Great academic results!

In D3 athletics everyone is a student-athlete...student first!

The hockey team had incredible success in the classroom this academic year.

Spring GPA: 3.45

Overall GPA: 3.30

Shane Visnick had the highest GPA & secured Presidents List Honors.

15 of these men were Deans List students.

Congratulations!

The Welch hockey dynasty

Scott Welch was a goalie for Brockport. Here's an excellent write-up about his hockey dynasty -- four girls and four NCAA Division I hockey scholarships:

https://thehockeywriters.com/womens-hockey-welch-family-success/

Tremblay to coach Elmira Enforcers

Longtime Brockport hockey fans will remember Ray Tremblay, a British Columbia native who played for the Golden Eagles from 2008-2009 through 2010-2011.

His story was always one of perseverance.

Two years before his NCAA career began he suffered compression fractures of two of his vertebrae, which certainly would have derailed the hockey careers of most guys. But, he fought on and had a solid career at Brockport. His 2008-2009 campaign was his best, with a 7-10-17 line.

We've received great news that he's back in New York, selected as the new head coach of the Elmira Enforcers.

Congrats, Ray!

Here's an article about it:

https://www.stargazette.com/story/sports/2020/05/19/elmira-enforcers-name-tremblay-head-coach-bring-back-players/5214928002/

Good luck, seniors!

This year's commencement ceremony is something that was totally unexpected and will be totally unusual. It's unfortunate that Covid-19 totally changed the second half of your last semester, the fruition of all your work in college and internships. Luckily, you managed to get the hockey season in before the world changed.

Thank you, seniors, for everything you did on and off the ice the past four years.

It was an exciting ride, for sure. Such incredible hockey. So many memories!

Congratulations on the coming graduation. Best of luck in everything you do in the new life before you -- work, service, and family. Based on everything you've showed us at Brockport, you will excel in all phases.

We've been blessed to have you at Brockport.

The world will be blessed to have you now.

2019-2020 awards

Your 2020-2021 captains

Gershon is the head coach at Chatham

Mike Gershon was a joy to watch when he played for the Golden Eagles over 10 years ago. He was a hard-hitting All-SUNYAC defenseman who once had a hat trick for Brockport -- not something blueliners are known to do!

We have some great news about Mike. He was just named the head coach at DIII Chatham University:

https://www.tribdem.com/sports/new-chatham-coach-has-johnstown-connections/article_5895bb18-8117-11ea-b622-937dd6c5b24b.html

DeFazio battling cancer

I had the privilege of watching Jeremy DeFazio play hockey at Brockport for 4 years. The left winger graduated in 2016 after scoring 12 goals and amassing 24 assists in 98 games. Powerfully built and intelligent, he was one of the best defensive forwards in the SUNYAC during his career.

Jeremy now faces a different kind of fight than those he saw on the ice.

The young man was recently diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue. He began chemo treatments on Wednesday.

One of his friends has opened a GoFundMe account for Jeremy to help him with various costs associated with his healthcare. Please help if you can.

The page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/spreading-the-love-to-a-friend

Winn family hosting a German hockey player

Here's a cool story about people doing good. The family of Brockport's Casey Winn is hosting a young German hockey player who is waiting out the coronavirus crisis in Penfield.

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/2020/03/27/german-hockey-player-stranded-rochester-ny-staying-with-family-of-roommate-bishop-kearney-selects/2919336001/

Dylan Wiemer commits to Brockport

The East Coast Wizards are pleased to announce that Dylan Wiemer has committed to SUNY Brockport for the fall of 2020. The '99 native of Greece, NY joined the Wizards in late October, and went on to win 13 games in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), while posting a 2.45 GAA and .923 save percentage.

"Dylan came in and immediately claimed the net for our team," said Wizards head coach and general manager Freddy Meyer. "He provided us with instant stability between the pipes, and it came as no surprise when we won his first three starts. Dylan is as talented as any goaltender we've ever had with the Wizards, and Kory [Falite] and I are looking forward to following him at the next level."

When Wiemer arrives at Brockport this fall, he will be part of an incoming freshmen class that includes six more alums from the EHL. Included on that list is Andrew Harley, the 2nd leading scorer on the 2019-20 Wizards team, who made his decision back in mid-December. Overall, Wiemer is looking forward to playing his college hockey close to his hometown.

"I would like to thank Freddy and Kory for taking me in and making me feel welcome and guiding me along in order to reach my dreams of playing college hockey," said Wiemer. "I would like to thank the organization for its great facilities and giving us the chance to get better both on and off the ice. Of course, I would like the thank my family for being supportive whenever I needed them, and for being my number one fan. And lastly, I would like to thank my teammates for making this experience one to remember by creating friendships that will last forever."

Hutchins signs with Rivermen

The Peoria Rivermen have added a pair of forwards to their lineup, signing both Connor Hutchins to a three game contract and Liam Stirtzinger to an amateur tryout offer (ATO). The pair will be with the club this weekend for the Rivermen’s three games inside Carver Arena.

Hutchins, 24, just finished his senior year playing for NCAA-DIII Suny-Brockport, where the Texas native served as captain the last two seasons, and an alternate during his sophomore year. Hutchins tallied 97 points in 102 games with SUNY-Brockport, and played his first two seasons with the team while Rivermen defenseman Brandon McMartin was there. In addition to wearing a letter in college, Connor served one season as captain of the Brookings Blizzard in the North American Hockey League (NAHL).

Stirtzinger becomes the second player out of Aurora University to sign an ATO with the Rivermen this season, joining fellow forward Drew Doyon. Stirtzinger, 24, finished 7^th on the Aurora Spartans in scoring this past season, and led the team in penalty minutes (47). The 6’4” winger played three years in the NAHL before college, collecting 422 penalty minutes, which puts him in the top 40 all-time amongst NAHL players for penalty minutes.

Senior Spotlight: Aidan Salerno

Last week marked the end of Aidan Salerno's NCAA hockey career.

He spent the last 2 seasons with the Golden Eagles after having been with Cortland his freshman year and University of Wisconsin - Superior his sophomore year.

Powerfully built at 6'3" and 215 pounds, he was a force to reckon with on defense. He doled out punishment to many a forward. This past season, his led the team in penalty minutes (55) in 13 games played.

He was always busting his butt on and off the ice. None other than NHL Hall of Famer Pat Lafontaine (who coached Salerno for 4 seasons in the Juniors) said he was one of the hardest working kids he ever saw.

More than brawn, he had touch, too: In 74 games at the 3 colleges he had a 5-23-28 line, his best season being his freshman year with 4 goals and 12 assists.

His biggest Brockport goal came in Brockport's 3-1 playoff loss to Plattsburgh in 2019 (which was, for the most part, a 2-1 game before an empty-netter).

Senior spotlight: Chris Pollini

Chris Pollini's NCAA career came to an end last Wednesday in the double overtime loss to Plattsburgh.

The defenseman was beloved by teammates and coaches for bringing levity to the ice and locker room. In Wednesday's postgame interview with WBSU you could hear Coach Dickinson light up when he spoke of how much he'll miss Chris's humor.

That humor helped loosen the young Golden Eagles squad the past two years and eliminate some of the nerves and stiffness that comes with the attainment of winning hockey.

Over his 4 seasons he played in 71 games and had 20 assists. He had no goals to his credit, but that's because Chris was a blueliner's blueliner. He played old school, hard-charging d without the flash, taking on the big forwards that fill the rosters of Oswego and Geneseo.

His biggest game came earlier this year when he dished out 3 assists (including a helper on the game winner with 21 seconds left) to help Brockport secure a 5-4 comeback win over Neumann.

I wish Chris the best in his post-Brockport endeavors.

Senior spotlight: Hunter Laslo

Hunter Laslo's final NCAA game was last week's double overtime thriller against Pittsburgh.

He was hugely responsible for getting the team into the playoffs the last two seasons.

As co-captain he was charged with an almost unenviable task...how do you take a very young team and transform it into a winner?

Coming into the 2018-2019 campaign, the team had 9 freshman on the roster and had lost 39 goals to graduation.

Hunter helped those rookies learn the nuances of super-competitive NCAA hockey and how being an athlete fits into one's academic career.

Despite all odds against them, that young team went 15-9-2. This year, they went 15-10-1.

They far exceeded the expectations of outsiders. But, Hunter, the insider, knew better. He knew how to help the coaching staff and his team glean the most from their talents and their drive.

He led with character and the team thrived off that.

Hunter finished his career with a 15-17-32 line in 98 games.

Senior sptlight: Doc Gentzler

Doc Gentzler's NCAA career came to an end last week in the playoff game against Plattsburgh.

That game was typical Doc -- he was rocked by a hit that sent him to the ice in agony. But, mere minutes later, he brushed it off and went top shelf with a hustling wrist shot.

Despite being one of the lightest players on the roster (the stats say 150) he always played like one of the biggest, mixing it up and getting physical with anyone and everyone. He was second on the team in penalty minutes this year (47), one minute fewer than his team-leading total of last season.

That physicality never tempered his other skills and, as a matter of fact, it added to them. Always driving, most of his goals were of the Joe Lunchbucket type -- he would drive to the net at full speed through and over defensemen and take shots that most shy away from.

He scored 7 goals this year and added 14 assists. He scored 2 game winning goals this year. He ended his four-year career with a 23-29-51 line in 96 games played.

His energy and fire will be missed.

The greatest home games ever

This was my 27th season as a fan of Brockport hockey. I've seen a lot of games.

This past Wednesday's playoff game, even though it was a loss, now sits at #1 on my list of the greatest games that I've been to at Tuttle North. The third home playoff game in program history, double overtime, high drama, the 9th-longest game in DIII history...there was just so much about the game that makes it to the top of the list of classics.

What games round out my Top 5?

#2: February 24th, 2009: Brockport hosted its first playoff game ever. Because it was such a critical moment in the program's history, the drama was intense and the crowd wild. The superstars were super as James Cody had 2 goals and Todd Sheridan made 43 saves in the 3-1 win.

#3: October 7, 2000: This exhibition victory, 9-7 against Ontario's Humber College, featured 96 minutes of penalties, a bloody nose during the post-game handshake, and 5 goals by Nick Smyth...among them a natural shorthanded hat trick.

#4: February 23rd, 2010: Brockport hosted a playoff game for the second year in a row. Potsdam was the opponent yet again and the Golden Eagles shut them out, 3-0.

#5: December 9, 2011: Brockport beat then 6th-ranked Elmira 4-3 in an incredibly exciting game. Goalie Aaron Green, in just his 3rd game, made 30 saves against the high-powered offense. James Cody tied the game with 7 seconds left with an impossible goal from a crouch. Ian Finnerty won the game 58 seconds into overtime...on his birthday.

All-SUNYAC picks

Ryan Romeo and Matt Schneider of the SUNY Brockport men's hockey team were named 2020 SUNYAC Ice Hockey All-Conference in a release by the conference office on Thursday morning.  Romeo was named to the first team as a defender, while Schneider was named to the third team as a goalie.

The Golden Eagles wrapped up their 2019-20 campaign on Wednesday night after a heartbreaking double overtime loss to visiting Plattsburgh in the first round of the SUNYAC Championships.  Brockport was hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2010 after earning the No. 4 seed in the conference championships.  The Golden Eagles capped their season with a 15-10-1 overall record and a 8-7-1 ledger in league play.  Brockport has now won 15 games in each of the last two seasons and they have made the SUNYAC Tournament in six of the last seven seasons.

Romeo is making his second straight all-conference appearance after earning second team honors one year ago.  His selection to the first team marks the first time a Golden Eagle has earned first team status dating back to 2016 when Chase Nieuwendyk was named a first team forward.  Romeo currently ranks seventh in the nation among defensemen with an average of 1.08 points per game. He leads all SUNYAC defenders in scoring with 26 points on 10 goals and 16 assists.  He is also tied for 15th nationally in power play goals with seven.  Romeo now has 50 career points in 70 games played in the green and gold.

Schneider capped his decorated career as the first goalie to earn all-conference honors since Todd Sheridan back in 2010.  He finished as the program's all-time leader with 30 career wins. He also holds the school-record for career goals against average with a 2.80 in 64 games played.  He finished the season with a 13-9-1 record and 551 saves, good for a .900 save percentage and a 2.64 goals against average.

Senior spotlight: Matt Schneider

Matt Schneider's NCAA career came to an end this week after 4 years of excellence that saw him become the program's all-time leader in career wins (30) and single season wins (13). His final stats are a .898 save percentage, a 2.80 GAA, a 30-28-2 record and 4 shutouts. He played big in so many games and was unflappable.

To me, his two major highlights were...

1) His freshman year shutout of Plattsburgh at Plattsburgh. That took a burden off the program's shoulders and forever changed how Brockport views a once-unbeatable Cardinals team.

2) The double-overtime loss to Plattsburgh earlier this week. His effort in net was absolutely incredible with so many amazing saves under the most intense pressure imaginable in one of the longest games in NCAA DIII history. 

Both of those games are on the short list of all-time games for the Brockport program and there he was in goal for both -- focused and brilliant.

All-SUNYAC Teams

The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) has announced the 2020 Men's Ice Hockey All-Conference teams as nominated and voted on by the conference coaches. Two Golden Eagles made the list. On the First Team is defenseman Ryan Romeo. On the Third Team is goalie Matt Schneider.

Senior spotlight: Connor Hutchins

Connor Hutchins NCAA career ended last night with a 34-63-97 line. He might have been just short of 100 points, the century mark, a sort of statistical milestone, but that doesn't diminish what he accomplished in his 4 years here. He's 15th all-time at Brockport in points.15th! Think of all the young men who've gone through the program which, as a varsity program, dates back to the 1973-1974 season. There he is, among the very best. It's been a treat to watch him produce and be a leader these past four years.

P-R report on last night's game

Here's the Press-Republican recap of the Plattsburgh playoff game:

https://www.pressrepublican.com/sports/local_sports/psu-tops-brockport-in-ot/article_b59fb0c8-17aa-59b2-92d8-bc6a6cf36fa9.html

Thank you

Kudos to the team for a great game that capped off a great season. Despite the loss, there's a lot to take pride in on the ice and in the classroom in the 2019-2020 season. Thank you for the exciting season and for making Brockport fans everywhere proud.

Brockport falls in 9th-longest game in DIII history

The SUNY Brockport men's hockey team hosted Plattsburgh Wednesday night for the First Round of the SUNYAC Championship Tournament. The Cardinals pulled out a 3-2 win in double-overtime, advancing to the SUNYAC Semi-Finals against Oswego.

Plattsburgh drew first blood with a goal in the first period, going up 1-0 with 7:32 remaining in the first. The visiting Cardinals would score a second unanswered goal at 10:33 in the second period, taking a 2-0 lead. Doc Gentzler put Brockport on the board with a goal in the second, with assists coming from Corey Tam and Jordan Renaud. The Green and Gold trailed Plattsburgh 2-1 heading into the final period.

Neither team gave an inch throughout the third, as Brockport remained down one goal for most of the period. With just 1:08 left in regulation, Connor Hutchins won a face-off in the attacking zone. Anthony Hora took the puck and touched it over to Jordan Renaud who fired a shot that ricocheted off a defender's skate and into the back of the net. Renaud tied the game up at 2-2 with just over a minute left, sending the postseason contest into overtime.

After a full 20 minutes in the first overtime period, neither team was able to notch the game-winning goal. Brockport and Plattsburgh headed into a second 20-minute overtime period at the Tuttle North Ice Arena. The Cardinals took advantage on the power play mid-way through the second overtime period, with a rocket slapshot from Matt Araujo to earn the 3-2 win.

Matt Schneider was fantastic between the pipes all night for the Green and Gold, recording a career-high 41 saves in the final game of his career. Schneider made a number of incredible saves throughout the contest, and totaled 15 stops in the two overtime periods. He ends his time here at Brockport as the program's all-time leader in wins.

The Golden Eagles finish the season 15-10-1 overall, matching its 15-win total from last season. The team put together a seven-game win streak during the season, setting a new program-record for longest win streak. An 8-7-1 mark in SUNYAC play set a new program best for conference competition, as Brockport has now made the SUNYAC Tournament in six of the last seven seasons. Wednesday night's SUNYAC Tournament game was the first time the Green and Gold hosted a postseason match since 2010.

Playoff preview

The fourth-seeded Brockport men's hockey team is set to host fifth-seeded Plattsburgh in the first round of the SUNYAC Conference Tournament on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the Tuttle North Ice Arena.  The first 100 students through the gates will receive a free rally towel.

Tickets: All SUNYAC students will receive FREE admission with ID.  Tickets will be $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 5-12.  Children 4 & under are free.  Tickets can be purchased at the entrance to the rink accessible through the SERC.

Follow the Action: Wednesday's first round match up can be viewed online at www.gobrockport.com/watch and live stats will be accessible at https://gobrockport.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary.  Brockport's student radio 89.1 The Point will broadcast the event over the radio airwaves and online at https://www.891thepoint.com/.

SUNYAC Tournament History: The last time Brockport hosted a SUNYAC Tournament game was back in 2010 when the Golden Eagles topped Potsdam State 3-0 in first round action.  Brockport has made the conference tournament in six of the last seven seasons.  The last time Brockport advanced out of the quarterfinals came by way of a 6-4 victory on the road at Geneseo in 2015.  Brockport last met Plattsburgh in the conference tournament last season and the Cardinals came away with 4-1 victory on their home ice.

Strong Second Half: Brockport began the new year on a seven game winning streak and they posted a 10-3-1 record in the second half of the season.  SUNYAC wins over Plattsburgh, Buffalo State, Cortland and a tie against Oswego down the stretch helped the Golden Eagles earn a third place tie in the conference standings at the end of regular season play.

Overall Record: Brockport won 15 games for the second straight season and currently holds a 15-9-1 record overall.  The Golden Eagles went 8-7-1 in SUNYAC play, marking their most wins in conference play on record.

Against Plattsburgh: Brockport swept Plattsburgh in a pair of conference games this season for the second time in the last four years.  Brockport downed Plattsburgh on the road in the regular season opener by the score of 3-1.  The Golden Eagles completed the regular season sweep on their home ice in January as they earned a 4-1 victory over the Cardinals.

All-American Candidate: Junior defender Ryan Romeo ranks fourth nationally among defensemen with an average of 1.13 points per contest. He leads the team with 26 total points on 10 goals and 16 assists.  His average of .30 power-play goals per game is tied for 14^th nationally.

Seniors Leading the Way: Senior captain Connor Hutchins has played in all 25 games this season and ranks second on the team with 21 points.  In 101 career games played he has 96 total points on 34 goals and 62 assists.  Senior forward Doc Gentzler has 20 points this season on six goals and 14 assists.  In 97 career games played he has 22 goals and 30 assists in the green and gold.

Double Digit Scorers:  Brockport has a variety of offensive weapons to turn to with 10 skaters registering 10 or more points this season.  Sophomore forward Jordan Renaud has 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists).  His three game-winners this season lead the team.  Brother's Jeremy Solat and Ethan Solat each have 15 points in 24 games played, while Anthony Hora and Danny Rock have 14 points apiece.  Jake Colosanti and Corey Tam round out the double-digits scorers for the Golden Eagles with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Our Goalie: Senior goalie Matt Schneider recently broke the program record with 30 career victories and his 13 wins this season are just one shy of tying the program's single season record.  He also needs just one shutout to tie the program-record for career shutouts originally set by Jake Moore '19.  Schneider has 510 saves this season to go along with a .898 save percentage, a 2.68 goals against average and two shut outs.

Fundraiser for Leah Gates

Rick Gates was a forward for the Golden Eagles from the 2004-2005 season through the 2007-2008 campaign. He had a memorable freshman season with 5 goals, 10 assists and 47 penalty minutes...that last stat highlighting his physical style of play.

Now, Rick is facing a different kind of fight as his wife Leah was diagnosed with Leukemia last year at age 37.

Leah's friend has opened a GoFundMe for the Gates family as Leah's medical bills continue to accumulate with all the medical expenses, chemotherapy and the inability to work.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-leah-gates?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR0E7CZTSOh8wPG4ytHd_S3Quj4K0zSv3DxnvvyjYFZjg5NsBLl7q07t0sQ