Opinion: The Atlantic Hockey Association stands at a positive crossroads

On By terpaneseIn AIC, Air Force Academy, Army West Point, Bentley, Ice Hockey, Niagara, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit:Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

While said during a pandemic-marred season, Canisius Head Coach Trevor Large had a point when he said,of Atlantic Hockey “the reality of it is, that the progression of our conference at some point must warrant two teams.. its becoming undeniable that there should be a closer look at having two teams that should be in that tournament.”

While the non conference start for Atlantic Hockey has not been good enough to put themselves into the two at large bid consideration yet , things have been moving up for this conference. This past week alone, Bentley didn’t just “upset” Boston College, they out played them and never trailed. RIT added to its bona fides with a win over defending . ECAC Tournament Champion, St. Lawrence. Canisius themselves came back from three down to earn a tie in Clarkson’s rink tonight.

While it is undeniable that the league has more work to do in its non conference schedule to get two or more teams in the national tournament,it is also true that they are getting closer to that goal. In the categories of near win, just this week we had Army West Point in a one goal game against Wisconsin ( excluding empty net markers) each night. We also had AIC nearly earn the win against the defending champions on Saturday night. While those teams and those reading this will rightly say that more of those almost wins need to be wins, the teams are playing the right way to compete nationally. The best near result this conference had was Mercyhurst’s effort against Minnesota. The Lakers out played a top ten team through the first two periods of their finale and had their opponent have to come back.

That is from a young team that is looking to make noise in Atlantic Hockey this season. The Lakers went on to get 5 of six points in their next weekend, and are trying to build off of the positives they have dealt with recently out of conference.

In summary, is Atlantic Hockey where it needs to be for two bids to happen? No. Is the cap closing between this league and others pretty fast. That is more and more things are happening to bring parity to the game and making two bids a reality? We think the answer to that is yes.

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Northeast Generals Player Profile: Landon Kolnik

On By terpaneseIn NAHL, NE Generals, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

Earlier this season, Bryan Erikson offered a unique background to Landon Kolnik, his third line center. Kolnik plays on Erikson’s energy line featuring Joe Schubert and Kyle Schroder.

Of Kolnik himself Erikson said Hear Erikson’s explanation on what lead to Kolnik coming back after being cut “We self assess a lot. We had a divided scout room about Landon. And I was on the no side. But that night I went back and rewatched some games of camp and I realized that we made a mistake. So instead of ignoring the mistake we decided to try to fix it. I called Landon expecting he would say no. But I was glad he accepted my apology and came back. The boys love Koko! He plays hard and the right way. He has become a player we really rely on.”

On tape Erikson said the following, “ well, he’s an undersized import forward without great speed. But on the tape I realized he was just a very smart hockey player. We loved his grit but sometimes at camp you don’t see the IQ. And he just made so many small plays, area passes, sneaky shot. He just is a very good player.”

Select Profile Answers

What are your goals on and off the ice this year?

Sign (an) NCAA D1 (scholarship)

What is your favorite tv show or movie to watch?

“Tete à Claque”

Who do you look up to most in your life and why?

“My Parents for their numerous sacrifices they did for me.”

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Northeast Generals Player Profile: Viktor Solokhin

On By terpaneseIn NAHL, NE GeneralsLeave a comment

For the NA3HL Northeast Generals, they were able to get the services of a player looking to play the North American Game. 17 year old Viktor Solohkin is a power winger with strong skating skills. He has come into the the NA3HL group and made an immediate impact. In four games, the six foot tall winger has put up four points, and he is earning time on Coach Daryl Locke’s first line. For a Generals team that has yet to lose, and has eyes on a return trip to the Fraser Cup in March, adding Viktor is like bringing talent upon talent to Attleboro.

He is a smooth skater with a keen hockey sense for where to be. In the long term, his shot has potential to be even better than it is, with a decent release already in his arsenal. If the St. Petersburg native can continue to grow under Locke’s and Bryan Erikson’s tutelage, then the sky is the limit for him in North America. He plays like someone who has been there before, and already has a growing following of his work. If he keeps up his torrid start with the Generals, then higher levels of junior hockey, and perhaps Division One College hockey could very well be in his future.

NA3HL General Manager Bryan Erikson had the following to say about one of the newer NA3HL Generals.

“Viktor has come in a little late due to visa issues but he obviously had been putting in work. He has a nice long fluid stride that will only get more powerful as he gets stronger. He is very big for his age and just need to add some muscle. But he knows how to play, where to be on the ice and how to execute Darryl’s game plan. Point wise I think he is a bit ahead of where we thought he was going to be but we are delighted with his quick assimilation to the North American style of hockey we play. I don’t think he has a real cap on his potential yet. He just needs to keep working and he will have a lot of opportunities at the next level of junior hockey.”

Check out the recruiting video Viktor put together to get a better idea of his strengths, and to see why the Generals are so happy for him to finally be in Attleboro.

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Northeast Generals: Week in review

On By terpaneseIn Uncategorized, NAHL, NE GeneralsLeave a comment

Photo Credit :Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

For the NAHL and NA3HL Generals, this week has brought building and sucess.

The NAHL Generals went 1-1 on the week, getting back in the win column on Saturday night with a Brent Keefer overtime winner . The Oklahoma native is on his last year of junior hockey and drawing more interest from Divison one schools each time he plays.

Head Coach Bryan Erikson summed up the weekend well, saying ” Friday was very disappointing. We played a very good 2 periods but the wheels came off the bus in the 3rd and we looked like we just gave up. It was tough. And we had a conversation as a team as to what type of team we are going to be. Saturday we spoke about getting back to pucks in deep, finishing hits and being system responsible. And I thought the kids did an amazing job. We killed off 4 penalties late including 3 minutes of 5 on 3 in the 3rd and then were able to execute a nice play in OT for the win. We need to control ourselves so we don’t have so many highs and lows and work on getting to consistent good hockey.”

NAHL Box Scores

Friday

New Jersey Titans 7 at Northeast Generals 1 – Status: Final
Friday, October 15, 2021 – New England Sports Village

New Jersey 1 1 5 – 7
Northeast 1 0 0 – 1

1st Period-1, New Jersey, Dumas 3 (Bannister), 8:37. 2, Northeast, Friberg 2 (Schubert, Schroeder), 16:25. Penalties-Luik Njt (slashing-minor), 0:31; Zezima Nte (cross checking-minor), 7:39; McGraw Nte (interference-minor), 13:31; Farrell Njt (tripping-minor), 17:00.

2nd Period-3, New Jersey, Willey 3 (Keresztes, Young), 19:57 (PP). Penalties-Calafiore Njt (holding-minor), 1:49; Schubert Nte (holding-minor), 1:49; Keresztes Njt (checking from behind-minor, unsportsmanlike conduct – 10 minute), 3:50; served by McCarthy Nte (too many men-minor), 5:48; Dumas Njt (roughing-minor), 9:11; Farrell Njt (roughing-double minor), 9:11; Marnauzs Nte (roughing-minor), 9:11; Andreychuk Nte (roughing-minor), 10:25; Bannister Njt (cross checking-minor), 14:15; Boczar Nte (head contact-major, unsportsmanlike conduct-ej), 16:29.

3rd Period-4, New Jersey, Ring 1 (Bannister, Mollica), 0:17 (PP). 5, New Jersey, Calafiore 2 (Bannister, Dumas), 4:33. 6, New Jersey, Keresztes 2 (Posma, Dumas), 13:01 (PP). 7, New Jersey, Ring 2 (Mollica, Posma), 15:32. 8, New Jersey, Avezov 7 (Young, Testa-Basi), 15:44. Penalties-Farrell Njt (cross checking-minor), 5:02; Jennersjö Nte (holding-minor), 12:06; McCarthy Nte (slashing-minor), 15:44; Ardagna Nte (interference-minor), 17:38.

Shots on Goal-New Jersey 13-12-21-46. Northeast 11-11-3-25.
Power Play Opportunities-New Jersey 3 / 8; Northeast 0 / 7.
Goalies-New Jersey, Takacs 4-2-1-0 (25 shots-24 saves). Northeast, DeYoung 2-2-0-0 (46 shots-39 saves).
A-223
Referees-AJ Potvin.
Linesmen-Kieran Green, Anthony Tarquinio.

Saturday

New Jersey Titans 2 at Northeast Generals 3 (OT) – Status: Final OT
Saturday, October 16, 2021 – New England Sports Village

New Jersey 0 1 1 0 – 2
Northeast 1 1 0 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Northeast, Scott 5 (Jennersjö, McCarthy), 15:22 (PP). Penalties-McDougall Njt (interference-minor), 10:17; Farrell Njt (tripping-minor), 13:51; Wites Nte (holding-minor), 16:36.

2nd Period-2, New Jersey, Keresztes 3 (Willey, Posma), 9:57 (PP). 3, Northeast, Jennersjö 1 (Woll, Gordon), 14:49. Penalties-Schroeder Nte (boarding-minor), 8:07; Willey Njt (roughing-minor), 17:49; Schroeder Nte (roughing-minor), 17:49; Grable Njt (hooking-minor), 18:48.

3rd Period-4, New Jersey, Calafiore 3 (Bannister, Dumas), 1:50. Penalties-Schroeder Nte (slashing-minor), 6:08; Minnehan Nte (slashing-minor), 6:20; Corcoran Nte (slashing-minor), 14:05; Andreychuk Nte (cross checking-minor), 15:25.

OT Period-5, Northeast, Keefer 6 (Kolnik, Schroeder), 2:07. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-New Jersey 6-14-12-1-33. Northeast 10-12-13-2-37.
Power Play Opportunities-New Jersey 1 / 6; Northeast 1 / 3.
Goalies-New Jersey, Takacs 4-2-1-0 (37 shots-34 saves). Northeast, Baliotti 3-1-0-0 (33 shots-31 saves).
A-270
Referees-AJ Potvin.
Linesmen-David Annecchiarico, Kieran Green.

For the NA3HL team, they came off another sweep of their opponents on the week, having won their last six straight games. The team is consistently near the top or at the top of their division and battling for the Fraser Cup.

Wednesday Box Score

Northeast Generals 4 at Bay State Bobcats 1 – Status: Final
Wednesday, October 13, 2021 – Fitzpatrick Ice Skating Rink

Northeast 1 1 2 – 4
Bay State 1 0 0 – 1

1st Period-1, Northeast, Young 2 (Solokhin, Sinople), 9:07. 2, Bay State, Harwell 1 (Boothe, Anderson), 10:51. Penalties-No Penalties

2nd Period-3, Northeast, Sinople 1 (Solokhin), 17:32 (PP). Penalties-Hess Net (tripping-minor), 5:34; Desmarais Bsb (interference-minor), 7:17; Hess Net (tripping-minor), 10:22; McGrath Bsb (cross checking-major), 14:33; Schirm Bsb (interference-minor), 17:40.

3rd Period-4, Northeast, Lambert 1 (Mulligan, Savoie), 1:14. 5, Northeast, Nuzzolilo 2 (Kennedy, Savoie), 12:31 (SH). Penalties-Savoie Net (high sticking-minor), 2:49; Lemnah Bsb (roughing-minor), 2:51; Schirm Bsb (roughing-minor), 4:56; Lambert Net (cross checking-minor), 11:29; Basarab Bsb (boarding-minor), 15:47; Basarab Bsb (charging-minor), 18:02; Murphy Net (slashing-minor), 18:26.

Shots on Goal-Northeast 19-15-13-47. Bay State 10-11-6-27.
Power Play Opportunities-Northeast 1 / 0; Bay State 0 / 0.
Goalies-Northeast, McCoy 2-0-0-0 (27 shots-26 saves). Bay State, Di Fiore 2-2-0-0 (47 shots-43 saves).
A-192
Referees-Patrick Sharron.
Linesmen-Joshua Berenson, Caley Eaton.

Sunday Box Score

Bay State Bobcats 2 at Northeast Generals 8 – Status: Final
Sunday, October 17, 2021 – New England Sports Village

Bay State 0 2 0 – 2
Northeast 3 1 4 – 8

1st Period-1, Northeast, Hess 4 (Wracker, McNamee), 4:00. 2, Northeast, Felix 2 (Lubin, Gorman), 19:06. 3, Northeast, Kennedy 4 (Murphy, McNamee), 19:42. Penalties-Murphy Net (hooking-minor), 14:54.

2nd Period-4, Bay State, Warren 1 (Basarab, Penning), 2:52. 5, Bay State, Harwell 2 (Boothe, Murray), 7:28. 6, Northeast, Gorman 5 (Mulligan, Felix), 15:17. Penalties-No Penalties

3rd Period-7, Northeast, Gorman 6 (Savoie, Lambert), 8:52. 8, Northeast, Lubin 1 (Frolik, Sinople), 11:37. 9, Northeast, Felix 3 (Lambert, Gorman), 12:11. 10, Northeast, Solokhin 1 (Sinople), 19:22. Penalties-Murray Bsb (roughing-minor), 2:12; Wracker Net (roughing-minor), 2:12; Sinople Net (high sticking-minor), 2:56; Nuzzolilo Net (tripping-minor), 12:40.

Shots on Goal-Bay State 8-17-12-37. Northeast 13-17-23-53.
Power Play Opportunities-Bay State 0 / 3; Northeast 0 / 0.
Goalies-Bay State, Bovey 0-3-0-1 (13 shots-10 saves); Schnopp 1-1-0-0 (40 shots-35 saves). Northeast, Joseph 4-0-0-0 (37 shots-35 saves).
A-100
Referees-Thomas Quick.
Linesmen-Joshua Berenson, Kieran Hurley.

AIC 2, UMASS 4: What comes next?

On By terpaneseIn AIC, Ice Hockey, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

Assistant Head Coach Cory Schneider was, of course not happy with the final score of the series finale between AIC and UMass. The Yellow Jackets were in a 2-2 tie until the final few minutes when Lucas Mercuri found an open spot in the defense and put home the game winner. The Minutemen would add an empty net marker to provide the final tally.

Despite the sweep, Schneider was upbeat about the future of the team saying, “ I felt that we responded well after last night in a tough environment against the defending national champions… there’s a lot we can build on.”

He noted some standouts that did not score but had a lot to contribute. For instance Schneider said “Chris Dodero had a lot of second and third effort in his game and created a lot of chances.”In addition, he was proud of the game and the start to the season sophomore Julius Janhonen had, saying that “he had a really good summer and put in a lot of work on and off the ice, and it showed when he got here at the end of August. He’s gotten stronger on the puck which has allowed him to possess the puck more and use his creativity and vision.”

Kucharski in net responded to giving up four in the first 10 minutes and made some really big saves against a UMass team that got more grade a looks as the game went on than they did in the series

“There’s still a lot of areas for us to clean up… our players have done a really good job of making improvements.. we will continue to improve.” AIC will keep scheduling tough non conference opponents to get better, and to bolster their resumes going forward. Now they prepare for an always physical Atlantic Hockey series against Army West Point.

5-1:10 bad minutes doom AIC against UMass, now what?

On By terpaneseIn AIC, Ice Hockey, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

AIC Head Coach Eric Lang was blunt, saying of his group conceding four goals in the first 10 minutes “ obviously not the start we are looking for.. one of the things we talked about in these non conference games is no self inflicted wounds.. next thing you know you’re a bit into the game and you’re down 1-0.. then 2-0.. and then it feels like the sky is falling.”

After the start, Lang’s group settled down and scored one and gave up one the rest of the way. For some levity, he said he told his players that “every year is its own entity, and we are on page two of a 35 game book.” Lang is all about making changes but is also all about perspective on things. He added if the night where his group only gave up 21 shots in net, if someone told him that his group would do that he said “ I would have signed on that dotted line 55 times.” That is to say, AIC looked a lot better in the second and third period, playing their opponents to a tie over the final 40 minutes, but it was not enough. Expect lineup changes from Lang in the finale tonight. Those changes come from the first period of play. As Lang said of effort plays in the first period last night “ we didn’t check any boxes.” He did single out multiple players who finished strong including rookies Louis Lidner and Evan Stella saying “ those guys don’t play like freshmen defensemen.”

One positive that again showed itself was the response from sophomore Jake Kucharski. The netminder only gave up one goal in the final almost 50 minutes of the remainder of the game. As for going forward , he said on what the team needs to do “ some times it’s just starting on time .. sometime we are waiting for a call to get us going, when you’re playing a good team you can’t do that.”

The staff had faith in Kucharski who battled through a tough night against the defending National Champions, he said of the night and of the staff’s faith in him that “it means a lot, you know it’s not easy after being down 4-0.. I like to play the whole game and get the chance to right the wrongs.”

On his goaltender’s resolve and battle, Lang said that, “I couldn’t be more proud of Kuch”In the second and third periods. “ we turned a negative into a positive. “

Kucharski said it best of the attitude of the team heading into tomorrow “ moral victories are a thing of the past.”

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Army comes close to earning win over Wisconsin: Now what?

On By terpaneseIn Army West Point, Ice Hockey, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit:Ricky Bassman

Last night, the Black Knights were within one shot of leading Wisconsin for the majority of the game. Joey Baez took a nice feed from Marshall Plunkett and walked in to put home his first goal in college hockey and tied things in the second period. From that point on the game between the Black Knights and the Badgers resembled the low scoring, and defensive exhibition we come to expect from teams in the NCAA Tournament. The final score of 4-1 does not reflect the reality of the game which was 2-1 Badgers until they put home the final markers in an empty net to round things out.

The standout last night was Gavin Abric. The Wisconsin native stood on his head throughout the game in a performance remanicient of what Trevin Kozlowski did for Coach Brian Riley’s group the past few years. Abric’s 39 saves kept the team in front of him in the game all night. The second goal he gave up came on a power play where Wisconsin broke down Army’s zone and gave Jack Gorniak too much time and space to put one home in the slot, which he did.

What to watch for

Last night showed how far this team has come since the Providence game. They competed for a full 60 minutes on a nearly Olympic sized sheet of ice against a highly skilled team. As Riley said of the night “we were in position to win the game.” This group had a lot of good going for it last night and has a few things to do in order to change the result of last night.

First , if the Black Knights can win some more faceoffs, that will force Wisconsin to have to defend more than they did last night. When you lose 46 of 69 draws you have to defend a lot , and are often not able to get to your forecheck on a shift. Wisconsin took advantage of that all night to give themselves ample chances.

Second, the Black Knights have to improve in their gaps and possession. Wisconsin drew penalties and scored the game winning goal when they were able to get around the Black Knights. For the result to be different, they have to force the Badgers in to worse areas and be responsible with the puck. If they can minimize cross ice passes and simplify their game then more positive things could happen tonight.

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Army West Point Prepares for Wisconsin: Read More

On By terpaneseIn Army West Point, Ice HockeyLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Mady Salvani-Army Athletics

Army West Point battled back against RIT to earn a tie and shootout win to pickup two Atlantic Hockey points. Now, their hockey team heads to battle the Badgers on Thursday and Friday on the road before their football team takes on the Badgers on Saturday. Heading into this week we took the time to chat with Army Goaltender Gavin Abric, as he is the likely starter for at least the first game of this series.

He is a goaltender that learned from Trevin Kozlowski how to compete at the Division One level, and also one with a lot of superstitions. One of the most enduring superstitions for him is his pregame music. Abric, the former New Jersey Hitmen netminder, listens to about 20 songs on his old blue iPod Shuffle, one so old that it has the scroll button. He was blown away by what West Point had to offer and committed shortly after one of his visits. The Wisconsin native expects to have a large contingent in the Kohl Center for this series, and is looking forward to leading this group against a tough Badgers side.

Associate Head Coach Zach McKelvie had the following to say about the staff’s interest in Abric.

” We recruited Gavin out of New Jersey Hitmen and it was a pretty quick process-we believed he had a ton of potential and loved his character. What drew us to him was his athleticism, competitiveness, and his character…he is a phenomenal person.”

On the Badgers, who are coming off of being on the wrong end of a series sweep by Michigan Tech, McKelvie added that the team is ” well coached, and highly skilled. Their result from last weekend isn’t at all indicative of who they are as a team. They will be ready to play and ready to protect their home ice. We expect to get a highly competitive team, hungry like us for a win.”

For the Black Knights, one of their biggest themes is improving day to day, and game to game. The staff thinks that while the group did leave points on the table last week that they improved from the Providence game, while still adding that more is in this group, and the staff expects more. As McKelvie said, “Our team was far more competitive then week 1 & for most of the weekend we played to our team identity. You can look at the result from the first two weekends and be disappointed but for Coach Riley and our staff it’s about playing better each weekend and we certainly took a big step from week 1…We still haven’t played a complete 60 minute game. This past Friday we played really well for 50 minutes but college hockey is so competitive, often times that’s not enough. So that’s number 1, playing a complete team game for 60 minutes. Number 2 is managing the game….such as taking bad penalties or allowing goals early/late in periods.” The Black Knights need to take the fight to the Badgers early on, lest they risk getting the Kohl Center riled up against them even more and playing from behind against a team filled with NHL talent, even after losing most of their top scoring from a year ago.

Another thing about the staff is knowing what group they have and what they expect from players. Every player in this group can come in or out of the lineup depending on results. The staff felt that Patrick Smyth and Kendrick Frost did not have good games against Providence, and got some other forwards a look on Friday night. No matter as the veteran pair came back to the fourth line and helped set a physical tone throughout the game Saturday. As McKelvie said of the pair ” Smyth and Frost are veteran guys and very good players. They didn’t play near to their abilities in game 1, so taking them out for one and putting them back in allows them to reset and focus. They went in and had a huge impact in the game. We were down 2-0, their line went out half way through the second and had a dominating shift which changed the momentum of the game. Their line was very impactful on the game. Nobody likes coming out of the line up, but Coach Riley knew that taking them out and getting to know get back in would have a big impact on our team.” For the Black Knights to get off to a good start this weekend, this group has to lead the way. Michigan Tech played well against the Badgers in part because they are a physical, and depth heavy team.

For the Black Knights, they need to show their depth, and ability to force their opponent to make mistakes because of the physical game they play. They also need a consistent starting goaltender, an answer to that may come later in the year, but the body of work for all candidates should be more clear after this weekend. Abric gets the next look in net for Brian Riley’s group, and he gets to make his second start in his home state.

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Northeast Generals Player Profile: C.J. Zezima

On By terpaneseIn Ice Hockey, NAHL, NE GeneralsLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

Last year, C.J. Zezima played for the USPHL Charlotte Rush. He went to that team partly because there were less teams and spots available for him at the NAHL level. While there, he took that opportunity of playing a first line role, and turned it into a National Championship at the Premier Level, and earned a spot with the Generals. This year, the skilled forward who wants to model his game after Johnny Gaudreau is playing a big role in all situations for Head Coach Bryan Erikson’s group, and has put up seven points in 11 games. Erikson appreciates Zezima’s skills, and in coaching him has seen in person “how smart he is away from the puck. He is always in a good position and understands where everyone else is as well. In addition his D zone play had been much better than I expected. Strong on the walls and has a good stick. He also has a great shot. It doesn’t always look as good as it is but his release and his accuracy are at the elite level.”

Player Profile

Why did you decide to play hockey
“I went to an ahl game when I was younger and I wanted to try it out and loved it right away”


What is your favorite food and why?
“Steak and mashed potatoes because they go well with each other.”


What is your favorite thing about the Generals?
“The facilities”


Where are you from ?
“Connecticut”
What is your favorite subject and why?
“Science because it’s hands on work”

Tell us about the type of player you are
“Small and skilled with a high iq”

What is your best hockey memory?
“Winning a national championship with the Charlotte Rush”

What are your goals on and off the ice this year?
“To develop as a player and person”

What is your favorite tv show or movie to watch?
“The Office”

Tell us one unique thing about you off the ice
“I like to spend time with family in my free time”

What is your favorite place to go around the rink in Attleboro?
“Chik fil a”


What is your favorite video game or thing to do in your spare time?
“MLB the show”

Who do you look up to most in your life and why?
“My dad because he’s such a hard worker and he’s played baseball professionally”

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Providence 5 AIC 1: Three things

On By terpaneseIn AIC, Ice Hockey, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

The Good

The Yellow Jackets had their chances in this one early on. They were able to score first on a nice setup by Julius Janhonen to Chris Dodero in front of AIC’s net. Early on, up until that goal, AIC was getting more chances and was playing well for playing their first game against a team who is playing its third game of the season. The effort was there last night.

Things to work on

After that point, Head Coach Eric Lang did not have a lot to like. Whether it was questionable goals allowed or poor spacing, AIC gave the Friars a whole state’s worth of time and space throughout the rest of the game. Doing that against a veteran group with similar skills to the national champions in front of the net is a recipe for a bad time. Adding countless trips to the box as makeup penalties for getting beat and not killing those penalties only added to the woes of AIC last night.

Now what

Now, Lang’s group has little time to prepare before facing the Minutemen of UMASS-Amherst. That team is lead by Greg Carvel. He, like Lang values perfection and is a coach always working on building the team and the culture of a group dedicated to being elite on and off the ice. Lang said the Providence team his group just lost to is a more veteran version of Carvel’s group.

For AIC to have more success, they need to win a few of their non conference games , if they want a chance at an out large spot. To do all of that, they have to tighten things up in their own end. They have the skill to compete with anyone in this game, but as the UND game taught them last year, and as the Friars did last nights, their margin for error against this type of team is basically zero.

With that said, if players like Janhonen can keep elevating their games, all options are in play for Lang’s group of elite humans. If they play like they did after going up 1-0 throughout the rest of the game against the Minutemen, well another two evenings of bad time could be in store.

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