SUNYAC Preseason Poll

The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) men's ice hockey coaches voted Geneseo No. 1 in the 2019-20 preseason poll. Geneseo had 63 points while Oswego finshed second with 57 points and Plattsburgh was third with 44.

Geneseo men's ice hockey finished the 2018-19 season with an overall record of 25-2-2. They were undefeated on their ice with only one tie giving them a home record of 14-0-1. Head coach Chris Shultz looks to lead his team to their third SUNYAC title in a row (seventh overall) and another Division III tournament appearance. Geneseo defeated Oswego in last year's SUNYAC championship, 4-3. Geneseo's NCAA Division III Tournament run ended against Norwich University in the semifinals, 4-2.

Oswego is coming off a 19-7-2 season under Head Coach Ed Gosek. The Lakers made an appearance in both the SUNYAC Championship and NCAA Division III tournament. Oswego fell to Geneseo in the SUNYAC championship game (4-3) netting second place in the tournament. After receiving an at-large bid, Oswego made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA DIII tournament, but lost to Hobart, 3-2.

Plattsburgh was ranked third in this year's preseason poll after ending last season with an overall record of 13-12-2 and a home record of 6-5-2 under the guidance of head coach, Bob Emery. Plattsburgh advanced to the semifinals in last season's SUNYAC tournament, but fell to Oswego, 3-2.

2019-20 Ice Hockey Preseason Poll
Geneseo - 63
Oswego - 57
Plattsburgh - 44
Buffalo State - 40
Fredonia - 39
Brockport - 34
Potsdam - 21
Cortland - 18
Morrisville - 8

Trento joins staff

 A new face you'll see around the arena this year is Dominic Trento who has joined the Brockport Athletics staff as a first year assistant coach for the men's ice hockey team.

Prior to coming to Brockport, Trento served as the assistant captain for the University of Massachusetts Minutemen of Hockey East. The Brockport, N.Y. native played for multiple leagues prior to playing at the collegiate level including the Dineen Cup Champion, New Jersey Hitmen of the EJHL, where he was the leagues offensive MVP.

Trento's responsibilities will be serving as the teams second assistant coach in addition to holding the position of hockey operations coordinator, where he will have a focus on video breakdown and analysis.

While at Brockport, Trento will also be pursuing his graduate degree in Athletic Administration while also serving as a faculty liaison for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

Zamboni dash cam

If you haven't yet seen Kevin Grady's video about building the ice at Tuttle North -- you'd better see it!
https://twitter.com/i/status/1167676740392693760

New logos on the ice

The coaches and players worked hard yesterday to get the ice painted and the logos installed at the ice arena.

 

D3Hockey.com has been retired

Ray Biggs, editor of D3Hockey.com, announced today in a series of tweets that his website is no more.

I appreciate everything Ray has done through the years -- his website entertained and educated those of us who love our DIII hockey. Luckily, Ray is still deeply involved with the sport in a variety of ways.

Here are his tweets...

After a lot of thought and reflection this offseason, I have decided to relinquish editorship of http://D3hockey.com. The demands of running the site as a volunteer endeavor, in addition to multiple jobs, simply became too great.

It gives me no pleasure to have to make that move. Unfortunately having this website stacked on top of two jobs on weekends in the winter was a bit more than the hours in the day held, and trying to finish the site's work while falling asleep was all too frequent.

I love the game very much to this day, and will continue to be involved in it in so many ways, including my work at Utica, the UCHC, and http://NCAA.com. And I will tinker with keeping this {Twitter} account going as a resource. But running the site is no longer possible.

Thanks to each and every one of you for making this site a reality. We couldn't have done any of it without you. I'll see you all at the rink this winter, and every winter.

What college hockey teams generate in revenue

Over the past week, numerous business media outlets, like Arizona Business Daily, shared a report that looked at what the various hockey programs across the country generate in revenues for their colleges and universities. Using 2016 data, Brockport was ranked 133 out of 142 schools, generating revenues of $91,888. Coming in at #1 was Boston University at $8,567,700

https://azbusinessdaily.com/stories/512316607-analysis-which-college-ice-hockey-program-grossed-the-most-in-the-u-s

AHCA honors student-athletes

The College at Brockport men's ice hockey team received recognition for their success off the ice Wednesday morning, as nine athletes were recognized as All-American Scholar Program recipients.

Each year the American Hockey Coaches Association selects players for this honor who had outstanding academic performances as well as strong on-ice contributions. In order to receive the honor, recipients must have achieved at least a 3.6 GPA in both the fall and spring semesters.

The Golden Eagle recipients for the 2018-2019 NCAA ice hockey season included:

Connar Bass, Senior Defenseman
Bryan Carville, Senior Defenseman
Sean Lincoln, Sophomore Goaltender
Ryan Romeo, Sophomore Defenseman
Shane Visnick, Sophomore Forward
Robert Flannery, Freshman Forward
Jordan Renaud, Freshman Forward
Jeremy Solat, Freshman Forward
Corey Tam, Freshman Defenseman

Digby becomes associate head coach of Oswego women's hockey

Congrats to Brockport hockey alumnus Mark Digby on his newest gig. Great hockey player, great coach and, above all, a great guy. He's on the path to becoming a NCAA head coach -- and I hope it's very soon!

http://www.oswegocountynewsnow.com/sports/oswego-state-s-digby-makes-coaching-transition-from-men-s/article_31e1fefc-b951-11e9-865e-0ba3acefbb7c.html

2019-2020 schedule

The 2019-2020 schedule is out.

The regular season begins on Friday, November 1st with a trip to the North Country and it concludes on Saturday, February 22nd when Brockport hosts Geneseo.

The schedule is unique this year in that the Golden Eagles play 11 matinee games. Six of those games take place on home ice, all with 4:00 starts.

Here are some key home dates to mark on your calendar:

Friday, November 8, 7:00: It's the home opener against Morrisville.

Saturday, January 4th, 4:00: This matinee affair has Kings College on campus -- the team coached by former Brockport assistant Stephen Mallaro.

Friday, January 24th, 7:00: Brockport hosts Plattsburgh, the first time the Cardinals appear at Tuttle North after the close of the 30-year Bob Emery era in Plattsburgh.

Saturday, February 22nd, 7:00: The Golden Eagles' greatest rival -- Geneseo -- is in town and they will be, once again, the most talented team in the SUNYAC. 

Former Brockport assistant finds a new home

The Bowdoin College Athletic Department has announced the hiring of Stan Moore as assistant men's ice hockey coach.

A veteran coach with over 30 years of experience in coaching, Moore fills the position vacated by Eric Graham, who was named head coach at Johnson & Wales University last month.

A native of Potsdam, N.Y., Moore played collegiate hockey at Oswego State University and professionally with the Enschede Lions of the Dutch Ice Hockey Federation.

Following coaching stints at Potsdam State and Brockport State, Moore coached at Division I with Brown, Providence, Colgate and Union. He was named interim head coach at Colgate in 2003-04, where he led the team to a 22-15-5 record and was named the ECAC Coach of the Year. Since then, Moore had coaching stops at Providence and Colby, where he was the interim head coach for the Mules in 2011-12.

Most recently, Moore was a coach at Kents Hill School and Bridgton Academy and this past winter led Kaltern Rothoblaas Hechte to the Italian Hockey League Series B Championship.

Almnus Pritchard gets Hockey Canada role

The Regina Pats Hockey Club has announce that Director of Hockey Operations Gord Pritchard has been named to Hockey Canada's staff for the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Pritchard will be working with Hockey Canada for the first time in his career as the Guest Director of Hockey Operations. He joined the Pats ahead of the 2014-15 season after spending three seasons with the Yorkton Terriers of the SJHL, winning an RBC Cup in 2014. Pritchard played his junior hockey in the MJHL with the Neepawa Natives and went on to play with SUNY Brockport for four seasons.

Pritchard's Brockport career ran from 2004-2005 through 2007-2008. As a junior, he scored 12 goals and his senior campaign saw a 26-point season.

The 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup will run from August 5-10 in Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Good luck to the seniors

A special shout-out to the seniors who are graduating this weekend: Connar Bass, Bryan Carville, and Jake Moore...

Thank you for all the excitement you provided on the ice and for your commitment to being excellent STUDENT-athletes.

Your time at Brockport -- in the classroom and outside of it, on the ice and in the community -- has prepared you well for what the world offers...from family to work to service to others.

Good luck in everything you do and enjoy all of life's adventures.

We will be watching to see the great things you do.

Thank you for the memories.

Thank you for being you.

Be good and do good.

The 2018-2019 award winners

The team held their annual year-end banquet on Friday at which the seniors were given their Brockport Hockey chairs and the following men were given these awards for their contributions to a great season:

Brian Cavanaugh MVP Award-- Connor Hutchins

EJ McGuire 7th Player Award (Player that performs above and beyond all expectations)-- Jake Moore

Bob Pedersen Coaches Award (Player that showed exceptional Leadership and Dedication to the program)-- Hunter Laslo

Tim Panek Award (Brockport Hockey's Finest Citizen award)-- Connar Bass

Jimmy Mac Most Improved Player Award-- Trevor Pray

Chris Palin Rookie of the Year Award-- Co-Winners Jordan Renaud and Corey Tam

Scholar Athlete-- Bryan Carville

Norby commits to Brockport

Zach Norby, a forward for the Boston Jr. Rangers, has committed to SUNY Brockport for the fall of 2019. The '98 native of Bristow, VA spent the last three seasons with the Rangers organization, playing at both the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and the Eastern Hockey League Premier (EHLP) levels.

"We are very proud to announce Zach's commitment to Brockport,” said Rangers head coach and general manager Rich DeCaprio, “Having recruited him 3 years ago, and seeing the strides he’s made not only as a player but as a human, has been very rewarding as a coach. He has been a great teammate and very easy player to coach. His skill set and IQ are well above average and his perseverance is right there as well. Zach will have a great college career."

Looking back at Norby's first season with the Rangers, and he played a key role on the 2016-17 EHLP team that reached the finals. That season Norby scored 20 goals and dished out 30 assists in 48 total games. Following that season, Norby went on to spend the past two years with the Rangers' top team, tallying 82 points in 107 career games in the EHL.

Overall, Norby put together a solid three-year career with the Rangers, and for that he is very grateful.

"Playing for the Jr. Rangers for the last three years has been a great experience," said Norby. "Coach DeCaprio, Coach Aucoin, and Coach Blair have all really helped me develop as a player and a person, and ultimately helped me achieve my goal of playing college hockey. I'm very excited to be joining SUNY Brockport next fall. I'd also like to thank all my teammates as well as my family, I wouldn't be where I am today without them.”

While the Rangers season ended soon than they had hoped, Norby and his teammates still have plenty to be proud of with what they accomplished this year. Norby will now set off for Brockport in the fall, where he will be joined by his teammate Aiden Curry, who made the same decision back in December.

Ramaekers commits to Brockport

Yesterday on Twitter, Scott Ramaekers announced his commitment to Brockport. The forward spent the last two seasons with the Buffalo Junior Sabres of the OJHL. In 102 games over those two campaigns he amassed 22 goals and 23 assists.

Plattsburgh's Emery steps down

Brady Farkas at 101.3 FM in Burlington/Plattsburgh is reporting Plattsburgh's Bob Emery has retired.

Wow. I heard rumors all season but didn't think they were true.

Of all of Brockport's SUNYAC rivals I always liked watching Bob Emery's Plattsburgh squads. He coached with an edge and a focus on self-discipline and awareness of the task, and he had amassed and nurtured some great talent.

Thanks for the memories, Bob.

Moore signs with Marksmen

Brockport senior Jake Moore has signed with the Fayetteville Marksmen of the Southern Professional Hockey League. He was 9-6-1 this season for Brockport, with a 1.93 GAA and .925 percentage

Brockport lands 3 on All-SUNYAC Teams

Three College at Brockport student-athletes have been named to one of the three 2019 Men's Ice Hockey All-State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) teams, as announced Thursday by the conference office. Sophomore defenseman Ryan Romeo was tabbed to the All-SUNYAC Second Team, while Junior forwards Connor Hutchins and Doc Gentzler were selected to the All-SUNYAC Third Team.

Romeo back-boned the Brockport blue line this season, finishing the '18-'19 campaign second on the team in points with 17 (4g-13a). His 17 points on the year placed him fourth amongst all SUNYAC defenseman. The sophomore defenseman from Fairport, N.Y. was an impact player for the Green and Gold all year, his best game coming in a 3-0 win over Neumann College where he had a goal and an assist.

Hutchins, a center on the Golden Eagles top line helped the Green and Gold to their best season in 30 years. The junior from North Richland Hills Texas lead the Golden Eagles in points this season with 26 (8g-18a). Hutchins top game this year came in a 7-3 win over Lebanon Valley on Jan. 12, as he recorded two goals and added two assists.

Gentzler rounded out the Brockport offense with his gritty style of play that made him a nightmare for the opposition's defense. Gentzler lead the forecheck for the Green and Gold and added a flash of skill while doing it. The junior forward had a breakout season for the Golden Eagles touching the double digits for the first time in his career with 14 (9g-5a). Gentzler lead the team in goals this season with nine.

Moore is in the record books

It was a record setting season for senior goalie Jake Moore.

Here are the Golden Eagle records he now holds:

Regular Season

Save percentage: .925
Goals against average: 1.93
Shutouts: 4

Career
Goals against average: 2.77
Shutouts: 5

Brockport falls to Plattsburgh in playoff game

The College at Brockport ice hockey team fell to Plattsburgh State Wednesday night, by a score of 3-1. With the loss, the Golden Eagles are eliminated from the SUNYAC post-season, finishing the year with a final record of 15-9-2. The Cardinals will advance to the SUNYAC semi-finals.

The Golden Eagles wasted little time getting on the board in the first period as Aidan Salerno beat the Cardinals netminder a little over two minutes into the game. The Green and Gold had the Cardinals on their heels from their first goal, outshooting Plattsburgh 14-8 in the first. Brockport went to the powerplay three times in the first period but couldn't find their second goal of the night.

The second period was more of the same from the Green and Gold, pressuring the Cardinals at all ends of the ice. The Cardinals went to the PP twice in the second period but the Brockport penalty killers held the door shut. Brockport netminder, Matt Schneider made a few saves to end the period, allowing the Golden Eagles to hold onto their one goal lead.


The Cardinals broke their goal drought six minutes into the period, finding a loose puck in the slot and putting it past Schneider. Moments later, the Cardinals were at it again, scoring their second of the night, and taking the lead, 2-1. The Golden Eagles were awarded a five-minute PP with 10 minutes remaining, Captain Connor Hutchins and Freshman Corey Tam traded off scoring opportunities but the Plattsburgh goalie shut the door. The Cardinals went to the box again with 1:55 remaining in. the game, giving Brockport the man advantage for the remainder of the game. As a last chance effort, the Golden Eagles pulled Schneider giving them a 6 on 4 opportunity, the Cardinals found a loose puck and fired it into the Brockport empty net.

Plattsburgh's preview of tonight's game

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The third-seeded Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team begins its quest for its 24th conference title on Wednesday evening at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena, as the Cardinals host sixth-seeded The College at Brockport at 7 p.m. in the first round of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament.
TICKET PRICING: Tickets are $7 and can be purchased either at tickets.plattsburgh.edu or at the box office starting at 5 p.m. on the day of the game... Students from SUNYAC schools with valid identification will be admitted free of charge.
ABOUT THE SERIES: In a series that dates back to 1975-76, the Cardinals are 82-5-5 all-time against the Golden Eagles… Plattsburgh State was 1-0-1 against Brockport this year, battling the Golden Eagles to a 1-1 overtime tie on Nov. 10 at home before posting a 4-1 victory over Brockport on Jan. 26 on the road.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS: Plattsburgh State is in the SUNYAC Tournament for the 28th consecutive season and enters Wednesday's game riding a four-game winning streak... The Cardinal offense is led by senior forward Cam Owens and freshman defenseman Matt Araujo, who have a team-high 14 points apiece. Owens is tied for the team lead in goals with seven, while Araujo has a team-leading 12 assists, which is tied for 21st in the SUNYAC… Sophomore goaltender Jimmy Poreda has enjoyed a breakout season in goal for the Cardinals, earning four SUNYAC Goaltender of the Week honors this year… He ranks among the NCAA Division III leaders in save percentage (ninth, .936), shutouts (tied for 11th, 3) and goals-against average (13th, 1.86)… Plattsburgh State boasts Division III's top penalty kill (.913) and is tied for 24th nationally in scoring defense (2.44 goals allowed per game)… Head coach Bob Emery is in his 30th year piloting the Cardinal men's ice hockey program and boasts a career record .of 623-214-65.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Brockport is making its first appearance in the SUNYAC Tournament since 2015-16 and is in pursuit of its first-ever SUNYAC championship… The Golden Eagles' 15 wins so far this year are the most a Brockport men's ice hockey team has achieved since 1987-88… Brockport has been a thorn in the Cardinals' side the past few years with a 3-2-1 record against Plattsburgh State during that span, including a 1-1-1 mark at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena… Brockport is led offensively by junior forward Connor Hutchins, who has a team-leading 26 points on eight goals and 18 assists… Sophomore defenseman Ryan Romeo leads the blueliners offensively with 17 points (4g, 13a)… Senior goaltender Jake Moore has been a steady presence in goal this season, ranking among the Division III leaders in shutouts (tied for fifth, 4), goals-against average (17th, 1.93) and save percentage (tied for 29th, .925)… Brockport is tied for 12th in Division III in scoring defense (2.00 goals allowed per game) and ranks 23rd nationally in scoring margin (1.04)… Head coach Brian Dickinson is in his 22nd year at Brockport and is in his 25th season overall as a head coach… He boasts a career overall record of 210-371-58.

WHAT'S NEXT: Fourth-seeded Buffalo State is hosting fifth-seeded Fredonia in the other first-round game... The lowest remaining seed will visit top-seeded SUNY Geneseo in the semifinal round, while the second-lowest remaining seed will visit second-seeded Oswego State in the semifinals.

Press-Republican previews playoff game

The Plattsburgh Press-Republican offers this look ahead to tonight's playoff game between Plattsburgh and Brockport:

https://www.pressrepublican.com/sports/local_sports/cards-begin-quest-for-sunyac-title-with-brockport/article_167b7f8a-40fc-55a5-95bc-44104e4a83b7.html

Playoffs begin Wednesday

The playoffs begin Wednesday and all hopes are on Brockport making this magical season continue.

They will be traveling to Platsburgh. In two games this year the teams tied 1-1 and then the Cardinals beat Brockport at Brockport 4-1.

The Golden Eagles have to apply pressure against a defensive team that allows a solid 2.44 goals per game and got better as the season went on. Of benefit to Brockport's even-better defense (2.00 goals per game), Plattsburgh's goal output ranks only 57th in all of DIII (2.60 goals per game). They have 3 guys with 7 goals and none more than that. They don't even have a 15-point scorer! Highly unusual for a Bob Emery team.

Jimmy Poreda has been their savior in goal with a .936 save percentage. It will take some gritty lunchbucket goals to beat him -- he'll stop flash every time.

It's going to be a hard-fought, physical game in a tough environment.

Brockport falls to #2 Geneseo

The College at Brockport ice hockey team fell to No. 2 SUNY Geneseo Friday night, by a score of 6-3. With the loss, the Golden Eagles move to 15-8-2 overall and 7-7-2 in conference, while the Ice Knights move to 22-1-2 and 13-1-2 in the SUNYAC.

The Golden Eagles were in a dog fight from the drop of the puck Friday night against the Ice Knights. It was Geneseo who found the back of the net first, scoring ten minutes into the period, Jake Moore made the initial save but the rebound squeaked by him. The Ice Knights extended their lead a little over a minute later, bringing the score to 2-0. Brockport went to the PP twice in the first period but couldn't find the back of the net.

Brockport started the period man-down as Ryan Romeo went to the penalty box at the end of the first period for a tripping call. Romeo sprung from the box a minute into the period and found himself on a breakaway after a long pass from Doc Gentzler, Romeo snapped off a shot that beat the opposition's netminder over his glove side, narrowing the score, 2-1. Two minutes later the Knights scored their third of the evening to bring their total to three goals. Less than 30 seconds later, Aidan Salerno fired a puck on net that beat the Geneseo goalie, once again, bringing the Golden Eagles within one. Four minutes after the Brockport goal, Geneseo scored again, this time on a tic-tac-toe passing play that snuck past Moore. The Ice Knights added one more goal to end the period, sending Brockport into the locker room down, 5-2.

The Golden Eagles looked to battle back in the third as they took the play to the Ice Knights early on in the period. The Green and Gold went to the PP at 9:15 of the third period and capitalized on the opportunity, the third Brockport goal of the night was scored on the rebound by Gentzler after a one-timer off the pads from Connor Hutchins. Geneseo would extend their lead to three at 12:39 of the third, for a final score of 6-3.

What would it take to host a playoff game?

This shows the standings with one week left to play. Brockport sits in fifth place and is in the playoffs.

What would it take to get a home playoff game (third and fourth place)?

Brockport HAS to win the Friday game against Geneseo, the #2 team in the whole country. That would have them end the season with 18 points. Then, there has to be a little help: Buffalo State currently has 18, Plattsburgh has 17.

If Buffalo State wins Wednesday against Geneseo, they secure third or fourth place. If they lose and Brockport wins Friday and they remain tied with Brockport at 18 points, Brockport wins the tie-breaker after having defeated Buffalo State twice this season.

Then there's the issue of Plattsburgh. They have two conference games left, one against Cortland (which they should win) and another against Oswego (which will be tough).

The biggest thing...Brockport HAS to win Friday to even have a chance of hosting a playoff game. It's going to be tough. Geneseo excels in all facets of the game. They are the toughest opponent all year.