WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: NICK SMYTH

On the night of Tuesday, October 17, 2000, the College at Brockport played one of its most exciting games in team history, an exhibition game against Humber College out of Toronto, Ontario. The sparse crowd of only 250 fans (I was one of them) saw a game of epic proportions. It was high-scoring affair eventually won by Brockport 9-7 thanks to a 6-goal flurry in the second. Amidst all that goal scoring was physical hockey like you’ve never seen. There were 29 penalties in the match-up, including three 10-minute misconducts and a game disqualification. In total the teams accounted for 96 minutes of penalties. I will always remember what happened after the game: During the post-game handshake a Brockport player had his helmet off and was innocently shaking hands when all of a sudden a Humber player blasted the unprotected and unsuspecting soul right in the nose, instantly bloodying his face.

You don’t see games like that too often….and you definitely don’t see a single player’s performance as we did that night very often.

Brockport’s Nick Smyth had the greatest game ever by a Brockport hockey player. In his first game for the Golden Eagles he scored a school-record 5 goals. An impressive total no doubt. What makes it even more extraordinary is that he accomplished the same feat that Oswego’s Neil Musselwhite did against Brockport last week, scoring a natural shorthanded hat trick!! How's that for a debut!

NCAA purists will say that Musselwhite’s was the first in NCAA DIII history being that it was a true NCAA game pitting two NCAA colleges against one another while the Brockport/Humber game was a US/Canada event featuring only one NCAA school. But, that’s semantics. Smyth’s was the first by a player at the DIII level of US collegiate hockey and he should be recognized for it.

Nick Smyth, #26, graduated in 2003 and over 75 games for Brockport he amassed 59 points on 31 goals and 28 assists. A solid career on the ice and an entertaining one to watch from the stands.

With Musselwhite’s goals being the buzz of DIII hockey this week I thought we should counter that and catch up with Nick to see what he’s been up to and to reflect on his time at Brockport….



Bob: In the game against Humber you had the hot hand. You had 5 goals on the night but the most amazing thing was you had a natural short-handed hat trick. Walk us through that stellar performance...

Nick: It was my first game at Brockport which made it even more memorable. I was just happy to get the first goal out of the way. I don’t even think I realized that the first 3 goals were a natural short-handed hat trick until Coach Evans brought it up at practice the next day. It was honestly one of those nights that you feel like you can’t do anything wrong and the puck just follows you around. It was a great way to start off the season for the team and hopefully I built respect with my teammates and coaches at the same time.



Bob: What other Brockport hockey moments do you cherish?

Nick: My most cherished moments were in my senior year when we made a late push for the final play-off spot. Unfortunately, we tied for that last spot and lost out to Cortland on Goals Against. Those final games were absolutely awesome especially beating a nationally ranked Oswego in their old barn.

Bob: What impact did the academic experience at Brockport have on your life?

Nick: Brockport was just an all around great experience. I was able to go to school to study what I wanted (Business) and was fortunate enough to be able to do what I love most by continuing to play hockey. Not to mention I made some great friends along the way.

Bob: What have you been up to since graduating?

Nick: After Brockport, I tried to continue playing hockey. I was drafted by the Miami Manatees of the WHA2. I played in one pre-season game before deciding to hang up the competitive skates. I now call the northwest suburbs of Chicago, IL home. This is where I met my wife of the past 3 years, Melanie. I currently work in Risk Management as an Account Executive at GE Commercial Distribution Finance. Today I am still playing hockey in a Men’s League at the Fox Valley Ice Arena as well as coaching Mite hockey out of the Leaf Centre in Dundee, IL.

SAVES FOR A CURE STORY IN STYLUS

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


Sheridan playing for more than the win
Amanda Seef

Todd Sheridan defends the Golden Eagle's ice hockey net from the opponent, not only as a goalie, but also as a cancer survivor. Saves for a Cure, the charity that he began after he went into remission, was officially named a state charity by the Board of Health last week.

During radiation, Sheridan was sitting in the waiting room of a Pennsylvania hospital where a little girl and her father sat. Originally, he assumed the balding father was the patient; the 8-year-old, his support network.

But as the names of patients were called, the small child stood and walked toward the door. With her back to Sheridan, he could see where her treatments caused a small balding spot on the back of her head.

Over the next few months, while they both received treatment, Sheridan bonded with the little girl, who gave him the "Fear Nothing" wristband he still wears today. Without knowing it, this 8-year-old girl inspired Saves for a Cure.

Though the charity has been in the works for three years, it has not been able to donate any of the funds to a hospital or organization.

Sheridan is hoping to donate hospital equipment or furniture to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester."A big part of beating cancer is keeping your spirits up," he said.

He hopes the donations from Saves for a Cure will be able to better the hospital environment for children going through treatment for cancer. He says the more comfortable and inviting the environment is, the higher the kids' spirits.

"It's tough for kids to have the mentality that 'the tumor is doing way worse than me,'" he said. "Kids will understand that there are people outside of their family that care."

The ice hockey team will host the second annual Saves for a Cure weekend in February. Last year's weekend raised more than $1,000 for the charity, auctioning off special jerseys of each player on the team.

"I wasn't supposed to be here, let alone play hockey," he said in a February interview with The Stylus. "With determination and support, you lift spirits and you can overcome obstacles."


Source:

http://media.www.thestylus.net/media/storage/paper1380/news/2009/12/09/Sports/Sheridan.Playing.For.More.Than.The.Win-3847616.shtml

STYLUS RECAP OF LAST WEEKEND'S GAMES

From the pages of the Brockport Stylus...

Hockey ices Cortland
Andrew Lipari


For the second time this season, Brockport's ice hockey team faced the No. 1 team in the country, according to USCHO.com, as they faced Oswego Friday, Dec. 4.

Brockport got out to the early lead when Sean O'Malley scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season, on a power play. Unfortunately for Brockport, Oswego scored the final 10 goals, as they routed the Golden Eagles, 10-1.

Neil Musselwhite had a hat trick on the penalty kill alone, scoring three short-handed goals. He added another at even-strength for a total of four on the night. Brockport was out shot 20-5 in the first two periods, and 17-10 in the third. Kyle Gunn-Taylor had an easy night, making 14 stops for Oswego.

After O'Malley's opening goal, Chris Laganiere scored twice at 6:43 and 8:24. Musselwhite scored his even-strength goal at 12:51 and Oswego was up 3-1 after the first.Eric Selleck put in a power play goal at 9:01 in the second, and Musselwhite got two of his short-handed tallies within 11 seconds of each other in the final 30 seconds of the period. The third period picked up where the second left off with another short-handed Musselwhite goal at 2:36. Chris Muise scored his first of the year at 8:25, which made it 8-1, Oswego.

Sophomore Josh Roarke relieved Todd Sheridan in goal, but he didn't fair too well either in his first action of the season. Both Luke Moodie and Tyler Lyon got the puck passed Roarke, ending the 10-1 beat down. Roarke had eight saves after Sheridan's 19 on the night.

Brockport recovered Saturday and moved to 3-5 in SUNYAC with a 2-1 win at Cortland. The two teams played each other even for most of the game.

Both went 0-6 on the power play and Cortland out shot Brockport 37-31. After an awful game the night before, Sheridan had 36 saves in the win, their first conference win since Nov. 13 against Buffalo State. It only took Brockport 1:28 to get up on Cortland. Tom Galiani scored with assists from Tyler Davis and Ian Finnerty.

Jarrett Gold scored his ninth goal of the year for Cortland at 10:47. In the second, James Cody got the go-ahead goal at 17:26, with another assist from Finnerty. A scoreless third gave Brockport the 2-1 victory. In goal for Cortland, Brittan Kuhlman stopped 29 shots.

At 5-6, Brockport won't face another SUNYAC opponent for over a month, when they face Potsdam, Jan. 22, at home.



Source:

http://media.www.thestylus.net/media/storage/paper1380/news/2009/12/09/Sports/Hockey.Ices.Cortland-3847619.shtml

ON THE OTHER END OF AN HISTORIC FEAT...

Sometimes fans and athletes need to reflect on -- and even marvel at -- the accomplishments of the competition. Things happen in a game that just leaving you saying, "Wow!".

Such is the case with what took place in Friday's game against Oswego.

At his blog, www.thevotl.com, Oswego Laker reporter Ryan Maloney wrote this interesting piece about Neil Musselwhite's preformance against Brockport....

When Neil Musselwhite scored his fourth goal against Brockport's Todd Sheridan on Friday night, all 2,436 Campus Center patrons knew they had just witnessed something special. Musselwhite, a senior forward, had just scored half of of his previous season best for goals in one game.

Even more impressive was the fact he netted three of his markers consecutively - all while on the penalty kill. Some, including the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, would say that's a shorthanded natural hat trick (others say you need to score all three goals in the same period).

Any way you slice it, three consecutive shorties doesn't happen that often. In fact, a little bit of Sunday morning internet research reveals that it had happened just twice before in NCAA history.

December 12, 1988: The Harvard Crimson Tide would win the National Championship in March of 1989, but they made headlines earlier in the season during a game against Dartmouth. Junior C.J. Young scored the fastest three goals in the history of the program that day when he lit the lamp three times in 49 seconds. The goals came at the end and then beginning of a period, but were scored in succession. Going by gospel of Wiki, that's the first-ever shorthanded natural hat trick in NCAA history.

October 17, 2008: Just shy of 20 years after Young's feat, Zach Harrison of Minnesota State achieved his own shorthanded natural hat trick against North Dakota. Again, the feat was accomplished over the course of two periods and took 26 minutes and 44 seconds to complete. Harrison's final man-down marker came on an empty net. The Hockey Hall of Fame was given Harrison's stick after the game and put it on display at their museum in Toronto.

December 4, 2009: The shorthanded natural hat trick is achieved at the Division III level for the first time in recorded history. Oswego State's Neil Musselwhite beats Brockport goalie Todd Sheridan four times, three of the goals coming while on the penalty kill. Those shorthanded tallies came in succession over a span of just 2 minutes of 59 seconds towards the end of the second and beginning of the third periods.




Source: http://www.thevotl.com/2009/12/neil-musselwhites-shorthanded-hat-trick.html

BROCKPORT RECRUITING VIDEOS

Video producer Cam Noble continues his great work of promoting the team. He has posted to YouTube 2 videos which are awesome recruiting tools for the Golden Eagles, offering a behind the scenes look at the Brockport facilities for prospective student-athletes.

BROCKPORT BEATS CORTLAND 2-1

The Brockport Athletics Department reports on last night's match-up....



Sophomore James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) scored the game-winning goal late in the second period and The College at Brockport Hockey team held on for a 2-1 win over SUNY Cortland Saturday night in Cortland.

Junior Tom Galiani (Lindenhurst, NY) added a goal for Brockport (5-6 overall, 3-5 SUNYAC), while sophomore Ian Finnerty (Ardmore, PA) collected two assists and sophomore Tyler Davis (Queensbury, NY) chipped in with one assist.

Senior goalie Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) made 36 saves. The 36 saves moved Sheridan into fifth place on the all-time Brockport career saves list. He has 1,546 career saves for the Golden Eagles.

Galiani gave the Golden Eagles the lead just one minute, 28 seconds into the game, when he put a rebound past the Cortland (5-6, 3-5) goalie for his sixth goal of the season.

Cortland evened the score at the 10:47 mark with a wrap-around shot from behind the Brockport goal.

Cody netted the gamewinner at 17:26 of the second period, 21 seconds after Brockport killed off a Cortland power play. Finnerty forced a turnover at the left boards in neutral ice, carried the puck in and fed a pass to Cody, who scored on a wrister from the right face-off circle.

Late in the third period, Cortland went on the power play and pulled its goalie with 50 seconds remaining, but Sheridan made key saves in the closing minute to preserve the win.

FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

In an effort to further spread the word about the team I have created a Facebook fan page so people can follow the Golden Eagles on that popular social networking tool. To become a fan, scroll down to the bottom of the tool bar on the left side of this blog.

LISTEN TO THE CORTLAND GAME

The streaming audio at 89thepoint.com is still down and won't be running again until next week. If you'd like to listen to audio of the game on your computer Cortland Internet Radio will be broadcasting tonight's game. Check it out at:

http://www.cortlandreddragons.com/sports/2007/12/17/internetradio.aspx?id=63

PALLADIUM-TIMES REPORT ON LAST NIGHT'S GAME

The report from Oswego's local newspaper...



OSWEGO — Oswego State senior Neil Musselwhite was a short-handed pain in the butt for the Brockport hockey team on Friday.

Musselwhite was involved in three consecutive short-handed goals and finished with a hat trick to ignite the Lakers in their 10-1 rout of Brockport in a SUNY Athletic Conference contest at Campus Center Ice Arena.

Eric Selleck’s unassisted power-play goal with 10:59 left in the second period gave the top-ranked Lakers a comfortable 4-1 margin.Musselwhite then went to work. On the ice with the penalty-killing unit in the final minute of the second period, Musselwhite stole the puck in the defensive zone and skated in on a breakaway. His shot picked the left side of the net with 23.7 seconds left, and it was 5-1.

Eleven seconds later, the margin grew to 6-1. Musselwhite passed to senior Brad Dormiedy for another short-handed goal.

Early in the third period, the Lakers’ Tyler Lyon went to the penalty box. Musselwhite took the ice and scored another short-handed marker with 17:24 to go in the game. This time, his sharp-angle shot from the left side beat Brockport starting goaltender Todd Sheridan high.

Oswego State (7-0-0 SUNYAC, 9-1-0 overall) dominated the Eagles (2-5-0, 4-6-0) after spotting Brockport the game’s first goal. Oswego State’s top goal scorer, junior Chris Laganiere, netted the tying and go-ahead goals. He tied it with 13:17 to go in the first period on a scramble in front of the net.

Musselwhite’s first goal of the game followed, and the hosts held a 3-1 lead after one period.

Selleck’s man-advantage goal in the middle stanza came on a sharp angle from the right side, and the Lakers’ short-handed frenzy followed.Senior goalie Kyle Gunn-Taylor improved to 6-0 on the season, making 14 saves.

Oswego State will host Geneseo at 7 p.m. Saturday at Campus Center Ice Arena.


Source: http://palltimes.com/articles/2009/12/04/sports/doc4b19d76993960969018803.txt

BROCKPORT FALLS TO OSWEGO 10-1

The recap of last night's game from the Brockport Athletics Department...



Senior Sean O’Malley (Lakewood, OH) netted his sixth goal of the year on a Brockport power play that gave the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead 3:16 into the first period, but SUNY Oswego scored three times in the first period and posted a 10-1 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory Friday night in Oswego.

Brockport (4-6, 2-4 SUNYAC) lost the shots-on-goal battle, 37-15, and senior Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) was credited with 19 saves and was relieved by sophomore Josh Roarke (Massapequa, NY).


Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) and Mike Hayward (Toronto, ONT) were credited with the assists on O’Malley’s goal.

Oswego (9-1, 7-0 SUNYAC), ranked No. 1 in the lastest USCHO.com national poll, tied the game 1-1 early in the first period on an even-strength goal. The Lakers scored two more times in the first period, three in the second and four in the final period.

Brockport travels to SUNY Cortland on Saturday for a 7 pm game.

O'MALLEY IS ROCHESTER ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Senior Sean O’Malley (Lakewood, OH/Greece Athena) is this week’s Rochester Area Collegiate Athlete (RACA) male athlete of the week for November 23-29. O’Malley led The College at Brockport Ice Hockey team to a pair of wins and the 2009 Championship of the Skidmore Invitational.

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.

THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES

This weekend will be an important one for the Brockport Golden Eagles. They’ll be hitting the road for the last 2 SUNYAC games of the semester. The team is tied for sixth place in the conference with Morrisvile and Cortland at 4 points each. Brockport must come out of the weekend with at least 2 points or the second semester will be a rough one.

It won’t be easy on Friday night when they travel to Oswego to play the #1-ranked team in the nation. The Lakers are 8-1-0 and have been a powerhouse in DIII, demolishing some of the very best like Elmira (7-2 win) and Plattsburgh (5-2 win) for the first time in 10 games.

They’ve dominated all facets of the game: They’ve scored 55 goals (6.1/game) on the season while allowing only 19 (2.1/game)….all this despite losing 7 of the top 9 scorers from last year.

This season they’re led by Chris Langaniere (9 goals), Eric Selleck, and Justin Fox (6 goals) who already have 20 points each! Selleck averages a robust team-high 2.667 points per game. Even their #4 scorer Jon Whitelaw averages 1.6 points/game.

Their defense is tough and 4 of their defensemen have 12 or more penalty minutes, led by Kevin Huinink and his 25. Their goaltending is slick and is quickly positioning itself as the best unit in SUNYAC. Last year’s breakout goaltender (Paul Beckwith) sports a .930 saves percentage but actually shares time with Kyle Gunn-Taylor (.943 saves percentage).

It’s a scary team. But, the Golden Eagles are not afraid. As a matter of fact, they’re looking forward to it. After demolishing Nichols (winner of 26 games last year) in the Skidmore Tournament they’ve realized that they can beat anyone and that confidence (along with the hunger to beat Oswego) has been in the locker room all week. If any team is positioned to shock Oswego it’s Brockport.

There’s a good chance that Brockport could shock DIII on Friday night.

On Saturday the team heads to Cortland for what should be a victory.

The Red Dragons are 4-5-0 and actually beat Hobart 5-2 on Sunday. They’re a gamey team led by Patrick Palmisano and Jarret Gold who had 32 and 29 points, respectively, last season and are on pace to surpass those totals. Jarret has 8 goals while Patrick has 7. Forward Chris Kaleta (3 points), is the brother of the Buffalo Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta and represents the only physical fellow on the team. They are not a team to mix it up, so Brockport’s hard-hitting style should really throw off their game. Goaltending is done by committee and the Golden Eagles should be able to net at least 4 goals no matter the netminder.

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