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| The 2016-2017 Golden Eagles exceeded expectations |
To outsiders, it looked like the Golden Eagles
hockey program was in a rebuilding stage heading into the 2016-2017 season after
losing the most decorated senior class in the college’s history. At the 2016
graduation ceremonies, the team said “good bye” to a two-time All-American
(Chase Nieuwendyk), Brockport’s only 3-time All-SUNYAC pick (blueliner Chris
Luker) and the College’s first SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year (Chad
Cummings).
As scary as those losses could have
been, players, coaches, and fans of the Golden Eagles knew this year’s model
was in far better shape than others might think. Those who were underclassmen in
2015-2016 had matured dramatically on the ice and they had tasted excellence,
and knew what was needed going into this season.
Last year’s squad went 11-11-4. This
year’s team matched that win total with an 11-14-1 record.
How special was that? It was only the
sixth double digit win total for the program this century.
This is a young team that exceeded the expectations
of outsiders yet met the expectations that they had set for themselves. It made
for an interesting season, one that saw the Golden Eagles head into the
playoffs and entertain fans throughout the year.
Here’s a look at some big performances
and big performers:
The
last weekend of the first semester: Heading into the always
tough North Country road trip, Brockport had a conference record of 2 wins
against 5 losses and looked like they were close to being ousted from the
playoffs before the second semester even began. Then, fortunes changed.
Brockport beat Potsdam 3-2 that Friday. Then, on that Saturday, they did the
unprecedented. They beat Plattsburgh at Plattsburgh for the first time in 44 tries!
That no doubt led to a celebration worldwide amongst Golden Eagle alumni who
had been hoping for the taste of such a victory.
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| Shutting out Plattsburgh granted this young man legend status |
Matt
Schneider: As if the victory at Plattsburgh wasn’t
sweet enough, it was a shutout. That, in itself, catapulted freshman goaltender
Matt Schneider into folk hero status in the hockey program. Like a modern day
Paul Revere or Johnny Appleseed, he’ll always be known as “the guy who shutout
the Cardinals at Plattsburgh.” That wasn’t the only highlight of a nice rookie
campaign that saw him get a .903 save percentage and a 3.02 goals against
average while also securing the “must-wins” that closed out the regular season.
Connor
Hutchins: Schneider wasn’t the only one to have a
standout freshman campaign. At the close of the regular season, Connor Hutchins
was third in the nation in power play goals with 8 (the leader had 10) among
his total 12 goals that were accompanied by 15 assists. He ended up 15th
in the country for points-per-game by a freshman this season. His 12 goals were
the most for a rookie Golden Eagle since the 1996-1997 season – twenty years!
Aidan
Verbeke: Junior captain Aidan Verbeke was also third in the nation in power
play goals. He led a power play unit that was the eighth-most efficient in all
of DIII with a 25.5% success rate. Verbeke had a great 10-13-23 line and led the
team in penalty minutes with 42, which shows the hard, physical edge that he
brings to the ice. He led off the ice as well, bringing a calming, intellectual
and motivational approach to leadership in the locker room and classroom.
Jake Taylor:
Senior Jake Taylor led a team in goals that averaged 3.31 per game, an output
that put the team in 32nd place out of 78. His 14 goals all came
since Thanksgiving and it seemed for a while that he was lighting the lamp
every single game. He was exciting on the ice, because it seemed like he was
either finding space or making space at will. It was a nice capstone to a
collegiate career that saw him bust into SUNYAC with 10 goals as a freshman.
Tim Kielich:
After a monster freshman campaign (12-19-31), Tim Kielich did not suffer a
sophomore slump. While his goal total dropped to 3, he was still a playmaker,
getting 23 helpers on the season and ranking among the national leaders in that
category. Two of his goals came in the decisive last weekend of play when they were
needed most. He was such a threat to make things happen that SUNYAC coaches
voted him into Third Team All-SUNYAC at the close of the season.
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| There was no sophomore slump for #11 |
Dylan
Shapiro & Zac Sikich: These two juniors are linked together, having
come up at the same time and posting similar stats at each stage of the game. How
similar? After 3 seasons together both have averaged exactly .53 points per
game! Shapiro had 9 goals this year, while Sikich had 10. Both had 2 game
winning goals, both had an empty netter. One difference? Sikich had 2
shorthanded goals this year.
Bryan
Carville: The sophomore blueliner who had spent his freshman year at Hobart
was an excellent defensive player. He had 10 points, which are solid for a
defenseman’s defenseman. He led the team in plus/minus with a +5 and he’s
looking like someone who could entertain All-SUNYAC honors next year. He can
really hang with the deep lines we’ve seen out of Oswego, Geneseo, and
Plattsburgh.
Brian
Hurlimann: The junior defenseman had a great year, too, behind the blueline,
seeing a plus/minus of +3. He also surprised with some firepower, sporting a
4-5-9 line besting his career totals of 2-1-3. He’s a physical player who makes
superstar forwards regret entering his territory. Don’t be surprised if he gets
All-SUNYAC looks in his senior year.
The last
weekend of the season: Going into the last weekend of regular season play,
Brockport faced a must-win of two games in order to make the playoffs. They
buried Potsdam that Friday before Plattsburgh came to town. Could Brockport
beat Plattsburgh twice in one season?? They did, in dramatic fashion, 8-4. It
was one of the most exciting weekends of play in memory and it perfectly
encapsulated the fun times that were had this season.
Thank you to the Golden Eagles for a great year….we’re
already looking forward to 2017-2018!
