of Chicago. I was 5’2” and he was really good to me and drafted me and it worked out…and it worked out with my brother too,”

Now the 5’10”, 180 lb. center is making an early impact on the Big Red juggernaut.

on Sept. 4, 2024 at in Ithaca, NY. . (Caroline Sherman/Cornell Athletics)

“I’d come to the games when I was younger and the atmosphere is awesome, so it was a pretty easy decision in early ’21. My uncle went here, so it’s always been in the family.”

Now for the family hockey hierarchy, who is better: Charlie, brother Henry who had seven points in his first 19 USHL games, or sister Cora, who is with the Syracuse Valley Eagles 16-U where she has 17 points in 23 games this season?

“I don’t know, my sister’s pretty good. She’s the only defenseman in the family. She’s a smart player back there and Henry’s a scorer. They’ve both got it, but people like to say my sister, Cora, but we’ll see though.”

(Photos provided by Cornell Men’s Hockey and Athletic Departments)

Princeton’s Ma Happy To Be Back

0
Princeton Men’s Ice Hockey hosts Ohio State on November 30. 2024.

By Warren Kozireski —

It has been quite the grind for Yonkers native and Princeton junior defenseman David Ma. After missing the first half of his sophomore season and all his junior year due to shoulder injuries, the 5’11”, 180 lb. blueliner is back to playing major minutes on the first defense pair for the Tigers.

“I’ve felt good, it’s always a challenge coming back from a long hiatus and just getting the legs rolling, getting the reps back in and kind of feeling it out has been huge,” Ma said in late-November. “But I feel good so that’s been a positive.

“I had a shoulder surgery the year before and the whole year I missed last year was for the second one (surgery).”

Ma’s parents originally emigrated to Canada before moving to the New York City area. And that likely led to them putting their son on skates.

“For some reason, my mom knew how to skate…and took me on the ice when I was three years old. The first time I went on the ice I was iffy at best. The second time I was practically skating, and everyone was impressed, so a hockey coach came up to my parents and were like ‘you should have your son try out hockey’ and that’s how I got started.”

A few years later Ma developed his game with the Westchester Skating Academy and Mid-Fairfield.

Then his journey saw him leave home at just 14 years of age to play for the vaunted Shattuck St. Mary’s program in Minnesota for four seasons. During this period, he was also part of Team USA for the 2019 Hlinka/Gretzky Cup before dressing for one season with the Chicago Steel in the USHL where he helped them win a Clark Cup championship.

“I was kind of looking to go prep school because my parents, it took a lot out of them, they both worked and just driving on the weekends and all that time spent,” Ma said about his decision to attend Shattuck.

“I wanted to do something where it was all-encompassing with all the school that I was missing, so I thought prep school was a good option and Shattuck had such a well-renowned name with some elite players coming through, so I thought that was a good option.

“Knew a couple of people there and they introduced me, and the rest is history. I loved my time there…just sitting at the mini-rink and play hockey for hours was something I loved doing.”

Princeton Men’s Ice Hockey hosts Harvard on November 8, 2024.

On to Princeton where the Economics major scored his first collegiate goal in his first game at Brown before the injuries struck. This season he is on pace for his best season with one goal and two assists in just the first six games.

“We’ll see where hockey takes me. Stay healthy and see how long I can play for.”

Ma took last year completely off, so has junior status this season with one more year of eligibility. Hopefully, plenty more time quarterbacking the Princeton power play.

(Photos provided by Princeton Men’s Hockey and Athletic Departments))

NHL, NHLPA Announce Final Rosters For 4 Nations Face-Off

0

Federations Select 23 Players Per Team, To Represent Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States At International Tournament in February 2025

NEW YORK/TORONTO – The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and National Hockey League (NHL) announced the final 23-player rosters selected by the federations, who will represent Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025. Each federation named six players to their rosters in June, and those players are indicated by an asterisk.

CanadaFinland
GJordan Binnington, St. Louis BluesGKevin Lankinen, Vancouver Canucks
GAdin Hill, Vegas Golden KnightsGUkko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo Sabres
GSam Montembeault, Montreal CanadiensGJuuse Saros, Nashville Predators*
DCale Makar, Colorado Avalanche*DJani Hakanpää, Toronto Maple Leafs
DJosh Morrissey, Winnipeg JetsDMiro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars*
DColton Parayko, St. Louis BluesDEsa Lindell, Dallas Stars*
DAlex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden KnightsDNiko Mikkola, Florida Panthers
DTravis Sanheim, Philadelphia FlyersDOlli Määttä, Utah Hockey Club
DShea Theodore, Vegas Golden KnightsDRasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers
DDevon Toews, Colorado AvalancheDJuuso Välimäki, Utah Hockey Club
FSam Bennett, Florida PanthersFSebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes*
FAnthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay LightningFJoel Armia, Montreal Canadiens
FSidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins*FAleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers*
FBrandon Hagel, Tampa Bay LightningFMikael Granlund, San Jose Sharks
FSeth Jarvis, Carolina HurricanesFErik Haula, New Jersey Devils
FTravis Konecny, Philadelphia FlyersFRoope Hintz, Dallas Stars
FNathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche*FKaapo Kakko, New York Rangers
FBrad Marchand, Boston Bruins*FPatrik Laine, Montreal Canadiens
FMitch Marner, Toronto Maple LeafsFArtturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche
FConnor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers*FAnton Lundell, Florida Panthers
FBrayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning*FEetu Luostarinen, Florida Panthers
FSam Reinhart, Florida PanthersFMikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche*
FMark Stone, Vegas Golden KnightsFTeuvo Teräväinen, Chicago Blackhawks
SwedenUSA
GFilip Gustavsson, Minnesota WildGConnor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
GJacob Markström, New Jersey DevilsGJake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
GLinus Ullmark, Ottawa SenatorsGJeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins
DRasmus Andersson, Calgary FlamesDBrock Faber, Minnesota Wild
DJonas Brodin, Minnesota WildDAdam Fox, New York Rangers*
DRasmus Dahlin, Buffalo SabresDNoah Hanifin, Vegas Golden Knights
DMattias Ekholm, Edmonton OilersDQuinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks*
DGustav Forsling, Florida Panthers*DCharlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins*
DVictor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning*DJaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
DErik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins*DZach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
FViktor Arvidsson, Edmonton OilersFMatt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
FJesper Bratt, New Jersey DevilsFKyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
FLeo Carlsson, Anaheim DucksFJack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights*
FJoel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota WildFJake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning
FFilip Forsberg, Nashville Predators*FJack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
FWilliam Karlsson, Vegas Golden KnightsFChris Kreider, New York Rangers
FAdrian Kempe, Los Angeles KingsFDylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
FElias Lindholm, Boston BruinsFAuston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs*
FWilliam Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs*FJ.T. Miller, Vancouver Canucks
FGustav Nyquist, Nashville PredatorsFBrock Nelson, New York Islanders
FElias Pettersson, Vancouver CanucksFBrady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
FLucas Raymond, Detroit Red WingsFMatthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers*
FMika Zibanejad, New York Rangers*FVincent Trocheck, New York Rangers

Each 4 Nations Face-Off team is comprised of 23 NHL Players (20 skaters, 3 goalies), who are under an NHL contract for the 2024-25 season and were on an NHL roster as of Dec. 2, 2024.

For a complete listing of each team’s 4 Nations Face-Off personnel, please clickhere.

The 4 Nations Face-Off is an international tournament staged by the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), featuring NHL players representing Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States facing off in a total of seven games played from Feb. 12 to 20, 2025. Four games will be played at the Bell Centre in Montreal and three games, including the championship game, at TD Garden in Boston. Tickets for all 4 Nations Face-Off games are available for purchase via Ticketmaster.com, the official ticketing partner of the 4 Nations Face-Off, on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. Ticketmaster is the only official marketplace of the 4 Nations Face-Off, providing fans with the peace of mind in knowing the seats they buy on Ticketmaster.com and the Ticketmaster app are the seats they’ll get. The 4 Nations Face-Off will be broadcast exclusively in North America by The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC), TNT Sports, Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

All games in the 4 Nations Face-Off will be played in accordance with NHL rules. Each team will play three tournament games in a traditional Round Robin format, under the following points system: 3 points for a win in regulation time; 2 points for a win in overtime/shootout; 1 point for a loss in overtime/shootout; and 0 points for a loss in regulation time. The two teams with the best tournament record will then advance to a one-game Final. For more information, visit https://nhl.com/4nations.

Future Sabres: Tyson Kozak

0

By Warren Kozireski —

The pandemic played havoc with scouts’ ability to evaluate players in person from 2020 through part of 2021, but Buffalo took a late round flyer on Portland Winterhawks forward Tyson Kozak in the seventh round.

He rewarded their confidence exploding for a 32-goal, 37-assist regular season and arrived in Rochester for his first professional season with momentum.

“I think it was my two-way game,” Kozak reflected on why the Sabres selected him. “I thought I was a good 200-foot player who is good in his own zone. And my last two years (in junior) I was able to produce as well and keep that 200-foot game and not cheat the game, so it was a good year for me.”

Since turning pro, various injuries have hampered his development limiting the Manitoba native to 55 and 41 games over the past two seasons. This season, though missing four games in early-November, he has found scoring magic again and was tied for the team lead with five goals through his first 13 games already matching his season total over the first two campaigns.

And he leads the team in penalty minutes also showing that two-way game.

“Why we’ve had some success is getting to the net, especially Kozak,” teammate Graham Slaggert said about his teammate. “You see a lot of his goals come in the blue paint and my dad always had a saying that ‘goals don’t hide, they’re right in the blue paint.”

Four of those Kozak tallies came over the first seven games of the regular season.

“It’s been good; started good obviously, I’ve been putting the puck in the back of the net at the start and it’s kind of died down a bit over the last couple games, but overall, I think it’s been a good start,” Kozak said.

“It’s just getting to the net. All of my goals have been in that blue paint area, so I’ve been focusing on hanging around the net and find loose pucks,” the 5’11” 185 lb. center said.

As usual Kozak is a key component of the Amerks penalty killing unit, but this season he is also seeing additional ice time in situations such as three-on-three overtime, which weren’t as frequent the past two years.

“I definitely appreciate the trust that Leo (Rochester head coach Michale Leone) has in me. It means a lot and I love being in those situations as well.”

Since 1963, only one out of four players selected in the seventh round of the NHL draft and just 11% have played in 100 or more NHL games.

“Honestly, I don’t think it matters (whether) you’re drafted or undrafted. There’s a lot of guys out there that want to make the NHL so a lot of guys are putting the work in, including myself.”

Kozak has the skill set and defensive attention to detail to become another late-round gem, he just needs to stay healthy long enough to demonstrate that to the decision-makers.

(Photos provided by Rochester Americans hockey club)

Phantoms Recall Boulton

0

Allentown, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have recalled forward Sawyer Boulton from the Reading Royals of the ECHL.

Boulton, 20, is a rookie winger from East Amherst, NY who has played in four games with the Phantoms recording zero points with five penalty minutes. He has also played in five games with Reading scoring one goal with 12 penalty minutes. Boulton scored his professional goal on November 23 for the Reading Royals against the Maine Mariners.

The 6’0″ prospect was signed by the Phantoms from the London Knights of the OHL where he scored 3-2-5 in 40 games with 63 penalty minutes last season. He is the son of former longtime NHL enforcer Eric Boulton who amassed 1,421 PIM in 654 games with Buffalo, Atlanta and the New York Islanders.

(photo provided by Lehigh Valley Phantoms)

NY Women’s Hockey November Recap

0
Pickering Honored

By Janet Schultz, NYHOL

The season is fully underway in New York State Women’s Collegiate hockey. 

Buffalo State made history with a 15-0 victory over Hilbert College setting the record for the most goals in a single game. Kaydence Kemp had a hat trick; Laney Harold at 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points; Madi Digges, Mikala Gould, Sequoisa Recollet-Nebenionquit had two goals each, Goalie Casey Horrigan made 5 saves for the SO and Brooke Thompson had 74 saves for Hilbert.

On the leader board for scoring its Laney with 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points;  and Vanesse Willick (Williamsville) 3/3 sits at #3. Two other WNYGVIH alum are also scoring with Sydney Radecki (LID) at #7 with 2/2 and former CASH player Lilli Adimey with a goal and two assists.

The Bengals are 3-4-1 overall as they head into December. They face Oswego at home on December 7 at 3 p.m.

The RIT Tigers are 7-7-3 overall and 2-3-1 in the conference with their next game being December 6 and 7 at home against Lindenwood at 3 and 1 p.m. respectively.

Kylie Aquaro has 5 goals and 10 assists to top the scoring followed by NY native Addie Alvarez of Rochester with 5 goals and 5 assists. 

Emma Pickering was named RIT Athlete of the Week after 3 goals in two games against Mercyhurst. She had a powerplay goal that tied the game on Friday and then a PP to  win the game on Saturday.

Nazareth hits the road in December with a game on December 6 at Trinity College and then the following day at Wesleyan College.

Meredith Boettcher is 4-3 for 7 points at the top along with Allie Zach with 4/3. Oceanside’s Kate Cascio has had one goal and Massena’s Brook Terry has two goals and two assists. Brook Judkiewicz, East Concort, has two assists.

Ella Cedrone was named UCHC Player of the Week with two goals in a 4-1 win over Utica College. McKinley Hoff was UCHA Goalie of the Week, for the second consecutive week, after making 22 saves against Utica and 26 saves in a 1-2 loss to Utica the following day. Her first honor came after an 8 save shutout and then a second 8 save shutout against Manhattanville earlier in November.

Nazareth is 5-2-0 overall and 3-1-0 in the UCHC.

Hilbert is going through some growing pains with a 0-7-0 record but despite that Izabelle Wagner has a goal and 3 assists for 4 points to led the scoring. One player familiar to the NYS hockey scene is Kaitlin Cowie of Rochester with 2 goals and 1 assist. Other NY players include Alexandria Heyden of Henrietta, Kelsey Fuller, Rome; Brooke Kwiecien of Perry.

Hilbert held their first Faceoff Against Cancer is the game against Buffalo State College. Brooke Thompson recorded the most saves with 74 in the 15-0 loss to the Bengals.

Both Niagara University’s ACHA teams are in full swing.

Leading the scoring for the D1 squad is Bianca Rushford with 2 goals and 9 assists; Julie Peters has 2 assist and Goalie Myta Castrillo has seen action in 7 games with a 4 win; 2 loss record. The D1 team is 11th overall in the ACHA and third in their league with a 6-7-0 record.

On the D2 team Holly Lesage leads the scoring with 7 goals and 5 assists. Next is Grace Miller, 4/4. Former players in the WNYGVIH Federation are making their mark including  Skylar Berube,  a goal and 4 assists and Hayley Luderman has a goal and 3 assists; Kayla Buczkowski, 2/3; Mary Whelan 2/1; Sara Primiano, 3 assists and Lillian Drzazgowski, 1 goal.

This team is #6 in the Southeast Division at #2 in the CHE with a record of 6-4-0.

St. John Fisher, who will take to the ice next season, has announced the addition of Georgiana Santullo as an assistant coach. She played 5 seasons with Utica College and one year of professional hockey in Italy. She holds Utica’s record for 55 points in a single season including 29 goals, 9 ppg and points per game at 2.12.

Williamsville’s Ellie Schau is playing on the ACHA D2 Mercyhurst team and has had 22 goals and 12 assists this season. She leads the ACHA D2 in scoring.

Also on the team with Schau are former WNYGVIH players Elizabeth Jackson, Brook Warren and Erin Prendergast.

A look at the ACHA and we have Brockport at 4-5-0 and RIT 0-2-0.

Happy Thanksgiving

0

To all of our NY Hockey OnLine followers, have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

WNYGVIH Opens 15th Season

0
HEWS played Williamsville in the first game of the 15th Season of WNYGVIH

New Arena, Overtime, Shut-out…All Opening Night

The Western New York Girls Ice Hockey Federation has opened its 15th season with a listing of historical data. 

JEFF ORLOWSKI AND LAURA PAVONE DROP PUCK WITH CAPTS

First, KengiPort opened their season in a brand new arena at Brighton. The KengiPort team opened the  Paddock Chevrolet Ice Arena with a ceremonial puck drop by the Team’s Inaugural Coach Jeff Orlowski and one of the players from that first year, Laura Pavone. There also was a tribute to Laura’s mom and a founder and long-time “go-to guy” for the league, Bill Pavone’s wife, Anne; who passed away this month.

KengiPort didn’t disappoint their hometown fans and came away with a 3-1 victory over CASH (Clarence-Amherst-Sweethome). The first goal  in the new arena for the WNYGVIH was scored by KengiPort’s Alera Ostertag, assisted by Brynn Karan and Madeline Marzec. 

WNYGVIH 2024=25 Season 15

An unassisted goal by Savannah Samplinski gave KengiPort a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period. KengiPort’s MacKenzie Kumrow opened the second period with a goal, assisted by Madelyn Jagow but just seconds later CASH got on the board with a goal by Georgia Mango, assisted by Polina Stremiakova. Second period ends 3-1 and with no scoring in the third, that was the final. In goal for KengiPort making 17 saves and the win was Ella Johnston and for CASH, Ella Celej stopped 32 of 35 for the L.

WNYGVIH 2024=25 Season 15

HEWS made history with a 7-0 first season shutout victory over Williamsville at Northtowns. Sophia Phillips gets on the leader board early in the season with 5 points on 3 goals and 2 assists. Samantha Miller has the game-winning goal, as well as the first goal of the season, at 2:12 of the first period, assisted by Morgan Cooper. Another goal by Sophia Phillips, assisted by Miller and the game is 2-0 after the first. HEWS adds two more in the second by Brynn Holland and Kayla Pelc and then three more in the third by Holland (2), Cooper and Phillips. Assists came from Phillips, Clare Sokolowski and Pelc for the 7-0 victory. In goal Ella Buczynski made 13 saves for HEWS and the W; Williamsville’s Olivia Lookman stopped  16/23.

Avery Hall in goal (file photo from 2023-24 season)

A 4-3 Overtime Victory for St. Mary’s of  Lancaster over Niagara County goes into the record books as the first overtime of the season. Scoring for St. Mary’s were Avery Szczesek (2 including the GWG); Gabe Lowell and Captain Riley Kumrow (unassisted). Assists came from Alana Pagano, Meghan Donnelly, Danielle Cottrell and Lauren Gilano. In goal Avery Hall stopped 22 of 25.

Abby Zimmerman put two goals on the board and one from Ashley Mainstone and the game was tied.

NiCo’s Lila Jones, an eighth grader from Starpoint, was in goal stopping 13/17 shots.

So there it is, week one in the history books with an arena opening, an overtime game, a postponed game (LIDA vs FFLOP rescheduled for December 30 at 12:15 p.m. at Leisure Rinks), a 5-point game for a player (Sophia Phillips/HEWS), HEWS with four players on the top five scoring list and the first shut-out of the season. All this in one night.

So here we go, who will be on the top in February? Only way to find out…follow NYHOL at www.nyhockeyonline.com as well as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Also updated schedule and stats are available at https://www.wnygirlshockey.com. Full schedule at https://wnygirlshockey.com/schedule.html (which is designed for use on your smartphone).

Also stop out to a game.  There is no admission charge.

Opening Night Photo Gallery from Hews at Williamsville and CASH at KengiPort by Photographer Janet Schultz© NYHOL (All rights reserved; for copy information email [email protected])

HEWS VS WILLIAMSVILLE

CASH AT KENGIPORT

OPENING OF PADDOCK CHEVROLET ICE ARENA AND HOME TO KENGIPORT

Plattsburgh State Athletics News: Houle Earns 500th Career Win in 3-1 Road Victory Over SUNY Canton

0

CANTON, N.Y. – The No. 6 Plattsburgh State women’s ice hockey team picked up a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) win on Friday evening, taking down SUNY Canton 3-1. With the victory, head coach Kevin Houle became just the third coach in Division III women’s ice hockey to achieve the 500-win mark, joining Middlebury’s Bill Mandigo and Gustavus Adolphus’ Mike Carroll.

The Plattsburgh State Cardinals are currently ranked sixth in the USCHO.com Division III Top-15 Poll.

Houle is the seventh in women’s hockey history across all divisions to hit the 500 mark, with Wisconsin-River Falls head coach Joe Cranston close behind. To commemorate the momentous win, Houle will be honored prior to the team’s SUNYAC matchup against Morrisville on Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.

Kayson Ruegge (Edmond, Okla./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers) tallied the opening goal for the Cardinals, her first in her collegiate career, while Ciara Wall (Somerville, Mass./New Hamphsire) had the game-winner and Kate Conlon (New Hudson, Mich./Little Caesars) sealed the win late in the third period. Ruegge also added an assist, while Chloe Lewis (Monson, Mass./Northwood School) picked up her third win of the season with 18 saves.

The Cardinals controlled the game throughout, dominating on shots 39-19. They also had the only two power play opportunities between either team, scoring on their second and final advantage opportunity to go 1-2 on the day.

Plattsburgh State moves to 3-1-1 (2-1-1 SUNYAC) with the win and next takes on Buffalo State on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 3 p.m. Canton falls to 2-5 (1-4 SUNYAC) and next takes on No. 7 Utica on the road on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

The game began with a scoreless first period, as Plattsburgh State outshot the ‘Roos 12-5. The Cardinals looked to be off to a slow start but jump started their offense with a power play opportunity at the 8:26 mark, as they put six shots on goal in a two-minute span.

The Cards finally got on the board just over three-and-a-half minutes into the second period, as Ruegge took a stretch pass from Su-An Cho (Madison, Ala./Florida Alliance) up the ice and into the Plattsburgh offensive zone. The first-year took a quick shot from the right face-off circle that deflected off the defender in front of her and right past the Canton goalie for her first career score.

The rest of the period saw the Cardinals continue to control the game, putting up 14 shots to Canton’s five.

Play continued to sway Plattsburgh’s way in the third period, as a penalty in the ninth minute set up the Cardinals to cushion their lead. Just over a minute into the advantage, Ruegge was able to keep a puck just inside the blueline, passing off to Mattie Norton (Glen Carbon, Ill./St. Louis Lady Blues). Norton passed off the right face-off circle where Wall stood undefended, skating her way towards the goalie unguarded. The senior then unloaded a strong shot, beating the Canton goalie glove side for her first goal of the season. Norton and Ruegge each tallied assists on the play.

The Kangaroos did not go away quietly, however, as a goal from Anna Pavlasova put the ‘Roos down just one goal with over eight minutes to play.

Plattsburgh, however, continued to play good defense and keep up the pressure offensively, eventually resulting in the game-sealing goal. Just before the 18-minute mark, Conlon skated across the blueline into the offensive zone and took a deep shot from the point as the Cardinals were appearing to go for a change. However, the Canton goalie misplayed a shot that would have likely missed high, deflecting the puck into the goal with her right blocker to seal the win for the Cards. Sydnee Francis (Canton, N.Y./Nepean Jr. Wildcats) and Taya Balfour (Moorestown, N.J./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers) each picked up assists.

Molly Lenihan played 58-and-a-half minutes in goal, making 36 saves as she took the loss.

(Photo provided by Plattsburgh State Athletic Dept.)

Future Rangers: Dylan Roobroeck

0

By Warren Kozireski —

NHL teams often use their late-round draft selections on what might be called “projects” as in players with potential that may take a little bit longer to develop.

The New York Rangers may have struck gold with their 2023 sixth round pick in 6’7’, 205 lb. center Dylan Roobroeck.

After his selection, the London, Ontario native rewarded their confidence by finishing second on the Oshawa Generals in scoring (72 points) in 2023-24 and helping them reach the Ontario Hockey League championship round.

“We had a pretty good team there last year and fell a little short in the finals, but it was a good year,” Roobroeck said.

In his first professional season this year with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League (AHL), the 20-year old unsurprisingly started slowly going scoreless over his first five games.

But since he has scored a goal in four of his next seven contests and added one assist in another. He registered his first two-point game as a professional Nov. 8 at Rochester and his four goals is third on the team and ties him for seventh among AHL rookies.

“It’s been good; just learning as I go. I’m new to the league so just following other guys, learn as much as I can and try to get better every day.

“Little bit of puck-luck and just gotta keep my head up and play the way I know I can and hope for the best.

What has helped his transition was his late season call-up in 2023-24 and getting into one playoff game last spring.

“It’s huge getting the experience last year even though it was just one game; you get to feel of especially what playoffs are like and what the league’s like.”

The Rangers of late have been selecting more players with size. In 2024, two of their four selections stand 6’4” or taller. In 2023 their last two of five selections are 6’5” or taller including Roobroeck. And the Hartford roster this season features five players standing 6’4” or more.

“It’s good to see. It’s something that I was gifted I guess, so I just need to use it to my advantage.”

And though he is only 20 years old and 12 games deep into his professional career, he is already seeing time with the penalty kill unit.

“Watching video and talking with coaches a lot and just trying to build trust and get more and more ice time.”

And trying to prove that he should have been selected prior to the sixth round.

“Yeah, a little, I guess. I don’t really look at that too much. Just try to focus on what I can control and play my best.”

(Photos provided by Hartford Wolf Pack)

Jr. Amerks Youth Hockey Organization Awards Nearly $35,000 in Scholarships to Make Hockey More Accessible in Rochester

0

Record-breaking year sees nearly 100 local youth hockey players receiving financial support through community partnerships

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — In a milestone achievement, the Jr. Amerks Youth Hockey Organization awarded nearly $35,000 in scholarships that would help make hockey more accessible to young players — the largest distribution of needs-based financial aid to date.

This initiative aims to break down financial barriers for kids who want to play hockey. This year, 100 players, approximately 10% of the Jr. Amerks overall enrollment, received partial or full scholarships covering their season fees.

“This year’s scholarship distribution is a testimony to our community’s unwavering commitment to give every child the chance to play hockey,” said Robyn MacBride, president of the Jr. Amerks Youth Hockey Organization. “We believe that no child should be denied the opportunity to experience the benefits of hockey due to financial constraints. Our incredible partners have made this vision a reality.”

Financial need-based scholarships are part of the Jr. Amerks’ commitment to providing young athletes with the opportunity to experience the sport of hockey, made possible by community partners such as Hockey Buddies and the Tony Mazurkiewicz Memorial Scholarship Fund.

About Jr Amerks Partners

  • Hockey Buddies: An organization founded by Rochester nativeCole Bardreau, who was recently named captain of the Bridgeport Islanders AHL team, donated nearly $22,000 in scholarships to support Jr. Amerks players this season. Hockey Buddies offers Youth Player Sponsorships for families in need of assistance paying for equipment and team due. 
  • Tony Mazurkiewicz Memorial Scholarship Fund: This fund honors the late Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz, a Rochester Police Officer who was tragically killed in the line of duty on July 21, 2022. The fund provides $557 scholarships in tribute to his badge number, supporting Jr. Amerks players who are the children of first responders.
  • Sean Shortsleeve Memorial Scholarship Fund: Funded directly by the Jr. Amerks, this scholarship has provided consistent financial assistance to players in financial need for many years.

“These scholarships represent much more than financial support—they represent a promise to our youth that they are valued and have a place in hockey,” added MacBride.

The Jr. Amerks Youth Hockey Organization has a longstanding mission of promoting inclusivity within the sport, ensuring that any young athlete with a passion for hockey can participate. Through partnerships with the community and dedicated scholarship funds, the Jr. Amerks continue to grow Rochester’s hockey community and inspire the next generation of players.

Plattsburgh States Women’s Ice Hockey Rises to Sixth in Latest Top-15 Rankings

0

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Plattsburgh State women’s ice hockey team rose to sixth in the latest USCHO.com Division III Top-15 poll, with 185 voting points. The full rankings can be found here.
 
The Cardinals picked up their first conference win on the road on Friday, taking down Potsdam 3-0  as Chloe Lewis (Monson, Mass./Northwood School) picked up her first shutout of the season. On Saturday, Plattsburgh played 65 minutes and took a tie against Oswego State behind power play goals from Mattie Norton (Glen Carbon, Ill./St. Louis Lady Blues) and Mae Olshansky (Las Vegas, Nev./North American Hockey Academy), finishing the weekend 1-0-1. 

The USCHO.com Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 20 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country.