Category: Ice Hockey

More on what makes Army West Point Goaltender Gavin Abric Wall

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

Photo Credit:Ricky Bassman

Right now, Gavin Abric is having a great start to his starting career for Army West Point. The Heyward, Wisconsin native is the reigning National Goaltender of the month from October. In addition, he was named Atlantic Hockey’s Goaltender of the week for his stellar play in securing the Black Knights four of six points on the weekend against Niagara. Hear more from Associate Head Coach Zach McKelvie on how the team went to the New Jersey Hitmen to find Gavin, why they went there, and more about the support of Army Hockey that Abric has now. Note that Gav is his nickname on the team.

How many offers did Gav have?

“I’m not sure, we weren’t really concerned who he was being recruited by. At the time we felt like he had a tremendous amount of potential and really like him as a person so we went after him.”

What was his biggest contribution to your 20-21 group?

“He has a relentless work ethic, a great attitude, genuinely loves hockey, and most importantly a great teammate and person. He is such a positive influence on everyone and brings out the best in people.”

What is the goaltending coaching infrastructure around him at West Point ?

“Bobby Leiser is our goalie coach and he does a tremendous job developing our goalies. He does video and on ice work with them every week, so all three of the guys are getting position specific attention each week. Bobby has a really good feel for the game and what a goalie’s role is on the team and he’s able to communicate it in a way that everyone in the organization understands. The three goalies and Bobby have a great relationships. We have been extremely fortunate to have great coaching for this position throughout the years which has helped produce some great goalies here at Army.”

Who on the Hitmen do you credit most for helping him earn your offer ?

“The Hitmen have a great staff. Toby Harris and Jim Hunt have created one of the best junior organizations in all of North America, everything they do is first class and professionally done with development of their players as the priority for everything the do. The numbers speak for themselves when you talk about the Hitmen and their ability to develop players. So we give those two a ton of credit for continuing to produce great players but also knowing what our program is all about and who would fit us best.”

Which goalie that you played against at any level does he remind you of?

“I never played against this guy but Gavin reminds me most of Parker Gahagen.”

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

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Northeast Generals Player Profile: Paul Minnehan

On By terpaneseIn Ice Hockey, NAHL, NE Generals, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

If you look at the leaders of the Northeast Generals, one player immediately stands out. He is the one at the center of the action often in top line minutes for Head Coach Bryan Erikson’s group. This forward has a nose for the net, and makes those around him better. He is also one of the key pickups General Manager Matt Dibble made last year that is still paying a big dividend for this group now.

Paul Minnehan, Arizona State commit, is that player. In five less games with the Generals this year compared to last, he has already doubled his goals output ( 10 to 5 from a year ago) and has helped this group stay in the playoff race early on as well. He models his game after Trevor Zegras. Both are small forwards with big offensive ability and who can defend as well.

Here is what Erikson likes about him “ Minnehan is a great player. A top 5 player in the entire league. Matt Dibble made a great trade to bring him in last year and Paul is this tall lanky player that is starting to fill out. He never shies away from contact and has worked to improve his ability with the puck in traffic. And he can score. He shoots the puck a lot and it is a very accurate shot. But the best part about Paul’s game on the ice is his ability to play a full 200 feet. He plays PP, PK, 5 on 3, big D zone faceoffs, big D zone possessions. I trust him in all situations. And credit to Paul for buying in to what we are doing and the development plan. Off the ice he is just a great kid. Has a bit of fire in him which I love, but he loves the game and being at the rink. Not a lot of 03’s wearing a letter so I think that shows a lot about what I think of him as a person on and off the ice. The boys respect him. They respect his game but they respect his voice which is very important for a team with only 4 2001’s.”

Player profile answers

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

“My parents because they have always pushed me to be my best.”

What is your favorite video game or thing to do in your spare time?

“Call of duty”

Tell us about the type of player you are

“Playmaker, always look for the open guy for them to shoot”

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

A Perfect Northeast Generals Week in Review

On By terpaneseIn NAHL, NE GeneralsLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

For the first time in a while, the NAHL and NA3HL teams each won two games on the weekend. For the NAHL group, it was four points keeping them in the heart of a playoff battle in a tense east division. For the NA3HL group it was four more points to remain perfect on the season and further cement their hold on the division.

NAHL Week in Review

On their series opener, Erikson was quite pleased with his team’s 5-2 win over the Jamestown Rebels. He said “ I thought Friday was as close as we have come to playing a full 60 minutes. Still a lot to clean up but it was a great start to get back to being hard to play against. We forechecked well, we had good goaltending, our big guys stepped up and we had opportunistic goal scoring. It was a great start to the weekend.”

For the Saturday game, where the Generals earned a 3-2 overtime win, Erikson added “Yesterday I thought we played ok. But I also thought we played well in areas that we haven’t had a ton of success in which is when we trail in games. We did a good job battling back. Our PK was excellent. We gave up 1 PP goal but they had a 5 minute Power Play, and then we took back to back minors in the 3rd so it was essentially a 4 minute Power Play. And I thought we did a great job. And Brent Keefer did what he has done a few times this year and scored his 3rd GWG. It was a great play by Minnehan to get him the puck with full speed and Brent made a great individual effort to get us the 2 points. But it’s a quick turnaround as we are in Maine for games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Really need to dial it in tomorrow at practice and be ready to play a very good Maine team in a tough building.”

NA3HL Team

Head Coach Daryl Locke took the time to talk about his team getting four points in two wins against New Jersey.

He said “ I thought Saturday’s game the team came out with a lot of energy. I could sense during the warmup they were ready and focused. Payton Felix had his wheels going from the drop of the puck. His line with Sean Gorman and Cody Lambert had New Jersey on their heels all night with their forecheck. Nolan Murphy busted out with a hat trick, which was nice to see. When Nolan is going strong to the net he’s almost impossible to stop. His line with Braeden Kennedy and Matt Nuzzolilo move the puck really well together. Caiden Hess had another excellent game along with his line of Tyler Ramm and our captain Nick Wracker. The defense kept it simple and made some great outlet passes to our forwards in stride. I think when they play that way and not do too much, we’re able to use our speed to our advantage. Another shutout for Mason Joseph. He and D’Mar McCoy together give us a chance every night with their stellar play. I couldn’t be happier for Mason as he’s been battling a groin strain all week. He answered the bell in a big way for us.

Coming into Sunday’s game I was expecting a let down of sorts. I wasn’t expecting them to carry over the same enthusiasm they had the game before. As the warmup started I could sense the team was focused. They kept up their energy at the drop of the puck and forechecked relentlessly. All four lines had it going, which is the depth I was looking for from the start of the season. It makes my life easier when I can roll all four lines and wear down the opponent. The defense was solid again as they moved pucks up and got into the play. Kudos to that group as they played well in both games. Owen McNamee, Austin Crisp, Eddie Mulligan, Tommy Lubin, Cedric Savoie, and Joey McCreadie made our goalies life easy. D’Mar McCoy with another shutout and solid performance. Overall, a big four points in the standings with one game to go before the break.”

NAHL Box Scores

Jamestown Rebels 2 at Northeast Generals 5 – Status: Final
Friday, November 19, 2021 – New England Sports Village

Jamestown 0 2 0 – 2
Northeast 1 2 2 – 5

1st Period-1, Northeast, Keefer 11 (Andreychuk, Schroeder), 0:35. Penalties-Lafay Jmt (boarding-minor), 3:27; Bazin Jmt (checking from behind-minor), 15:58.

2nd Period-2, Jamestown, MacDonald 1 (Vaarwerk), 3:44. 3, Jamestown, Kivela Carlzon 2 (West), 4:21. 4, Northeast, DesRochers 1 (Minnehan, Scott), 4:45. 5, Northeast, Andreychuk 8 (Wites, Keefer), 13:30. Penalties-No Penalties

3rd Period-6, Northeast, Schubert 3 (McCarthy, Corcoran), 16:44. 7, Northeast, Andreychuk 9 (Schroeder, Friberg), 19:15 (EN). Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Jamestown 10-12-0-22. Northeast 9-12-14-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Jamestown 0 / 0; Northeast 0 / 2.
Goalies-Jamestown, Howe 2-1-0-0 (34 shots-30 saves). Northeast, DeYoung 7-4-0-0 (22 shots-20 saves).
A-201
Referees-C. Harrington.
Linesmen-Ben Eisenhunt, Cam Goebert.

Jamestown Rebels 2 at Northeast Generals 3 (OT) – Status: Final OT
Saturday, November 20, 2021 – New England Sports Village

Jamestown 1 1 0 0 – 2
Northeast 0 2 0 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Jamestown, Casper 1 (West, Szretter), 12:29. Penalties-No Penalties

2nd Period-2, Northeast, Gordon 7 (Scott, DesRochers), 0:50. 3, Jamestown, Lundy 10 (Kivela Carlzon, Szretter), 6:49 (PP). 4, Northeast, Minnehan 10 (Scott, McCarthy), 13:45. Penalties-Kolnik Nte (head contact-major, head contact-gm), 3:26; MacDonald Jmt (cross checking-minor), 3:47; Ardagna Nte (slashing-minor), 4:43; Hamstad Jmt (tripping-minor), 17:54.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Tolan Nte (hooking-minor), 2:46; Wites Nte (high sticking-minor), 5:04; West Jmt (tripping-minor), 8:37; Boczar Nte (high sticking-minor), 10:14; DesRochers Nte (slashing-minor), 15:06.

OT Period-5, Northeast, Keefer 12 (Minnehan, Andreychuk), 4:03. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Jamestown 11-11-10-2-34. Northeast 9-13-12-3-37.
Power Play Opportunities-Jamestown 1 / 6; Northeast 0 / 2.
Goalies-Jamestown, Suggs 6-4-1-1 (37 shots-34 saves). Northeast, DeYoung 7-4-0-0 (34 shots-32 saves).
A-325
Referees-C. Harrington.
Linesmen-Ben Eisenhunt, Cam Goebert.

NA3HL Box Scores

Northeast Generals 8 at New Jersey Titans 0 – Status: Final
Saturday, November 20, 2021 – Middletown Ice World Arena

Northeast 3 3 2 – 8
New Jersey 0 0 0 – 0

1st Period-1, Northeast, Murphy 7 (Nuzzolilo, Savoie), 11:36. 2, Northeast, Felix 8 (Gorman), 12:58. 3, Northeast, Kennedy 6 (Murphy, McNamee), 19:42. Penalties-Ramm Net (tripping-minor), 0:36; Dickinson Njt (hooking-minor), 1:03; Sinople Net (head contact-minor), 3:52; McKinney Njt (roughing-minor), 7:44.

2nd Period-4, Northeast, Murphy 8 (Kennedy), 2:14. 5, Northeast, Savoie 1 (Gorman), 4:13. 6, Northeast, McNamee 3 (Ramm, Hess), 13:53 (PP). Penalties-McKinney Njt (roughing-minor), 7:15; Gorman Net (checking from behind-minor), 10:37; Lupo Njt (slashing-minor), 12:18; Cook Njt (slashing-minor), 16:28; Lambert Net (roughing-minor), 16:33; Renbarger Njt (tripping-minor), 16:56.

3rd Period-7, Northeast, Ramm 6   14:23. 8, Northeast, Murphy 9 (Mulligan), 19:48 (PP). Penalties-Lambert Net (roughing-minor), 0:09; Crisp Net (slashing-minor), 1:12; Kennedy Net (tripping-minor), 2:51; Dickinson Njt (slashing-minor), 3:09; Renbarger Njt (slashing-minor), 3:32; Hess Net (roughing-minor), 15:32; Cook Njt (roughing-minor, unsportsmanlike conduct-minor, unsportsmanlike conduct-10 minute misconduct), 15:32; Kenna Njt (tripping-minor), 19:48.

Shots on Goal-Northeast 31-31-30-92. New Jersey 8-3-3-14.
Power Play Opportunities-Northeast 2 / 10; New Jersey 0 / 7.
Goalies-Northeast, Joseph 8-0-0-0 (14 shots-14 saves). New Jersey, Alfama 3-6-0-0 (60 shots-54 saves); Freitas 3-2-0-0 (32 shots-30 saves).
A-19
Referees-Kevin Kurzwell.
Linesmen-Grantas Mozuraitis, Kevin Rasimowicz.

Northeast Generals 7 at New Jersey Titans 0 – Status: Final
Sunday, November 21, 2021 – Middletown Ice World Arena

Northeast 2 3 2 – 7
New Jersey 0 0 0 – 0

1st Period-1, Northeast, Hess 7 (Ramm, McNamee), 11:17. 2, Northeast, Murphy 10 (McNamee, Crisp), 16:08. Penalties-McKinney Njt (interference-minor), 5:57; Murphy Net (checking from behind-minor), 19:12; Dickinson Njt (cross checking-minor), 20:00.

2nd Period-3, Northeast, Nuzzolilo 6 (McNamee), 0:29. 4, Northeast, Kennedy 7 (Nuzzolilo, Murphy), 10:58. 5, Northeast, Felix 9   11:19. Penalties-Hess Net (slashing-minor), 1:28.

3rd Period-6, Northeast, Hess 8 (McNamee, Crisp), 9:09 (PP). 7, Northeast, Felix 10 (Gorman, Crisp), 15:30 (SH). Penalties-McKinney Njt (high sticking-minor), 3:55; Lupo Njt (tripping-minor), 8:38; Lambert Net (elbowing-minor), 15:10; Crisp Net (cross checking-minor), 18:01.

Shots on Goal-Northeast 35-17-32-84. New Jersey 4-7-4-15.
Power Play Opportunities-Northeast 1 / 4; New Jersey 0 / 4.
Goalies-Northeast, McCoy 7-0-0-0 (15 shots-15 saves). New Jersey, Freitas 3-2-0-0 (52 shots-47 saves); Alfama 3-6-0-0 (32 shots-30 saves).
A-44
Referees-Christian Clark.
Linesmen-Kevin Rasimowicz, Brian Petrozziello.

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

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Army West Point Battles for a four point weekend with 4-1 win over Niagara: Read More

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

Photo Credit: Mady Salvani- Army West Point

Tonight, Army West Point’s Hockey team lead from the front for most of the evening. The group went ahead on a John Kerranen power play goal , and followed that up with a Ricky Lyle tip home to make things 2-0. The Purple Eagles of Niagara played a better game than they did a night ago. They forced Gavin Abric to have to make 40 saves. The third period featured a bar down rocket goal from Colin Bilek and an empty netter from Anthony Firriolo to provide the final margin. The only Purple Eagles goal came on a wrap around that went off another Black Knights and past Abric in the second period.

There were a lot of things that went into this one. Hear from Associate Head Coach Zach McKelvie on some key questions with his answers after this one. The Black Knights have to now get ready to face a Bentley team that is one of the faster teams in Atlantic Hockey, and a team with big non conference wins on their ledger, including wins over Ohio State and Boston College.

How much has Ricky Lyle improved from plebe to sophomore year , and how has he improved?

“Ricky has made a big jump, the game is slowing down for him and he is creating scoring chances every night. He has been huge on the kill. He brings so much energy and consistency every game.”

What did you see out of Sacco and Bohlin tonight ?

“Both Josh and Michael managed the game well. It’s hard to play in the spot they are in with ice time so sporadic but both did a good job of playing simple/smart hockey.”

Talk about how big the pair of Smyth and Frost have been for you guys this weekend.

“Smythy has been really solid recently, he is a stabilizing presence and very reliable defensively. Frosty has an elite shot and is gaining confidence each game, he will continue to grow as he plays more. Those guys are great together when they use their size to pressure the opposing defense.”

What are you most proud of your team for in their play today?

“We were resilient tonight. We really didn’t have a great game and made some decisions that gave Niagara opportunity to keep it close. But when you can weather their push and grind it out on the road it shows a lot of resiliency.”

How was Gavin able to keep you guys in it in the second when they had their best push of the night?

He is steady…very even keel demeanor which gives everyone confidence. He has the confidence to keep teams at bay which is what he did in the second.”

Do you think Anthony Firriolo is having a coming out party similar to what Colin did as a junior last year?

“Yes…he put in so much work this summer and it’s paying off. Coach Riley kept saying back in August, Ant if going to have a big year and so far he is.”

As systems driven as you guys are, how in general do you prepare for a run and gun team like Bentley?

“Bentley is well coached and very skilled, they will be one of the toughest challenges to date of this season. They compete hard and to beat them you have to bring you A game. Number one thing in this league to prepare to win is to make sure your compete level is high and then go from there, so that’s where we will start this week.”

Who were some other standouts for you guys tonight?

“Johnny K was great this weekend. Our PP had a good weekend because he was winning every draw. Our PK was good this weekend because he was great positionally and on draws…he was definitely a difference maker this weekend.”

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Army West Point learns from past to salvage a point against Niagara

On By terpaneseIn Army West Point, Basketball, Ice HockeyLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Mady Salvani-Army West Point Athletics

Tonight, despite wildly out shooting the Purple Eagles of Niagara, the Black Knight of Army West Point found their consistency in the third period and worked together to earn a point in a shootout loss to the Purple Eagles.

As Army West Point Head Coach Brian Riley said, “When you’re down 3-2 with under a minute to go and pull your goalie to tie it I say that’s a good tie.” The coaching staff waited to pull Gavin Abric, only because and felt that because their power play was doing well , and to give the Purple Eagles less free looks at an empty net. With almost half a minute left in regulation, Eric Butte found the equalizer. Butte’s line, and the forwards had good games throughout, and generated a lot of chances.

On his team Riley said that “I think we took a step tonight” Riley likes the direction his team is going on. The group playing tomorrow may have a little more speed to their games, but Riley isn’t sure how much line juggling, if any, will take place.

Riley also had thoughts on 3 on 3 overtime “to have games decided 3 on three … I just think it’s a gimmick.” “ I think it’s awful.” For the college game Riley would like a return to five on five overtime. To actually loose games at the three on three level, according to Riley, is less than ideal.

On the night , Riley praised Eric Butte, Colin Bilek’s line, and Gavin Abric for their efforts. All of them pressed the fight and kept the Black Knights within striking distance, Riley’s group was down two and kept battling. While they got a point, they are hungry for more . Riley said “ I’m definitely proud of them.” As he told AIC Head Coach Eric Lang “if you can have weekends where you get four out of six points you’ll be fine.” The team can earn three more points tomorrow afternoon. 

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 link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

AIC fights hard, earns a single point in 2-1 OT Loss

On By terpaneseIn AIC, Ice HockeyLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Matthew Wiernasz

Today, despite an even battle with the Bentley Falcons, where a Brett Callahan goal tied things up for AIC in the second period, it proved to not be enough. Again , in the three on three extra session AIC was knocked off, this time by the Falcons. On the weekend Head Coach Eric Lang’s group has earned four of six possible points ahead of a key series against Canisius next weekend. Despite giving up one five on five goal in 120 minutes in regulation, Lang’s team only gets four points on the weekend.

Lang was happy with his team, saying “ We played a very strong game. Two teams competing for every inch of the ice. It had a playoff type feel to it.” He praised the continuous “ business like” system his team has played with throughout the year for being on display today. Lang was proud of his group as he and his staff “complimented our team on their compete and effort. I really liked how we played to be honest.”

Lang is believing in the process for the team and has from today “no concerns. Our guys played a good game. So did Bentley. This tricked up 3v3 OT is good for the NHL but bad to decide the outcomes of a shortened college season. This is no slight on Bentley. They deserved the extra point.”

Lang is confident in his team going forward as he said “we have a lot of guys that have won a lot of hockey games the last 3 seasons. I see the same characteristics in our group this year. I’m not wavering off the fact that we are 3-4-5 this season with 4 tricked up gimmick loses.
No slight to Bentley they are a very good team and deservedly earned the extra point tonight.”

Lang wanted to make a point on three on three hockey at the college level as he is not happy with it at all.

He said “this tricked up gimmick 3v3 hockey is a disgrace. Some teams will lose a league title or home ice advantage because of this. It’s summer hockey, pick up league type stuff.Let me know when college football goes to 7v7, or basketball goes to 3v3, or even soccer goes to 6v6 to decide an outcome. It works in the NHL over 82 games. It doesn’t work in a 26 game sample size. It may sound like sour grapes we have lost 4 games in OT this year. I voted against it. We are always trying to find ways to reinvent the greatest game in the world. Sometimes a hard fought tie 1-1 is a great thing. The ice was hard to find. Two teams competing for every inch of the ice, than all of a sudden the game shifts to men’s adult league hockey. It has to big of an outcome. 3-4-5 looks a lot better than 3-8-1.”

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A Stellar Hat Trick spurs AIC to 5-0 win

On By terpaneseIn AIC, Ice Hockey, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelly Shea: AIC Athletics

Coming into this game AIC had shown flashes of brilliance all year against non conference opponents, for a team with seven losses, they have been in all but one of their games, and know how to compete.

Tonight, they put everything together with a resounding 5-0 win. Jake Stella put home three goals, leading the way with the hat trick. This is the first hat trick for AIC since December 6.2019 when Tobias Fladeby put up three against Canisius. Chris Theodore, his linemate put up three assists and helped spur the offense. Jacke Kucharski put up a 33 save shutout and kept things calm the whole way.

On the night Stella said of the hat trick “ it’s always fun to score a lot of goals.. I couldn’t do it without my teammates.” Stella praised Chris Theodore for his distribution “ he’s a great player and an even better human being.” On specialty teams , Stella said of their sucess “ just keep it simple.” The team got two goals on four power play chances and killed all of the power plays faced.

On the night Head Coach Eric Lang said “ we were able to score some goals tonight which we were struggling to do as of late, we felt like we had a little more time and space tonight. Credit Bentley for a good push in the second period.”

On Stellas hat trick “ we say you get what you deserve.” He praised how prepared Jake is for everything he does and how big that preparation was in this hat trick.

On Theodores night “ he’s key for us.. he’s different in terms of anything else we have, there’s a home run hitter.” Theodore produces big results for this group.

Of the grit players who did not score any points he praised Austen Long and Aaron Grounds. Both of them played well and “ have a lot of good habits.”

He added that “they showed up and played like men.” Both impose their physical presence on a game when needed.

Ahead of the series finale Lang said that” I always feel you can’t be complacent after a win.” Lang expects to make some changes heading into the finale tomorrow.

Lang also added something On the relationship between Chris Dodero and Theodore Lang added that Dodero helped improved Theodores overall game and got him to be better. “ it’s the strength of our culture here , at the end of the day that’s one of the things you can be most proud of.”

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 link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Chris Theodore: Part of 35 brothers at AIC

On By terpaneseIn AIC, Ice HockeyLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelly Shea-AIC Athletics

The CCHL is where Beaconsfield, Quebec native Chris Theodore gained confidence against older players. He had to challenge himself against tougher competition and against older players. Throughout his hockey life, he has gotten better at the next level playing against players who are older than him. His speed, and high hockey IQ, combined with improved defense are some of the best things about his game. Theodore did not know much about the college hockey path until he went to a junior hockey showcase with Mike Towns being the first Yellow Jacket to talk to him. The now Associate Head Coach of the program saw him at a CCHL showcase, and got to come to campus and talk with Head Coach Eric Lang . Lang and the coaching staff got him to come to AIC because of the closeness of the team. ” I truly was like this program is going the right way and this is something I want to be a part of.” On the AIC family, ” you really have 35 brothers.” As a leader, Theodore tries to keep things light, and mentors players wherever he can. Chris Theodore and Chris Dodero take rookies under their wing and mentor them and help get them adjusted to college life. As Assistant Coach Cory Schneider says of Theodore ” Chris has an outstanding attitude, cares for his teammates and is always smiling. We call him a dose of vitamin c for our locker room.”

Theodore credits Lang and the staff for helping him improve his defensive skills over his time at AIC. Angling and making the right reads are two of the big things that Theodore has improved in his time at AIC. As of now, Theodore expects to use the extra season to continue to grow his game. On the culture of AIC,” every day in practice you know there’s someone who is gunning for your spot.” Theodore’s uncle, Jose Theodore played the game in the NHL and inspired him to get involved. Growing up, Theodore wore Patrick Kane’s jersey around the house and went so far as to tape his stick like Kane does. He tries to model his game after him as an undersized forward with a nose for the net. Schneider added that Theodore’s best on ice traits are ” Chris’s ability to control the puck at high speed, draw players to him and find an open teammate.” These traits were on display in the Atlantic Hockey Championship against Canisius last year when, as Schneider said, “last year in the Atlantic Hockey Championship, Chris stepped up and scored what proved to be the championship clinching goal in the third period against Canisius. He had to pick the puck up with his feet and kick it to his stick before scoring and was a great example of his high end skill in a pressure moment.”

Off the ice, Theodore is a business major planning on coming back to get his MBA next year as of right now. One day he would like to be an agent or on and off ice trainer kind of similar to Chris Dodero, an early working concept is “Theodero (a working concept).” Theodore has big goals, and knows AIC is a huge part of them. He is thankful for everyone around him, and takes pride in being part of the AIC Family. Chris is a mentor like his friend Dodero, and the long term potential for his career is unlimited. He already has pro teams asking the coaching staff for more info on him, could earn a development camp invite this summer if he continues his strong play from a season ago, and still has this and next year to grow as one of the leading elite humans Eric Lang can count on in the big moments.

As to one thing he wanted to say on AIC’s success and wishing the team got more notice:

” I just want people to start recognizing that we’ve beaten some top-notch programs, we’re probably the only team in the past couple of years that has three conference championships in a row.”

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 link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts.

Northeast Generals Player Profile: Tyler Ramm

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

For the NA3HL group, they have had a lot of stars playing well this year. Undefeated teams need that level of depth and skill to play well.

One of their key contributors is Tyler Ramm.The forward has taken a step forward at the NA3HL level and has played well enough to earn a tender from the NAHL group for next season.

His Head Coach Daryl Locke said of Ramm’s superb play and of what earned him the tender “ I think the main thing for Tyler was getting him back to being the dominant power forward he was at the U16 level a couple of years ago. He dominated in all aspects of the game at that age group. He had long powerful strides, played physical, and had an absolute cannon of a shot. Last year I don’t think was a down year for him at the U18 level ,but he wasn’t as dominant as he wanted to be. Sometimes a player needs time to adjust to playing against older players. Some players adjust quickly on the fly and others take some time. Going into The NAHL Camp I thought he was starting to show flashes of dominance again but just not consistently enough to push himself into a roster spot. Coach Erikson wanted him to come down to the NA3 Team to work on his physical play, and rediscover his powerful skating stride. The last 3 or 4 games he’s been as dominant as I’ve ever seen him. He’s using his size and strength to his advantage and he’s cashing in on his offensive opportunities. Really proud of the way he’s handled himself and gone about his business everyday at the rink. He’s a great kid and extremely coachable. In my opinion it won’t be long before there’s a bidding war for his services at both collegiate levels.”

Player Profile Answers

Why did you decide to play hockey?

“My dad introduced me to competitive street hockey where he used to play and from there I fell in love with the sport and started to skate.”

What is your favorite food and why?

“My favorite food is lobster.”

What is your favorite thing about the Generals?

“How we are held to the highest expectations out of any team in the league and how rinks love when we play there because of how respectful we treat them.”

Where are you from ?

“Westborough, Massachusetts “

What is your favorite subject and why?

“My favorite subject is history because I love learning about why we are who we are and how we got to the place we are now.”

Tell us about the type of player you are

“I am a skilled power forward who can get to the front of the net and find open space to create a quick shot. I am a defensive forward and like to take control in the defensive zone.”

What is your best hockey memory?

“Playing in high school playoffs where I played in front of about 350-400 of my classmates and just thinking how cool I was and it was a great experience to be able to play in front of a crowd like that.”

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

“My on ice goals are to make my shifts more consistent and always make a difference on the ice whether it’s offensively or defensively. I also want to be able to get called up to the NAHL team and prove that I belong there. My off ice goals are to get into the gym 4 times a week and get myself in the best physical shape.”

What is your favorite tv show or movie to watch?

“My favorite show has recently been blacklist and my favorite movie is step brothers”

What is your favorite place to go around the rink in Attleboro?

“I like to go to a few of the restaurants like unos and BJ’s and sometimes chipotle and Jersey Mike’s. That whole area is a big spot for a lot of my teammates and I.”

What is your favorite video game or thing to do in your spare time?

“I like to play NHL 21 with a few buddies and will definitely be playing with some of my new teammates in my spare time.”

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

“I look up to my parents because they are the reason I am here. They have always told me to never worry about the financial side of hockey and to just put in the work and they will take care of money. I look up to my dad specifically because growing up he was in Worcester with not a lot of money and for him to come out of there and start a family teaching me how important family is, is inspiring. I look up to my mom specifically because she’s tough. She wants something she gets it. And she also supports me in everything that I do.”

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 link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts.

Northeast Generals: Week in review

On By terpaneseIn NAHL, NE GeneralsLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turthe Photography

This week, the Northeast Generals organization had three more close games. At the end of them , the NAHL team saw that they have more work to get back in the playoff hunt. The NA3HL group came dangerously close to losing its first game of the year, only winning in a shootout.

NAHL

Head coach Bryan Erikson had the following to say about his group’s weekend.

“It’s frustrating. We played real well in parts but just not enough mental toughness to put together 60 full minutes of good hockey. But hopefully it will be a good learning experience. We are now 20 games in and our record isn’t where we want it to be. But we are in s decent enough place to make a run.

Tough stretch the past two weeks with 2 short practice weeks and 9 hour bus trips both ways. So to come out 2-2 isn’t the end of the world. But we have 4 games in 6 days coming up and it would be nice to string some wins together heading into thanksgiving.”

NAHL Box Scores

Northeast Generals 4 at Johnstown Tomahawks 6 – Status: Final
Friday, November 12, 2021 – 1st Summit Arena at Cambria County War Memorial

Northeast 1 2 1 – 4
Johnstown 2 2 2 – 6

1st Period-1, Northeast, Scott 8 (DesRochers, Minnehan), 9:16. 2, Johnstown, Badal 6   10:00. 3, Johnstown, Black 13 (Badal, Ramsay), 11:27. Penalties-Murray Jht (holding-minor), 13:55; Gordon Nte (roughing-minor), 19:22.

2nd Period-4, Northeast, Gordon 5 (Marnauzs, Ramm), 10:08. 5, Northeast, Schroeder 3 (Kolnik, Jennersjö), 12:31. 6, Johnstown, Kyrkostas 6 (Ford, Heaney), 13:01. 7, Johnstown, Geregach 4 (Black, Badal), 14:41 (PP). Penalties-Cooper Nte (checking from behind-minor, checking from behind-10 misc), 13:47; Schroeder Nte (roughing-minor), 15:03; Perrault Jht (elbowing-minor), 19:23.

3rd Period-8, Johnstown, Vellucci 2 (Schmitt, Wagner), 12:01. 9, Johnstown, Black 14 (Badal), 16:24. 10, Northeast, Gordon 6 (DesRochers, Tolan), 18:58. Penalties-Marnauzs Nte (interference-minor), 5:01; Kolnik Nte (tripping-minor), 6:47; Geregach Jht (interference-minor), 7:56; Vellucci Jht (slashing-minor), 18:58.

Shots on Goal-Northeast 8-10-11-29. Johnstown 6-10-6-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Northeast 0 / 4; Johnstown 1 / 5.
Goalies-Northeast, DeYoung 5-4-0-0 (22 shots-16 saves). Johnstown, Heaney 3-0-0-1 (29 shots-25 saves).
A-1,943
Referees-Cameron Giancarlo.
Linesmen-Chadd Colin, Ben Eisenhunt.

Northeast Generals 2 at Johnstown Tomahawks 3 – Status: Final
Saturday, November 13, 2021 – 1st Summit Arena at Cambria County War Memorial

Northeast 0 0 2 – 2
Johnstown 1 0 2 – 3

1st Period-1, Johnstown, Ulicny 6 (Matousek, Bianchin), 12:04. Penalties-No Penalties

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Stoner Jht (hooking-minor), 3:24.

3rd Period-2, Johnstown, Kyrkostas 7 (Ford, Murray), 2:18. 3, Northeast, Scott 9 (Gordon, Minnehan), 6:42. 4, Johnstown, Matousek 5 (Ulicny, Bianchin), 7:11. 5, Northeast, Despirt 1 (Tolan, Andreychuk), 8:51. Penalties-Kaminski Nte (fighting-major, fighting-10 misc), 9:16; Murray Jht (fighting-major, fighting-10 misc), 9:16.

Shots on Goal-Northeast 7-9-12-28. Johnstown 18-2-6-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Northeast 0 / 1; Johnstown 0 / 0.
Goalies-Northeast, Drum 0-1-0-0 (22 shots-19 saves); DeYoung 5-4-0-0 (4 shots-4 saves). Johnstown, Evola 6-4-1-0 (28 shots-26 saves).
A-1,728
Referees-Cameron Giancarlo.
Linesmen-Ben Eisenhunt, Daniel Haas.

NA3HL

While this group had one game postponed, they still pulled together to stay undefeated against the Long Beach Sharks today, winning 3-2 in a shootout. As Erikson said of opportunities for this group to grow “Very sloppy and sluggish start. They wanted it more and it showed. Made too many mental mistakes and didn’t capitalize on our chances. They came with a good game plan and out played us for large parts of the game. But the win is what matters and D’Mar was electric in the OT and the shootout. Any Tyler Ramm made a great move and buried the Shoot out winner”

Coach Daryl Locke added “

“Unfortunately, Long Beach ran into some bus issues before traveling to Attleboro. Nothing either team could do as those things happen some times during the course of a season. Both teams were looking forward to the 2 game matchup. We had two good games against each other in Long Beach.
Today’s game was another sluggish start for us. D’Mar McCoy made some saves look routine but in fact were grade A chances for Long Beach. He really boosted us in the first 5 minutes with his play. We were able to regroup a bit and got a good bounce for a Payton Felix goal. Again we reverted back to a passive game and Long Beach came right back and tied it. A pretty close game the next two periods as both teams made pushes to extend the the lead trading goals to end the game in regulation 2-2. Overtime was more of a feeling out process for both teams. D’Mar made his best save with less than a minute to go. Somehow stoning a Long Beach forward with an incredible glove save on a 2 on 1 down low. The shoot out was more of The D’Mar Show. His calm, cool, demeanor in the net was impressive to watch. He stopped all five shooters. Tyler Ramm was a physical force all night for us tonight. He was playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder tonight and had Long Beach looking over their shoulder when he was out there. Happy for him he sniped the shootout winner. He definitely deserved the result with his physical play tonight. Lots to work on this week as we get ready to travel to New Jersey Titans for two games next Saturday/Sunday.”

NA3HL box score

Long Beach Sharks 2 at Northeast Generals 3 (SO) – Status: Final SO
Sunday, November 14, 2021 – New England Sports Village

Long Beach 1 1 0 0 – 2
Northeast 1 1 0 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Northeast, Felix 7 (Murphy, Mulligan), 3:58. 2, Long Beach, Rotsaert 3 (Harbour, Brienza), 6:19. Penalties-McCoy Net (delay of game-minor), 0:59; Frolik Net (cross checking-minor), 8:27; McCreadie Net (cross checking-minor), 12:51; Dixon Lgs (interference-minor), 14:49; Felix Net (roughing-minor), 15:38.

2nd Period-3, Long Beach, Doggett 2   9:52. 4, Northeast, Hess 6 (Sinople, Felix), 14:03. Penalties-Felix Net (cross checking-minor), 11:45.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Dixon Lgs (interference-minor), 16:34; Carney Lgs (hooking-minor), 17:14.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – Long Beach 0 (Rotsaert NG, Weikel NG, Zembrzycki NG, Fitzpatrick NG, Barnard NG), Northeast 1 (Nuzzolilo NG, Crisp NG, Hess NG, Mulligan NG, Ramm G).
Shots on Goal-Long Beach 9-8-8-2-0-27. Northeast 11-19-17-4-1-52.
Power Play Opportunities-Long Beach 0 / 5; Northeast 0 / 4.
Goalies-Long Beach, Skirpan 4-3-1-1 (51 shots-49 saves). Northeast, McCoy 6-0-0-0 (27 shots-25 saves).
A-125
Referees-Steven Saul.
Linesmen-Z. Minior, William Jacques.