BY RANDY SCHULTZ –
For the Buffalo State Bengals women’s hockey team, as well as the other six teams in the Northeast Women’s Hockey League (NEWHL), it is hoped that the 2021-22 hockey season will be somewhat of a normal one.
For Bengals head coach, David Dee, it has been a wild ride of sorts over the past three hockey seasons. Dee served as assistant coach of the team for the 2018-19 campaign before being promoted to the head coaching position in April 2019.
The 2019-20 season started out like every other season. Then the Pandemic hit and the downward spiral began for the seven teams that make up the NEWHL including Buffalo State, Canton, Cortland, Morrisville, Oswego, Plattsburgh and Potsdam.
By the time the 2020-21 season came around, the Pandemic was in full swing and the NEWHL hockey season wasn’t. In a very dramatic move, SUNY colleges and universities cancelled their sports seasons for the entire academic year.
That brings us to this season, Dee’s second season in charge of the women’s hockey program.
“Having not played last year, that certainly effected us,” commented Dee, who was an assistant coach with the Bengals men’s team from 1997-2005. “We brought in a class of eight to 10 players.
“Today we’re down to eight of those players. We’re really excited about our freshman class.
“Coming into this year, our goal is to make the NEWHL playoffs.”
Dee commented on the NEWHL conference.
“Our conference is so tough,” remarked Dee. “There will be no easy nights. And that is from top to bottom.
“We’re going to have to fight through some nights and keep grinding. It won’t be easy.”
What does the Bengals head coach see as the strength of the team?
“The strength is going to be our defense,” responded Dee. “I think our ‘D’ are good and I think our ‘D’ are solid.”
The defensive corps is made up of Hannah Tingley (Soph.), Autumn Benedict (Soph.), Tori Fadeley (Sr.), Makenna Murphy (Sr.), Rianna Schacher (Sr.), J.J. Johnson (Fr.), Katie Sarich (Fr.) and Liliana Adimey (Fr.).
“And I think between the pipes (goaltending) we are good with veteran (Sr.) Sissy Harman and freshman Jessica Auge.
“But I think we need to get better offensively and I think we will. We’ve got a lot of new players offensively. They also have to play well defensively.”
One problem the Bengals have run into early is injuries.
“We haven’t had the chance to look at a couple of freshmen that we’re high on because of injuries,” said Dee. “That would be Carys Ursell and Sage Running Rabbit.”
Injuries also hit Rianna Schacher.
“Getting those three players back will help out team,” stated Dee, who has Rachel Grampp and Ron Adimey.
Captains on this year’s team include Angelina Cruzal, Fadeley, Schacher and Tingley.
Looking at the NEWHL how do things stack up?
“Plattsburgh is the team that is at the top,” said Dee. “They are the defending champs.
“Had they played last year, I think they would have won it again. They are returning with most of their players and they had a really good recruiting class.”
But what about the rest of the League?
“I think Oswego is inching their way towards the top. They’ve had a couple of good recruiting classes the past couple of years.
“Cortland is right there with Oswego as well.
“It’s after that that things become a logjam of sorts. It’s all going to depend on who shows up each night a game is played.
“It’s going to be an interesting season.”
Notes:
Buffalo State is carrying several players who played high school hockey either together or against each other including: Autumn Benedict (Salmon River), Tori Fadeley (FLOP of WNYGVIH), Rylee Garrow (Salmon River), Bethan Horvatits (LID of WNYGVIH), Lexi Lazore (1 year with Salmon River), Amanda Jackson (Niagara County of WNYGVIH), Lilli Adimey (CASH of WNYGVIH) and Sissy Harman (HEWS of WNYGVIH)
Amanda Jackson 
Bethan Horvatits 
Sissy Harman Tori Fadeley is serving as Team Captain. 
Autumn Benedict Freshman Lilli Adimey comes from WNYGVIH’s CASH
(Photo by Janet Schultz Photography/nyhockeyonline)
