CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. – Antonio Fernandez was named ECAC Defender of the Week, the conference announced Monday.Fernandez logged a goal and an assist over the weekend against No. 3 ranked Boston University. The junior posted an assist on Friday on the first Raiders goal and scored a go-ahead goal 1:48 into the third period on Saturday. The blueliner also blocked five shots and went +2 over the weekend.Colgate (0-1-1) returns to Hamilton this weekend for its home opener against Canisius. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. on Friday at Class of 1965 Arena.
The New York Raptors defeated the South Shore Ice Dragon, 11-5, at the Essex County Codey Arena/South Mountain Recreation Complex in West Orange, New Jersey. Both teams played very well.
The Raptors played a second game that day against the Montgomery/Nova team, defeating them, 12-2.
The Raptors are now 2-0-0 for the 2025-26 hockey season.
While decisions weren’t final regarding who will make the Buffalo Sabres roster, the Rochester Americans project to have four first or second round draft selections and a defense that could be the envy of the American Hockey League as they embark on the 2025-26 campaign.
The team parted ways with captain Mason Jobst and assistant captain Brett Murray among others which will give even more playing time and special teams minutes to their top prospects.
Former first rounder Isak Rosen, who led the team with 28 goals and 55 points last season, is joined by fellow first-rounder Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius along with second round selection Anton Wahlberg at forward.
Add third rounder Viktor Neuchev, who scored 22 points in 39 games before a season-ending injury, and veterans Josh Dunne, Riley Fiddler-Schultz, Graham Slaggert, Brendan Warren and Jake Leschyshyn among others and rookies Matteo Constantini and Tyson Kopff to what appears to be at least three solid forward lines.
“It’s an opportunity for them (the younger players) to step into bigger roles that other guys had the last few years and it’s a time for them to really show everyone…that they can do more and handle a bigger load and more responsibility and time for them to take the next step,” last year’s assistant captain Zach Metsa said during training camp.
But the defense appears to be downright impressive returning Metsa, third on the team with 46 points, former first round pick Ryan Johnson, Nikita Novikov, who had a team-best +28 plus/minus in a breakout campaign, Vsevlod Komarov and Jack Rathbone. And Buffalo announced late that 2025 first round draft pick Radim Mrtka was assigned to Rochester instead of returning to his WHL team Seattle.
Add trade acquisitions Isaac Belliveau (from Pittsburgh) and Zac Jones (from NY Rangers), veterans Peter Tischke and Aiden Fulip (via Bridgeport) and clearly there is a numbers issue on the blueline.
“Certain partnerships I’m sure will stay the same…and you can use that experience to help especially early in the season when you’re a little rusty and just getting going,” Metsa said. “There’s a lot of familiar faces in the room during camp here and it’s great.”
The questions in goal are mostly surrounded around who? The injury to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in Buffalo resulted in the signing of Alexander Georgiev after Alex Lyon was inked to a two-year deal this summer.
Devon Levi returns after a solid end of the regular season and playoff. His partner will be either second round 2022 selection Topias Leinonen or 2023 fifth rounder Scott Ratzlaff, who both inked three-year entry-level deals this past spring with one likely headed to Jacksonville (ECHL).
Or if Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is healthy in Buffalo to start the season, does free agent signees Alex Lyon or Alexandar Georgiev clear waivers and accept a minor league assignment sending two to Jacksonville?
The season and the answers to some of these questions happen this week with the season opener Fri. Oct. 10.
RIT won the conference regular season title in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Then they were devastated losing their top four scorers in the portal before last season. The results were predictable as they finished third-from-last before being knocked out by eight-seed AIC in the first round of the playoffs.
Longtime head coach Wayne Wilson and associate head coach Brian Hills retired and now former Tiger captain Matt Thomas tries to put the program back as the eighth hockey head coach in school history.
He brings 26 years of experience at both the NCAA Division I and professional ranks, including the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Providence Bruins – the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the NHL Boston Bruins.
“I really look forward to returning to my alma mater…I do miss The Ritter (Arena), but an incredible opportunity for me to get closer to Toronto where I am from and really excited to work with our team,” Thomas said during the AHA Media Day call.
“We do return 16 players which is great and add 11 newcomers (four transfers). We have five players this year with OHL (Ontario Hockey League) experience and I think that will continue.”
Junior Christian Catalano is the top point-getter returning after his 23-point campaign with senior Simon Isabelle the only other returner in double-digits last season, so there is plenty of openings on the top two lines.
Transfers include forward Austin Brimmer, who scored 21 points in 32 games with Long Island University and forward Boris Skalos from Mercyhurst.
The Tigers enter the season deepest on defense with sophomore Tristan Allan and senior Xavier Lapointe combining for 30 points one year ago. Senior Gustav Blom and juniors Kevin Scott and Crossley Stewart add experience on the blueline.
Sophomore Jakub Krbecek started 18 games last season in net and senior Trent Burnham started eight, but freshman Ottawa 67’s (OHL) recruit Collin MacKenzie could push for playing time after being the number one last season.
The Tigers welcome Clarkson for the annual Brick City Homecoming game at Rochester Blue Cross Arena Oct. 18 and will also participate with Union, Miamai and Sacred Heart in the Friendship Four in Belfast, Ireland Thanksgiving weekend.
Canisius finished in the middle of the Atlantic Hockey America standings last season two games under .500 and advanced to the quarterfinals before being shutout in both games by eventual champion Bentley ending their season.
This season they welcome back 16 players and add 14 newcomers, six of them freshmen.
“Anytime you have numbers like that…it brings some unknown and brings some excitement because you have guys with a new face and a new opportunity and what we’re all trying to do this time of year is create a unified group,” head coach Trevor Large said during the conference Media Day.
“Overall, I think depth at forward is strong with less new up front…our d-corp is almost brand new with six of nine new faces to the Griffs and two returners in net along with portal transfer (Williamsville) Chase Clark” from American International.
Tri-captains senior Oliver Tarr, senior Trey Funk and fifth-year Alton McDermott combined for 47 points last season and will lead the forward group.
Portal forward transfer Walter Zacher from Robert Morris scored 15 goals with 24 points last season. Rhys Chiddenton also arrives via Bemidji State up front.
Sophomore Carter Patterson as the primary returner on the blueline and the Griffins added four defensemen through the portal in Jason Gallucci from Penn State, Joseph Mesina and Josh Phillips via Union plus Jack Pascucci from UConn.
“On the back end Pascucci and Gallacci both are going to get an opportunity to solidify their spot on the roster so we’re happy about a lot of the d-corp but those two have showcased their ability.”
Clark, a senior, will compete with junior Ethan Robertson and sophomore Petter Wickstrom-Stumer for the net. The later two started a combined 29 games last season with Robertson sporting a 2.47 goals against average.
The Griffs kick off the season at home Oct. 3 versus Clarkson and start conference play two weeks later at Army. Road trips to Colgate and Lindenwood also do the non-conference slate.
After a solid 15 conference win regular season and a fourth-place finish, Niagara earned the first-round playoff bye before being upset in the quarterfinals by an Army team motivated at least partially by their retiring longtime head coach.
After losing four of their top five scorers from last season to either graduation or the portal accounting for 54 of their second best in the conference 90 goals scored, the Purple Eagles will need find offense from different places and build locker room chemistry in a hurry with 14 returners and 11 new faces.
“I believe our staff did an awesome job in finding ways to bring talent to our campus…(but) I don’t know that answer to that yet,” head coach Jason Lammers said during the conference Media Day. “I think something we’ve always built our teams on is doing it by committee…and it will be built that way again this year.”
Senior forward Glebs Prohorenkovs is the top returning scorer with 31 points.
“Guys we’re excited about; I’ll start up front and one is (sophomore) Spencer Young, he’s a top returning guy for us and someone who had an awesome first year (seven goals, five assists). (Senior) Noah Hackett is a guy who has really matured through the program and, while he’s had to wait his turn, he put up some goals for us last year (11) and has some big, hairy, audacious goals for himself this year and (senior) Glebs Prohorenkovs played in the World Championships last year (for Latvia) and gained a wealth of experience from that and is someone we’re really counting on.”
It is on defense where the Purple Eagles are the most experienced with seniors Ethan Lund, Jonathan Ziskie and Mitchell Becker with graduate student Lane Brockhoff and junior Ross Roloson.
“On the back end we have (junior) Ross Roloson returning who was an important guy on our power play and special teams in general last year and (senior) Ethan Lund who we’re looking to take on more of a leadership role this year.”
Goaltending features the inexperienced trio of junior Mitchell Day and sophomore Deivs Rolov who combined to play in three games last season with freshman Thomas Anderson via the Bismarck Bobcats in the NAHL where he set the team record for wins while leading them to their first regular season title.
Niagara begins the campaign with six non-conference games beginning with St. Lawrence on home ice Oct. 4 before starting conference play with a home-and-home against Robert Morris Halloween weekend.
HAMILTON – Season tickets and mini plans for the 2025-26 Colgate Men’s Hockey season are available.Fans can reserve tickets online by clicking HERE.The Raiders will take home ice for the first time this season Oct. 17-18 against Canisius. Colgate will host 15 games at Class of 65 arena this season.2025-26 Hockey Season Ticket Prices Sullivan Suite $435 Adult $235 Fac/Staff $175 Senior $175 Child $175 Season Parking Pass $1002025-26 Hockey Mini Plan Ticket Prices Adult $135 Senior/Child $100Season ticket holders gain admission to all home games. Parking passes for the Class of 1965 Arena lot will be available for purchase with the ordering of tickets. The parking pass for the season will cost $100.Mini plan holders receive admission to the Cornell game (Feb. 6) plus six other games of choice. Additionally, mini plan and season ticket holders get access to “chalk talks” with a member of the Colgate coaching staff before every Friday home game.Single-game tickets go on sale on Sept. 16. Stay tuned to ColgateAthletics.com for updates.
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Season ticket sales for Plattsburgh State men’s and women’s ice hockey will begin on Monday, Aug. 18, and will continue through Thursday, Sept. 18. Tickets can be purchased online, in person at the Field House Box Office, or over the phone by calling (518) 564-4062.
Season ticket pricing is as follows:
Men’s Hockey Package: $145
Women’s Hockey Package: $50
Combo Package (Men’s & Women’s): $180
Sales will be conducted in three phases: Renewals (Aug. 18–Aug. 30), Change/Addition Period (Sept. 1–Sept. 3), and New Season Ticket Sales (Sept. 4–Sept. 18).
During the ticket sale period, standard box office hours will be Monday–Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The box office will be closed on Sundays, with the exception of limited hours on Wednesday, Aug. 20 (3–7 p.m.) due to college orientation, and Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 1) when the box office will be open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
All online renewals will be processed via Hometown Ticketing, and current season ticket holders will receive a separate email with detailed instructions.
Any questions regarding season ticket sales should be directed to burghytickets@plattsburgh.edu. The box office is located at 167 Rugar Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901.
TRENČÍN, Slovakia – The U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select Team defeated Sweden, 5-3, to capture the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup championship here today at Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium behind by a three-point performance from Jack Hextall (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) (1g, 2a) and four power-play goals.
Team USA captures its second championship at the event and first since 2003, finishing the tournament with a record of 4-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L).
“It’s amazing. Our guys battled hard, and our power play was great. It’s a great feeling to win that one,” said Kevin Porter (Plymouth, Mich.), head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select Team. “These players came to play every night. It was awesome to see. We’re champions now.”
Elton Hermansson opened the scoring for Sweden 10 seconds into the contest, firing a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle home.
The U.S. responded at 2:53 as Levi Harper (Tampa, Fla.) wristed a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle through traffic past Swedish netminder Milo Tjärnlund.
Noah Davidson (Irvine, Calif.) scored 1:04 later, tapping in a cross-crease pass from Hextall just nine seconds into a power play to give Team USA its first lead of the contest
Theodor Knights then knotted the contest at 2-2, as his shot from the point was redirected and found the back of the net 6:28 into the first period.
The U.S. regained the lead at 17:12 with its second power-play goal, this time from Hextall, who ripped a wrist shot over Tjärnlund’s glove from just outside the slot.
Nikita Klepov (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) added Team USA’s third power-play tally of the game 45 seconds into the second period, skating in front of the Swedish crease and rifling a shot into the top of the net to double his team’s lead to 4-2.
Hermansson scored his second goal of the game to make it a 4-3 game on a one-timer from the right circle on a 5-on-3 power play at 17:58 of the second period.
U.S. netminder Brady Knowling (Chicago, Ill.) made a cross-crease save with 2:33 remaining in the third period, sliding across and smothering the chance to keep the U.S. ahead by one. Knowling finished the game with 26 saves.
Nick Bogas (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) scored Team USA’s fourth power-play goal of the contest with 2:26 remaining to seal the championship and account for the 5-3 score.
NOTES: Jack Hextall was named U.S. Player of the Game … The U.S. outshot Sweden, 35-29 … Team USA went 4-for-7 on the power play, while Sweden went 1-for-4 on power plays.
Both the U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team and U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team closed out its respective series against Canada today at the Lake Placid Olympic Center, with the Under-18 Select Team racking a 3-1 victory and the Collegiate Select Team falling 7-6 in a shootout.
With the victory, the U.S. wins the Under-18 Select Series with a 2-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, winning the series for the first time since 2017.
Despite today’s loss, the U.S. also won the Collegiate Select Series with a 1-1-1-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, its sixth-straight series win.
For the first time since the start of both series, the U.S. has won the Collegiate Select and Under-18 Select Series in the same year.
Canada 7, U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team 6 (SO)
Just 47 seconds into the game, Maggie Scannell (Wynantskill, N.Y.) gave the U.S. and early 1-0 lead, but Canada answered with two straight goals by Madeline Palumbo and Emmalee Pais to take a 2-1 lead into the second frame.
Canada added two goals in the second to open a 4-1 lead on the afternoon. Eloise Caron slipped the third goal of the game in, before Claire Murdoch took advantage of a misplayed puck by the U.S. goaltender for Canada’s fourth of the contest.
Cassie Hall (South Lyon, Mich.) pulled Team USA back within one, going bar down from the right faceoff dot on a 5-on-3 power play opportunity with 4:38 left in the second.
Eight minutes into the third, Laney Potter (Cranberry Township, Pa.) scored the U.S.’ third of the game, cutting the lead to 4-3. Team USA then went on the power play with just under 10 on the clock, where Kelly Gorbatenko (Barrington, Ill.) tied the game just 16 seconds into the extra skater opportunity.
MaryKate O’Brien (Wilbraham, Mass.) gave Team USA a 5-4 lead with 8:37 left in the third frame, the team’s fourth unanswered score, sliding a shot five hole. With time ticking down, Canada’s Jocelyn Amos recorded a power play goal to knot the game at 5-5.
With 3:25 left in the third, Jamie Nelson (Andover, Minn.) tallied the U.S.’ sixth of the game, but Canada answered with 1:41 left on the clock. After a scoreless overtime frame, Canada won the shootout, 3-2, in six rounds to give them the victory.
NOTES: The U.S outshot Canada, 32-31 … the U.S. was 2-8 on power plays, while Canada was 4-6.
U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team 3, Canada 1
Canada opened the game’s scoring with a goal almost four minutes into the contest. Rosalie Tremblay caught a pass behind the defense at the blue line before a backhander in close found its way over the glove of Bianca Birrittieri (Flower Mound, Texas).
Team USA responded just a few minutes later when Talla Hansen (Wayzata, Minn.) capitalized on a 2-on-1 feed from Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Ct.) to knot the game at 1-1.
Annabelle Lovell (Hingham, Mass.) gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead with 10:17 remaining in the second after corralling her own rebound off a point-blank shot from the low slot, before rifling one past Canada’s Rowan Houweling from the exact same spot.
Alaina Gnetz (Woodbury, Minn.) opened a 3-1 lead for Team USA midway through the third, slipping a shot past the goalie’s side right off the left post. The U.S.’ defense locked down for the remainder of the game, taking the game, along with the series win.
Birrittieri made 21 saves in the winning effort in net.
NOTES: Canada outshot the U.S., 22-20 … The U.S. was 0-3 on the power play, while Canada was 0-2.
U.S. Tops Switzerland, 4-1, at Under-17 Four Nations Tournament
Team USA takes on Czechia Friday (Aug. 8) at 4:30 p.m. ET on USAHockeyTV.com
PLYMOUTH, Mich. –Gerry DiCunzolo (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Jake Prunty (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) each recorded two points, aiding the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team to a 4-1 victory over Switzerland here today at USA Hockey Arena in its second game of the 2025 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament.“We found a way to win, and it was great to see our power play score some goals,” said Jason Guerriero (Manorville, N.Y.), head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team. “We’re just trying to find ways to be better today than we were yesterday. Switzerland gave us a good game, but we stook to the basics of maintaining offensive-zone time and doing little things well.”With the win, the U.S. clinches its spot in Saturday’s (Aug. 9) championship game against Czechia.Switzerland struck first at 13:38 of the opening period as Kellan O’Leary fired a one-timer home from the slot after a centering feed from Alessandro Domenichelli.Ethan Sung (Pasadena, Calif.) scored an equalizer for the U.S. with 2:15 remaining. He tapped home a rebound chance after a shot from DiCunzolo.The U.S. took the lead at 11:42 of the second as Mark Pape (Shaker Heights, Ohio) scored on a rebound opportunity after a shot from Ryland Rooney (Dellwood, Minn.), beating Swiss netminder Luca Blaser with a backhand shot.Michael Tang (New York, N.Y.) nearly doubled the U.S. lead with 5:55 left in the middle stanza on a breakaway following a stretch pass from Anthony Valenti (Chicago, Ill.), but his chance was denied.Prunty gave the U.S. a 3-1 lead at 17:47, scoring on a wrister from the right faceoff circle that got past Blaser’s blocker.Ty Bergeron (Flat Rock, Mich.) extended Team USA’s lead 4:08 into the third, cashing in on a shorthanded breakaway generated by a pass from Logan Anderson (Estero, Fla.). U.S. netminder Kaeden Tate (Huntington Beach, Calif.) stood tall throughout the third, finishing the game with 18 saves.The U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team finishes the preliminary round against Czechia Friday (Aug. 8) at 4:30 p.m. ET at USA Hockey Arena. Tickets are available here.Team USA and Czechia will face off again the following day for the tournament championship at 4:30 p.m. ET. Tickets for the championship game can be purchased here.All Under-17 Four Nations Tournament games are streamed live on USAHockeyTV.com.
Tim Hortons®, The PWHL and Barbie® Team Up on New Hockey Dolls in Collaboration with Superstars Sarah Nurse and Marie-Philip Poulin
Barbie® Tim Hortons® PWHL™ Dolls will be available starting Aug. 11 at participating Tim Hortons restaurants in Canada and are available now at TimShop.ca and Official PWHL Shops (Canada/US).
$5 CAD from every doll sold at Tims restaurants and TimShop.ca or at the online PWHL Shops will be donated to Grindstone Award Foundation.
In celebration of the launch of Barbie® Tim Hortons® PWHL™ Dolls, the Tim Hortons restaurant located at 3157 Dundas St. W. in Toronto has been transformed, with its iconic Tims red replaced with Barbie pink and PWHL purple. The restaurant makeover will be available for guests to see until Aug. 13.
TORONTO, August 8, 2025 – She shoots, she scores, she supports!
Tim Hortons, the PWHL and Mattel, Inc. announced today the launch of new Barbie® Tim Hortons® PWHL™ Dolls, which will be available starting Aug. 11 at participating Tim Hortons restaurants across Canada and online now at TimShop.ca and PWHL Shops. As part of a shared commitment to increasing access for girls in hockey, Tim Hortons will donate $5 CAD to the Grindstone Foundation for every Barbie® Tim Hortons® PWHL™ Doll sold in participating restaurants and TimShop.ca, and the PWHL will match this with a $5 CAD donation for each doll bought through its online store.
As the most diverse doll line on the market, Barbie is continuing to empower young children to unlock their limitless potential. Studies show that girls who are involved in team sports are more likely to believe they are smart enough for their dream career, have high opinions on their abilities and competencies, increased leadership aspirations and enjoy higher levels of self-confidence.[1]
The two Barbie® Tim Hortons® PWHL™ Dolls are inspired by members of Team Barbie and PWHL superstars Sarah Nurse and Marie-Philip Poulin, who were recognized as Barbie role models in 2020 for being trailblazers on the ice and breaking down barriers for women in hockey. Each Barbie doll comes with a Tim Hortons PWHL hockey jersey, hockey stick, helmet and skates and can be purchased for $34.99 CAD.
[1] According to the NAACP + The Girls’ Index
There are more ways for fans to celebrate the launch of the Barbie® Tim Hortons® PWHL™ Dolls, including:
Tims Rewards members who purchase a Barbie® Tim Hortons® PWHL™ Doll from a Tims restaurant will also be entered for a chance to win an exclusive PWHL game day experience. For more details and contest information, visit timhortons.ca/hockey-barbie.
Starting Aug. 11, the Barbie PWHL Donut — a yeast ring donut dipped in white icing and topped with pink sprinkles — and Barbie Pineapple Dragon Fruit Quenchers will also be available at participating Tims restaurants.
The New York Sirens announce the addition of Valérie Bois as the team’s newest assistant coach ahead of the 2025-26 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. Bois brings over a decade of high-level coaching experience in both men’s and women’s hockey, along with a strong passion for athlete development. She most recently helped launch the women’s hockey program at Bishop’s University, serving two seasons as an associate coach and two seasons as head coach, leading the Gaiters to their first U SPORTS National Championship in 2024-25 in just their fourth season.
“Valérie is truly what you’d call a year-round, career coach,” said Sirens General Manager Pascal Daoust. “She has successfully held both head coach and assistant coach roles – winning multiple championships – across different levels, with both men’s and women’s teams, sometimes even within the same season. She is passionate, knowledgeable, and deeply committed to helping every athlete she works with reach their full potential and will be a natural fit within the culture and values of the New York Sirens family.”
In addition to her U SPORTS experience, Bois served as an assistant coach for Les Canadiennes de Montréal of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) during the 2018-19 season, advancing to the Clarkson Cup final. One of her first career highlights came as head coach for LHFDQ Nord and winning the 2013 Esso Cup – Canada’s Women’s U18 National Club Championship. She also served as an assistant coach for Collège Français de Longueuil and helped the team to a top four finish at the 2022 Centennial Cup – Canada’s National Junior A Championship. Bois has also contributed to Hockey Québec’s Program of Excellence at both the U16 and U18 levels, leading the U18 team to a National Championship two years in a row (2023 and 2024).
“I’m thrilled to be joining the New York Sirens as an assistant coach,” said Bois. “This organization truly aligns with my values, especially in its commitment to building a strong team both on and off the ice. What drew me to the Sirens is their focus on creating a team culture rooted in respect, integrity, and growth. It’s an honor to be part of a league and program that is not only developing young, dynamic talent with great veteran leadership already in place, but also building an identity grounded in purpose and long-term progress. I’m excited to support the players’ development and help lay the foundation for sustained success.”
Bois joins the Sirens coaching staff consisting of head coach Greg Fargo and fellow assistant coaches Josh Sciba and Gordon Woodhall. Assistant coaches Mike Sommer and Lauren Williams will not be returning for the 2025-26 campaign. The New York Sirens thank Mike and Lauren for their commitment to the team and wish them all the best in their next opportunity.
Fans looking to stay up to date on ticket release dates, team announcements, and exclusive offers are encouraged to subscribe to The Beat, the official Sirens newsletter. For ticket related inquiries, please contact newyorkinfo@thepwhl.com.
(Editors Note: This season NY Hockey Online Magazine will be focusing on Western New York women’s ice hockey. However, any connection players in other areas of New York and beyond have with WNY will also be covered. We make this change as covering the entire state in-depth has become a challenge with only three reporters and one photographer. Press releases are still very welcome from all hockey venues.)
PWHL
The Professional Women’s Hockey League dropped their first puck on January 1, 2024. They played a half season and then held their 2025 draft this past June. The PWHL is preceded by the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) and the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).
The league, now owned by the Mark Walter Group and Billie Jean King Enterprises, began with six team and then expanded the league by two more this year. The original six teams, Boston Fleet, Montreal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge, Minnesota Frost and Toronto Sceptre, were joined by the PWHL Seattle and PWHL Vancouver.
New York played in the first game of the PWHL on January 1 against Toronto. Ella Shelton of New York had the first PWHL goal and the Sirens won the first game of the new league. Toronto finished first overall after the short season. However it was Minnesota defeating Boson and winning the first-ever Walter Cup Championship. Natalie Spooner won the League’s first-ever MVP as the league’s leading scorer. Taylor Heise led the playoffs in scoring and took the post season MVP.
Then came the 2025 PWHL Draft. Held at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Ottawa, Kristyne Kaltounkova was the first overall draftee taken by New York. She is from Czechia and played at Colgate University where she was tapped the NCAA All Time Leading Scorer with 111 points.
Rochester’s Hayley Winn went second overall to Boston, coming from Clarkson University. Winn played for the Bishop Kearney Selects.
New York made the first trade by sending Ella Shelton to Toronto for Toronto’s first choice and third overall. They took Casey O’Brien the Patty Kazmaier Awardee from the University of Wisconsin.
Other New York Sirens selections included Forward Anne Cherkowski (Clarkson University), Forward MacKenna Webster (Ohio State), Defender Dayla Ross (St. Cloud University), Forward Maddie Wheeler (Ohio State), Goaltender Callie Shanahan (Boston University), Forward Anna Bargman (Yale) and Goaltender Kaley Doyle (Quinnipiac).
There were several draftees with New York State connections including from Clarkson University Nicole Gosling; Colgate University: Katoun Kova and Hannah Murphy; Cornell University: Rory Guilday and Lily Delianedas; St. Lawrence: Abby Hustler and Anna Segedi both to Minnesota;
WNY’s Brooke Becker was drafted by Minnesota. Becker played for the WNYGVIH Frontier/LakeShore/Orchard Park team and then went to Providence College to play for the Frairs.
Fairport’s Kiara Zanon went to Toronto in the second round.
Already rostered by the PWHL from WNY are Katy Knoll of Rochester and Natalie Buchbinder of Fairport with the Minnesota Frost and Hayley Scamurra and Maureen Murphy both from Buffalo and playing for Montreal.
New Hartford’s Sydney Bard is with Vancouver and Conger’s Abigail Levy is in Boston.
Boston’s Aerin Frankel is from Chappaqua and skated at the Westchester Ice Arena before playing for Shattuck St. Mary’s. She played for the New York team before being signed by Boston.
NY has signed Sara Fillier and Allyson Simpson to two year contract extensions and signed Savanna Norcross, Lauren Bernarce, Kayla Vespa, Jiney Roese and Taylor Girard to one-year contracts.
2021 SABRES PROSPECTS
Another WNY connection is Goaltender Carly Jackson who spent played for the NWHL/PHF Buffalo Beauts and is currently with Minnesota.
The PWHL recognized several players with their 2025 awards. Named BJK MVP as well as Forward of the Year was Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin. Defender of the Year honors went to Toronto’s Renata Fast. Ann-Renee Desbiens was named Goaltender of the Year for her play with Montreal and Rookie of the Year went to New York’s Sarah Fillier. Montreal’s Head Coach, Kari Cheverie, was named Coach of the Year. Montreal’s Laura Stacey was named the PWHL Hockey For All honoree.
The League’s first All Star teams were announced:
First Team All Stars: Forwards Sarah Fillier (NY), Hilary Knight (BOS), Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL); Defenders Renata Fast (Tor), Sophie Jaques (Min) and Goaltender Ann-Renee Desbien (MTL).
Second All Star Team: Forwards Kendall Coyne Schofield (MIN), Tereza Vanisova (OTT) and Daryl Watts (TOR); Defenders Ella Shelton (NY) and Claire Thompson (MIN) and Goaltender Aerin Frankel (BOS).
All Rookie Team: Forwards Britta Curl-Salemme (MIN), Sarah Fillier (NY), Jenn Gardiner (MTL); Defenders Cayla Barnes (MTL) and Anna Wilgren (MTL) and Goaltender Gwyneth Philips (OTT).
Impact Awards went to Jaime Lee Rattry (BOS), Nicole Hensley (MIN), Amanda Boulier (MTL), Emmy Fecteau (NY) Rebecca Leslie (OTT) and Allie Munroe (TOR).
This coming season the PWHL will schedule 30 games for each team with two games being played in Sweden. They will take a 19 day break for he 2026 Winter Olympics. Playoffs will begin May 7 with the Finals scheduled for May 26. Minnesota will be looking to defend their championship.
College
Buffalo State University
Head Coach Rachel Grampp begins her fifth season with the Bengals coming off the most conference wins since 2019-20. Williamsville’s Vanessa Willis logged 6 goals and 18 assists to lead the Bengals in scoring. Willis played for the WNYGVIH Williamsville team.
The Bengals will be hosting their Buffalo State Golf Classic on August 4 at Pendleton Creek Golf Club.
Hilbert College
Brian Becker was named Head Coach in February, replacing interim Head Coach Emma Knoll. Becker comes from St. Francis High School Prep where he served as head coach from 2021-2024. He also served as head coach of the Lockport Express NA3HL team.
Hilbert continues to grow its program, now in its 4th year as a NCAA team. With that said there are some records to acknowledge with Goaltender Jewely Monford making over 500 saves, Tia Card with 1,200 career saves and Brooke Thompson making 74 saves in a single game against Buffalo State.
This year’s Coach’s Award went to Perry’s Brooke Kwiecien, MVP honors went to Izabelle Wagner and Card.
NY’ers on the roster include Alexandra Heyden of Henrietta and Kelsey Fuller of Rome. The freshmen recruits have not yet been announced.
St. John Fisher
It’s the Inaugural Season for St. John Fisher with a familiar name at the helm. Head Coach Scott McDonald (at RIT) comes from Niagara University, where he played defense for four years. then he coached the women’s ice hockey program at Rochester Institute of Technology and served as the Rochester Jr. Amerks Girls Hockey Director and College Hockey Advisor. McDonald joins Fisher after three years as the player development coach of the Bishop Kearney Selects Girls Hockey Program. In addition, he is owner/leader of Maverick Hockey Development, where he designs custom hockey development programs for all Rochester Area youth hockey organizations.
Assistant coach is Georgiana Santullo who played five seasons with Utica College and then played in Italy.
The team opens on the road at Neumann College on October 31. Their first-ever home game will be held against William Smith on November 8. They will play at the Rochester Ice Center in Fairport.
St. John Fisher will be part of the United College Hockey Conference (UCHC) league.
Nazareth
Twenty-two Nazareth women’s ice hockey players were named to the UCHC All Academic team including three who have been recognized five times. Those honors went to McKinely Huff, Julia Holmes and Kate Cascio.
NY natives named were: Cascio (Oceanside/Bishop Kearney Selects), Brooke Terry (Massena/Ottawa Jr. 67s), Brooke Judkiewicz (East Concord/Barrie Jr Sharks), MacKenzie Garrow (Akwesasne/Malone Adk 46ers),
Julia Holmes received Academic All District honors from the College Sports Communicators.
Nazareth College awards went to Amy Laskowski, Rookie of the Year.
The team was also recognized for the Best Social Media Post of the Year with their post on women’s hockey road trip and goal trouble.
Holmes was also cited for Best Career Accomplishments. Her and Laskowski were named to the East Third Team All American by CCM Hockey/American Hockey Coaches Association.
The team took the UCHC Championship after a 3-2 win over Utica College and then ended their season in the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 1-0 loss to Middlebury. They posted a 21-7-1 overall record under seventh season Head Coach Chris Baudo.
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Head Coach Celeste Brown enters her sixth season as coach of the Tigers. After a 16-17-4 overall record the Tigers open September 26 against Post University at home.
The team has selected Emma Pickering and Jordan Fahrny as team captains for the upcoming season with Lexi Sung. Addie Alvarez (Rochester/Syracuse Valley Eagles) and Linda Rulle serving as alternate captains. Alvarez was the top scorer in 2024-25 with 6 goals and 26 assists for 32 points.
WNY native Cam Brownschildle will be entering her senior year this fall.
NY Hockey sends condolences to RIT on the passing of Stu Hughes a 47-year member of the arena staff. Hughes served as Ice Operations Manager at both the Frank Ritter Arena and the Gene Polisseni Center. He passed of cancer at 64 years of age on July 15.
Note that ticket sales are on right now for RIT men’s and women’s ice hockey. Call 585-475-4121.
RIT had a number of D1 Krampade All American Scholars this past season including Kylie Aquaro, Sarah Coe, Jordan Fahrny, Kailey Favro, Bronwyn Khangsar, Emma Pickering, Linda Rulle and Misa Tsilernas. Seventeen were named to the Atlantic Hockey All Academic Team.
Jordyn Bear was named AHA Best Defensive Forward.
The Tiger’s season ended with a 4-0 loss to #1 Penn State in the AHA semi-finals.
Other
Looking at the ACHA teams from WNY for 2025-26 it looks as though Niagara University will once again have teams in the D1 and D2 divisions with Oswego, RIT and Brockport icing D2 squads.
Last season NU’s D2 teams posted a 13-8-1 record and their D1 team was ranked 8th with a 11-10-2 record.
Brockport posted a 4-7-0 record last season and RIT a 3-5-2 record.
The University of Buffalo’s team did not play last season.
On rosters from the WNYGVIH league in the ACHA are Reece Honadle from Monsignor Martin for RIT and Skylar Berube from Niagara County for NU.
…Cortland Red Dragon’s Head Coach Rick Filighera will be entering his 10th season in 2025-26. Cortland opens with an exhibition game against Nazareth on October 18 at 1 p.m. at home.
…Niagara County’s Kayla Persinger of Youngstown is playing for Cortland, as is Fairport’s Katie Diem.
…Buffalo’s Sarah Waskielewicz is on the Elmira Women’s Ice Hockey Team.
…Lauryn Brown (Eden/WNYGVIH HEWS) was named an ACHA All American Scholar, as was Rochester’s Emma Corbett.
…Kendal Kalinowski (Buffalo/Buffalo Bisons) was received SUNYAC Commissioner’s Academic honors. She plays for SUNY Morrisville.
…Congratulations to Sara and Hannah Barrett on their graduation from Potsdam, where they also played ice hockey. The Barretts played for the HEWS team in the WNYGVIH Federation. They both received SUNYAC academic honors this past season.
…Also playing for Potsdam is Olivia Visco of West Seneca who played for Nichols High School. She also was the recipient of SUNYAC academic honors.
…Plattsburgh’s Tessa Morris (Grand Island/Nichols) was named to the D1 Krampade/American AHCA Hockey Coaches Association All American Scholar honor list.
…Lara Beecher, Buffalo, has transferred from the University of Vermont to Clarkson University where she will play ice hockey this coming season. She is a senior.
…Haley Winn graduated from Clarkson and was named to the Academic All Academic At Large Team.
…Riley Andzel (West Seneca) will enter her junior year at SUNY Canton. Andzel played five years for the WNYGVIH Federation HEWS team. She served as team captain with HEWS and was named to First Team All Fed.
…Madison Mallone (Lockport) played for WNYGVIH Niagara County and will play her sophomore year at Canton. In her high school career she was named to First Team All Fed, Player of the Year for her team and took the Coaches Award.
WNYGVIH
Along with several players named in the collegiate stories above, several have made college commitments for the upcoming year. (They may not be playing hockey.)
Cady Kowalow will play for Northeastern University after a successful career with Lancaster/Iroquois/Depew and then the Bishop Kearney Selects.
Bella Jayme, a familiar name with Kenmore/Grand Island/Lockport has committed to Cortland for the upcoming season.
Danielle Cottrell will be attending Ithaca College. Cottrell played for St. Mary’s of Lancaster.
Georgia Mango will be playing Lacrosse at SUNY Oswego. Mango played for Clarence/Amherst Sweethome (CASH)
Frontier/Lakeshore/Orchard Park’s Maya Griffin will be playing lacrosse and soccer at Youngstown State.
FLOP’s Lila Cudney will be attending SUNY Canton where she will play ice hockey for the Roos.
Hamburg/Eden/West Seneca’s (HEWS) Samantha Miller will be attending Buffalo State University. Katlynn Wittschack and Kayla Pelc will be attending SUNY Cortland.
KGi’s Natalie Kopf will be attending RPI; Isabelle Bourgeault, Cortland; and Jullian Hager, Oswego. Avery Hall, goaltender for St. Mary’s of Lancaster will be playing ice hockey at Johnson and Wales; Riley Kumrow will be playing ice hockey at Kings College; Alana Pagano will be attending the University of South Carolina; Samantha Hatt, Niagara University; Emma Babcock, Niagara University.
Williamsville’s Sophia DePrima will be attending Sacred Heart College.
Williamsville’s Mia Wendel played four seasons at Yale University and will now move on to Sacred Heart to play her graduate student year. The goalie is working on her MBA.
(Please note, some of this may have changed since I received information at the end of the hockey season and rosters for most colleges have not been posted. If player is playing a sport other than hockey, I did not have that information. Looking forward to any help so email me at Janet@nyhockeyonline.com You know I welcome your assistance.)
