BROCKPORT'S SENIORS

With the last 2 home games of the regular season upon on this weekend, that means Saturday night is Senior Night. It’s only fitting that it’s Valentine’s Day, so the Brockport community can show them some love.

This year’s graduating class is a small one – just 3 men – but that doesn’t mean their loss won’t have an impact on the program.

Bobby Chayka: Bobby doesn’t show up on the stat sheet too often (7-20-27), but his style – he’s a “defensive defenseman” – doesn’t play to the numbers. If it did, we’d be looking for statistics like “How many shots has he blocked? How many bruises has he sustained from that?” What he does on the ice are the little things that save games. His aggressive play harkens back to some of the physical teams of years ago…he’s not afraid to mix it up against the boards, he’s a beast in the corners, he’s always hustling and he’s always willing to throw a check.  

Aaron Green: A lot of accolades have been thrown Aaron’s way this year based upon the great season he’s having…a .924 save percentage and a 2.44 goals against average, which, were the season to end today, are team records, surpassing the single-season bests of Jared Lockhurst (.919) and Todd Sheridan (2.59). But, it’s not just this season, it’s the body of work. Looking at his career numbers, Aaron will graduate with the 3^rd best save percentage, the third most wins, and the highest winning percentage. You knew there was something special there when in his rookie season he backstopped one of the greatest games in team history: A thrilling OT victory over 4^th-ranked Elmira.

Troy Polino: If you follow this young man on social media, you know that he’ll really miss the game when the season comes to a close. I can think of very few players in recent years who have been so excited to do anything hockey related – he’s constantly pumped to take to the ice, even for practice.  That enthusiasm shows in production: He has consistently put up pretty good numbers over his career….16 points as a freshman, 15 as a sophomore, 11 last year and 10 this year, with 4 games to go. He has 93 games under his belt with 17 goals and 35 assists, good for 52 points.

As a fan, the past 4 years have been a blast seeing these guys on the ice. I can only imagine how much their teammates and coaches have enjoyed their production and friendship.