PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Plattsburgh State men’s ice hockey alumni Jimmy Poreda (Tonawanda, N.Y./Connecticut Jr. Rangers) has signed a professional contract with Lazer HT of the Suomi-Sarja ice hockey league in Finland.
“Jimmy went above and beyond what was expected of him at Plattsburgh State,” men’s ice hockey head coach Steve Moffat said. “He epitomized what a student-athlete is by being a fantastic student and someone who was always volunteering in the community. All of that translated to success on the ice. He was the first guy on the ice and the last off. He was one of the hardest working student-athletes we had on the ice and in the gym — he really took care of himself. He was a professional, and all of that has enabled him to sign his first professional contract and I think he will have a few more contracts after this. We could not be more proud of what Jimmy accomplished here in his three years at Plattsburgh State and we wish him all the best.”
In his three years as a goaltender at Plattsburgh State, Poreda played to a 27-25-5 record with 1,607 saves, a .919 save percentage, a 2.41 goals against average and seven shutouts over 61 games played (58 starts). Poreda had a career year as a sophomore in 2018-19 when he played to an 11-8-1 record with career bests in goals against average (1.88), save percentage (.935) and shutouts (3). In 2019-20, Poreda garnered career highs in saves (621), games played (24) and minutes played (1,407:40).
For his play on the ice, Poreda earned All-State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Second Team honors in 2018-19. He was also named the SUNYAC Goaltender of the Week nine times, including four times in 2019-20.
Poreda, a three-time American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Krampade All-American Scholar, graduated summa cum laude with bachelor’s degrees in business administration and business management. In addition he minored in accounting, global supply chain management, international business, athletic coaching and personal training over his three years at Plattsburgh State.
For his academic prowess, Poreda was the men’s sport recipient of the Richard D. Semler Award, which is awarded to the Plattsburgh State male and female seniors with the highest cumulative grade-point averages through the fall semester of their senior year. In addition, Poreda was named to the Dean’s List in each of his semesters at Plattsburgh State and was a three-time SUNYAC Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll honoree.
Poreda also made an impact on the SUNY Plattsburgh community. He was a leading member of the SUNY Plattsburgh Unified Intramurals Club, a member of the Plattsburgh Young Athletes Club and was the men’s ice hockey community service leader during 2019-20. For his community involvement as well as his academic and athletic success, Poreda was one of 13 student-athletes across all levels of college hockey to be nominated for the 2020 Hockey Humanitarian Award. In addition, Poreda earned Plattsburgh State men’s ice hockey’s Matthew “Matty” Thomson Award for Community Service in each of his three years in Cardinal Country.
Poreda is the second member of the 2019-20 Plattsburgh State men’s ice hockey team to sign a professional contract, joining forward Ryan Kuhn (Wheatfield, N.Y./Niagara University). Kuhn signed with the Fayetteville Marksmen of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) in March of 2020.
(SUNY Plattsburgh Hockey Photo)
