Canton, NY – Head Coach Alex Boak and the SUNY Canton men’s hockey program have announced their leadership for the upcoming 2019-2020 season. Senior defenseman Luke Hincenbergs has been named team captain, while junior forward Jake Mayette and sophomore defenseman Sean Shepard will serve as assistant captains.
“Luke is a guy that has great respect from both his peers and coaching staff,” Boak said. “As a coach you want someone that can have the respect from everyone within your program and Luke has that. I think he is going to be a great captain and mentor for our team. As a coaching staff we believe that our leadership is a critical piece to the success of our team. We saw great leadership out of our group this past season, so we are looking to Luke, Jake, and Sean to continue that.”
Hincenbergs posted five points on a goal and four assists in 23 contests last season. He finished the season with a +2 on-ice rating and scored the game-winning goal in a 6-4 win v. Wilkes on opening night. Hincenbergs also had a pair of assists including a helper on the game-winner in a 5-4 OT win at Morrisville on February 9th.
Mayette ranked fourth on the team with 16 points as a sophomore on eight goals and eight assists. He finished the season with a +8 on-ice rating and had five multi-point games. He scored a pair of goals in a 4-2 win v. No. 14 nationally-ranked Fredonia. Mayette netted the game-winner in a 3-1 win v. Plattsburgh State, the Roos third straight victory v. the Cardinals.
Shepard had an impressive rookie season totaling 10 points on two goals and eight assists. He scored the game-winner in a 4-2 win v. No. 14 nationally-ranked Fredonia and his other goal came in a 6-4 win at No. 3 nationally-ranked Adrian. He was named to the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week after his performance in the win v. the Blue Devils. Shepard also finished with a three assist game in a 5-3 road win at Bryn Athyn.
TRIP TO EUROPE
The men’s hockey program also announced that they will be traveling overseas for a series of exhibition games next season during the winter break. The team will travel in December to Switzerland and France to play exhibition games against various teams throughout the Alps region. The team will fly to Geneva, Switzerland on December 14th and tour throughout the Alps region before returning on December 23rd. The team will play several exhibition games as well as tour the towns and cities throughout their stay.
“This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our players,” Boak said. “Back in the 80s and 90s this kind of trip was a regular thing for our program. I thought with the success we had this past year, now would be the perfect time to bring something like that back. I have been encouraging alumni who traveled there during their time at Canton, to try and make our trip and basically relive their experience.”
This trip is available to all alumni, friends, and family of the men’s hockey program. If you would like to find out more information, please contact Head Coach Alex Boak at [email protected].