By Warren Kozireski —
One leads the team in goals while the other leads in assists and blocked shots, but either way sophomores Spencer and Schuyler Flansburg are impacting SUNY Brockport at both ends of the ice…together.
The Saratoga Springs natives wear jersey numbers 23 and 24 and play on the same line together as they have for most of the past 20 years. Schuyler is a center and Spencer a right wing.
“Best part is you wake up every day, you say good morning and get the day going and when you get to the rink it’s all business,” Schuyler said. “It’s like playing with your childhood brother out on the pond; it’s a lot of fun.
“Even in juniors most coaches started out separating us to see what we can do and halfway through the year the coaches said, ‘why wouldn’t I put these two together.’ We always seem to do our best when we’re on the same line.”
“We have something that a lot of players don’t with that chemistry,” Spencer said. “It’s kind of funny how we just where each other is and knowing exactly what he’s going to do. It kind of helps us out and sometimes it screws us up, but it’s a lot of fun playing with him.
The two have played on the same team throughout with four years with the Connecticut Jr. Rangers prior to college and two seasons before that with CP Dynamo in the capital region. And all those youth hockey teams.
“I feel like every team either wants us both or they don’t want us at all,” Spencer said. “It’s always been like that and it’s something special. We both have the same playing style though he may be a little heavier.”
“We knew we had to get bigger with some skill; they hound pucks, they skate well and shoot the puck hard and we need those guys to be on the scoresheet every night and when they are we know we have a good chance to win,” Brockport head coach Brian Dickinson said.
“And they’re really good character guys too; such a great family a really good in the locker room with everybody—older guys and younger guys—and we have then for two more years which is nice.”
Schuyler missed some time (eight games) during his freshman year with an injury that needed surgery, so the two are somewhat still adapting to the college game together.
As of Jan. 24, Spencer sat atop the team scoring chart with ten points on four goals and six assists while Schuyler was fifth with five goals and two assists. Both have a power play goal.
“He’s always been the goal scorer and I’ve been the assist guy and setup man. Him finding the ice again after his surgery and working those mechanics out and finding his confidence again. Once we both hit the same page it will be something special that a lot of people haven’t seen yet.”
And both fighting for bragging rights at future Thanksgiving dinners about who was the better player.
“At the beginning of the year we usually have an ‘I’m gonna beat you’ aspect, but this year we’ve have a different mentality,” Schuyler said. “He had a hot start and he’s going to keep it going and I just luckily got on a hot streak. At the end of the year, we’ll get back at each other, but as of now it’s just been fun.”
“We’ll both say we were better, but at the end of the day I think we know we couldn’t have done it without each other,” Spencer said.
(Photos provided by Brockport Athletic Department)
