Sean O'Malley has interim tag dropped at Lake Forest

A hearty "Congrats!" to Sean O'Malley:

It was announced this week, following a competitive national search, that O'Malley will have the interim tag removed and continue to direct the Lake Forest men's hockey team.

The Brockport alumnus played four seasons for the Golden Eagles, accumulating a 32-54-86 line highlighted by an 11 goal senior campaign in which he wore the "A".

Here's the press release from Lake Forest:

Lake Forest College Director of Athletics Nicki Pieart announced Monday that, following a competitive national search, Sean O'Malley will have the interim tag removed and continue to direct the Forester men's hockey team.

"For the better part of the past decade, Coach O'Malley has exhibited an incredible level of dedication to the hockey program and to the College," began Pieart. "He understands and embraces the important balance between athletics and academics and prides himself on providing a great student-athlete experience for each of his players. As the interim head coach, he has brought in two impressive recruiting classes and is in the process of adding a third. This past winter in particular, the team had several key victories and gained momentum as the season progressed. I am excited to see the continued growth of the program under his leadership "

"I am extremely honored to continue leading the men's ice hockey program and remain involved in the campus community here at Lake Forest College," commented O'Malley. "I am grateful to Vice President of Athletics and Career Advancement Jackie Slaats and Director of Athletics Nicki Pieart, along with the rest of the search committee, for putting their trust in me to continue the tradition of excellence and uphold the same high standards for our program. Moving forward, I will continue working diligently to create a positive experience for our student-athletes and provide them with opportunities to be successful both on and off the ice."

The Foresters qualified for the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Harris Cup Playoffs in both of O'Malley's seasons as interim head coach. The team improved by six wins overall and earned eight of a possible 12 points against the top two teams in the league standings. Lake Forest is now 105-94-22 overall and 78-64-14 in conference play since O'Malley joined the staff as an assistant in 2014.

During his two years leading the program, O'Malley has coached two different players to All-NCHA honors and two have earned NCHA All-Freshman Team status as well. Seven Lake Forest players have earned a combined nine all-conference awards and Lake Forest has had five NCHA All-Freshman Team selections since 2014. Successful in the classroom as well, the Foresters had 22 NCHA All-Academic Team honorees in 2022-23, matching the league record they set two years earlier.

O'Malley came to Lake Forest from the State University of New York at Potsdam, where he spent two seasons as an assistant coach, recruiting coordinator, and academic advisor. He also served for seven years as an on-ice instructor at Can/Am Hockey Schools in Lake Placid, New York, and Guelph, Ontario.

A graduate of the College at Brockport, O'Malley was a four-year member of the Golden Eagles men's ice hockey team and an assistant captain as a senior. After graduating with a degree in criminal justice, he pursued a professional career with the Wheeling Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League as well as various minor league teams.

Alumnus Borden secures new coaching role in youth hockey

Here's a report about Howie Borden coaching youth hockey. Borden was a blueliner at Brockport from 1999-2000 through 2001-2002, seeing action in 47 games

https://www.brainerddispatch.com/sports/prep/area-boys-hockey-borden-joins-northern-lakes-coaching-staff

Big developments in SUNYAC

Women's ice hockey will become the 21^st sport in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) beginning with the 2023-24 season.

In addition, SUNY Canton will join the SUNYAC as an associate member in the sport of men's ice hockey starting in 2024-25, bringing the total number of programs to 10 in the conference.

The presidents of the SUNYAC approved both measures on Monday, May 8, following recommendations by the conference's directors of athletics.

The SUNYAC will add women's ice hockey by absorbing the Northeast Women's Ice Hockey League which has operated as a single-sport NCAA Division III conference since 2017-18. The league evolved from the former ECAC West conference.

The NEWHL will cease operations on June 30 with the SUNYAC officially taking the reins on July 1.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for the SUNYAC and for our student-athletes to operate under the SUNYAC brand and receive the recognition and services that one of the premier Division III conferences in the NCAA can provide," Tom DiCamillo, commissioner of the SUNYAC, said. DiCamillo organized the NEWHL and served as its commissioner since its inception.

The NEWHL consists of seven SUNY institutions, including five core members of the SUNYAC – Buffalo State, Cortland, Oswego, Plattsburgh and Potsdam. Canton and Morrisville will become associate members of the SUNYAC in the sport of women's ice hockey. The NEWHL conference schedule, which has been approved through 2026-27, will remain as planned as part of the SUNYAC.

Canton will join the SUNYAC in men's ice hockey beginning with the 2024-25 campaign. The conference will grow to 10 teams which will allow for a better scheduling model than the current nine-team format.

The SUNYAC institutions sponsoring men's ice hockey include eight full conference members (Brockport, Buffalo State, Cortland, Fredonia, Geneseo, Oswego, Plattsburgh, Potsdam) and one associate member (Morrisville).

Stylus report about SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year Alex Monteleone

Tyler Sadler of the Brockport Stylus wrote this fine article about Alex Monteleone's hockey career...

Alex Monteleone: defending the ice

Oftentimes there is an association between hockey and Can- ada. Montreal native and senior defenseman Alex Monteleone found his place in hockey culture when he picked up his stick for the first time. Playing since he was two years old, Monteleone did not always have the love for it as he does now.

“Growing up in Canada, hockey is pretty big up there. I grew up playing hockey and hated it at first. I pretty much didn’t touch the ice for like a whole year, and then I eventually got back into it and haven’t stopped since,” Monteleone said.

While it may have taken some time for Monteleone to find his love for playing the game, watching hockey was a different story. Monteleone was able to model his game after players he felt he had a similar stature and build to. This is also how he determined he wanted to play defense.

“I was a bigger kid growing up and I really loved watching Sheldon Souray play,” Monteleone said. “He was a big guy with a heavy shot, and he’s who I grew up watching. So he’s someone who I modeled my game after. Guys like him who were bigger, stronger guys who really took care of their own end and took care of their teammates.”

Because the team did not find the success they had hoped for, Monteleone was surprised when he found out he was named SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year.

“Honestly, it was a huge shock to me. I just wasn’t expecting it. As a team, we didn’t have the year we hoped for. So, I wasn’t expecting to receive that from the coaches,” Monteleone said.

Athletes put their bodies on the line every time they go out and play, and sometimes that risk can lead to an injury. The same is the case for Monteleone who suffered one more devastating than a normal bruise or fracture.

“About six years ago, I was playing at a prep school and I ended up breaking my femur. I didn’t know if I was ever going to play again,” Monteleone said. “The crazy thing about the injury was the rink I broke my femur on was at Norwich University, and that’s the college I ended up attending and playing at for four years. I played for four years on the same ice surface where I got stretchered off and the most traumatic accident in my life happened.”

After his devastating injury at Norwich, attending the same college Monteleone got seriously injured at isn’t something he anticipated.

“Honestly at first it played a role in not wanting to go there,” Monteleone said. But then it played a factor in picking my undergrad which I have from Norwich for athletic training. So
a bunch of people who helped me get back on the ice were those same athletic trainers that were with me day to day. Them helping me get through that two year long process definitely influenced my path of life.”

Being one of the more experienced players on the hockey team, Monteleone has taken a leadership role on the team and is doing his best to share his knowledge with the younger guys.

Even though hockey was never his first passion, Monteleone eventually found his way to his country’s sport and Brockport is thankful that he did.



Source: https://thestylus.org/alex-monteleone-defending-the-ice/

Roach commits to Brockport

East Coast Wizards forward Connor Roach will attend SUNY-Brockport and continue his hockey career with the Golden Eagles. Roach spent the last two seasons as part of the East Coast Eastern Hockey League program.

“I would like to thank my family, coaches, and teammates for all of their support throughout the years,” Roach said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to play college hockey at Brockport, and I cannot wait to get started this fall.”

Roach played a total of 86 games for the Wizards, tied for the seventh-most in program history. The Florida native tallied 81 points in that span, the third-most by any Wizard, and recorded the fourth-most assists in East Coast Wizards history with 50. This past season, Roach averaged over a point per game with 18 goals and 28 assists in just 43 contests.

“Connor has been a huge cog in our offense the past two seasons. After leading the team in scoring his first year, he finished off his junior career in the top 15 in points this year,” Wizards head coach Kory Falite said. “We are excited to see his hard work pay off with his commitment to Brockport, and we’re looking forward to seeing him succeed at the next level.”