Monday, November 30, 2009

DATES FOR DIII CHAMPIONSHIP IN PLACID




Since July it has been known that this season's DIII championship will again be held in Lake Placid...and since then the ORDA and NCAA websites have left us hanging with this scheduling notice:

The NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Committee recently announced that Lake Placid will host the 2010 NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship March 19-20 or March 20-21, depending on the television broadcast schedule.

Well, I was curious whether the dates had been selected and I e-mailed the Olympic Regional Development Authority. Today I received an e-mail saying the final four will take place Friday, March 19th and Saturday, March 20th.




O'MALLEY IS BROCKPORT ATHLETE OF THE WEEK




Sean O’Malley (Lakewood, OH) led The College at Brockport Ice Hockey team to a pair of wins and the 2009 Championship of the Skidmore Invitational to earn male athlete of the week honors.

The senior forward scored the second goal in the 5-0 win over the University of New England and opened the scoring on a power play in the 6-3 win over Nichols College. On the weekend, O’Malley sparked a power play unit that accounted for five goals to earn the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.


SAVES FOR A CURE IS FINALLY HERE!




If you know Brockport hockey, you know about Todd Sheridan’s dream to make Saves For a Cure into a charity that will have a positive impact on Rochester area children who have been diagnosed with cancer. The organization will collect from donors $1 for every save that Brockport goaltenders make over the course of a season. All the proceeds will then go towards making the lives of the cancer patients and their families a little more comfortable at Golisano Children’s Hospital.

It’s something he’s been fighting for since the idea came to him years ago. Since originally filing a certificate of incorporation in March of 2008 he faced a variety of bureaucratic obstacles in state government that prevented him from going ahead with Saves For a Cure. You can read about these frustrating roadblocks in an April 2009 column I wrote for the local papers at:

http://www.lockportjournal.com/bobconfer/local_story_110122222.html

Things became so bad that even Governor Paterson’s office was stymied by the special interests in state government.

But, finally, there’s good news to report. VERY good news. Todd was notified today that Saves For a Cure was officially granted its corporate status in New York State and the non-profit can now go about its business of making the world a better place!

This is a huge moment in Todd's life and an even bigger moment for what will be hundreds, maybe thousands, of children in the area who struggle with cancer. Todd's efforts will give them a ray of hope among some of the darkest days of their very young lives.

For more information about Saves For a Cure and how you can help out, visit http://www.savesforacure.com/


BROCKPORT WINS SKIDMORE INVITATIONAL



The Brockport Athletics Department offers this report of last evening's huge victory...


Senior Sean O’Malley (Lakewood, OH) scored the first goal of the game and sparked a power play unit that accounted for five goals as The College at Brockport Hockey team cruised to a 6-3 victory Sunday night over Nichols College in the championship game of the Skidmore College Invitational Tournament in Saratoga Springs, NY.

O’Malley, who also scored a goal in the first game of the tournament, was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Freshman Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) who scored a goal and added an assist against the University of New England Saturday and then notched two goals and an assist in the championship, was named to the All-Tournament team as was senior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) who made 27 saves in the shutout win over New England Saturday.

Against Nichols, the Brockport (4-5) power play unit took advantage of a five-minute major penalty called against Nichols late in the first period and scored three times before the end of the man advantage. O’Malley opened the scoring as he scored on a wrap-around shot with 5:03 to play in the first period and just 23 seconds into the five-minute power play.

Less than a minute later, James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) scored with a slapshot from the top of the face-off circle to make it a 2-0 Brockport lead. With just over a minute remaining in the penalty, Jason Gorrie (Etobicoke, ONT) added a third power play goal giving the Golden Eagles a commanding 3-0 lead.

Two minutes into the second period, Galiani took a lead pass from Cody and raced in on a breakaway beating the Nichols goalie over the shoulder with a backhand shot for the eventual game-winning goal.

Galiani added another Brockport goal 2:13 later on another power play opportunity as Brockport took a 5-0 lead.Nichols (4-2-1) finally got on the scoreboard midway through the second period but Brockport’s Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) made it a 6-1 Brockport lead with his first goal of the season.

Nichols scored twice in the third period but could not get any closer and Brockport won the 6-3 decision.

Finnerty finished with a goal and two assists while Cody added his goal and three assists. Gorrie chipped in a goal and an assist for the Golden Eagles. Sophomore goalie Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) made 21 saves.



Sunday, November 29, 2009

UNE'S RECAP OF LAST NIGHT'S GAME



SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Five different players scored as The College at Brockport shutout the University of New England, 5-0, in the opening round of the Skidmore Men's Hockey Invitational Saturday evening at Saratoga City Rink.

The Golden Eagles (3-5) move on to play Nichols College in Sunday's 4 p.m. title game, after the Bison notched a 3-2 overtime win against host Skidmore College. The Nor'easters (0-4) will face the Thoroughbreds in the consolation match at 1 p.m.

Sophomore forward James Cody (Schwenksville, Pa.) got Brockport going at 5:35 of the opening period, and senior forward Sean O'Malley (Lakewood, Ohio) gave the Golden Eagles a 2-0 lead at first intermission with a goal at the 9:16 mark.

Junior forward Justin Noble (Georgetown, Ontario) tallied the only goal of the second period to increase the cushion to three (3-0), finding the back of the net just 1:34 into the frame.

Forwards Dan and Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) added third period scores 21 seconds apart with a little over six minutes to play to provide the final margin.

Cody as well as both Galiani brothers registered three points on the night, while sophomore Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, Pa.) and first-year Adam Korol (Hurley, N.Y.) each tallied a pair of assists.

Senior netminder Todd Sheridan (Edison, N.J.) turned aside 27 shots for the Golden Eagles to earn his first shutout of the season.

Junior Mike Roper (New Glasgow, Nova Scotia) stopped 31 shots for UNE, which did not allow a power play goal for the second straight game.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

BROCKPORT BEATS UNE 5-0


The Brockport Athletics Department offers this report on tonight's game...


Shutout Victory makes Brian Dickinson All-Time Wins Leader
Golden Eagles defeat University of New England 5-0
November 28, 2009

Head Coach Brian Dickinson won his 94th career victory as The College at Brockport Hockey team scored a 5-0 victory over the University of New England Friday in the first round of the Skidmore College Invitational Tournament in Saratoga Springs. The Golden Eagles will face Nichols College at 4 pm Sunday in the tournament championship game.

The 94 wins makes Dickinson the all-time winningest coach in Brockport history as he passed Bob Pederson’s 93 career victories.

Five different players scored for Brockport (3-5) in the victory with James Cody (Schwenksville, PA), and Sean O’Malley (Lakewood, OH) each scoring in the first period followed by junior captain Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) in the second period and brothers Dan and Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) scoring within 21 seconds of each other in the third period for the 5-0 win.

Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) and Adam Korol (Hurley, NY) contributed two assists each while each Galiani brother and Cody added a single assist for the Golden Eagles.

Senior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) made 27 saves to record his 21st career victory and third career shutout for Brockport.



Friday, November 27, 2009

BROCKPORT HEADS TO SKIDMORE THIS WEEKEND



While most students are away from Everything College during the long holiday weekend, the Golden Eagles ice hockey team will be representing Brockport this Saturday and Sunday at the Skidmore Invitational at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs.

The tourney begins at 2:00 Saturday with Skidmore taking on Nichols. Skidmore should win handily.

Brockport then takes on the University of New England Nor'easters at 5:00 PM Saturday. UNE's season has just started and they are 0-3-0 having lost to Salve Regina, Norwich, and St. Michael's. Not only is UNE's season young but so is its program. In the two previous seasons it was a club program, and it just became a varisty sport this season. The original program had disbanded back in the early 1980's following a rather successful run in the 1970's when the school was known as St. Francis. Despite UNE having won 14 games last season, there is a huge difference between club and varisty and Brockport will prove that with an easy win over the Nor'easters.

That would then put them in the 4:00 Sunday championship game against Skidmore. The Thoroughbreds have been a competitive team, going 13-10-3 last year and are 2-1-0 on this young season. Last year, they looked a lot like Brockport...a middle-of-the-road team in regards to scoring (their leading goal scorers had 10 goals each), but one that put it all together to win games with strong goaltending and a swarming defensive approach. These teams look equally matched and it should make for Brockport's most-exciting non-conference game of the season.

If any students are from the Capital Region, make it a point to stop by the tournament this weekend and cheer on the green and gold...well, our green and gold, NOT Skidmore's ;)



Saturday, November 21, 2009

GENESEO BEATS BROCKPORT 2-1




Senior Sean O’Malley (Lakewood, ONT/Syracuse Stars) scored a third-period goal but The College at Brockport Ice Hockey team dropped a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) contest to SUNY Geneseo by a 2-1 score at Geneseo on Friday night.

Geneseo opened the scoring at 15:08 in the first period on a power play and extended its lead with a goal in the second period at 7:41.

In the third period, the Golden Eagles pulled goalie Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ/Sarnia Blast) on a power player and O’Malley scored at 18:21 with James Cody (Schwenksville, PA/Philly Little Flyers) and Mike Hayward (Toronto, ONT/Vaughan Vipers) picking up the assists. Brockport had a number advantage on the ice with a Geneseo major penalty being served and Sheridan off the ice, but was unable to convert a second goal.

Brockport held a slight 30-28 advantage in shots.

The Golden Eagles return to the ice next weekend when they travel to the Skidmore Invitational where they will face the University of New England at 5pm on Nov. 28.



Friday, November 20, 2009

BROCKPORT TRAVELS TO GENESO TONIGHT



I'm sorry I was unable to provide my weekly preview. I've just been a little busy.

Regardless, I can provide you some info...


Brockport travels to Geneseo tonight for a 7:00 a match-up with Geneseo that can be heard on WBSU at 89.1 FM and www.891thepoint.com. You can also watch the video at www.fasthockey.com

USCHO's Russell Jaslow called this the game of the week in his weekly SUNYAC column for USCHO. He said...


The one we’re going to choose is Brockport at Geneseo. These teams are currently tied with identical 2-3-0 records. As is par for this season, every point is going to be so important with such a tight race. Last year, Brockport won both games against the Ice Knights, 7-2 and 5-2.

“We expect it to be a highly emotional game,” Brockport coach Brian Dickinson said. “I don’t think the teams like each other. We’re tied, so there are crucial points. We had the better of them last year, so I’m sure they will be talking about that in their locker room. It will be a hard fought, entertaining game."






Tuesday, November 17, 2009

BROCKPORT TEACHES HOCKEY SKILLS TO YOUTH





The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle ran this great story in today's paper...



Youth hockey players learn from veterans
John Boccacino


BROCKPORT — Veterans Day is a time to reflect and to pay tribute to the sacrifices soldiers have made in the name of preserving freedom and the American way.

But for 16 of the younger members of the Tri-County Youth Hockey Golden Eagles, Veterans Day, like all school holidays, presented an opportunity to lace up their skates, grab a stick and learn about the game's fundamentals from college players who know what it's like to be young and searching for advice.

Flying around the Tuttle North Ice Arena's rink, these players learned about crossovers, stick-handling and accurate shooting from State University College at Brockport men's hockey coach Brian Dickinson and 12 of his players.

Playing on Tri-County's home ice, the youngsters, ranging from initiation level (ages 5-6), mites (ages 8 and younger) and squirts (younger than 10) took advantage of the opportunity, peppering the players with questions, picking up valuable pointers and, of course, having some fun.

The 90-minute clinic was the perfect way for Jack Skakuj, a member of Tri-County's Squirt 'A' team, to spend his school holiday. Normally a winger for Tri-County, Jack enjoyed working with the Golden Eagles and loved the thrill of stealing the puck away from the college players.

"They taught me some good dekes to score on goal, how to stick-handle better and pass better," said Jack, 8, of Hamlin, a third-grader at the Barclay Elementary School in Brockport.

"It felt great if any of us were able to steal the puck from the college guys. I thought they'd all be really fast and good with the puck, and they were, but I was able to poke it free a couple of times."

One of the most popular drills was a stick-handling exercise in which each player had to carefully maneuver their way through a series of cones while maintaining control of the puck.

The Tri-County players also learned about consistently making more accurate passes and putting just the right amount of zip on their passes. Properly receiving a pass was also stressed, as the Brockport players instructed the children to bring their sticks back and then gently forward to corral the puck.

Going head-to-head with the Golden Eagles was such a thrill for Hamlin's Matt Heyden, who is a fan of watching the Brockport team's games whenever possible.

"It was unreal and really cool playing with the Brockport guys, and I'll always remember the passing drills and tips," said Matt, 9, a third-grader at Barclay who plays left wing and defense for the Squirt 'A's'.

"They taught us a lot of the moves that they will use in their games. I'd love to play college hockey one day and this will make me a better, faster, stronger hockey player."

The partnership began last January, when a Tri-County parent called Dickinson and inquired about some holiday hockey lessons. Dickinson, in his 14th season coaching the Golden Eagles, agreed to help out and devised a lesson plan that emphasized 1-on-1 skill development and, most importantly, proper skating technique.

"These kids idolize our players and can't wait to come out, talk with them and work on their skills," Dickinson said. "But the college kids are having just as much fun and they're giving these youths something to shoot for, which is just as important as developing their hockey skills."

For much of the clinic, Carson Gapes was between the pipes, staving off the group's best shots. He used the practice to work with Todd Sheridan, Brockport's starting net minder, on making better reads on shots, improving his shuffles and perfecting the butterfly position.

"My favorite part was when all the kids and college players came in and shot on me. I was able to make some big saves, and that was really exciting," said Carson, 9, of Medina and a fourth-grader at Medina's Oak Orchard Elementary School.

"We were (in awe) of the college kids, definitely, because they've accomplished so much in the sport and we all have so much to learn from them."

As he headed into the locker room, Jack, already looking ahead to the three-day winter break "holiday fun camp" running Dec. 28-30, perfectly summed up how he spent his Veterans Day.

"This was a lot of fun, better than being in school!" Jack said with a big smile.



Go to the D&C's website for more information about the series and to see a 10-photo album from the event. Here's the link:

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20091117/SPORTS/911170317/1007/SPORTS/Youth-hockey-players-learn-from-veterans




STYLUS REPORT ON LAST WEEKEND'S GAMES




From the pages of this week's Brockport Stylus...

Silveira's hat trick leads Brockport
Andrew Lipari

Ryan Silveira's hat trick helped lift The College at Brockport past the Buffalo State Bengals Friday, Nov. 13 - something the Golden Eagles could have used the following day in the teams loss to Fredonia.

Buffalo State goalie Alan Fritch was coming into the game against Brockport giving more than four goals a game. It was no secret the gameplan for Brockport was to get the puck to the net. "We knew he was a big goalie and we tried to get as many shots on him as we could," Silveira said. "We tried to shoot low on him. My goals weren't spectacular, they were just random, low shots that went in."

With two minutes left, Buffalo State pulled Fritch but Silveira had two goals already and was looking for the third. A backhand shot from just inside the red line gave Silveira his third goal.

"It's always special to get a hat trick, and it's something you watch to see if they're going to pull the goalie," head coach Brian Dickinson said. "It was fortunate for him his line was up when they pulled the goalie. The players all know so they get it to the red line and put it in. Hat tricks don't come easy and that's a great memory for him. He's a talented player. To throw it up from the red line and have it go dead center takes some skill."

Buffalo State only had four defensemen dressed and Brockport wore them down as the game went on. Brockport scored three times in the last 30 minutes, while Buffalo State had five penalties in the same span. Dickinson didn't know why the Bengals were so thin, but it helped Brockport get the win. All four of Brockport's games have started with their opponent scoring first, and Buffalo State continued that trend, making the first five.

At 1:16, Jim Durham scored on a tipped puck Todd Sheridan lost, giving Buffalo State the early 1-0 lead.Brockport answered with three in a row. Tom Galiani snapped a shot just under the crossbar at 15:35 and Silveira batted in his first goal two minutes later. Brockport set up their power play well, which is a change considering their struggles, and Gregg Amato slapped a shot from the point to give Brockport a 3-1 lead after two periods. Buffalo State scored in the third when Nick Petriello was left in front of the net, making it 3-2. Silveira scored twice in the last eight minutes to get the win.

Sheridan had 36 saves for Brockport, while Fritch had 22 for Buffalo State.

Coming into the game against Brockport, Fredonia had been scoring nearly five goals a game. A 5-3 win Saturday was right on par with its season average. Fredonia's big guns, James Muscatello, Alex Morton and Jeff Aonso all came into the game with 11 points already in this young season. Muscatello and Morton have six goals a piece with five assists, while Aonso's 11 points are all assists. Fredonia crashed the net hard on every shot, and when they had space, they knew what to do with it. There were a few occasions a Blue Devil player went flying down the wing with the intent on putting the puck in the net, not looking for an extra pass.

"They got some big bodies that can skate," Dickinson said. "They are hard to control and our defense didn't do a good job, so they got second, third and fourth chances. We tweaked our fore check a little and didn't commit our third guy as quickly with their offense. We tried to get our guys to crash in hard, we were successful for half the game and half the game the second guy coasted like an alligator through the weeds, watching. That's not our style."

For the first time this season, Brockport got on the board first. Tyler Davis put in a backhand to give Brockport the lead 1-0.With a two-man-advantage, Chris de Bruyn put the puck in for Fredonia as Sheridan was crawling around on the ice trying to find the shooter. Adam Shoff scored on a hard angle down low to give Brockport a 2-1 lead after the first period.

James Muscatello started the scoring in the second period when he came down the right wing and blasted a laser passed Sheridan to tie the game at 2. Fredonia's Mat Hehr put in a rebound for his seventh goal of the year, and smashed against the glass in front of the Brockport student section, setting off a wave of groans.

On the power play in the third period, Justin Noble jammed the puck in to tie the game and returned the glass-smashing favor to the student section. Fredonia answered by scoring twice in the last seven minutes. After a Blue Devil goal was disallowed, Ian Cosgrove put in the go-ahead goal a minute later.

Bryan Ross iced it for Fredonia when he took a turnover and snapped the shot in the corner for give Fredonia the 5-3 win.

"We tried to do too much and we should have made the easy plays and get it to the blue line," Silveira said. "Costly turnovers were the difference in the game."

In the net, Sheridan stopped 35 shots and Pat Street had 26 saves for Fredonia.

The loss drops Brockport to 2-4 (2-3 in SUNAYC) which has them looking up at powerhouses Oswego and Plattsburgh in a tie at fourth place in the SUNAYC conference.


Source:

http://media.www.thestylus.net/media/storage/paper1380/news/2009/11/18/Sports/Silveiras.Hat.Trick.Leads.Brockport-3834384.shtml


Monday, November 16, 2009

RAFFLE WINNERS

The winners of the team's raffle were announced on Saturday night. They are...

1st prize "Winter Classic Crosby": Michael Licata of Rochester, NY

2nd prize "Bobby Orr with Cup": Will Karker of Rochester, NY

3rd prize "Maris & Mantle": Ed Galiani (Tom/Dan's dad) of Lindenhurst, NY

Sunday, November 15, 2009

DUNKIRK OBSERVER'S RECAP



The Dunkirk Observer ran this recap of the game in today's newspaper...

The Fredonia State hockey made it a SUNYAC sweep this weekend, claiming a 5-3 win at Brockport. They won at Geneseo the previous evening.

"We continued to get stronger as the game went on. Two of our goals came within the last six minutes," Fredonia State coach Jeff Merredith said.

Brockport scored first and held a 2-1 lead after the first period. A Chris de Bruyn power-play goal was sandwiched between a pair of Golden Eagle scores. Jordan Oye and Steve Rizer assisted.

"It was a top to bottom team effort. It was a physical dog fight all night long," Merredith said.

The Devils scored twice in the second period to take a 3-2 lead. James Muscatello scored unassisted at 9:08. It was his seventh goal of the season. Mat Hehr scored his sixth with 1:22 left in the second. Rizer and Oye both recorded their second assists of the evening.

"We just were battling to get to the front of the net and we are getting greasy goals," Merredith said.

Brockport tied the game 3-all 8:20 into the third period. The Devils closed the deal with a pair of scores as Ian Cosgrave and Bryan Ross found the back of the net to give the Devils a 5-3 victory. de Bruyn recorded an assist on both goals, giving him a four-point game.

"We scored to go ahead and the officials decided the net had came off. Our guys could have felt sorry for themselves, but they went out and two shifts later they buried one. It showed a lot of character," Merredith said.

Pat Street improved to 4-1 in goal for the Devils, making 26 saves. Brockport's Todd Sheridan gave up all five scores, while stopping 35 shots.

Both teams converted on one of six power plays.

The Devils improve to 5-3-0 overall, and 3-3-0 in SUNYAC play. Brockport falls to 2-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference.


Source: http://www.observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/532226.html?nav=5010

BROCKPORT FALLS TO FREDONIA 5-3



The Athletic Department reports on last night's loss....

Junior Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) scored a power play goal for The College at Brockport Hockey team eight minutes into the third period but SUNY Fredonia scored twice in the final seven minutes for a 5-3 victory Saturday in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game in the Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.

Brockport (2-4 Overall, 2-3) took an early lead as Noble and Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) worked the puck around to defenseman Tyler Davis (Queensbury, NY) who scored his first career goal for a 1-0 Golden Eagles lead 3:35 into the contest.

Six minutes later, Fredonia (5-3, 3-2) tied the score, with the help of a two-man advantage.

With 2:40 left to play in the first period, Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT) gave the lead back to the Golden Eagles with his first goal of the season with an unassisted tally.

Fredonia scored midway through the second period to knot the score at 2-2 and then took a 3-2 lead with 1:23 left in the period.

Noble tied the score with 8:20 elapsed in the final period with a power play goal assisted by Sean O’Malley (Lakeland, OH). Fredonia regained the lead at the 6:10 mark of the period and added a fifth goal with 2:12 remaining.

Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) stopped 35 shots for Brockport as Fredonia outshot Brockport by a 40-29 margin.


Saturday, November 14, 2009

SILVEIRA HAS HAT TRICK IN 5-2 WIN



After working out some kinks after a rough opening stretch that saw them face the powerful Plattsburgh Cardinals and Hobart Statesman in their first four games, the Golden Eagles returned to form on Friday night and turned away a high-scoring SUNYAC important – the Buffalo State Bengals – at Tuttle North Ice Arena, crushing them 5-2.

They looked like the playoff-bound Golden Eagles of last year. The victory was a total team performance that, at the same time, featured two incredible singular performances, one by goaltender Todd Sheridan and the other by forward Ryan Silveira.

Todd was remarkable in goal, turning away 36 shots, many of them with high quality saves. With the Bengals rarely testing the top of the net (and only doing so from a distance), Todd found himself in Hasek-mode throughout the game, hitting the deck to turn away low shots that usually came two at a time. Most every save was of the exciting sort and if you were there you found yourself holding your breath amidst the chaos and brilliance. This game showcased why he is considered one of the very best in DIII.

But, the star of the game was Ryan. He has been known to have some big games in the past and none were bigger than this. It’s been years since a Brockport player last had a hat trick on home ice (quite frankly, I can’t remember the last time). His super game took skill and wherewithal. Ocassionally, perhaps in a hurry to put the game out of reach with the quick shot, the Golden Eagles seemed to abandon the style of play that got them goals last year (coming to the net) and, instead, ended up taking slap shots or wristers from nearly as far away as the blue line. Ryan maintained his composure and brought it to the net on his first two goals and he burned goaltender Alan Fritch on them. It wasn’t easy, numerous times Ryan had to plow through guys and out-muscle them. Even his empty-netter was smartly-played, taking the shot at the last possible second with a defender draped on him. It was a top-notch performance.

And, so was the team’s performance. Despite allowing 38 shots, Brockport seemed to do the little things of big importance throughout the game, whether forwards were blocking shots with their bodies (which happened 3 times), or Brockport forwards were swarming Buffalo State forwards, or defensemen (like Gregg Amato and Tyler Davis) were keeping Buff State forwards from the net, or defensemen were contributing offensively (Amato assisted on a goal and had a power play goal). It wasn’t as physical as the Buffalo games last year, but Brockport found different ways to control the tempo.


It was a great game that reassures you that Brockport is going places in the SUNYAC.


Here’s the athletic department’s report….

Junior Ryan Silveira (Brampton, ONT) scored three times with two goals coming in the third period to lead The College at Brockport Hockey team to a 5-2 victory over Buffalo State Friday night in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game at the Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.

Buffalo State (1-4-1 Overall, 1-3 SUNYAC) scored first netting a goal 1:16 into the contest as a bouncing puck skipped over the stick of Brockport (2-3, 2-2) goalie Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) for the early 1-0 lead.

Late in the first period, junior Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) tied the score with his second goal of the year and less than two minutes later, Silveira scored his first of the night knocking home a loose puck from just inside the blue line as a clearing attempt by Buffalo State was intercepted by Adam Shoff (Port Dover, ONT) and tipped of the stick of sophomore Gregg Amato (Ocean Gate, NJ) over to Silveira to give Brockport the 2-1 lead at the end of the first period.

In the second period, Amato scored his first goal of the season with Brockport on a two-man advantage powerplay as Brockport worked the puck around the zone and Amato fired a slap shot from the point for the 3-1 Golden Eagles lead.

The Bengals narrowed the gap to 3-2 six minutes into the third period but Silveira added his second of the night at the 12:26 mark of the period and put the game away with an empty net goal with 1:15 left in the period for the 5-2 lead and to complete the hat trick.

Buffalo State had more shots with 38 to Brockport’s 27 but Sheridan came up with 36 saves for the victory. The win was his 20th career victory and the 36 saves give him over 1,400 in his Brockport career.




Friday, November 13, 2009

BROCKPORT HOSTS BUFF STATE & FREDONIA THIS WEEKEND




Brockport hosts two key SUNYAC games this weekend as the Western New York teams come to Tuttle North Ice Arena.

On Friday, the Golden Eagles host the Buffalo State Bengals. Typically, when people think of a Brockport rivalry, Geneseo comes to mind. I will make the case that that rivalry pales in comparison to Brockport/Buff State. Just look at last season’s games…

In December Brockport beat high-scoring Buffalo State by a score of 3-1. Brockport’s intensely physical play shut down the Bengals, making them look sloppy if not intimidated. That boiled into frustration and 2 fights broke out at mid-game and another one started towards the end (forcing a ref to flatten a Bengal).

In February, Buffalo State hosted Brockport and beat the Golden Eagles 4-1. Carrying over the bad blood from the first game, that was the most violent game I’ve ever seen at the DIII level : 4 ten-minute misconducts, 4 fights, and a disgusting high sticking attack. Even the opposing fans became aggressive with one another.

Expect more of the same this year, as most of Buffalo State’s top players return from last season. Gone is Justin Hill (who led the nation in assists) but remaining are Nick Petriello (He had 45 points in ’08-‘09 and has 7 points already in this young season) and his linemate Joel Sheppard (who had 25 points last year). They are joined by senior D’Arcy Thomas who has 3 goals so far and Tyler Soehner, a solid defenseman who had 23 points last year.

Buffalo State’s biggest strength is its number one line. The highly-skilled trio carried the team last year and the revamped line is doing so again this year. So far, the team is 1-3-1 and the Bengals have scored more than 2 goals only once, most production coming from that core. If Brockport can stop that line, Buffalo State has absolutely no chance. Tending the net for BS is Alan Fritch who has a 4.75 GAA and .874 saves percentage. His numbers belie his skills because he’s had the distinction of facing Hobart twice and Oswego once this year. As a freshman he had a decent record at 6-5-2 with a .909 saves percentage and 3.19 GAA. Coming in at 6’ 3” and 220 he’s a big boy who can really cover the goal.

On Saturday Brockport hosts Fredonia.

When Brockport last played the Blue Devils they lost 5-2 at Fredonia, with Jason Gorrie scoring both goals.

That followed a December match-up that saw the teams tied at 1-1 even after Brockport outshot the Devils 50-29. That game highlighted Fredonia’s best player, Pat Street, who ranks with Todd Sheridan as the top goaltenders in the SUNYAC. Street has had a stellar career with saves percentages of .908, .927, and .914. This season he’s just under .900.

If Brockport can solve Street they’ll win. But not without some trouble. Fredonia’s team is the same as last year…but then again, it’s not. Last season the Blue Devils had a very boring offense and scored 2 or fewer goals in 16 games. Things were so bad their leading goal scorer (Bryan Ross) netted only 9 and their leading point scorer (Jordan Oye) had only 17. This year, despite having basically the same team, they’ve scored goals a plenty. Over the first six games they have averaged 4.8 goals a game and James Muscatello already has 6 of them. Alex Morton is also on fire, averaging 1.5 points per game. It’s amazing the difference an off-season can make. Last year they finished a lowly eighth in the SUNYAC which is shocking by Fredonia’s standards. That forced their hand in making some changes in style of play, changes that are paying off. It should make for a high-scoring affair.

Both games begin at 7:00 and can be heard on WBSU and seen live on fasthockey.com


Wednesday, November 11, 2009

ALUMNI GAME THIS SATURDAY



The annual alumni game will be held this Saturday, November 14th.

Alumnus and Golden Eagles assistant coach Mark Digby says check-in will begin at 1:00 pm at Tuttle North Ice Arena. The game will start at 1:30 and will last 90 minutes.

Afterwards, alumni and family are encouraged to visit the downtown area or tour the Brockport campus. After the varsity game at 7 pm vs Fredonia there will be a reception at Flash's Tavern in Brockport with pizza, wings, appetizers.

Mark is also expecting to have some sort of tribute to Bob Pedersen at the Alumni Game, Varsity Game, and at Flash's.

If you played for the Golden Eagles and would like to participate in the game, email Mark at mdigby@brockport.edu


ALUMNUS HEADS UP NEW HIGH SCHOOL TEAM



Dave Zak was a standout defenseman with the Golden Eagles who was awarded second team honors on the 1997-1998 SUNYAC All-Conference Team.

Dave was recently selected to head up a high school team in Michigan, who I know will appreciate his hard-nosed style of play.

Here are some snippets from a news article that ran on mlive.com...


When the Bullock Creek-Meridian Knights lace up their skates Friday Nov. 13, it will mark the culmination of two years of work to bring an ice hockey team to Bullock Creek and Sanford Meridian High Schools.

Nearly two years ago, the Bullock Creek Meridian Hockey Association (BCMHA) was formed with the purpose of bringing a new hockey team to Midland County.

“Two years ago, I was sitting with three other hockey parents at New Years,” said BCMHA president Anne Vayre. “We were talking about how great it would be to have a hockey team… It’s been a great marriage. We started out last year as a club team, and played house league and tournaments. And this June, we were officially added into the MHSAA.”

A non-profit organization, the BCMHA has taken responsibility for funding the team, which is 100% pay-to-play. The Knights’ equipment, practice times, referees, and coaches are all provided by the BCMHA.

“As a non-profit, we are totally separate from the schools, but we have the blessing of the board,” Vayre said. “We have an annual golf outing, we actually had two this year. It’s a relatively small group, 17-18 kids. We do a lot of individual dinner nights, we have gate fees, but each parent and family is also individually responsible for doing their part.”

To lead the Knights in their inaugural season, the BCMHA and Bullock Creek High School have looked to former Midland High assistant coach Dave Zak.

Zak grew up playing hockey in his native Midland, even suiting up for the Chemics for a season before playing junior hockey with the Saginaw Gears and Gaylord Grizzlies. His collegiate career took him to the State University College at Brockport (New York), before returning to the area where he joined the Chemics coaching staff, a position he held for ten years, until receiving his first head coaching post with the Knights last spring.

“It’s definitely been a lot of work,” he said. “We’ve put in a lot of hours. The association has been very helpful and very good to work with. They’ve done a lot of the legwork, as far as schedules, ice time, and getting the paperwork taken care of. As a team, we’ve had a lot of meetings and a lot of hours working out the logistics.”


To read the rest of the article, go here:

http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/article/-7416793055648031363/the-knights-bring-prep-hockey-to-bullock-creek-and-sanford-meridian/



Tuesday, November 10, 2009

STYLUS REPORT ON PAST WEEKEND



Andrew Lipari wrote this well-done article for this week's Stylus...


Brockport puts Mustangs on ice in overtime
By: Andrew Lipari
Posted: 11/11/09


Brockport's ice hockey team opened its 2009-2010 home campaign with an overtime win against the Morrisville Mustangs Friday, Nov. 6. Sean O'Malley's goal 27 seconds into overtime gave Brockport their first win of the year. Morrisville's hockey program is only in its fifth year and has struggled since their inauguration. They finished 5-19-1 last year, with a 1-14-1 record in SUNYAC play.

Brockport won both games against Morrisville last year, so it's no surprise they might have taken a victory over the Mustangs for granted. It showed in the first two periods, as Brockport trailed 3-2 in the second intermission. "I think Morrisville got our attention," head coach Brian Dickinson said. "We knew we needed to match their intensity and their work ethic, and if we did that our talent would take over. We didn't do a very good job of that the first two periods, but as the game went on I thought we took control."

After losses to Potsdam and Plattsburgh last weekend, Brockport's first win of the year came in front of a robust home crowd at Tuttle North arena. "Like they say, the first win is the hardest to get," Dickinson said. "The first game against Potsdam was a typical first game, but we let it get away from us late. We played as well as we've played in a while at Plattsburgh but they tacked on a couple late, like they do. I thought the effort we brought would beat a lot of teams in our league. Hopefully we can watch some more tape and get a little more energy and hopefully keep it going."

Brockport's special team struggles showed again when Morrisville scored short-handed at 11:28 in the first period. Andrew Alarie wristed the shot up high past Todd Sheridan.

Brockport captain Justin Noble backhanded a shot off a rebound to tie the score with five minutes left in the period. Ray Tremblay and James Cody were given the assists. Tremblay had three assists on the night.

After a few hashes, Dan Galiani jammed in Brockport's second goal, but Adam Laite scored twice in the second period to give Morrisville a 3-2 lead.The second of Laite's goals came short-handed, again, off a turnover in the Golden Eagle zone. Laite was standing in front of the net and jammed in the go-ahead goal. Morrisville had gone 2-for-7 on Brockport's power play, but the Golden Eagles turned it around in the third period. O'Malley's beautiful feed from behind the net led to James Cody's goal with the man advantage with 10 minutes left to tie the game.

With 53 seconds left in regulation, Morrisville's Stefan Carnegie took a boarding penalty that carried into overtime. Brockport raced down the ice and 27 seconds into overtime, O'Malley put in a slap shot to win it for the Golden Eagles. Defensively, Morrisville's junior goalie Caylin Relkoff had 34 saves, while Sheridan had 25 for Brockport.

In Brockport's second game of the weekend, Saturday Nov. 7 they lost 4-1 to Hobart in a non-conference game. Hobart is ranked fifth in the nation (according to uscho.com), which makes them Brockport's second top-five team they have played this season.

Brockport played flat, soft and out of sync for most of the game. They got down fast when Daniel Organ scored for Hobart 28 seconds into the game.

"We put some new guys in the lineup and sometimes guys think it's more of an exhibition game," Dickinson said. "We hope they don't think that way, but since we weren't harping on them all day about taking the two points, they were a little too relaxed."

The non-conference game meant there were different bodies in the line up. Oliver Wren got the start in goal over Sheridan. Wren got the start last year against Hobart in a 3-2 loss, when Hobart won on a controversial goal. Wren had 38 saves in the game.

"We hung him out to dry a couple times," Dickinson said. "He will be the first to say he should have controlled a couple of those rebounds better but he stood tall and gave us a chance to win and compete. It's a tough call starting your first game against a nationally-ranked opponent, but it would have been nice to put a couple in and make them tighten up a little bit."

Wren would have liked to have a few of those shots back."There were two I may have been able to have" Wren said. "I just like to correct the mistakes I make. We'll review it on tape and I'll work from there."

Already up 1-0, Christopher Bower scored to take a two goal lead. He also had two assists on the night. Tom Galiani scored Brockport's lone goal just as a power play expired. Chris Cannizzaro and Nick Decroo scored in the second period, which gave Hobart the 4-1 lead and the win.

Nick Broadwater looked comfortable in goal, making 22 saves. With their first win behind them, Brockport looks to build off last year's fourth place finish as they move deeper into their schedule.

Source:

http://media.www.thestylus.net/media/storage/paper1380/news/2009/11/11/Sports/Brockport.Puts.Mustangs.On.Ice.In.Overtime-3827818.shtml#4


Monday, November 9, 2009

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT RECAP OF HOBART GAME




Junior Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) scored late in the first period for The College at Brockport Hockey team to narrow the gap with Hobart College to 2-1 but the Statesmen scored two more goals in the second period to post a 4-1 victory Saturday in a non-conference game in Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.

Brockport (1-3) fell behind early as Hobart (2-2-1) scored just 28 seconds into the contest. The Statesmen added a second goal at the 8:15 mark of the first period for a 2-0 lead.

Galiani scored with assists from Adam Korol (Hurley, NY) and Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) with 2:08 to play in the opening period.In the second period, Hobart added a powerplay goal 3:40 into the period for a 3-1 lead and then scored with less than four minutes to play in the period for a 4-1 advantage.

There was no scoring in the third period. Sophomore Oliver Wren (Oakville, ONT) made 38 saves for Brockport.



Sunday, November 8, 2009

HOBART BEATS BROCKPORT 4-1




The Golden Eagles played their Finger Lakes foe, the Hobart Statesmen, on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 1,000 at Tuttle North. When the dust settled from this physical game, Hobart was victorious by a score of 4-1.

I had not anticipated seeing the Hobart team I saw. The last time I saw them play was the season before last, back when they were what they always were: a smallish, incredibly fast team that worked around people. This Hobart team was something quite different. They were big, fast, and physical, and they reminded me of a Plattsburgh team but with a tougher edge. They looked like they definitely deserved the #5 designation in the preseason polls. Hobart was a deep team and even though they didn't score, I thought Bobby Cahill, Matt Wallace, and Chris Bower (a monster at 6-5, 240) were their best players.

Hobart dominated the first half of the game, but, after James Cody transformed into the James Cody of last season -- the hard-hitting gamechanger -- things changed, and Hobart managed only 1 goal after the first 4 minutes of the second period. Cody became a leader on the ice and bench and put some incredible hits on the Statesmen including 6 that were top-notch and one that was the most violent legal hit that I've seen in a long time. The Hobart player was laid-out and it was a little scary until he rose over 2 minutes later. After knowing the kid was okay, you had to say to yourself, "Wow! What a hit!"

His physicality, coupled with that of Tyler Davis -- who was a dynamic player last night (he had 5 good hits himself, a punch for the ages and quite a few take-aways) -- rubbed-off on the rest of the team. It lit a fire and helped temper the Hobart attack. If Brockport brings that same style to Hobart in January it will be an interesting game.

But, it was a little too late for this game as the Statesman scored 3 goals in the first 24 minutes of the game, including 1 in the first 28 seconds.

At first glance, people will see the 4 goals and think Oliver Wren played a bad game. Not so...he faced 42 shots in the game, including 3 breakaways, and turned-away 38 of them. That's a pretty healthy .905 saves percentage in his first game of the season, a game against one of the best offenses in DIII. Often operating out of the butterfly he had some exciting saves that showed good flexibility...and guts: he used his face to stop a hard slapshot. Games like this (as well as his performance against Hobart last year), bode well for the state of Brockport goaltending after Todd Sheridan's graduation.

Coach Dickinson also gave ice time to "rookies" and back-ups in this non-conference match-up, so it was good to see how the teams of the future might fare.

Brockport performed admirably on the penalty kill, allowing Hobart to convert on only 1 of 6 chances.

A loss is always disappointing, but some positives did come out of the game and it was a faster-paced and more emotional game than last night's. Good DIII hockey.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

THE MOMENT OF SILENCE



Prior to last night's game a moment of silence was held for Bob Pedersen, the father of Brockport hockey, who left us earlier this year. Bob was a likable guy who founded the hockey program at Brockport as a club sport in 1965. He transformed it into a full-fledged varsity sport for the 1973-1974 season. He coached the team for a total of 16 seasons during the 1960s, 70s, and again in the late 1980s.

Unfortunately, Bob was not inducted into the Brockport Athletics Hall of Fame during his life. It is certainly an honor he deserved and one that should be bestowed on him posthumously.

Here is his obituary from the West Side News...

John R. “Bob” Pedersen passed away July 3, 2009, at age 82. Bob is survived by his high school sweetheart and devoted wife of 61 years, Margaret (Marge); daughters, Sharon (Michael) Specksgoor, Patricia (Richard) Merritt; son, Paul (Kristen) Pedersen; grandchildren, Kory, Matt and Nate Merritt; Gretchen and Megan Specksgoor; MacKenzie and Brennen Pedersen. Bob touched the lives of many students as a professor at SUNY Brockport, as a high school and college coach for more than 30 years. As a hockey coach he was inducted into the Monroe County Hockey Hall of Fame. Bob was influential in starting hockey programs at both McQuaid High School and SUNY Brockport College.



ATHLETIC DEP'T RECAP OF GAME




Senior Sean O’Malley (Lakeland, OH) scored 27 seconds into overtime to lead The College at Brockport Ice Hockey team to a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over SUNY Morrisville Friday in the home opener and a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game in Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport.


Brockport (1-2 overall, 1-2 SUNYAC) fell behind 3-2 as SUNY Morrisville (1-2, 0-1) scored late in the second period, but the Golden Eagles tied the score on a James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) goal midway through the third period and then O’Malley led a 3-on-2 break racing down the right side of the ice and fired a snap shot from the top of the faceoff circle just inside the blue line that beat the Morrisville goalie to the top corner of the net for the game-winner.

The Mustangs opened the scoring with a short-handed goal midway through the first period but three minutes later junior Justin Noble (Georgetown, ONT) picked up a loose puck in front of the goal and tucked a shot past the Morrisville goalie for a 1-1 game.

In the second period, Brockport took a 2-1 lead as Dan Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) scored with 10:56 left in the period. Three minutes later, Morrisville knotted the score at 2-2 with the first of two goals in a span of four minutes by Morrisville’s Adam Laite.

Laite scored the second short-handed goal of the game for the Mustangs with 3:15 left in the second period to give Morrisville a 3-2 lead heading into the final period.

Cody’s power-play goal at the 9:29 mark of the third tied the score for the Golden Eagles.

Late in the third period, Morrisville was whistled for a boarding penalty with less than a minute to play in the period. Brockport had a couple of scoring chances in the final minute but could not capitalize, sending the game into overtime. O’Malley’s goal was a power-play goal – the second of the game for Brockport.

Senior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) made 25 saves for Brockport.



BROCKPORT BEATS MORRISVILLE 4-3 IN OT



To say that Morrisville is scrappy is an understatement. Despite their poor record last season they gave every SUNYAC team serious headaches. Last night, things were no different. The Morrisville Mustangs were productive enough to force an overtime match-up which Brockport eventually won by a score of 4-3.

You wouldn’t have thought it would progress to that point based on the way the game unfolded in the first period. Morrisville looked sloppy - especially on power play - missing passes, misfiring on shots and skating rather tentatively. They managed 9 shots on goal in the period, three of them being quality shots, including a Stefan Carnegie breakaway at 14:20 expertly stopped by goaltender Todd Sheridan. They did get one past Todd when Andrew Alarie, on an island by himself in the corner, put one top shelf.

Brockport produced a goal in the first as well, a rifle shot by Justin Noble that capatilized on goaltender Caylin Relkoff’s one weakness in an otherwise great skill set: his inability to control lower rebounds. Relkoff initially stopped the shot with his closed hand, but he couldn’t stop it from deflecting off his pads. Ray Tremblay nearly had a goal as well in the first when his shot clanged off the post.

The second period was a different story. Morrisville collected themselves and looked like an entirely different team. Even though they were outshot 14-11 they had better shots on goal and a gameplan that allowed them to sneak two pucks past Sheridan. Knowing that Sheridan’s style is more athletic than it is the conservative butterfly style, they brought the action to the net and would have 2, even 3, men stationed right on top of the crease, tempering Todd’s ability to sprawl out and use his incredible wingspan and reactive legs to stop the puck. They basically surrounded him and that’s how both goals were scored. The Mustangs also looked like special teams geniuses, neutralizing Brockport’s power-play and scoring a shorthanded goal.

Brockport kept the game close in the second when freshman Danny Galiani netted the first goal of his young NCAA career. His goal was snuck in from the crease, Galiani battling Rykloff for the puck and stealing the rebound from him.

Entering the third period down 3-2, the Golden Eagles kept Morrisvile away from the net and they brought the shots to the Mustangs. Both teams looked they were managing a lead throughout the period as it was an almost tedious period lacking in explosiveness or exchanges in emotion. James Cody continued his clutch play and tied up the game at the 9:29 mark.

With 1:20 left in regulation Brockport nearly went on top. Sean O’Malley was only feet away from the net when his blade grabbed the puck as it was bouncing around following a chaotic series of stops by Relkoff. He took a shot that occurred at the same moment a Morrisville defensemen pushed the net off its moorings.

Just a few seconds into overtime, O’Malley was given the chance to make up for the opportunity that was robbed from him when his high-speed wrister whistled past Relkoff, sending the 1,500 fans into a frenzy. It was an exciting play that was all O’Malley as he took off like a rocket when he got the puck.

That win was a must. Had Brockport lost, the SUNYAC would have looked a little different. As it stands now, Brockport a 1-2 is in third place with 5 other teams. It's a young season, yes, but all SUNYAC games must be looked at as playoff games.



THE EAGLE'S NEST




I thought the gung-ho guys who were controlling the tempo of the fans in the Eagles Nest did a fantastic job last night, just as they did last year. Their chants, noisemakers (horns and drums), and behavior is great and it helps give Tuttle North a real home-ice advantage, something that was lacking in the years past.

Those fans have also created a list of fan standards, and here they are...



We are all here to have fun be loud and be proud! Taunting is unsportsmanlike but is still part of the game. Refrain from cursing since there are children and families at the game. Refs, players, coaches and goalies are all fair game for this. Bring signs noisemakers and anything else that seems like it would fit.

Join the “Brockport Golden Eagles "Eagles Nest" Hockey Fans” Facebook group for games, updates and new cheers or feel free to add your own.

Regular chants are done 4 times unless otherwise noted.

ALWAYS stand and applaud when an injured player for either team gets up and leaves the ice. Its respect.

Stand and Sing along with the National Anthem

Cheer when Brockport enters the ice, boo when the opponent enters.

Time Left Cheer. Starting when the clock hits 1:04 of every period, as the seconds count down, you chant "How Much Time Is Left?". The announcer at 1:00 says, "One minute left in the period." After, you say "Thank you"

Remote Control Goalie Cheer: if the goalie skates to the corner after a whistle we yell… "Skate.....skate....skate....tuuuuuurn!”

Chant repeatedly when an official misses a blatant call.
I'm blind. I'm deaf. I wanna be a ref!
Or
Zebra, Zebra short and stout, find your head and pull it out!
Or
Get off your knees ref, you’re blowing the game
Or
Nuts and bolts, nuts and bolts, we got screwed!

Chant for opponents penalties:

As soon as the penalty is determined start yelling ahhhh. Once the penalty box door shuts, “See ya! Goon! You lose!”

When announcer says: “And (team name) returns to full strength” we yell “and (opponent’s name) still sucks!

For a situation where both teams have penalties ending at the same time:
Announcer: Penalties are over, both teams at full strength
Fans: THAT'S DEBATABLE
Fan 1: YOUR GIRLFRIEND'S INFLATABLE!
Fan 2: YOUR MOTHER'S STILL DATE-ABLE!
All: and YOU STILL SUCK

After a Brockport goal, they play the “Hey song” after hey we point at the goalie and say “you suck!” Once the music end we chant “sieve” 5 times, then “it’s all you’re fault” 4 times.

After a big save by our goalie:
Point to our goalie and yell "Goalie!" then point to theirs and yell "Sieve!" and repeat.

Inside 30 seconds with a 1 goal lead…Shake keys and chant “Warm up the bus”

AFTER THE GAME, win or lose…Stay until the team has completed their salute to the crowd





Friday, November 6, 2009

NO INTERNET AUDIO TONIGHT

Bad news for fans and parents out of state: WBSU's website is having technical difficulties so you won't be able to listen to the live stream tonight.

WATCH FOR PUCKS!

With the home opener this weekend, it's time for the annual reminder from Don Cherry about flying objects at the game...


Thursday, November 5, 2009

SCOUTING REPORT: MORRISVILLE & HOBART




The Brockport Golden Eagles open the home portion of the new season this weekend, hosting SUNYAC rival Morrisville on Friday and perennial DII powerhouse Hobart on Saturday.

I’m looking forward to seeing the team in action. This will be my 17th season following the team and I'm still as giddy as a kid in a candy store when the season starts. DIII hockey is very exciting, well-played hockey...it's a real treat for hockey fans to watch.

I’m hopeful last year’s exciting style of play continues into this year. You couldn’t ask for a better team to exert that physical play against than the Morrisville Mustangs. They are a very hard playing group of guys who every weekend do their best to play spoiler in the SUNYAC.

Brockport won both games last season but it took some serious moxie. In November Brockport won 5-2 but the Mustangs poured it on, forcing Todd Sheridan to stop 44 shots. January’s game was a 3-2 affair that was one of the most physical of the season. Both teams went back and forth, trading barbs and emotion.

This year’s team has that same potential. Sure, they lost to Princeton 7-0 and Elmira 6-2, but they also pulled off the upset of this young season beating Elmira on its home ice 2-1. The Mustangs are led by goaltender Caylin Relkoff who has a .914 saves percentage after posting a decent .886 with a lesser defense in front of him in ’08-‘09.

Another player to watch is Rob Sgarbossa who had a team-high 17 points last year but is best-known for being one of the better defensive forwards in the SUNYAC. He’s a tough kid who took what looked to be a game-ending hit from Dave McNab last season, but came back minutes later from that vicious collision.

Brockport’s player to watch in this matchup is Ryan Silveira who had two goals and an assist against the Mustangs last year.

It looks to be a close game with Brockport coming out on top.

Saturday’s game will be just as exciting.

The Hobart Statesmen, who are making the trip from nearby Geneva, are always one of the best teams in all of Division III. This season is no different: The USCHO preseason poll had them rated fifth in the nation. Last week they buried high-scoring Buff State 9-1.

Hobart is like a well-oiled machine. Their style of play is unique, one that typically focuses on a non-contact game of speedy puck-possession. They can really tire out even the most physically-fit of teams (of which Brockport is one of the best). Last season their frustrating methods allowed 7 guys to have 20(+) point seasons. They are led by Nick Decroo and Bobby Cahill (29 points last year).

One of Hobart’s best weapons of recent years has been goaltending. Slick glovework has allowed them to freewheel it on offense, something you can do with Keith Longo in goal (he had an ungodly .939 saves percentage last year). He’s since graduated, but that doesn’t mean they’re lacking. Freshman Nick Broadwater is another special goaltending talent who sports a great .912% this year. Athletic, he will give Brockport some problems.

Last year both teams faced off but once (this season they see each other again during the winter break). In that game, Brockport’s Oliver Wren was lights out, turning away 31 tough shots. But, it wasn’t enough to stop the powerhouse Statesmen who skated away with a 3-2 victory. It easily could have been a 2-2 tie had it not been for a questionable officiating call.

It will be a tough game, even on Brockport home ice. It looks too close to predict, but the odds are in Hobart’s favor.

Both games can be heard on WBSU at 89.1 FM and online at http://www.891thepoint.com/. Both games can be watched at http://www.fasthockey.com/

See you at Tuttle North!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

STYLUS RECAP OF LAST WEEKEND'S GAMES




From the pages of this week's Brockport Stylus...


Hockey drops first two games
By Andrew Lipari

The College at Brockport hockey team started their season with a two-game set upstate last weekend. The two games didn't go their way, however, dropping both games to Potsdam and Plattsburgh.

Brockport's season opened at Potsdam with a 6-3 loss to the Bears Friday. Brockport and Potsdam traded goals the first two periods before Potsdam pulled away in the third. Fraser Smith put the first goal in for the Bears and had it answered by Chris Berardini 64 seconds later. Sean O'Malley scored for the Golden Eagles at 1:03 in the second, and Connor Treacy scored 29 seconds later to even the score at 2-2. Brockport had a tough time with Treacy, who scored a goal and had three assists on the night.

James Cody put in his first goal of the year for Brockport, while Matt Rhymer and Todd Hosmer scored for Potsdam to give the Bears a 4-3 lead.

In the third period, Potsdam pulled away with goals by Zack Juliano and Bryan Black to give the Bears the 6-3 victory. Special teams were a difference in this game as Potsdam went 2-for- 6 on the power play, while Brockport went 1 for 9 with the man advantage. Senior goalie Todd Sheridan made 30 saves for Brockport and Trevor O' Neill made 24 for Potsdam.

Saturday, Brockport had the daunting task of taking on the No. 1 team in the nation (according to USCHO.com,) as they played at Plattsburgh. The Cardinals went 15-0-1 last year in SUNYAC play, and finished Brockport's season with a 7-2 victory in the semi-finals of the SUNYAC tournament. Plattsburgh came away with the victory again, beating Brockport 4-1.

Sheridan made 39 saves on 43 shots, including stopping all 16 he faced in the first period. In his first career start freshman goalie Ryan Williams, had 18 saves for Plattsburgh. Brockport hung with Plattsburgh the first two periods. After a scoreless first period, Plattsburgh's Phil Farrow got the scoring started with a power play goal at two minutes into the second.

Later Jason Gorrie tipped one in on the power play for the Golden Eagles to tie the game at 1-1 after two periods. But, Plattsburgh wore down Brockport in the third period. Matt Bessing scored the go-ahead and winning goal for the Cardinals at 5:47. Patrick Jobb and Kyle VanDermale scored later in the period to seal the victory for Plattsburgh.




Source:

http://media.www.thestylus.net/media/storage/paper1380/news/2009/11/04/Sports/Hockey.Drops.First.Two.Games-3821155.shtml


EMBRACE THE STRUGGLE

Here's a YouTube video promoting the home opener. I believe it was produced by Justin Noble's brother...

Monday, November 2, 2009

RSVP TO THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES




The fans in the Eagles Nest have created an events page on Facebook for this weekend's home opening series. You can RSVP and invite your friends by going here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=166810511009&ref=nf



PHOTOS FROM SATURDAY'S GAME

The Plattsburgh fansite, http://www.cardinalhockey.net/, has on it some photos from Saturday's game. Check them out at: http://www.cardinalhockey.net/photos.html

FASTHOCKEY FEEDBACK




Having had a busy weekend, I was unable to watch the games on FastHockey.

One of the team's biggest fans, Jay Baburchak, did and he offers this positive report....

I wanted to let you know a few of us checked out fasthockey.com's broadcast of the Plattsburgh game, and they did a great job with it. You had to refresh the browser every once in a while if you're listening to the game on the radio as well, just to make sure everything matched up. Overall, I thought it was great.



Sunday, November 1, 2009

PRESS REPUBLICAN STORY ABOUT THE GAME



The Press Republican is the North Country's #1 newspaper. Here's what was reported in it about last night's game...



PLATTSBURGH — Generating scoring chances wasn't a problem for the Plattsburgh State men's hockey team Saturday night.

Getting the puck past 6-3 senior netminder Todd Sheridan, however, was an issue.

Freshman Matt Bessing's goal with 5:47 gone in the third period broke a 1-all tie and sent the Cardinals to a 4-1 win over Brockport in State University of New York Athletic Conference play at the Stafford Ice Arena.

It completed a weekend sweep at home for the Cardinals (2-0, 2-0), who posted a 4-2 victory over Geneseo the night before, to open the 2009-10 season.

"We were able to create a ton of scoring chances," said Plattsburgh State head coach Bob Emery. "We played Cardinal hockey when we got our cycle going, got the puck in deep and played physical.

"We still have a lot of work to do. We have a young team and we need to show some patience."

Sheridan made 39 saves in the contest as the Cardinals finished with a 43-19 shot advantage.

"He's a good goaltender and we needed to get more traffic in front of him," Emery said. "I give Brockport a lot of credit because they kept us from getting second shots."

It was a 1-all game when Bessing got the puck down low and slipped a low shot past Sheridan at 5:45.

Patrick Jobb, who assisted on Bessing's goal, then gave Plattsburgh State a 2-1 lead at 12:34. Defenseman Tom Breslin hit Jobb with a pass at the Brockport blue line and the freshman went in on a breakaway to score.

"We can't win games without our freshmen contributing," said Emery. "We need contributions from everyone."

The Cardinals added the finishing touch at 16:34 when Kyle VanderMale scored off a nice two-on-one.

The first period was scoreless, despite the Cardinals holding a 16-7 shot advantage.

"We came out and played well," Emery said. "We were able to get the puck in deep, but had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard."

The Cardinals did open the scoring early in the second period, at 2:38, when Phil Farrow tallied a power-play goal, sending a rebound in front over Sheridan.

The Golden Eagles (0-2, 0-2), however, drew even with a power-play goal of their own at 15:19. Jason Gorrie deflected the puck in front past Plattsburgh State freshman goalie Ryan Williams, who was making his first-career start.

"We had a bad turnover that led to their goal — we should have been able to clear the puck," Emery said. "We didn't play as well in the second period as we did in the first."

Williams stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced to get the victory.

"He did what he had to do," Emery said.

The Cardnals stay at home to host Cortland at 7 p.m. on Friday and rival Oswego at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

In other SUNYAC action Saturday, Oswego skated to a 7-4 win over Fredonia, Buffalo State edged out a 6-5 victory over Cortland and Geneseo was a 3-2 winner at Potsdam



Source: http://www.pressrepublican.com/0300_sports/local_story_305011549.html