UTICA, NY- Sophomore Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, MA/Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)) of the Utica College men’s hockey team was named the UCHC Player of the Week.
Dobay exploded for seven points in a pair of wins for the Pioneers. On Friday, he had four assists as the Pioneers downed Lebanon Valley 7-0. He followed that up with a goal and two assists in UC’s 7-0 win over Arcadia on Saturday. On the season, Dobay has 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) in 17 games.
The nationally ranked No. 3 Pioneers return home this weekend to host a pair of UCHC conference games.
17 Players to Represent Team USA at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today the 17-player roster for the 2022 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team that will compete at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. The group features 11 players who have represented Team USA previously on the Paralympic stage as well as six athletes making their Paralympic debuts.
“I want to congratulate each player on being selected to the Paralympic team,” said Dan Brennan, director of sled national teams for USA Hockey and general manager of the 2022 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. “It’s always such an honor to represent our country at the Paralympic level. We have a great group of athletes, both young and veteran players, and I am excited for us to come together as a group during training in the lead up to Beijing.”
In addition to the 11 athletes who helped the U.S. capture gold at the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, the roster includes 14 players who led Team USA to its second-straight and fifth overall gold medal in world championship history at the 2021 Para Ice Hockey World Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
“I’m really honored and excited to be a part of this team,” said David Hoff, head coach of the 2022 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. “This is a real dynamic group of athletes and every player brings something unique to the table.
“I want to congratulate all the players on achieving this honor and thank them for their efforts they’ve put forth thus far, but we all know this is just the beginning. We’re looking forward to growing as a group as we look ahead and prepare for Beijing.”
EXPERIENCED RESUMESThe returning group is highlighted by three-time Paralympic gold medalist Josh Pauls (Green Brook, N.J.), who is making his fourth appearance at the Paralympics for Team USA (2010, 2014, 2018). Pauls, who has served as team captain of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team the past four seasons, will captain Team USA for the second-straight Paralympic Winter Games.
The roster also features two-time Paralympic gold medalists Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.), Jen Lee (San Francisco, Calif.), Kevin McKee (Davenport, Iowa), Rico Roman (Portland, Ore.) and Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.), who all earned gold with Team USA in 2014 and 2018.Ralph DeQuebec (San Pedro, Calif.), Noah Grove (Frederick, Md.), Jack Wallace (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) and Josh Misiewicz (La Grange, Ill.) will be making their second Paralympic appearances after representing Team USA in 2018. Travis Dodson (Deming, N.M.) is making his second Paralympic appearance in sled hockey (2018) and his third overall after competing in para Nordic skiing and biathlon in 2014.
FIRST-TIME PARALYMPIANSSix players will make their Paralympic debuts in Beijing, including 2021 world champions David Eustace (Stoneham, Mass.) and Joseph Woodke (Nashville, Tenn.) and two-time world champion (2019, 2021) Kyle Zych (South Hadley, Mass.). Malik Jones (Aurora, Colo.), Griffin LaMarre (Haverhill, Mass.) and Evan Nichols (Haymarket, Va.) will be making their first international appearances with Team USA.GOOD AS GOLDTeam USA will enter Beijing after winning an unprecedented third-straight Paralympic gold medal in 2018 in PyeongChang, South Korea. The United States is the only nation to have claimed three-straight gold medals or win back-to-back gold medals in Paralympic history. All-time, the U.S. holds a 22-2-0-6-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) record and has earned five medals, including four gold medals (2002, 2010, 2014, 2018) and one bronze medal (2006).For more information and the complete roster, click here.
NOTES: The roster features players ranging in age from 17 to 40 years old with an average age of 28 years … Players hail from 12 different states with the most representing Massachusetts (3), followed by California, Illinois and New Jersey all with two … David Hoff (Bottineau, N.D.) will be making his first appearance as head coach of a U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team after serving as an assistant to Guy Gosselin at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games … Hoff will be joined by assistant coach Corey Gorder (Bottineau, N.D.), athletic trainer Mike Cortese (Boynton Beach, Fla.), equipment manager Jake Visser (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and team physician Mike Uihlein (Grafton, Wis.) ..
U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team Unveiled
17 Players to Represent Team USA at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today the 17-player roster for the 2022 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team that will compete at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. The group features 11 players who have represented Team USA previously on the Paralympic stage as well as six athletes making their Paralympic debuts.“I want to congratulate each player on being selected to the Paralympic team,” said Dan Brennan, director of sled national teams for USA Hockey and general manager of the 2022 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. “It’s always such an honor to represent our country at the Paralympic level. We have a great group of athletes, both young and veteran players, and I am excited for us to come together as a group during training in the lead up to Beijing.”In addition to the 11 athletes who helped the U.S. capture gold at the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, the roster includes 14 players who led Team USA to its second-straight and fifth overall gold medal in world championship history at the 2021 Para Ice Hockey World Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic.“I’m really honored and excited to be a part of this team,” said David Hoff, head coach of the 2022 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. “This is a real dynamic group of athletes and every player brings something unique to the table. I want to congratulate all the players on achieving this honor and thank them for their efforts they’ve put forth thus far, but we all know this is just the beginning. We’re looking forward to growing as a group as we look ahead and prepare for Beijing.”EXPERIENCED RESUMESThe returning group is highlighted by three-time Paralympic gold medalist Josh Pauls (Green Brook, N.J.), who is making his fourth appearance at the Paralympics for Team USA (2010, 2014, 2018). Pauls, who has served as team captain of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team the past four seasons, will captain Team USA for the second-straight Paralympic Winter Games.The roster also features two-time Paralympic gold medalists Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.), Jen Lee (San Francisco, Calif.), Kevin McKee (Davenport, Iowa), Rico Roman (Portland, Ore.) and Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.), who all earned gold with Team USA in 2014 and 2018.Ralph DeQuebec (San Pedro, Calif.), Noah Grove (Frederick, Md.), Jack Wallace (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) and Josh Misiewicz (La Grange, Ill.) will be making their second Paralympic appearances after representing Team USA in 2018. Travis Dodson (Deming, N.M.) is making his second Paralympic appearance in sled hockey (2018) and his third overall after competing in para Nordic skiing and biathlon in 2014.FIRST-TIME PARALYMPIANSSix players will make their Paralympic debuts in Beijing, including 2021 world champions David Eustace (Stoneham, Mass.) and Joseph Woodke (Nashville, Tenn.) and two-time world champion (2019, 2021) Kyle Zych (South Hadley, Mass.). Malik Jones (Aurora, Colo.), Griffin LaMarre (Haverhill, Mass.) and Evan Nichols (Haymarket, Va.) will be making their first international appearances with Team USA.GOOD AS GOLDTeam USA will enter Beijing after winning an unprecedented third-straight Paralympic gold medal in 2018 in PyeongChang, South Korea. The United States is the only nation to have claimed three-straight gold medals or win back-to-back gold medals in Paralympic history. All-time, the U.S. holds a 22-2-0-6-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) record and has earned five medals, including four gold medals (2002, 2010, 2014, 2018) and one bronze medal (2006).For more information and the complete roster, click here.NOTES: The roster features players ranging in age from 17 to 40 years old with an average age of 28 years … Players hail from 12 different states with the most representing Massachusetts (3), followed by California, Illinois and New Jersey all with two … David Hoff (Bottineau, N.D.) will be making his first appearance as head coach of a U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team after serving as an assistant to Guy Gosselin at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games … Hoff will be joined by assistant coach Corey Gorder (Bottineau, N.D.), athletic trainer Mike Cortese (Boynton Beach, Fla.), equipment manager Jake Visser (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and team physician Mike Uihlein (Grafton, Wis.) ..
UTICA, NY- Freshman Cameron Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Mariners (MJAHL)) of the Utica College men’s hockey team was named the UCHC Rookie of the Week.
Patton had three goals in a 2-0 week for Utica. On Friday, he netted a pair of goals to help the Pioneers down Neumann 11-3. He followed that up with the opening goal in Utica’s 3-2 win over Manhattanville on Saturday.
It’s been seven years since Hobart College junior forward Brendan Howell was playing together with his brother, Hunter, on the same defense pair in Section V high school hockey with the Hilton Cadets.
Now he’s playing a regular shift at center for the Hobart men’s hockey team, who entered the second week in January ranked fifth among all Division III teams in the nation with an 11-2-1 record.
“It’s definitely different from most teams that I’ve been on because we have 18-19 forwards who can all play and we have so much depth that any night no matter who we play, we can play pretty much all of our forwards and feel very confident,” Howell said after an early January game.
“That’s pretty much a first for me—I’ve never been on a team with this much depth. I just go out and control what I can control, so that’s really my mindset.”
Howell had two goals over the first nine games this season. In his first year two seasons ago, he won the team’s Rookie Award after netting five goals and seven points over his first 22 collegiate contests.
After Hilton, Howell stayed local and spent one season with the Buffalo Regals and two more with the Rochester Monarchs, but he was already on the radar of Statesmen head coach Mark Taylor before that period.
“When I was a senior in high school and playing juniors that year, I was talking to them (Hobart) throughout the year…they were probably at the top of my list and it was kind of an easy decision.
“I had never been to a (Hobart) game and then I came out an watched them in their Sweet-16 game, toured the campus and it’s just close to home, a good school and a good hockey program.”
“What I like is he’s as skilled as anybody, is a talented play and he’s really embraced adjusting his game from high school and junior hockey to college hockey,” Hobart head coach Mark Taylor said.
“He’s playing very responsible, he’s playing honest, he’s playing the right way and eventually you’re going to see the skill part accentuate all of that. What I like is he’s doing a great job as a talent playing the way you have to play.
“It would crazy not to look in my backyard…but anytime you can get a local kid you like to do it. I hate to miss one that’s an hour away.”
There are some great stories about how players choose or are assigned their jersey number and Howell’s tale is one of both circumstance and superstition. He wears #90 for Hobart.
“I wore #16 at Hilton and when I went to Regals #16 was taken so I chose #9. Then when I went to the Monarchs I tried to be #9, but it was taken, so I added a zero to it and never changed it. I was going to be #16 when I came here, but that was taken. I had a good year when I was playing for the Monarchs when that number so I just kept it.”
The Economics major is in his junior year of college, but the NCAA is allowing athletes to not count the 2020-21 season against their eligibility, so he has two more seasons of college hockey available should he decide to take that route.
And after that?
“That’s a really good question. My brother is a salesman, so I’ve been getting some good insight into the sales life and there are definitely pros and cons to it. Whether it’s going to be sales or more money management, I’m still trying to figure that out.”
A forward since he his freshman season in high school, while in eighth grade Howell played defense with the Cadets, which allowed him to play on the same pair with his older brother.
“It was honestly some of the most fun I’ve had because he was a captain and I was a young kid—eighth grader or ninth grader—and he was a senior, so that was really fun because I got to play with him and all his friends and playing in front of the home crowd, so it was my favorite memory.”
Brianna Decker, Hilary Knight and Lee Stecklein to Serve as Alternates
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Three-time Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield (Palos Heights, Ill.) will serve as captain of the 2022 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team, while Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.), Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho) and Lee Stecklein (Roseville, Minn.) were named as alternate captains, USA Hockey announced.
“It is an honor to be named captain of Team USA alongside Brianna, Hilary and Lee,” Coyne Schofield said. “I’m thankful to have had so many accomplished leaders to look up to.
“This team is a resilient group, filled with amazing leaders and game changers. We are so ready for our journey in Beijing to begin.”
The four served in the same leadership roles for both the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship and the My Why Tour, presented by Toyota. Team USA will look to win its second straight gold medal after topping the podium at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
The U.S. opens competition on Feb. 3 against Finland. Puck drop is set for 9:10 p.m. in Beijing, 8:10 a.m. ET.
FULL U.S. OLYMPIC WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY TEAM STAFF ANNOUNCED USA Hockey also announced the full staff for the 2022 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team including, video coach Nick Walters (Eagle River, Alaska), team scout Allison Coomey (Baldwinsville, N.Y.), operations manager Nick Bryant (St. Paul, Minn.), equipment managers Sis Paulsen (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Brent Proulx (St. Paul, Minn.), team physician Dr. Ally Howe (Portland, Maine), athletic trainers Katie Homan (Coldwater, Ohio) and Wayne Lamarre (Portland, Maine), massage therapist Jennifer Chee (Colorado Springs, Colo.), strength and conditioning coach Cal Dietz (Hudson, Wis.), mental skills coach Amiee Kimball (Pittsburgh, Pa.), sports dieticians Carrie Aprik (Royal Oak, Mich.) and Kaela Colvard (Minneapolis, Minn.) and communications manager Melissa Katz(South Brunswick, N.J.). Previously named team staff include general manager Katie Million, head coach Joel Johnson, assistant coaches Brian Pothier and Courtney Kennedy and goaltending coach Steve Thompson.
PINE VALLEY, N.Y. – Eliza Beaudin ’22 tallied a power-play goal in the second period to record her 100th career point as the third-ranked Elmira College Women’s Ice Hockey program defeated Trinity College, 4-1, last Tuesday night at the Murray Athletic Center in non-conference action. Beaudin becomes the 17th player in program history to join the 100-point club for the Purple & Gold.
Admin · 16 hrs · Fredonia scored twice in the second period and three more in the third on their way to a 5-2 win over travel-partner Buffalo State Friday night and move into sole possession of the sixth and final SUNYAC playoff spot.
Kieran Furlonger, Ethan Kirbis (Clarence), Craig McCabe (Webster), Gregg Lee and Logan Dyck netted the Blue Devils goals while Joel Frazee scored the Bengals lone tally.
Andrew Harley (Brockport HS), Ryan Romeo (Fairport) and Connor Galloway all had three-point games as Brockport trounced visiting Canton 7-2. Sam DiBetteto (Hilton), Scott Ramaekers (Hamburg) and Anthony Hora (Clarence) scored the other goals for the Golden Eagles, who travel to Canton Saturday.
Henry McKinney scored twice including a short-hander and added a pair of assists as Nazareth routed Arcadia 7-2.
MARSHFIELD, Mass. – The New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) announced its weekly awards for games played through Sunday, January 9. Claire Meeder ’23 (Woodbury, Minn.) of Elmira College was recognized as the league’s Player of the Week. New England College’s Sean D’urso (Andover, Mass.) was named Goaltender of the Week, while UMass Boston’s Katie Wilbert (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned Rookie of the Week honors.
Claire Meeder – Elmira College (Junior, Forward – Woodbury, Minnesota) Meeder recorded three goals and one assist on Saturday to help fourth-ranked Elmira defeat seventh-ranked Norwich, 7-2. The victory for the Soaring Eagles ended the Cadets’ 57-game conference winning streak and pushed EC to 9-0-0 in the NEHC this season.
Meeder recorded each of her goals in the third period on Saturday as her tally at the 3:25 mark broke a 2-2 tie and would eventually stand as the game-winning goal for the Soaring Eagles.
The three-goal performance is the second of the season for Meeder, who becomes the first Elmira skater since Jess Adams ’21 to record multiple hat tricks in a season. This is the first time that Meeder has received a weekly award from the NEHC, while teammates Emma Crocker ’21 and Mary McCafferty ’22 earned Player of the Week honors for the Purple & Gold on November 8 and November 29.
HAMBURG, N.Y. – Hilbert College President Michael S. Brophy, Ph.D. has named Cole Klubek the first women’s ice hockey coach in Hawks’ program history. Klubek brings a vast athletics background to Hilbert, much of it coaching hockey at various levels.
“I am confident that Cole Klubek has the experience and vision to successfully build and lead our women’s ice hockey program to compete at the NCAA Division III level,” Brophy said. “Cole has shown throughout his life that he is dedicated to athletics and, more importantly, to the character-development that is vital for NCAA student-athletes.”
“I am honored to have the opportunity to develop and build the Hilbert Women’s Ice Hockey Program,” Klubek said. “It is very exciting to have the opportunity to return to home to WNY while leading the talented and deserving NCAA Division III student-athletes at Hilbert.”
Klubek, a Hamburg High School graduate, is currently the Hockey Director at Kendall Ice Arena in Miami Fla. As Hockey Director, he manages practice and game plans, new player recruitment, budgeting, USA Hockey compliance, and coaching. Prior to Miami, Klubek served as the head coach of the Laramie Outlaws (14U) in Laramie, Wyoming.
He spent his years after high school in the United States Air Force. As a result, Klubek moved around quite a bit, but one thing always remained constant, he was involved in athletics. It started in 2008 in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he began coaching youth in-line hockey before being deployed to Iraq in October 2010.
When he returned from Iraq, he would be stationed in Mississippi and he got involved with the Mississippi State University ice hockey program. The club program was about to fold, but Klubek jumped at the opportunity and helped recruit some more players and revitalized the program. After about two and a half years, Klubek was on the move again and headed to Germany. During his stint in Germany, Klubek served as the head coach of a professional women’s hockey team – Maddogs Mannheim.
Klubek enrolled at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in January 2018 and earned his Bachelor of Arts in English in May 2020. While at Lincoln, he served as a two-year captain as punter/kicker on the NCAA Division II football team.
The weather won this week with two games postponed. First St. Mary’s of Lancaster’s game against Niagara County at Riverworks was postponed; that date will be announced. The Niagara County vs Kenmore/Grand Island game that was to be held on January 18 has been rescheduled for January 25 at 7:50 p.m. at Lincoln Arena. Then history was made when Northtown Arena double booked and the LID/Williamsville matchup had to be rescheduled for January 25 at 4 p.m. at Northtowns.
The League is getting down to the wire as far as season and with that has come some movement in the standings. With significant wins Frontier/Lakeshore/Orchard Park has moved into first place overall with a 10-1-2 record and 33 points. Close behind with some key games coming is KGI with 30.5 points on a 9-3-1-1OTL record. Monsignor Martin now sits in third place overall with 28 points and Williamsville just one point behind sitting in fourth overall and third in the Section. However with Niagara County scheduled for some games against those teams they could move up from their 24 points and fifth place overall.
The bottom half of the standings put Clarence/Amherst/SweetHome in sixth followed by LID, Hamburg/Eden/West Seneca and St. Mary’s of Lancaster. The juggle there will be between LID and HEWS who both have 9.5 points but could move up and take over CASH with some wins.
How did this come about on a shortened week of hockey?
CASH beat St. Mary’s 4-2 on Tuesday night. Jenny Wild had the game winning goal unassisted, along with another unassisted goal. Allison Greene and Isabella Zivis dropped in the other two. For St. Mary’s it was an unassisted goal from Teddie Osinski and the second goal from Elle Yuhas, assisted by Alanna Pagano. CASH’s Natalie Zwelling stopped 13/15 sog and Avery Hall stopped 20 of 24.
FLOP headed to Cheektowaga on Wednesday for a game against St. Marys. It was a 7-0 shutout for Kerrigan McCarthy who stopped all 11 sog. Taylor Joyce had a hattrick, Joyceelyn Smaczniak had two powerplay goals and Mya Dalton and Breanna Bovo dropped in the other two goals. Maya Griffin had three assists, Taylor Loretto had three assists, Emily Patton, 2 assists and Samantha Torgerson the other assist.
Avery Hall continued making saves for St. Mary’s stopping 31 of 38.
Over at West Seneca it was Williamsville 8, HEWS 3. Diana Martucci got on the boards on a powerplay goal, assisted by Sophia DePrime and Vanessa Willick. It was Allison Besancon with two goal, Aizah-Roze Thompson with two, and Alexandra Hennessy with two. Thompson had the game winner, assisted by Besancon and Willick, who had three other assists that evening. Other assists came from Gianna DeFlippo, Besancon, Martucci and Molly Martin. Katherine Kelley stopped 10 of 13 sog.
For HEWS it was Katie Mruk, assisted by Riley Andzel; Andzel an unassisted goal and Jackie Supples, assist from Allison Regian. Leia Schneid stopped 26 of 34.
It was Senior Night for CASH on Thursday, but it was a unfortunately a losing night for them and a record for HEWS Goalie Schneid who had her first shutout of the season, stopping all 17 shots-on-goal. Contributing to the 4-0 victory for HEWS was Elizabeth O’Brien, Morgan Cooper, Regian and Mruk. Assisting on goals were Supples, Hanna Barrett, Kayla O’Donnell and Kayla Pelc. The Cooper goal was unassisted.
CASH’s goal duties were split with Ella Celej stopping 17 of 19 and Kylie Paige stopping 15 of 17.
The “game-of-the-night” looking at standings had FLOP beating Williamsville 3-1. The game-winner coming from Dalton, assisted by Griffin and Lauren Draszkiewicz. Kathleen Dougherty had a powerplay goal, assisted by Joyce and Griffin had the final goal for FLOP, assisted by Smaczniak.
DePrima had the only goal for Williamsville, assisted by Martin and Willick.
Niagara County traveled to North Buffalo to take on Monsignor Martin. MonMar came up with a 4-1 victory as Camryn Brownschidle continued her scoring with a powerplay goal, an unassistede goal and two assists on the evening. Grace Russo also had a power play goal, assisted by Mia Boyd and Brownschidle with Alexandria Franke having a goal, also assisted by Brownschidle.
For NiCo it was Madelyn Jagow on an assist from Kayla Persinger and Sam Latini. In goal Mariela Mulready stopped 15 of 18 shots and Sophia Will made 32 saves on 33 shots.
KGI and LID held a scrimmage at Holiday Twin after LID celebrated Senior Night.
With her scoring this week Aziah-Roze Thompson heads the leaderboard with 23 points on 17 goals and 6 assists. However Brownschidle continues scoring and assisting with 13 goals and 9 assists for 22 points. The race will be on as we come down to the end of the season. Closely behind both of them are Greene with 21 points; Persinger and Isabella Jayme with 20 points each.
The WNYGVIH story of goaltending seems to be what paces this league at any given time. HEWS Leia Schneid leads the goaltenders with minutes played at 632.83.
Kerrigan McCarthy (FLOP) leads the goaltenders with a 10-1-2 record and three shutouts. She has a .949 save percentage and a 1.06 gaa. Katherine Kelley at Williamsville has 9 wins.
Sophia Will of MonMar also has a .949 save percentage and three shutouts.
Over at KGI Carolyn Bourgeault has recorded four shutouts this season.
Looking at records, Willick (Williamsville) has 87 points, three away from the League Leaderboard. She has played in 64 games in four years and has 42 goals and 45 assists for 87 points.
Greene is another one to watch with 73 games played and 49 goals and 29 assists for 78 points.
As the league moves into his final week of regular season play, with one or possible two additional games the following week we have the following scheduled.
Monday, January 24: St. Marys at Williamsville at 4 p.m.; FLOP at Niagara County at 4:30 pm and CASH at LID at Riverworks at 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, January 25: LID faces off against Williamsville at 4 p.m. at Northtowns; Niagara County vs KGI at Lincoln at 7:50 p.m. and MonMar will play FLOP at Cornerstone Arena in Lockport at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, January 26 will be St. Mary’s at HEWS at 4 p.m. in West Seneca.
Thursday, January 27: Niagara County at LID, 4:15 p.m.; CASH at Williamsville, 4:30 p.m.; HEWS at MonMar, 4:30 p.m. and KGI at FLOP, 4:30 p.m. It will be Senior Night for Williamsville and MonMar.
The final game of the regular season will be St. Mary’s vs MonMar on Monday, January 31 at 4 p.m. in Cheektowaga. This is a rescheduled game.
Section VI Quarterfinals will be played February 1 and Semi-Finals on February 3. All games will be held at the Amherst Northtown Center beginning at 4:30 p.m.
The first-ever Private School Championship will be played at Cornerstone Arena in Lockport at 6 p.m. on February 7. That will be followed by the Section VI Championship at 8 p.m.
The winner of the Section VI Championship game will travel to the NYSPHSAA finals at SUNY Canton February 11 and 12.
(For those of you wondering about Senior Night photos, NYHOL will have a feature story on seniors with photos once all the Senior Nights have been celebrated.)
(All photos are copyrighted by Janet Schultz NYHOL. Copies, printed and/or digital are available for purchase by contacting Janet@nyhockeyonline.com. Prices are $15 for 8x 10s; $10 5x7s and $3.00 for 4×6. Copyright infringement occurs if taken from this site and used or printed.)
Canisius junior goaltender Jacob Barczewski has been named to the “Watch List” for the 2022 Mike Richter Award, the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) announced on Thursday.
Given annually to the top goaltender in NCAA men’s Division I ice hockey, Barczewski is one of just three goaltenders from Atlantic Hockey on the initial list of 28 netminders. A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, scouts and media — will pare this list down to approximately 15 names within the next two weeks and then ultimately choose the winner, who will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four. A similar award to recognize the top female goalie in the NCAA is also presented by the HCA.
A native of O’Fallon, Mo., Barczewski has started 19 games between the pipes for the Golden Griffins, compiling a 10-7-1 overall record along with a .926 save percentage and a 2.42 goals against average. A four-time Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week selection, Barczewski has been even more impressive against league competition this season, fashioning a .930 save percentage and a 2.28 goals against average in 14 league games. The Atlantic Hockey Association goaltender of the Month for November has recorded 30 or more saves on seven occasions this season, including three 40-plus save performances.
Canisius (11-9-3, 8-6-2 AHA) begins a five-game homestand this weekend when it hosts Bentley in a two-game Atlantic Hockey Association series. Both games of the Jan. 21-22 series at LECOM Harborcenter are scheduled for 7 p.m. puck drops.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Junior forward and captain Nick Abruzzese will represent the United States in men’s ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, USA Hockey announced. Abruzzese is the only player on the team from New York State.
Abruzzese, a native of Slate Hill, NY, leads Harvard with 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) and leads the NCAA with an average of 1.62 points per game. He has recorded a team best seven multiple-point efforts so far this season, most recently with three points (goal, two assists) in Saturday’s win over Union. Abruzzese had a prolific first-year season for Harvard in 2019-20. He earned CCM/AHCA Hockey Second Team All-America honors. He led all NCAA first-years in scoring with 44 points and was named the ECAC Hockey and Ivy League Rookie of the Year, First Team All-ECAC Hockey and First Team All-Ivy.
By: Brian Savard, Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications —
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Graduate student forward Annie Katonka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite) of Plattsburgh State has been named the Northeast Women’s Hockey League (NEWHL) Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 16, 2022, as announced by the conference office.
Katonka registered four points on three goals and an assist while fashioning a +3 rating in a 2-0-0 week for the Cardinals. She scored twice, including the game winner, and added an assist in a 5-2 victory over Oswego State on Friday before tacking on an insurance goal at 15:13 of the third period in a 4-0 win over SUNY Morrisville on Saturday. For the season, Katonka leads the NEWHL in power-play goals (four) and plus-minus rating (+22) while ranking second in goals (14) and fourth in points (21).
Plattsburgh State (12-2-0, 9-0-0 NEWHL), which is ranked at No. 2 in the DCU/USCHO.com Women’s Division III Top-10 Poll, next hosts Oswego State on Friday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m.
One axiom in hockey say you can never have enough defensemen and the New York Rangers seem to believe as continue to stockpile blueliners. They have drafted a defenseman in the first or second round of the NHL Entry Draft in three of the past four years including two in the first round in 2018.
One of those gems is 2020 first rounder Braden Schneider, now in his first full professional campaign with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League.
Taken 19th overall, many wrote that he might be the steal of the first round.
Schneider will not wow fans with dazzling offensive talent—in fact he was still looking for his first professional goal 26 games in—but instead will wow you with his 6’2”, 209 lb. frame and his shutdown and physical play on the back end.
“It’s definitely been an adjustment—everyone’s faster and stronger and you’re not playing against boys, you’re playing against men, so I think I’ve adjusted well and I fell like every day I’m getting better,” Schneider said in early January. “It’s been a lot of fun; it’s been a learning process but it’s been a good time so far.
“Everyone is doing the same thing you’re doing that is strong and big so it’s a lot tougher, it’s a lot harder work but it’s a process you have to learn and go through.”
Schneider played four-plus seasons with Brandon in the Western Hockey League with 115 points in 206 games in a physical, shutdown role and was voted the league’s Top Defenseman in 2020-21.
He also has gained quite a bit of experience with his peers on the international stage winning a silver and a gold medal with Team Canada and has some familiarity with current New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant, who was the head coach for the World Championships in Latvia in 2021.
“I felt last year was a really cool experience and different from what most people have seen before (playing in the bubble) and it would have been nice to come home with a gold medal, but I’m grateful for the time I had there.
“He’s (Gallant) a super coach and it was nice to get to know before we were both Rangers and he’s a guy I strive to play under one day.”
Zac Jones, Matthew Robertson and Hunter Skinner are other defenseman selected by the Rangers in the draft playing this season with Hartford creating daily competition. But the two games he got in last year in the AHL helped him know what to expect this season.
“When I first came it was a big eye opener in terms of seeing everyone…and I’m glad I got the experience of going to Prospect Camp with a lot of guys who have gone two or three times. It was my first time so it definitely did help in terms of getting adjusted and at least knowing a few faces.”
And having 16-year NHL defenseman Steve Smith coaching you every day can do nothing but help in that development.
“His career and resume speak for itself. He’s a super-easy guy to talk too and he’s always giving us tips and telling us what he wants from us. He’s been awesome and huge help.”
And that will do nothing but enhance his development and preparation for what should be a long NHL career. There is the pressure of being a first-round draft pick, but also the motivation to prove that he is better than the three defensemen selected ahead of him in that 2020 draft.
“They’ve treated me well here (Hartford); they’ve treated me like any other prospect and you have to work for everything you get here. Once you’re here at this level there is not much different whether you’re a first rounder or a fourth rounder.
“Whoever puts in the work is going to get rewarded at the end. You always want to get drafted as high as you can even though it’s not the end-all-be-all and it’s all what you do afterward, but yeah, you’re definitely gunning for guys and that’s just the way of the game.”
