By Janet Schultz, NYHOL
(File Photo is from Buffalo State vs Nazareth)
The Nazreth Women’s Ice Hockey Team opens their regular season schedule at home Friday, November 4 against Chatham. The puck drops at 7 p.m. They will face Chatham again on Saturday at 3 p.m. all at the Bill Gray Iceplex in Rochester.
The Golden Flyers roster include five New York natives including Kate Cascio, Oceanside; Nikolle Van Stralen, Bloomfield; Gabrielle “Gabby” DeMeo, Hamburg; Ally Watrous, Whitesboro and Maggie Pfatzgraf, Buffalo.
Cascio comes from Selects Academy where she played one season there and was voted Most Improved for the U19 division. She helped the team to a New York state title in 2019-20. Cascio is a junior and plays defense. This is her third season with Nazareth. She talled a goal and eight assists in 26 games last year.
Van Stralen played for the Rochester Monarchs and is a graduate student this season. She is returning for her fifth year of eligiblity and comes back after playing in 27 games recording nine goals and 13 assists to finish seventh on the team in goals, assists and points.
Watrous is famiiar to the WNY community as she played for the Niagara Junior Purple Eagles. She is returning for her third season with the Golden Flyers after appearing in 28 games and leading the team with 23 goals. She finished fourth on the team with 26 points and had four game-winning goals last season.
Gabrielle DeMeo also played for the Niagara Junior Purple Eagles and was a member of the Frontier/Lakeshore/Orchard Park Girls Varsity Ice Hockey team that took the NYS title in 2017 and 2018. She is returning for her fifth year of eligibility after playing in all 29 games last year and putting up 4 goals and 13assists.
Lastly Maggie Pfatzorf comes from the Buffalo Bisons and Nichols School. She is returning for her second season after playing in seven games last season for the Golden Flyers and scoring 2 goals and 2 assists. She played four Nichols varsity hockey seasons and earned most improved award as a sophomore and Coaches Award as a senior. She attended USA Hockey National Developmental camp in 2018 and played for the Buffalo Bisons 19U club team that captured a state title in 2021.
Head Coach Chris Baudo heads into his fifth season as Nazareth’s only Head Coach. He has accomplished a great deal in that time including 72 wins, one UCHC title and a NCAA tournament berth. He is a native of Buffalo and coached at the Selects Academy before Nazareth.
As Chatham takes the ice this weekend in Rochester, there will be a few familiar faces there as well.
Assistant Coach Lila Toczek is a native of Buffalo and played for Buffalo State College and the Hamburg Hawks. This is her second season behind the bench.
Chris Worms comes from Port Washington and the Islanders Elite and Maddie Shelfield is from Saratoga and played for Kents Hill School.
Kaylynn Savoy played for the Hamilton Hawks and also the Kenmore/Grand Island Girls Varsity Team, where in her senior year scored 11 goals and 8 assists.
Two Chatham players are familiar to the WNYGVIH Federation as coming from Monsignor Martin. Fiona Danahy is in her fifth season with Chatham and she also played for the Buffalo Bisons. For MM Danahy scored 4 goals and 7 assists in 18 games in her senior year.
Riley Malicki played for Monsignor Martin and the Cazenovia Girls Teams. She is a junior at Chatham. In her senior year with MM she scored four goals and four assists in 12 games.
