ANOTHER GALIANI COMES TO BROCKPORT

There will be a brotherly connection at Brockport next season. The New York Bobcats junior hockey team announed yesterday that Danny Galiani has committed to Brockport. Here's the Bobcats' press release...


The Bobcats are proud to announce that Danny Galiani has committed to the Golden Eagles of Brockport State College for the 2009/2010 season. Danny will be joining his brother and former Bobcat standout, Thomas Galiani, who is coming off a very successful sophomore campaign for the Golden Eagles. Brockport is a member of SUNYAC, which is arguably the strongest Division III Conference in the United States. Danny becomes the fourth player overall from this year’s New York Bobcats to receive a commitment to play collegiate hockey.

Despite having to combat nagging shoulder injuries all year, Danny had a terrific 08/09 season for the National Qualifying Bobcats. In addition to being one of the team’s captains, Danny played a tenacious and physical game night in and night out. His strong 16-19-35 in 50 games and his role as one of the top penalty killing and back checking forwards on the team made him one of the Bobcats’ most valuable two-way players. Danny’s 8 power-play goals were also good enough for 2nd on the team. His overall contributions were an integral part of the Bobcats success this season, which culminated in an appearance in the AJHL Finals and a trip to Marlborough, MA to compete for the Tier III Junior A National Championship.

By way of background, Danny spent his entire youth hockey career with the Long Island Gulls. During most of that career, he was coached by current Bobcats Coach, Eddie Galiani. Danny is most remembered in Gulls lore for being a member of the Gulls 2004 Bantam State Championship team that ultimately competed in the U.S. Nationals in Pittsburgh that year. In addition to also being a part of the Gulls 2002 PeeWee State Finalist, Danny was the Captain of the Gulls Midget Major team during the 05/06 season. He competed in the Empire State Games for Long Island in 2006 and was invited to the NYS Select Camps in 2005 and 2006. Before joining the Bobcats in the 07/08 season Danny was a key contributor and assistant captain on the 06/07 Suffolk PAL Junior B team, which captured the MJHL Regular Season Championship and earned a berth in the National semi-finals. During that season, Danny was the 20th leading scorer in the MJHL and was named the 2nd Star of the game in the MJHL All-Star game.

Danny has always been known for his strong work ethic and outstanding character and has never allowed anything to stand in the way of his continued growth and development as a hockey player. Playing in a big man’s game, he has consistently allowed his heart, willpower, physical play and strong skating ability to dictate his success on and off the ice.

A strong student, Danny hopes to pursue a career in sports medicine or physical therapy. The entire Bobcats and Gulls communities would like to extend their sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Danny and the entire Galiani family and wishes him the very best as he heads to Brockport State College to embark on his academic and college hockey career.

DIII CHAMPIONSHIP ON TV THIS WEEKEND

The DIII Frozen Four is this weekend in Lake Placid. I'll be there!

The championship game, to be held Saturday at 5:00, will be broadcast live on national TV. You can catch the game on CBS College Sports (the former CSTV).

BROCKPORT'S SECOND-BEST DEFENSIVE SEASON

This statistic appeared in yesterday's Rochester Democrat & Chronicle:

The SUNY Brockport hockey team allowed just 90 goals in 27 games this season (3.33 per game). That's the lowest since 1974-75, when the Golden Eagles allowed 68 in 20 games.

GERSHON SKATING WITH THE CHIEFS

Mike Gershon, Brockport's award-winning defenseman, is skating with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL this week.

Coming off a season which saw him take second-team honors in SUNYAC while netting a hat trick amongst his 17 points, Gershon and his physical and electric play will be a great addition to the team if they sign him.

Mike arrived in Johnstown yesterday and is hoping to get into some games this weekend in Elmira. Mike said that this is more of a look for next year. Later in the week he'll provide us an update.

We wish Mike the best of luck. This is a huge opportunity for him.

For those unfamiliar with the levels of pro hockey in the US, wikipedia sums up the ECHL as:

The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada, generally regarded as a tier below the American Hockey League. The ECHL's official website lists the league as "The Premier AA" league of hockey in North America, because most teams serve as feeder teams for American Hockey League teams.

The ECHL, along with the AHL, are the only minor leagues recognized by the collective bargaining agreement between the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association, meaning that any player that is signed to an entry-level NHL contract and is designated for assignment, must report to a club either in the AHL or the ECHL.

STYLUS ARTICLE ABOUT SHERIDAN

From the pages of the Brockport Stylus...

Brockport's own making impact for charity
By: Amanda Seef

With a blue wristband reading "Fear Nothing," Todd Sheridan skates onto the ice, ready to defend the Golden Eagles net. Behind the junior goalie is a cause and a charity worth his time.

As a hockey player in the Canadian junior leagues, Sheridan went in for surgery to remove an infected lymph node from his neck. He came from the surgery as a cancer patient, with a tumor in his neck bearing squamous cell carcinoma, a form of cancer often found on skin or in organs.

Within the next six months, Sheridan had multiple surgeries that removed 72 lymph nodes, with a total of 45 staples and three drains in his neck. There was a 70 percent chance of survival for him, with radiation completing the day after his 21st birthday.

During the period of radiation, Sheridan was sitting in the waiting room of the 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 wears today. Without knowing it, this 8-year-old girl inspired Saves for a Cure, a not-for-profit charity started by Sheridan.

The charity is nearing its third year of operation, looking for final touches before it is an approved cancer charity with the Board of Health. Each dollar will go toward helping children with their battle against cancer. With three key phrases of "determination," "spirit" and "support," Sheridan hopes his organization can bring happiness to young victims.

"It sucks they have cancer, but they're going to go to an experience that is a little more enjoyable," he said of his aim with the donated funds. Sheridan says surviving cancer is about attitude, as well as determination.

"If you're positive, you have a better chance of being OK," he said.

The charity's funds will not go toward research for cancer, however.

"I believe there is no 'magic pill' that will cure cancer," Sheridan said. "People and doctors cure cancer."

Ideally, he hopes the money raised will go toward updating hospitals and their rooms, making a more comfortable atmosphere during the patients' stay. "A child is never to blame for this disease," Sheridan wrote on the Web site, www.Savesforacure.com. "Seeing an innocent child fight for their lives is one of the most courageous and motivating things in the world. Our goal is to help the children and show them, and their families, that there is life after cancer."

So far, the charity is making its way through Brockport. A "Saves for a Cure" weekend was created, Feb. 14 and 15, to raise money for the charity. Each member of the team wore a specially made jersey, bearing the Saves for a Cure logo. Sheridan gives credit to his teammates, who were amidst their senior weekend with games lined up against SUNY Oswego and Cortland. Despite their last regular-season home game, the seniors wore the jerseys to help raise money. Each jersey was auctioned, with all jerseys netting more than $2,500 (Sheridan's own caught the most at $250, with teammate Tim Crowley matching). Donations were also accepted at the door, and all ticket sales were donated to the charity throughout the weekend.

With the assistance of the coaching staff and the team, Saves for a Cure has slowly made ground. Bob Confer, a Brockport alum and hockey enthusiast, has also been helping Sheridan set up the charity - from legal help, the Web site (SavesForACure.com) and to the approval processes.

"Todd's reasons for starting the non-profit [charity] are genuine and real," Confer said. "When he talks about the young cancer victims he wants to help, you can see the emotion in his eyes and you can hear it in his voice. By bringing some joy and comfort to them as they face the toughest days of their lives, Todd is doing something special, something that means a great deal to those kids and their families. Once a potential donor - whether it's an individual or a business - sees how much Todd cares for the children, it's an easy sell for Saves for a Cure. You feel like your money is doing something worthwhile."

As Sheridan enters his fourth and final year at Brockport, and as a member of the Brockport hockey team, he hopes to leave the charity on campus, but also expand it. The charity could expand as far west as California, but also expanding east to New Jersey, Sheridan's home state.

"Wherever I go, I just want to expand it to there," he said.

Nearing the four-year anniversary of his diagnosis, Sheridan remains optimistic. As one of the youngest people to be diagnosed and survive this form cancer and treatment, Sheridan has 95 percent usage of his arm and full-range motion in his neck. He wasn't supposed to be able to move either after the monthly surgeries surrounding the diagnosis.

"There's a certain point where it gets old to keep hearing that," Sheridan said. "I'm stubborn and super competitive. I took [cancer] as a challenge."

Recently, Sheridan was named to the SUNYAC men's ice hockey All-SUNYAC second team. He finished with a 6-3-2 record, with 2.83 GAA in conference play. He also holds the school record for GAA for both 2007-08 and 2006-07, with a 3.22 and 3.51, respectively.

"I wasn't supposed to be here, let alone play hockey," he said. "With determination and support, you lift spirits, and you can overcome obstacles."


Source:

http://www.thestylus.net/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=de4e4e1f-f415-431c-abb8-dec5bb6dbd01

ROAD JERSEYS FOR SALE

Many a fan wants to know how to get their hands on a Brockport jersey.

Now you can!

The old road jerseys are now for sale from the team. They are $75 a piece. If interested in buying one, please e-mail Mark Digby at mdigby@brockport.edu

STYLUS RECAP OF FINALE AND SEASON

Hockey's historic season comes to an end
By: Dale Budzisewski

There was no Disney ending for the Golden Eagle ice hockey team, although the setup to their final game could have been taken from a movie script. Heading into Plattsburgh last Saturday, Brockport had already accomplished more than any other team in school history: The third best record in school history as a division III team, their first home playoff game and first playoff win.

None of that mattered though as the Golden Eagles (14-10-3 overall, 7-7-2 SUNYAC) traveled to the North Country to take on the Plattsburgh Cardinals (23-1-2, 15-0-1) in the conference semifinals.

The game started - as most do in Plattsburgh - with a home goal, this time on the power play. But unlike most opponents, instead of going into a shell, Brockport picked up the energy and came right back. At the halfway point of the opening period, freshman James Cody took a shot SUNYAC MVP Brian Hince couldn't hold on to. Sophomore Ray Tremblay slid by the defense, and knocked the rebound past Hince for the tying goal.

Thirteen seconds after Tremblay scored, he took a tripping penalty to put Brockport down, five on four. With Plattsburgh going back on the power play, the home crowd buzzed with the opportunity for another power play goal. A mishandled puck, mixed in with Plattsburgh going for a change allowed speedy senior Lucas Schott to go in on net all alone. His shot was saved, but another Hince rebound found its way to the stick of Cody, who lifted the puck over Hince for the 2-1 lead.

Plattsburgh dominance picked back up in the second period, scoring three goals, one on the power play and one shorthanded, to take a 4-2 lead into the third. An empty net goal with five minutes remaining put a fork in Brockport, nonetheless who lost, 7-2.

Plattsburgh, the No. 1 team in the nation, will move on to host Oswego, No. 12, in the SUNYAC Championship Saturday at 7 p.m.

For Brockport, they will lose six men to graduation. Captain Dave McNab, assistant captains Tim Crowley and Mike Gershon, Aaron Boyer, Lucas Schott and Rick Stanek.

Looking at next season, goalie Todd Sheridan returns for his senior season. This year, Sheridan shattered his own goals against average posting a 2.59, and also broke the single season save percentage record with a .917.

Their most consistent line down the stretch also returns, as Tremblay and Justin Noble are juniors, and Cody is a freshman.

The three freshmen defenseman, Gregg Amato, Andrew Simmons and Tyler Davis, who played every game this season, will also continue the progress they made this year to help lead a defensive group losing Gershon and Stanek.

This was a team that graduated 12 players and their top three scorers from the 2007-08 squad.

To have overcame that much roster turnover and still make the playoffs was a large sucess. Unfortunately for Brockport, they ran into the best team in the top team in the country.

If coach Brian Dickinson and his staff can put together another solid recruiting class this off-season, there is no reason Brockport won't get back into the playoffs next year.

Source:

http://media.www.thestylus.net/media/storage/paper1380/news/2009/03/04/Sports/Hockeys.Historic.Season.Comes.To.An.End-3657215.shtml

POTENTIAL BROCKPORT RECRUIT IS IN ONTARIO JR HOCKEY PLAYOFFS

This article appears in today's Welland (Ontario) Tribune....

Pirates sniper sets sights on first-round upset

PORT COLBORNE — Right now the Port Colborne Pirates don’t mind if Nicholas Hewko isn’t leading the team in playoff scoring. Fact is, the the junior B hockey club really hasn’t needed his offensive output – something it was fortunate to have during the regular season.

The Hamilton native, who was one of Port Colborne’s big off-season acquisitions, tallied 29 goals in 48 games. So far in the playoffs, Hewko has one goal in two games against the St. Catharines Falcons in the Golden Horseshoe Conference quarter-final series.

And incredibly, without major help from Hewko, the last-place Pirates stole the first two games of the best-of-seven series against the regular-season champions, with Game 3 set for tonight, 7:30, at Jack Gatecliff Arena in St. Catharines.

Leading the way for the Pirates thus far in the opening round of the playoffs has been Michael Tanga, who has two goals in the two games.

The 20-year-old Hewko had a good start to his junior B career. He had three goals in his first two games of the regular season, and his first Golden Horseshoe Conference hat trick came on Dec. 5 against the Niagara Falls Canucks. But his production started to head south as the season progressed. In his last nine regular season games, Hewko only had one goal.

“I had a good run the first 30 games. The last 10 games weren’t that good,” Hewko said recently. That is why his goal in Game 1 against the Falcons was so important to him – it gave him a boost of confidence and reassured him that he still can find the back of the net.

“I was in a slump. It feels nice to get a goal,” he said.

Hewko still has lots to prove. He hopes to receive a U.S. college scholarship for next season, and his play in these playoffs could determine where he’ll end up.

The College at Brockport, home of the Golden Eagles and part of the state university of New York system, has shown interest in the Pirates’ forward. Brockport is where former Port Colborne captain Adam Shoff is playing this season.

Brockport is the only school that so far has contacted him and he was invited to have a look at the school.

“It was a nice campus,” he said of the school which is located just west of Rochester.”

Hewko hasn’t ruled out trying out for Brock University’s varsity hockey team in the fall, but if he had a choice, he’d pick the American school over the one in St. Catharines.

Before he continues to plan his future in academics and hockey, Hewko wants to focus on burying the Falcons.

The Pirates are halfway home. Two more wins and they would pull off a stunning upset over heavily favoured St. Catharines. A strong desire to win is required to achieve such a goal.

“A lot of heart, that’s all we need,” Hewko said.

Port Colborne’s next home game in this series goes Thursday at Westside Arena. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.

Source: http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1458857

HOW MY PREDICTIONS PLAYED OUT

In the season preview I denounced what was the general consensus around the league towards Brockport. Everyone had the team ranked dead last in the conference and they had the Golden Eagles pegged as one of the worst teams in DIII.

I, on the other hand, disagreed with them and thought that the team would be better than advertised.

I was pretty darn close in my assessment.

I predicted that in the regular season they'd go 12-11-2. I was one victory and one tie off: Brockport was 13-9-3.

I also predicted that in regular season SUNYAC play they'd go 6-8-2. Once again, I was one victory off. They were 7-7-2.

To see how I originally thought the season might go, check out the 2008-2009 preview here:

http://brockporthockey.blogspot.com/2008/10/2008-2009-preview-better-than.html

PRESS REPUBLICAN RECAP OF GAME

PLATTSBURGH — Plattsburgh State made its share of mistakes Saturday night. But, Bryan Hince's goaltending and an opportunistic offense more than picked up the slack. The Cardinals scored three unanswered goals in the second and third periods and pulled away to a 7-2 win over Brockport in State University of New York Athletic Conference men's hockey tournament semifinal play at the Stafford Ice Arena.

Top-ranked Plattsburgh State (23-1-2) will host rival Oswego, a 5-1 winner over Geneseo, in Saturday's SUNYAC Tournament championship game at 7 p.m.Dylan Clarke tucked in a rebound at 3:04 of the first period for a power-play goal and a 1-0 Plattsburgh State lead.

But, Ray Tremblay scored on a rebound at 9:59 to tie it for the Golden Eagles and James Cody's short-handed goal, also on a rebound, gave Brockport a 2-1 lead at 11:54.

"We made a lot of mistakes," said Plattsburgh State head coach Bob Emery. "And, they weren't limited to just the first period. They were more obvious in the first period, however, because that's when they scored their two goals."

Hince, meanwhile, came up big a couple of times to keep the Cardinals' deficit at one.

"Hince was equal to the task," Emery said. "He kept an opponent to two goals or under again. If it wasn't for him, Brockport could have had a bigger lead."

Plattsburgh State then got its act together in the first 8:37 of the second period when it rallied for three goals and a 4-2 advantage. Riley Hill scored on a tip-in at 2:44 to tie it and Andrew Willock took a great pass from Hill to tally a short-handed goal to put the Cardinals ahead to stay.

"The short-handed goal took some of the wind out of Brockport's sails," said Emery.

Kyle Kudroch's wrister from just inside the slot then gave the Cardinals a 4-2 lead at 8:37. Plattsburgh State added three more goals in the third, with Kyle Taylor getting it started at 2:06. With under six minutes to go in the game, the Golden Eagles, with the faceoff in the Plattsburgh State end, pulled goaltender Todd Sheridan for an extra attacker. But, the Cardinals foiled that strategy on Vick Schlueter's unassisted goal at 14:41. The Cardinals' final goal came at 16:24 when Ryan Corry tallied off a nice Joey Wilson pass.

"Some of our guys played well tonight and some didn't," Emery said. "Brockport came out with more emotion than we did.We had too many defensive zone breakdowns, but I'm still proud of the guys for bouncing back the way they did after falling behind in the game. I felt we were able to do some good things offensively."

The Cardinals held a 32-31 advantage in shots on goal, with Hince finishing with 29 saves and Sheridan, 25.

Saturday's setback closed out a 14-10-3 overall season for the fourth-seeded Golden Eagles, who enjoyed their best season in team history.

Source:

http://www.pressrepublican.com/0300_sports/local_story_060001806.html?keyword=topstory

BROCKPORT'S SEASON ENDS 7-2 TO PLATTSBURGH

As reported by the Brockport Athletic Department....

Sophomore Ray Tremblay (Peachland, BC) and freshman James Cody (Schwenksville, PA) scored first-period goals for The College at Brockport Hockey team but the Golden Eagles surrendered a 7-2 decision to SUNY Plattsburgh Saturday in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament semi-final game in Plattsburgh. Brockport finishes with a record of 14-10-3 for the most wins in over 20 years and the most since head coach Brian Dickinson took over the program in 1996.

Plattsburgh (23-1-2) scored early in the first period but Brockport answered with Tremblay’s goal at the midpoint of the first period. Two minutes later, Cody picked up a deflection and skated in on a breakaway and gave Brockport a 2-1 lead with a shorthanded goal. The Golden Eagles held a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period.In the second period, Plattsburgh tied the game early in the period and added two more goals before the 10 mark of the period for a 4-2 lead. The Cardinals scored early in the third period for a 5-2 lead, added an empty net goal with five minutes to play and scored their final goal with 3:36 to play in the contest.

Brockport had a 12-6 shots advantage in the third period to even the shots for the game with Plattsburgh holding a 32-31 lead in shots.

Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) made 25 saves for the Golden Eagles.

Box score:

http://www.uscho.com/box/?date=20090228&vis=brockst&home=plattst&gender=m