Brockport shutsout Neumann

The Brockport ice hockey team faced off against the Neumann Knights on the road in a non-conference match. With Brockport claiming a 6-0 shutout victory over the Knights, it now makes Brockport 2-0-0 to open the regular season. 


Head Coach Brian Dickinson was please with his team's performance on the day when asked about how he felt about the win. "A total team effort from the opening faceoff. We were quick to the puck and in transition which resulted in great scoring chances. Nolan was superb in net and really helped our defensemen out with good puck handling tonight."
 

Trevor Pray managed to start off the scoring drive for the Golden Eagles following his game winner last night against King's college in the team's 3-2 victory over the Monarch's. Pray's goal against the Knights came unassisted 13-minutes into the first period to put Brockport up 1-0. 

4:58 into the second period, Ryan Romeo would score his first goal of the season off an assist by Andrew Harley and Jacob King. King's assist on the play is the first of his collegiate career. 

Leading 2-0, at 10:12 into the second period, Mitchell Parson's would give the Golden Eagles three straight unanswered of assists from Anthony Hora and Ryan Romeo to make the score 3-0. 

It wouldn't take long for the Green and Gold to increase its lead to 4-0 as at the 13:59 mark of the game, Sam Dibitetto would record his first colligate career. The goal came at even strength and was assisted by Parson's and Jake Colosanti. 

Entering the third period ahead by four goals, 1:51 into the start of the final period, Corey Tam would get in the goal column this season. His goal for the Golden Eagles was their first successful power-play of the evening as it gave the Brockport a commanding 5-0 lead. 

The goals would not stop coming as Bport's Casey Winn would get his first goal of the season. Winn's goal was unassisted with both teams being at even strength. His goal increased Brockport's dominant lead to six with 13:01 remaining in the game. 

In the stat column, the Golden Eagles made the most out of their shots recording a total of 25 shots on goal to the Knights 26. In Faceoff's Neumann recorded 28 faceoffs won over that of Brockport's 25. Overall, off the six goals scored a total of 11 assists occurred over the 60 minutes of play. 

Nolan Egbert was a brick wall for Brockport as he picked up the first shutout of his colligate career. Spending all 60-minutes in goal, The transfer from UMASS Boston tallied a total of 26 saves in the game. The rest of the Green and Gold blocked nine shots in the contest. 

The Golden Eagle's next game will be the team's home opener on Saturday, November 6th against SUNYAC opponent Morrisville State College. The game will be the Golden Eagles first conference matchup of the year with Puck drop currently set for 7 p.m. in the Tuttle North Ice Arena.

Ryan gets the helmet

Ryan picks up where he left off before the pandemic shutdown hockey. The young man deserved All-American honors in 2019-2020. This season, he'll get it.

Brockport rally topples King's

The Brockport ice hockey team rallied back on the road to pick up the 3-2 win over the King's College Monarchs in its first regular season game of the season.
 
Trailing 2-0 with 10:53 remaining in the third period, the Golden Eagles managed to rally back off three unanswered goals by Jacob King, Mitchell Parsons and Trevor Pray.
 
At 5:04 into the first period, the Monarchs would get on the board following a power play goal to give King's College the 1-0 lead. That one goal by the Monarchs would remain the only point on the board for either squad all the way up into the third period.
 
The second goal of the game came at the 9:07 mark with King's College increasing its lead over Brockport to give them a 2-0 lead.
 
Digging deep, following 47:45 minutes of scoreless play, the Golden Eagles first goal of the season came off the stick of freshman Jacob King on a power play goal. King's goal against the Monarch's came off assist from sophomore Andrew Harley and graduate student © Ryan Romeo at the 12:15 minutes into the third. The goal also marked the first collegiate assist of Harley and first collegiate goal of Jacob King.
 
Sparking the Golden Eagle's comeback, senior Mitchell Parson's would even up the game as he found the back of the net at 16:22 into the third period with a power play goal. Helping even up the game off Parson's goal were assist from © Corey Tam and Sam Dibitetto. The game tying goal would mark the first collegiate assist for Dibitetto.
 
Answering from being down two goals earlier in the game, Trevor Pray would be the hero for Brockport. Pray managed to score the game winning goal off a cross to the left side of the goal, on a pass that King's goalkeeper couldn't keep up with. Giving the Golden Eagle's the 3-2 lead, its first of the game, with 2:14 remaining, the Green and Gold managed to fight off the Monarch's as time expired to give Brockport its first victory of the season.
 
Out shooting the Monarch's, the Golden Eagles managed to record a total of 38 shots on goal to King's 27. Brockport also edged out King's College on faceoff's 45-42.
 
Junior goalie Aiden Curry spent the full 60-minutes in net for the Golden Eagles. He managed to record a total of 25 saves in the game picking up his first career win and third all time for his collegiate career. Tyler Sayger recorded the loss in net for the Monarchs allowing three goals and making 35 saves.
 
Following the game when asked about his thoughts on some of the highlights that he saw from the team following the late game comeback, Head Coach Brian Dickinson had this to say.
 
"It was one of those games where we generated a number of shots and got nothing to show for it. Received great leadership from [Ryan] Romeo to keep the men relentless. Once the first one went in, the momentum swung, and we were able to take control. I loved how resilient we played"
 
The Golden Eagles will return to action as they'll continue their road trip in Pennsylvania by making a stop at Neumann University. The game against the Knights puck drop is set for 4 pm.

2021-2022 team photo

 

Regular season begins this weekend

The SUNY Brockport ice hockey team will begin regular season play this upcoming weekend with a pair of road games in Pennsylvania. For its season opener, the Golden Eagles will take on King's College on Friday, October 29th with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Following Friday Night's game, the Green and Gold will travel to Neumann University in Aston, PA on Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest.
 
Coming off a pair of exhibition games against Hobart College over the past weekend, it was the first time the ice hockey team saw live action against opponents in 604 days. In Friday night's exhibition matchup against the statesmen, Aiden Curry started in net and recorded a total of 24 saves in 30-minutes of play, 21 of those saves came in the first period alone. Nolan Egbert would come in for the Golden Eagles for the second half of the game recording a total of nine saves in 30-minutes in net. Sophomore forward, Connor Galloway was the team's leading scorer in the exhibition games as he recorded two goals in Saturday's contest.
 
Jake Colosanti and Ryan Romeo rejoin the program as the Golden Eagles top goal scorers from the '19-'20 season. Colosanti and Romeo both shared 10 goals while Romeo's 16 assists made him the team's leader in points with 26.
 
Coming in this season ranked in ninth place out of 10 teams in its conference, the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC), Kings College finished its last season in 2019-2021 with an overall record of 3-21-1 and 2-15-1-1 in the UCHC.
 
Holding an overall record of 3-0 over the Monarchs, the Golden Eagles came away with a 5-4 OT win over King's in its last matchup in 2020. In the game, Mitchell Parsons recorded two goals for the Green and Gold. Corey Tam picked up a pair of assists with his second one coming off an assist from Ryan Romeo as well to help score the OT game winning goal.
 
Returning for King's College from that season will be the teams second highest points leader and team leader in assists Michael DiSchiavi. DiSciavi recorded 10 assists with four goals and ranked second in team points. As the only returning goalie from the '19-'20 seasons, Brandon Daigle made 11 starts for the Monarchs finishing with a record of 2-9. He allowed a total of 55 goals and recorded 445 saves while allowing 19 power play goals.
 
Looking at Neumann University, the Golden Eagle's ice hockey program holds an overall record of 10-1 over the Knights as the Green and Gold are currently on a six game winning streak. In its last game against the Knights in '19-'20, Trevor Pray and Ryan Romeo each recorded a goal in the teams 5-4 victory. Rallying back from a 4-2 deficit with seven minutes remaining in the game, Mitchell Parsons, and Jake Colosanti each recorded an assist a piece in the game to help edge Brockport over the Knights.
 
Austin Boyle is the Knights best returning player this season from the 2020-2021 season as the Knights managed to play a shortened season the consisted of eight games. Boyle finished tied for third in most points that season with a total of four points. He was tied for first in goals on the team with three and tallied one assist on the year. Returning in net for the Knights, Kyle Pantelone finished the 2020-2021 season as the teams most experienced goalie as he recorded a 1-3-2 overall record in six starts. He made 205 saves on 220 shots faced allowing a total of 15 goals.
 
Following its season opening weekend, the Golden Eagle's will host their home opener on Saturday, November 6th at 7 p.m. in the Tuttle North Ice Arena against SUNYAC opponent Morrisville State College

Athletic Department's season preview

With fall sports championships on the horizon, the start of hockey season is near. Coming off a year hiatus of action from the 2020-2021 season, the 2019-2020 season saw the Brockport Ice hockey team qualify for the SUNYAC Tournament with an overall record of (15-9-1) and conference record of (8-6-1). In the final game of the season, that years team battled it out with Plattsburgh in the first round of the SUNYAC Championship, but fell in heartbreaking fashion by a score of 3-2 in double overtime. Brockport's 2019-2020 season was a historic one for the program as it's seven consecutive game win streak broke the programs record for consecutive wins in a single season. The Green and Gold will begin this years journey with a pair of exhibition contest against Hobart, the first being held on Brockport's home ice at the Tuttle North Ice Arena on Friday, October 22nd with puck drop set for 7 pm. The second echibition game will be held at Hobart on Saturday Oct. 23rd at 4 pm.
 
Head Coach Brian Dickinson will return for his 25th season with the Golden Eagles. Over the past 10 years, Dickinson has led his team to six appearances in the SUNYAC Tournament and an overall record of 41-32-4 since the 2017 season. From its last season, Dickinson will return 14 players with 15 incoming student athletes joining the program over the past two years. Dickinson will be joined by Assistant Coach Brian Fedele. This will be be Fedele's first season with the program
 
Dickinson has named senior Corey Tam and graduate student Ryan Romeo as this years team's captains. Over his time at Brockport as a defenseman, Tam has recorded three goals, all off power plays, while picking up 12 assists and a plus/minus of +5. Last Season, Romeo was voted as part of the SUNYAC Conference First Team, scoring 10 goals and 16 assists. Since the beginning of his career at Brockport in 2017, Romeo has accumulated a total of 16 goals and 32 assists for 58 total career points.
 
Returning from last season, Casey Winn and Romeo return to the team as the duo are pursuing their master's degrees as graduate students. Corey Tam, Mitchell Parsons, Robert Flannery, Trevor Pray and Jake Colosanti all come back as the teams' seniors. The junior class will be made up of Aidan Curry, Logan Warner, Zach Norby, Kevin Mainello Scott Ramaekers, AJ Przystawski and Anthony Hora. Transferring into the program, forward senior Sam Dibitetto joins the Golden Eagles from Norwich University along with senior Nolan Egbert transferring from UMASS Boston.
 
15 skaters will see their first action as Golden Eagles this season. Joining the program last year as incoming students, Andrew Harley, Jake Mendeszoon, Tyler Knicley, Michael Meredith, Connor Galloway, Tim Cronin, Cam Barbagallo and Dylan Wiemer makeup the sophomore class. In their first year of college, Tyler Rossi, Chris Aarons, Jacob King, Jacob Rodrigue and Jordan Rosenbaum round out the 2021-2022 Brockport ice hockey team.
 
Jake Colosanti and Ryan Romeo rejoin the program as the Golden Eagles top goal scorers from the '19-'20 season. Colosanti and Romeo both shared 10 goals while Romeo's 16 assists made him the team's leader in points with 26.
 
Looking at this year's goalie's, Aidan Curry is the only returning goalkeeper from two years ago. Appearing in a total of four games, having started two, Curry managed to make 47 total saves and record a 2-0 record. Senior Transfer Nolan Egbert comes from UMASS Boston where in seven appearances managed a 3-2-1 record recording 129 saves in that time span. As the third goalie in the mix, sophomore Dylan Wiemer comes from the East Coast Wizards of the EHL. Over the span of his time with the Wizards, Wiemer accumulated 13 wins and 12 losses making 719 saves.
 
Breaking down the team's schedule, the Golden Eagles will play in 25 regular season games made up of 16 conference and nine non-conference matchups., Following its pair of exhibition contests against Hobart, the men will travel to King's College and Neuman University in Pennsylvania on October 29th and 30th to begin regular season play. Following its road trip, the Golden Eagles will then host four consecutive home SUNYAC games. The highlight of this home stand will take place on Friday, November 12th against SUNY Potsdam when the team will hold senior night. After its home stand, the team will travel to Cortland prior to its trip at Skidmore for the Thanksgiving Invitational. The final home game for Brockport before winter break will see the Golden Eagles take on Elmira on December 7th at 7pm.
 
The Team will then return to play on January 7th and 8th at home against Lebanon Valley for a 7pm puck drop followed by Stevenson the following day at 4 pm. On Wednesday, January 19th the team then travels to Morrisville for a SUNYAC matchup before splitting a home and away contest with SUNY Canton on January 21st and 22nd. After SUNY Canton, Bport will play a stretch of seven conference games to finish out the season. The home events for this home stand will all take place at 7 pm on February 5th vs Cortland, February 11th vs Buffalo State and February 19th vs Geneseo to finish off the regular season schedule.­­ In the Preseason Poll for the SUNYAC, Brockport ranked at #5 in the middle of the conference which is made up of nine teams.
 
The SUNYAC Championships will consist of the top six teams in the conference with the #1 and #2 teams receiving a bye in the first round. The first round will matchup the #3 vs #6 team and the #4 vs #5 team. The semifinals will then take place on Saturday, February 26th with the #1 seed facing the remaining lowest seeded team and the #2 team facing the second lowest ranked team. The winners of those games will then faceoff on Saturday, March 5th for the SUNYAC Championship.
 
Brockport's first home contest will take place on Saturday, November 6th at 7 pm. In the Tuttle North Ice Arena against SUNYAC opponent Morrisville.

Brockport fifth in SUNYAC poll

The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) has released its 2021-22 men's ice hockey preseason poll as voted on by the conference coaches. Geneseo, the 2020 SUNYAC champion, sits at the top of the poll while Oswego was voted No. 2 and Plattsburgh No. 3.

The 2021-22 season will kick off with non-conference games on October 29. Conference competition will begin on November 3. The first round of the SUNYAC men's ice hockey championship is set for February 23.

2021-22 SUNYAC Ice Hockey Preseason Poll

1. Geneseo

2. Oswego

3. Plattsburgh

4. Buffalo State

5. Brockport

6. Cortland

7. Potsdam

8. Fredonia

9. Morrisville

The season is fast approaching!

 

It's always nice to see alumni doing well

 

2021-2022 Golden Eagles Roster

 

2021-2022 schedule

The schedule has been released for the 2021-2022 season. The Golden Eagles will host 12 regular season home games, 1 exhibition game, and, hopefully, one or more playoff games. 

After a whole season lost to Covid, late-October can't come soon enough!

 

 

Spectrum News looks at prepping of the rink

This great report by Spectrum News' Rich Healey looks at the love the players put into getting the rink ready for the team, the College, and the community:

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/human-interest/2021/08/27/brockport-hockey-players-help-build-ice--prepare-rink-for-games?cid=undefined_SPECNews1ROC#

AHCA All-American Scholars

The American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) is once again recognizing varsity ice hockey players who compiled exceptional results in the classroom during the 2020-21 season with the announcement of the fifth annual “All-American Scholars."

Due to the effects of Covid-19, the AHCA adopted revised criteria for this year’s honorees. To qualify, a student-athlete must have attained a 3.6 GPA for each semester, regardless of whether the school’s hockey team was able to play this season or not. Normally, a student-athlete is required to participate in a minimum of 40% of a team’s games. The honor is open to any program who is a member of the AHCA.

Brockport's honorees are:

Robert Flannery, Andrew Harley, Jake Mendeszoon, Michael Meredith, Jeremy Solat, Corey Tam, Shane Visnick, Dylan Wiemer, and Tyler Williams.

Gershon to coach Team USA in Maccabiah Games

The Maccabiah Games are an international Jewish and Israeli multi-sport event held quadrennially in Israel. It is the third-largest sporting event in the world, with 10,000 athletes competing. Brockport alumnus Michael Gershon has been named men’s hockey head coach for Team USA’s open team

https://gochathamcougars.com/news/2020/7/16/mens-hockey-gershon-named-head-coach-of-open-team-usa-for-2022-maccabiah-games.aspx

EPSN reports on Robbie Hall's

What does a former hockey player do when he hangs up the skates for good?

ESPN's Emily Kaplan looks at how Golden Eagle alumnus Robbie Hall was recruited by former NHL player Brent Sopel to help sell energy solutions:

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31807010/how-brent-sopel-opening-doors-fellow-former-hockey-players

Golden Eagles are NH Avalanche all-timers

The All-Time Team for the New Hampshire Avalanche has some familiar names. Among the greats are these Golden Eagles:

Chris Aarons

Tim Cronin

Jake Mendeszoon

AJ Przystawski,

Congratulations! 

 

 

Digby named women's coach at Oswego

 

 

Congrats to former Golden Eagle player and assistant coach Mark Digby!

SUNY Oswego's Department of Athletics announced today that Mark Digby has been named head coach of the women's ice hockey program at Oswego State. Digby was the associate head coach for the team during the 2019-20 season and served as interim head coach the past year.

"This is a special day for me and my family" said Digby. "I am very appreciative and honored to be named the second head coach in the modern era of Oswego women's hockey. I love the progress we have made in my two seasons with the program, and I'm excited to see where we can go in the future."

During Digby's initial season with the women's program in 2019-20, the team showed huge improvements, including the most wins (16) the program had seen since 2016. A strong 10-4-4 mark against conference foes helped propel the women's ice hockey team to a conference title game and a Pairwise Ranking of 16th in the country.

The Lakers placed three on the 2019-20 NEWHL All-Conference Teams, including newcomer Megan Teachout taking home Rookie of the Year honors. Senior defenseman Kate Randazzo was named Scholar Athlete of the Year for the conference and went on to be named Oswego State's Woman Scholar Athlete for 2019-20.

"Mark has been an integral member of the Oswego community for more than ten years," said Dr. Mary Toale, acting Vice President for Student Affairs. "His coaching and service to the community is impactful and his commitment to holistic student success is inspirational. We are thrilled to appoint Mark as the women's ice hockey head coach."

Throughout the pandemic, Digby has remained focused on both the needs of his student-athletes and the campus community. He met weekly with players to check in and build relationships, and recruited eight student-athletes for next season. Digby continued the tradition of fostering academic success, with five players making the President's List and five attaining Deans' List; eight players also made the SUNYAC Honor Roll. He programmed guest speakers, leadership seminars and culture-building activities to increase cohesion and retention on the team. Digby chaired the State Employees Federated Appeal Teddy Bear Toss (which collected toys for local children), volunteered for the COVID hotline and testing center, and served as a Quarantine/Isolation Buddy.

Digby was hired as the assistant men's ice hockey coach at Oswego in August of 2010. During his time as the assistant men's ice hockey coach, the team reached six NCAA tournaments, four Frozen Four appearances and competed for the national championship twice.

Prior to Oswego, Digby was an assistant men's ice hockey coach at his alma mater, SUNY Brockport (2006-10) where he earned his B.S. in physical education (2005) and M.S. in Recreation Management (2008).

Academic honor roll

 

The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) released its 2020-21 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll which recognizes student-athletes with a 3.30 or higher cumulative grade point average.

The hockey players who made the list are...

Andrew Harley

Kevin Mainello

Jacob Mendeszoon

Michael Meredith

Trevor Pray

Ryan Romeo

Jeremy Solat

Corey Tam

Dylan Wiemer

Tyler Williams

Congratulations on a job well done!

Tremblay to release the Kraken

 

Longtime Brockport fans will remember Ray Tremblay who played for the Golden Eagles from the 2008-2009 through the 2010-2011 season. He was a big contributor to the playoff seasons of that era and had 7 goals in the magical 2008-2009 season that was a turning point in the program's history.

His successes on the ice would not have been possible were it not for his incredible guts and work ethic. Most men would have given up on hockey following an injury he sustained before college that cracked two bones in his back and had him in bed for 23 hours a day for 3 months following his surgery.

That incredible character translates well into coaching, as he has showed before.

He's getting that chance again as head coach of the newest team in the VIJHL -- the Kraken.

We wish Ray the very best!

https://www.timescolonist.com/sports/move-over-seattle-lake-cowichan-gets-kraken-too-1.24323516

Your captains

 

Alumnus O'Malley becomes head coach at Lake Forest

 

After 7 years as head coach of Lake Forest College men's hockey, Patrick Kelliher is resigning to relocate with his family. He will be replaced by Sean O'Malley, the team's top assistant for the last seven years.

Lake Forest is 87-64-16 overall and 66-47-9 in conference play since Kelliher took over as head coach and O'Malley became his assistant in 2014. The Foresters reached the semifinals of the 2018 and 2019 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Harris Cup Playoffs and qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in 29 years in 2019-20. The team has been nationally ranked on several occasions and listed as high as #6 in the nation during his tenure.

"I look forward to watching Coach O'Malley lead this program to new heights in future years," Kelliher said. "There could not be a better or more deserving person to take over the helm. Sean's tireless efforts over the past seven years have been a huge part of where this program is today."

O'Malley, who has also been the Foresters' head women's golf coach since 2017, came to Lake Forest from the State University of New York at Potsdam, where he served for two seasons as an assistant coach, recruiting coordinator, and academic advisor. He has also been an on-ice instructor at Can/Am Hockey Schools in New York and Ontario and for the Ohio Hockey Project, where he coached Junior A players. In addition, he has also served as an evaluator with USA Hockey Development.

As an athlete O'Malley was a hockey player and golfer at St. Ignatius High School and is a member of the St. Ignatius Hockey Hall of Fame. He also played hockey as a post graduate for Gilmour Academy and the Syracuse Stars of the EJHL. After four years on the team at the College of Brockport, O'Malley pursued a professional career with the Wheeling Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League and various minor league teams.

"While he certainly has big shoes to fill, we are confident Coach O'Malley will do just that," noted Interim Director of Athletics Blake Theisen. "He has been a big part of the program's success since he arrived on campus in 2014 and the team will continue to benefit from his talent, work ethic, and experience as a coach, as well as the continuity he provides during this transition."

"I am extremely humbled and honored to be the next head men's ice hockey coach here at Lake Forest College and remain involved in the campus community," stated O'Malley. "I am eager to get started and thankful to the College's administration for giving me this opportunity."

"It has been a pleasure to work alongside Coach Kelliher the past seven years. His vision and values for this program has created a tremendous culture at the rink and in the classroom. I will always be thankful he brought me to Lake Forest College."

"Moving forward we want to continue the tradition of excellence and hold the same values and standards for our program. I will continue to work diligently to provide our players an opportunity to be successful both on and off the ice."

The transition from Kelliher to O'Malley as head coach will occur on June 1.

Two graduates sticking around

This week, two Brockport hockey players -- Ryan Romeo and Casey Winn -- will be completing their undergraduate studies.

But, they'll be back to work on their masters degrees...and play hockey.

With the 2020-2021 season having been canceled because of Covid, they both have a year of eligibility left.

Congrats, men, on your bachelor degrees!

Good bye and good luck to the seniors

Graduation is always a bittersweet time.

Excitement is in the air, as the graduates have a whole lifetime ahead of them in family, career, and service.

At that same time, there's some sadness, as the seniors look back at the end of their academic careers and, for most of them, the end of their hockey careers.

For this year's graduates, their hockey careers ended prematurely. There wasn't a 2020-2021 season because of Covid protocols. It's unfortunate.

So, we say our "good bye" and wish "good luck" to the four young men who will be leaving Brockport this week, a foursome of student-athletes who played the game the right way and pursued their studies with the same vigor.

We wish them the very best in what the future holds for them and we thank them for the magic and memories they provided as Golden Eagles. There was plenty of that as they were a super-successful crew on the ice. They helped produce two 15-win campaigns which were bested only by 17-win seasons in 1968-1969 and 1987-1988.

The men moving on are...

Ethan and Jeremy Solat: Jeremy joined his brother in the 2018-2019 season and they were a great sibling combo to watch. Ethan amassed 17 goals and 19 assists in his 3 seasons and Jeremy lit the lamp 13 times and assisted on 12 others in his 2 seasons. The Colorado natives were always hustling on the ice and possessed of great energy.

Shane Visnick: He accumulated 5 goals 7 assists in his 3 seasons and was know for being a fantastic defensive forward. The Florida native was a tireless physical force to reckon with, at 6'1" and 220 pounds.

Tyler Williams: Hailing from Rome, NY, he had some quiet numbers (1 goal, 2 assists) which belie his value to the team...he was a defenseman's defenseman who helped keep the SUNYAC's talented forwards at bay. His NCAA success was a testament to his hard work as he had to recover from an injury sustained in the juniors.

Sal Balbi Memorial Hockey Game

Sal Balbi played for Brockport in the late-1990s. In 51 games he tallied 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points while playing clean, disciplined hockey, racking up just 14 penalty minutes.

Sal passed away in February, barely 41 years of age.

Sal was taken by synovial sarcoma, a rare cancer.

To celebrate his life and to bring funding and awareness to this cancer, the Sal Balbi Memorial Hockey Game will be held Saturday, May 1, at Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex.

Here's the report from the Democrat and Chronicle:

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2021/04/13/sal-balbi-hockey-game-aims-raise-awareness-cancer-synovial-sarcoma/7186320002/

Rossi commits to Brockport

 

Tyler Rossi, a defenseman for the Valley Jr Warriors, has committed to SUNY Brockport for the fall of 2021.

The 2000-born native of Amherst, NY recently finished his 3rd and final season in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL). After spending the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons with the Philadelphia Revolution, Rossi made the move to Massachusetts this year, and served as the captain of the Warriors.

"Tyler did a tremendous job for us this season," said Warriors head coach and general manager Ryan McGrath. "He was a fantastic leader and was a huge help to the coaching staff. His journey was so inspiring to witness. Tyler came from one of the lowest parts of his life [broken leg] to achieving his dream in 12 months."

Rossi is part of a three-player class that the EHL will be sending off to Brockport this fall, as his arrival on campus will be accompanied by Chris Aarons of the New Hampshire Avalanche and Jacob Rodrigue of the Boston Jr. Rangers. Overall, Rossi is the 29th player in league history to choose the Brockport hockey program.

It's also worth pointing out that all three future Golden Eagles were named EHL All-Stars back in November.

As McGrath mentioned above, Rossi battled a lot of adversity during his junior hockey career, and he didn't let a major injury slow him down from reaching this lifelong dream of his.