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)

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.”

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.

“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)

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.