Home Blog Page 156

WNYHSCHL Small School: East Aurora/Holland 3-Peats in OT

By
Janet
-
0

By Janet Schultz, NYHOL

East Aurora/Holland defended their 2019 Championship by defeating City Honors/Cardinal O’Hara 4-3 in the Small School Division.

City Honors/Cardinal O’Hara was up 2-1 after the first period with goals by Tommy Maloney and Declan Johnston. Assists came from Patrick Burke and Charlie Graney. East Aurora/Holland weren’t to be taken lightly at that point as at 2:35 of the first Dominick Zittel scored an unassisted goal and ended the first period 2-1.

City Honors/Cardinal O’Hara put in the fourth goal of the game at 11:23 when Thomas Glick got one past Goalie Rhyan Domanowski and second ends with CH/CO up 3-1.

East Aurora/Holland gained momentum after a brief break between second and third and came out flying with Lex Roldan scoring two goals and sending the game into a 3-3 tie, ending the regulation.

In a 5 on 5 overtime period, Dominick Zittel gets the game-winner at 6:13 and East Aurora/Holland are the 2020 Small School Champions, retaining their title for the third straight year.

MVPs for the game.

City Honors/Cardinal O’Hara, Goalie Quinn Mahoney and for East Aurora/Holland, Dominick Zittel.

Photos by Janet Schultz, NYHOL. All photos can be purchased by emailing [email protected]

WNYHSCHL Large School: Orchard Park Victorious

By
Janet
-
0

By Janet Schultz, NYHOL

Orchard Park takes the Large School 2020 WNYHSCHL Championship after defeating Canisius 3-2.

No scoring in the first period and the second opened with several penalities. Then Orchard Park’s Owen Hughes scored his first of two goals at 7:57 of the second, assisted by Aiden Jones and Ryan Licursi. With 1:12 left Dante Santora fired but Ryan Albert made the save; then Andrew Bray caught the rebound and put the puck past Albert tieing the game at 1-1.

Orchard Park opened the third at 14:52 with a goal by Mike Robertson, assisted by Bret Rokitka and Hughes. The winning goal came at 9:48 with Hughes scoring, assisted by Ryan Licursi and Bryson Miller. Canisius closed in when CJ Lenehan scored at 4:37, assisted by Gianna Vona and Aiden Hourihan.

Orchard Park takes the title for the second time with a 3-2 win over Canisius. They beat Canisius last season in the finals.

MVP’s for the game:

Canisius: Goalie Ronald Cauley and for Orchard Park, Owen Hughes.

WNYHSCHL Mixed School: Jamestown Takes 2020 Title

By
Janet
-
0

by Janet Schultz, NYHOL

Super “Sunday” for the Western New York High School Club Hockey League opened with the Mixed School Championship featuring Royhart/Barker/Medina//Akron (RBMA) against Jamestown. Jamestown won the 2020 Championship 3-1 over RBMA.

Jamestown’s Jack Brinkley opened scoring in the first period off passes from Jackob Guimond and Williams Turner. RBMA answered back on an unassisted goal by Nicholas Wood. The first ends in a 1-1 tie.

With no scoring in the second the third saw two goals by Jamestown for the 3-1 win. The goals came at 7:44 of the third with Evan Christensen scoring, assisted by Michael Gerace and Ryan Schnecengost. The final goal at 3:11 was scored by Michael Gerace, assisted by Josh Brown and Jack Brinkley.

In goal for RBMA was Andrew Warner and for Jamestown, Jack ‘Eddie’ Yost.

MVP’s for the game: Royhard/Barker/Medina/Akron, Goalie Andrew

Warner and for Jamestown, Evan Christensen.

All photos by Janet Schultz, NYHOL. Available for purchase by emailing [email protected]

Elmira’s Adams Wins UCHC Award

By
Randy Schultz
-
0

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Jess Adams ’21 of the Elmira College women’s ice hockey team was bestowed with Player of the Week honors from the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC).

The Holliston, Massachusetts, native played a key role in Elmira clinching the UCHC North Division crown over the weekend. Adams ignited Elmira’s offense in a 3-1 win over Nazareth on Saturday, February 22, as she potted a pair of special-teams goals.

Trailing Nazareth 1-0 early in the first period, Adams leveled the game on Elmira’s first power-play opportunity. It was her 15th goal and fourth power-play tally of the 2019-20 campaign. Then, less than two minutes later, Adams scored the eventual game-winning goal on a shorthanded effort. It was her first shorthanded goal of the season and the second of her career.

Adams is by far having the best statistical season of her three-year career. The junior forward has 24 points this season on 16 goals and eight assists, all of which are career highs. Adams ranks fourth in the UCHC in goal scoring and is tied for first in the league in shorthanded points (2).

Adams and the rest of the No. 5-ranked Soaring Eagles begin their quest for a third consecutive UCHC Tournament title this Saturday, February 29, when they take on Utica. The puck is set to drop at the Murray Athletic Center at 3:00 p.m.

A True Show of Sportsmanship

By
Randy Schultz
-
0

From the Amherst Youth Hockey:

We received an email today about a player by the name of Gabriel C, who is an alternate goalie on the AYH 10U AAA major team. This player and his family showed true sportsmanship. This is just another reason why so many people say that hockey is more than a sport, it’s a huge family.
The AYH board would like to recognize this player for his very selfless act.
Here is the story as sent to Amherst Youth Hockey:

Some days life can throw you the unexpected Knuckle Puck and this past weekend the Monroe County Eagles faced a big one, moments before it’s Playoff Game against the Buffalo Regals in Cheektowaga, NY.

In a brief moment of error, the lone goalie for Monroe County made probably one of the biggest mistakes of his young career. A mistake that is sure to NEVER let happen again… While preparing his equipment bag for the game, the goalie inadvertently failed to pack his chest protector. Without this piece of equipment, his day and the rest of the team’s day was sure to an even larger uphill battle.

After searching High and Low for a store to be open at 7:30AM (with no luck) and the inability to secure a temporary loaner from anybody in the arena, his coach (Scott Miller) resorted to contacting a number of him managerial connections within the Buffalo area.
Within a few moments of reaching out to his coaching contact, a game saving reply came in. It was a return call from the coach of the Amherst Knights. After hearing the news, he quickly reached out to the parents of his team. Within minutes another call came in to save the day.

In the true spirit of Sportsmanship, the father of the back-up goalie for the Amherst team jumped in his car and dove to the rink with a spare chest protector for use during the game. Not only did he help out a fellow team in his division, he also helped secure the health, well-being and safety protection of a fellow youth hockey player.

This move of kindness outshined any Win or Loss that day. It also goes to show you that even when your chances of a league championship are on the line (as their team played the winner of this game), kindness will always prevail and be the Winner on the day.

The Monroe County Squirt Major team would like to Congratulate the Amherst Knights on their recent win over the Buffalo Regals to secure the 10U Squirt Major, Orange Division Championship. We hope that this recent display of kindness gave them just a little extra touch of good luck on the day.

Small School High School Playoff Games On For Friday

By
Randy Schultz
-
0

Mark DiFilippo, CAA and ECIC Executive Director, has announced that Thursday’s Section VI Small School Semi Finals (2/27) that were cancelled due to the weather and wide spread school closings have been rescheduled for Friday 2/28 at the LECOM Harbor Center.  Due to the rescheduling on Friday, the morning press conference was also canceled. Below is the schedule for the remaining Sectional games.

Friday 2/27 @LECOM Harbor Center

2:15 PM  Williamsville South vs Kenmore West

4:30 PM  Starpoint vs Lewiston Porter

Sunday 3/1 @Key Bank Center

12:15 PM  Winner of Williamsville South/Kenmore West vs winner of Starpoint/Lewiston Porter

2:30 PM  Winner of Lancaster/Williamsville North vs winner of Orchard Park/Clarence

4:45 PM St. Joe’s vs St. Mary’s

Hockey Week Across America A Success

By
Randy Schultz
-
0
Hockey Week Across America Celebrated Coast to Coast
More than 10,000 kids skate in Try Hockey For Free presented by SportsEngine
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The 13th annual Hockey Week Across America proved to be a success on every level, highlighted by 10,450 children experiencing Try Hockey For Free Day presented by SportsEngine at 328 rinks nationwide last Saturday (Feb. 22).“Hockey Week Across America showcases every level of our sport and shares hockey with new audiences, and by every measure, it was once again a success,” said Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey. “It was a great week of celebration and we’re appreciative of the engagement from all the various stakeholders involved in the game.”NBC Sports kicked off Hockey Week Across America on Feb. 16 with its Hockey Day in America coverage that included nine-plus hours of hockey coverage on NBC and NBC Sports Network. The following days included Salute to Players, Salute to Coaches, Salute to Officials and Salute to Local Rinks. Each day, the hockey community was invited to share their stories and memories to salute different aspects of hockey through social media and other means.On Friday, Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey Day encouraged fans to wear their favorite hockey jerseys nationwide. Chipotle helped USA Hockey celebrate with its buy one get one free offer for fans wearing hockey jerseys.Try Hockey events were held in 48 states on Saturday, with equipment provided for children to use free of charge including skates, pads, helmets and sticks. Thousands of USA Hockey-certified coaches and volunteers provided instruction and encouragement to children stepping onto the ice for the first time.Michigan led all states with 38 rinks hosting Try Hockey For Free events. Wisconsin with 28 rinks, and Minnesota with 27 rinks rounded out the top-three states. USA Hockey’s Try Hockey For Free days are designed to provide a national platform for introducing children to the sport, free of charge.Sunday’s Celebrate Local Heroes Day highlighted volunteers and role models that have made an impact on hockey at the local level.Throughout the week, USA Hockey collaborated with American-based NHL clubs to host “Meet the NHL Officials” program. A total of 40 young officials attended 20 NHL games and had the opportunity to speak with an NHL official.NOTES: CCM Hockey, Chipotle, and Pure Hockey are official sponsors of Try Hockey For Free days … To date, USA Hockey has introduced more than 213,950 children to the sport through its national Try hockey For Free days … As part of Hockey Week Across America, USA Hockey celebrated anniversaries of the 1960 Olympic men’s gold-medal team, 1980 Olympic men’s gold-medal team, 2018 Olympic women’s gold-medal team, and 10th year of the American Development Model. 

SUNYAC Men’s Ice Hockey All-Conference Team

By
Randy Schultz
-
0

CORTLAND, N.Y. – The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) announces the 2020 Men’s Ice Hockey All-Conference teams as nominated and voted on by the conference coaches.

2020 SUNYAC Ice Hockey All-Conference Teams (Click here for PDF)
First Team
Name School Position Year Hometown
Nikita Kozyrev Buffalo State F Fr. Tallinn, Estonia
Conlan Keenan Geneseo F Sr. Rochester, N.Y.
Andrew Romano Geneseo F Sr. Drexel Hill, Pa.
Ryan Romeo Brockport D Jr. Fairport, N.Y.
Max Novick Oswego D Jr. Thornhill, Ont.
Emil Norrman Buffalo State G Fr. Kungsbacka, Sweden
Aaron Mackay Geneseo G Jr. Okotoks, Alta.
Second Team
Name School Position Year Hometown
Zach Remers Buffalo State F Sr. Clarence, N.Y.
Vadim Vasjonkin Buffalo State F Jr. Tallinn, Estonia
Jacob Haynes Fredonia F Sr. Whitby, Ont.
Charlie Manley Fredonia D Sr. Orchard Park, N.Y.
Cam Russell Geneseo D Sr. Royal Oak, Mich.
Third Team
Name School Position Year Hometown
Tyson Empey Geneseo F Sr. Swift Current, Sask.
Travis Broughman Oswego F So. Mechanicsville, Va.
Anthony Passero Oswego F Sr. Fort Erie, Ont.
Chris Perna Geneseo D So. Pittsford, N.Y.
Matt Araujo Plattsburgh D So. Brookhaven, N.Y.
Matt Schneider Brockport G Sr. Manlius, N.Y.

Four teams faced off Wednesday night in the first round of the SUNYAC men’s ice hockey championship. The fifth and sixth seeded teams, Plattsburgh and Potsdam, upset No. 4 Brockport and No. 3 Buffalo State to advance to the semifinals. The Cardinals topped the Golden Eagles 3-2 in double overtime, while the Bears beat the Bengals 3-1. As post season continues, No. 1 Geneseo will host Potsdam, and No. 2 Oswego will host Plattsburgh, Saturday, February 29, at 7 p.m. View the full bracket here.

The 2020 SUNYAC men’s ice hockey individual awards will be announced next week.

Visit mysunyacstore.com for all SUNYAC championship apparel available now until March 10.

Jr. Sabres Cicero A Nominee

By
Randy Schultz
-
0

CLIF BAR OJHL COMMUNITY HERO NOMINEES ANNOUNCED
Players being honoured for humanitarianism, outreach across 22-team league
Mississauga, ON –The Ontario Junior Hockey League has unveiled its inaugural slate of Clif Bar OJHL Community Hero nominees.
Each team’s nominee will be presented with a certificate of achievement award during this last week of the OJHL regular season or during the first round of the Buckland Cup playoffs.
The nominees are:

AURORA
Trevor Grasby
BRAMPTON
Travis Smith
BRANTFORD
Colton Incze
BUFFALO
Alec Cicero
BURLINGTON
Matt Hobbs
COBOURG
Dershahn Stewart
COLLINGWOOD
Derek Sweeney
GEORGETOWN
Josh Faussett
LINDSAY
Mathieu Hebert 
MARKHAM
Ryan Rosborough
MILTON
Jordan Stock
MISSISSAUGA
Matteo Pecchia
NORTH YORK
Tyler Flack
OAKVILLE
Jack Ricketts 
PICKERING
Nathan Gooch
ST. MICHAEL’S


STOUFFVILLE
Connor May
TORONTO JR. CANADIENS
Matthew O’Brien
TORONTO PATRIOTS
Mario Peccia
TRENTON
Wyatt George
WELLINGTON
Ben Woodhouse
WHITBY
Isaac Sooklal

The award will be presented to a player who “best exemplifies himself as a role model for their community, exhibits outreach and community service, humanitarianism, volunteerism, lifesaving efforts or has positively impacted the community, culture or society.”
“All of our teams are doing so much fine work in their home communities in Ontario and Western New York,” OJHL Commissioner Marty Savoy said, “from helping at minor hockey practices and reading to children in schools and libraries, to volunteering at food banks and blood donor clinics. This award shines a light on that humanitarianism, particularly our players who lead that work.”
Three finalists for the 2019-20 award will be announced just prior to the OJHL Championship Series in April.
The winner will be announced at the OJHL awards night this spring.
Clif Bar has been the Official Energy Bar and Sport Nutrition Food of the OJHL since 2017.

About the Clif Bar & Company
Clif Bar & Company is a leading maker of nutritious and organic foods, including Clif Bar energy bar, Clif Kid Zbar, Builder’s protein bar and the all-new Clif Nut Butter Filled energy bar. Focused on organic sports nutrition and snacks for adventure, the family and employee-owned company is committed to sustaining its people, brands, business, community and planet. For more information on Clif Bar & Company, please visit www.clifbar.ca, check out their Facebook page at  www.facebook.com/clifbar  and follow them on Twitter @clifbar
About the OJHL –“League of Choice”
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the
Canadian Junior Hockey League with 22 member clubs. A proud member of the CJHL and Ontario
Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including U Sports, the NCAA, CHL, minor pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL had more than 125 commitments in 2018-19 – including more than 65 NCAA Division I scholarships.

Burgess & Savory Earn Weekly Awards

By
Randy Schultz
-
0

TROY, N.Y. – ECAC Hockey has announced its weekly award winners from men’s hockey and two Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athletes have been recognized. Todd Burgess was named Player of the Week and Owen Savory earned MAC Goaltending Goalie of the Week honors.

A senior forward from Phoenix, Ariz., Burgess led all of Division I college hockey with five goals last week, pacing the Engineers to a 2-0 record, including a 4-0 shutout of then-No. 16 Quinnipiac University on Friday night. Notching an ECAC Hockey-best two power play tallies, he also led the league with a +5 rating. On Saturday, he recorded his first career four-goal game in a 7-1 victory over Princeton University, while extending his point streak to six games (8 goals, 3 assists).

Burgess has played in 30 games for the Engineers this season, netting a team-high 13 goals, with six assists for 19 points, which is good for second on the club. Carrying a +1 rating with 73 shots on goal and nine minor penalties for 18 minutes, the former Fairbanks Ice Dogs standout leads the nation in goals (9) since January 31. The team-leader with five power play goals, he also has one game-winning tally to his credit.

In 18 ECAC Hockey contests, Burgess has a team-best eight goals and five assists for 13 points. He has two man advantage tallies and one game-winning goal in conference play, with a +6 rating and six penalties for 12 minutes. Currently on a five-game league point streak, the Ottawa Senators Third Round draft choice has seven goals and three assists for 10 points during the stretch.

Through 100 career games at RPI, Burgess has 21 goals and 26 assists for 47 points.

A sophomore netminder out of Cambridge, Ont., Savory stopped 58 of the 59 shots he faced last week, going 2-0 with a 0.50 goals against average and a .983 save percentage. He opened the week by posting a 37-save shutout of the Bobcats on Friday, including 17 in the third period alone. He then turned away 21 of 22 shots in a 7-1 victory over the Tigers on Saturday.

Savory has started 22 of RPI’s 32 games this season, posting an 11-9-2 record, with a 2.20 goals against average and a .926 save percentage. He has four shutouts to his credit – all since January 4. In 1281:48 minutes, he has stopped 589 of the 636 shots he has faced. Nationally, he is fifth in shutouts, 13th in save percentage and 17th in goals against average.

Starting 16 ECAC Hockey games for the Engineers, including five in a row, Savory is 9-6-1 in conference play, sporting a 1.90 goals against average and a .934 save percentage, with three shutouts. In 917:48 minutes, he has 413 saves on 442 shots. He leads the league in shutouts, while ranking second in save percentage, fourth in goals against average and wins, and eighth in total saves.

Since January 1, Savory has been one of the best netminders on the country, going 8-2-1 with a 1.27 goals against average and a .959 save percentage which are both tops in the nation. His four shutouts over that span are second only to Dryden McKay of Minnesota State. Over his last eight conference outings, Savory is 7-1-0 with a 0.88 goals against average and a .971 save percentage.

Savory has played in 47 career games for the Engineers, including 47 starts. He has a 16-24-5 record with a 2.34 goals against average and a .926 save percentage.

On Friday, Savory became the first RPI netminder to record four shutouts in a season since Nathan Marsters ’04 had five during the 2003-04 season. His five shutouts before the end of his sophomore season are tied with Marsters for the most in program history.

The Engineers are back in action this weekend, when they travel to Harvard University and Dartmouth College, this Friday (7pm) and Saturday (7pm), to close out the regular season. RPI can clinch a top four finish and a bye through the opening round of the ECAC Hockey Playoffs with two victories.

Jr. Sabres Team Fan Favorite Named

By
Randy Schultz
-
0

22 SCOTIABANK OJHL TEAM FAN FAVOURITES NAMED

210,000 votes cast in 9thannual competition powered by snapd

Mississauga, ON – The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) announced that 210,00 votes were cast for the ninth annual Scotiabank Fan Favourite Award – powered by snapd.
On top of honouring a league-wide winner for the 2019-20 season, Scotiabank Fan Favourites on each of the 22 teams across the OJHL – as selected by the fans – are being honoured again this season.
“The response to the Scotiabank OJHL Fan Favourite Award was phenomenal again this season,” said Marty Savoy, Commissioner of the OJHL.“The 210,000 votes cast this season shows the support that our great players have from the amazing 22 communities they play in.”

OJHL Scotiabank team Fan Favourites are:

AURORA
Matt King
BRAMPTON
Sam Marit
BRANTFORD
Kyle Bollers
BUFFALO
Matteo Costantini
BURLINGTON
Max Wright
COBOURG
George Krotiris
COLLINGWOOD
Tyler Ignazzitto
GEORGETOWN
Nolan Dann
LINDSAY
Jacob Dupuis
MARKHAM
Jason Stachelbeck
MILTON
Carter Tahk
MISSISSAUGA
Luca Teles
NORTH YORK
Eli Shiller
OAKVILLE
Cam Hatziioannou
PICKERING
Nathan Gooch
ST. MICHAEL’S
Ayrton Martino
STOUFFVILLE
Connor May
TORONTO JR. CANADIENS
Mathew Rehding
TORONTO PATRIOTS
Ethan Eliopulos
TRENTON
Griffen Fox
WELLINGTON
Dawson Ellis
WHITBY
Oliver Tarr

The league-wide winner of the ninth annual Scotiabank Fan Favourite Award will be announced during the OJHL Playoffs and honoured during an OJHL Awards Ceremony this spring.  
Voting began this season on Dec. 20, 2019, and ended Feb. 16, 2020. All fans were allowed to vote electronically at www.ojhl.ca– through a link powered by snapd.
Through nine years of Scotiabank Fan Favourite Award balloting, more than 740,000 votes have been registered.
The Scotiabank Fan Favourite Award was presented for the first time following the 2011-12 with OJHL fans voting online annually to choose their favourite OJHL star.  
Previous OJHL Scotiabank Fan Favourite Award recipients (runner-up in brackets):
2011-12        Andrew Doyle, Stouffville Spirit (Christian Finch, Stouffville Spirit) 
2012-13        Travis Dermott, Newmarket Hurricanes (Adrian Ignagni, St. Michael’s Buzzers) 
2013-14        Stuart Fierheller, Lindsay Muskies (Michael Casale, Kingston Voyageurs) 
2014-15        Cole Bolton, Kingston Voyageurs (Blayne Oliver, Trenton Golden Hawks) 
2015-16        Blayne Oliver, Trenton Golden Hawks (Andrew Lee, Burlington Cougars)2016-17        Chris Janzen, Trenton Golden Hawks (Mitchell Mendonca, Wellington Dukes)2017-18        Jaxon Camp, Burlington Cougars (Justin Paul, Georgetown Raiders)2018-19        Marcelo Pericao, Toronto Patriots (Matthew Bumstead, Cobourg Cougars)
About the OJHL –“League of Choice”
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the Canadian Junior Hockey League with 22 member clubs. A proud member of the CJHL and Ontario Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including U Sports, the NCAA, CHL, minor pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL had more than 135 commitments in 2018-19, including 65 NCAA Division I scholarships.

Niagara’s Veltri Rookie Of The Week

By
Randy Schultz
-
0

WINTHROP, Mass. – Niagara freshman goalie Chad Veltri was named the Atlantic Hockey Association’s Rookie of the Week following an impressive weekend in the crease. This marks Veltri’s second weekly rookie honor of the month.

The Pittsburgh native stopped 58 of 62 shots faced during a 1-1 weekend against RIT. He allowed just one goal in a 4-1 home win on Friday, February 21, giving the Purple Eagles three much-needed points in a crowded AHA playoff picture. The following night in Rochester, Veltri backstopped the Purple Eagles into overtime before the team ultimately fell, 3-2.

February has been Veltri’s best month of the season, and his performance between the pipes has helped Niagara climb into position to host a home playoff series. In six games played since the beginning of the month, Veltri has a .942 save percentage, a 1.81 goals-against average, one shutout, and four wins in 331:13 of ice time. Veltri’s save percentage over that span is tied for eighth-best in the nation.

The Purple Eagles will close out the regular season this weekend when they host a two-game set against Robert Morris on February 28-29. Puck drop for both games is set for 7 p.m. There are major playoff implications for Niagara in the series, as they continue to chase the Colonials for the fifth and final first round bye in the AHA playoffs, which begin on March 6. Tickets for both games are still available and can be purchased on Ticketmaster or by contacting the ticket office at 716-286-TIXX And as always, Coach Lammers encourages all fans to attend his public press conference following the conclusion of the game.

Brubacher Named Defensive Player Of The Week

By
Randy Schultz
-
0

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – RIT senior Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) was named the Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week. Brubacher was recognized after leading the Tigers to a 3-2 OT comeback win versus Niagara on Saturday that clinched the first Atlantic Hockey Tournament top-four seed since 2016.

Brubacher scored the game-tying goal with 47 seconds left in regulation and tallied the game-winning goal 1:06 into overtime off a feed from junior forward Jake Hamacher (Corona, CA/Dubuque Fighting Saints). He also notched an assist on RIT’s other goal in the first period.
Brubacher tied former teammate Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers) ’19 for 11th place on RIT’s Division I era career scoring list with 104 points to date while his assist broke a tie with Simon Lambert ’08 for fifth with 78 career assists. He also entered the week tied for 19th nationally (seventh among defensemen) with 22 assists this season.
Brubacher hasn’t missed a game over the last four seasons and entered the week with 146 appearances – four shy of moving into a tie for third-place in program history.
The top-five seeds for the Atlantic Hockey Tournament receive a first-round bye while the top four also host a best-of-three quarterfinal series (March 13-15). RIT can move up to the third seed with a pair of victories over visiting Air Force this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 28-29) in the final two games of the regular season. Both games are set for a 7:05 p.m. face-off at the Polisseni Center.

Laviolette Named Head Coach

By
Randy Schultz
-
0
Laviolette Named Head Coach of 2020 U.S. Men’s National Team
Will guide team in upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championship May 8-24
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Peter Laviolette (Franklin, Mass.), one of the most accomplished coaches in American hockey history and a two-time Olympian as a player, has been named head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team that will participate in the 2020 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship by USA Hockey. The event will take place in Zurich and Lausanne, Switzerland, from May 8-24.

“It’s great to have Peter as our head coach,” said Chris Drury, general manager of the 2020 U.S. Men’s National Team Team. “He brings significant international experience, both as a player and a coach, and his passion and desire to win align with our goal of bringing home the gold medal.”Laviolette has previously represented the United States in international competition on numerous occasions in several different capacities.

He most recently served as head coach the 2014 U.S. Men’s National Team that won five of its eight games in the 2014 IIHF Men’s World Championship in Minsk, Belarus. Laviolette was also an assistant coach for the 2014 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team in Sochi, Russia, and was the head coach of the 2006 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team in Torino, Italy.

Prior to that, Laviolette was head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team at the IIHF Men’s World Championship in back-to-back years (2004, 2005), leading the United States to the bronze medal in 2004.He also served as an assistant coach for the United States during the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, where he helped lead Team USA to the semifinals.

“Peter is a terrific coach and someone who has had success wherever he’s been,” said JohnVanbiesbrouck, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. “We’re thrilled to have him back as head coach of our men’s national team.”Laviolette has a long resume as a head coach in the NHL, having served in that capacity for four different teams and amassed one Stanley Cup title, 11 playoff appearances and 637 wins in 1,210 regular-season games over 18 seasons. He owns a regular-season winning percentage of .588 (637-425-23-123/w-l-t-otl) and is 75-68 in the NHL playoffs with 14 playoff series wins.

Most recently, Laviolette spent parts of six seasons (2014-20) as head coach of the Nashville Predators where he led the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017, five playoff appearances overall, one President’s Trophy (2018) and two Central Division titles (2018, 2019).

Laviolette directed the Philadelphia Flyers for parts of five seasons (2009-14), reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2010 and winning the Atlantic Division in 2011. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes from 2003-09, highlighted by winning both the Stanley Cup and Southeast Division title in 2006. Laviolette also spent two seasons (2001-03) as the bench boss of the New York Islanders, guided the team to playoff berths in both campaigns.

In his first season, he led the Islanders to the fourth biggest one-year turnaround in the history of the league.Before becoming an NHL head coach, Laviolette spent three seasons in the Boston Bruins organization, serving as assistant coach with the NHL club in 2000-01, and as head coach of the Bruins’ American Hockey League affiliate, Providence, for two seasons (1998-99, 1999-2000).

In his first year at Providence, Laviolette received the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as AHL Coach of the Year after guiding the Bruins to the biggest turnaround in league history. That season Providence won a league best 56 games in the regular season (after winning just 19 the year before) and also went on to capture its first Calder Cup title.

As a player, Laviolette skated for the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team in both the 1988 and 1994 Olympic Winter Games, serving as captain during the 1994 tournament. He also spent 11 years in professional hockey, including a 12-game stint with the New York Rangers in 1988-89.As a collegian, Laviolette played four seasons (1982-86) at Westfield State College in Massachusetts, where he appeared in 93 games and contributed 43 goals and 44 assists.

NOTES: The staff and players of the U.S. Men’s National Team are selected by the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Committee, led by John Vanbiesbrouck, assistant executive director of USA Hockey, and including U.S. Men’s National Team GM Chris Drury and NHL general managers David Poile, DonWaddell, Dale Tallon, Stan Bowman, Jeff Gorton and Bill Guerin … For complete coverage of the U.S. Men’s National Team, click here … The official online home of the 2020 IIHF Men’s World Championship is 2020.IIHFWorlds.com … The U.S. is 19-7 over the last three world championships. Team USA won five of eight games a year ago and finished seventh in the tournament. The U.S. has earned three bronze medals in the last seven years, including 2018, 2015 and 2013.
(NHL.com photo)
1...155156157...961Page 156 of 961

EVEN MORE NEWS

POPULAR CATEGORY

©