PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – After missing out on the national semifinals for the first time in 10 years last season, Coach Kevin Houle and the Plattsburgh State women’s ice hockey team are hungry to make a deep postseason run and fight for their NCAA Division III record eighth national championship and first State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championship.

“With a strong group of upperclassmen and a promising first-year class, we are optimistic and looking forward to the upcoming season,” Coach Houle said about the 2024-25 season.

With Houle at the helm, a run at a national championship is always possible and is often expected, as his program has won the national tournament seven times. The 22^nd-year coach carries a 497-62-27 record going into the season, good for a .871 winning percentage over 20 years of coaching. With his 500^th win this season, he will join Middlebury’s Bill Mandigo and Gustavus Adolphus’ Mike Carroll as the lone 500-win club members in the history of Division III women’s ice hockey. Last year, the team’s decade-long streak of conference titles and national semifinal appearances was snapped, as the team will now look to start a new streak in 2024-25.

With four of the team’s All-SUNYAC selections gone, the team will lean heavily on their returning All-SUNYAC honorees as well as a mix of returning and new players. Senior Mattie Norton (Glen Carbon, Ill.) will serve as the team captain this season and will be counted to lead the Plattsburgh defensive unit in 2024-25. Assistant captains fifth-year Ciara Wall (Somerville, Mass./New Hampshire) and senior Bridget Orr (Excelsior, Minn./North American Hockey Academy) will be counted on to lead the forward group into 2024-25.

Goaltenders

Plattsburgh State will have a new primary goaltender in 2024-25, as Lila Nease departed to graduation last season after appearing in 43 games over her final two years. Chloe Lewis (Monson, Mass./Northwood School) started four games last season, appearing in five overall, making 100 total saves and allowing just four goals for a .86 goals-against average. She is the lone returner to the group of netminders, as first-years Maddy Stetson (Wasilla, Alaska/Little Caesars) and Ava Varecka (West Falls, N.Y./Nichols School) will join Lewis for the upcoming year.

Defenders

Norton will step in to lead the Cardinals blueline unit in 2024-25, as the two-time all-conference honoree will look to replace the production of last year’s captain Kendall Wasik, who earned First Team All-America honors. Norton was effective in multiple facets for the Cards, scoring seven goals, picking up nine assists, and also posting a plus-minus mark of +14.

The returning group of defenders is deep for Plattsburgh in 2024-25, as SUNYAC All-Rookie selection Adriana Urban (Monroe, N.J./Hoosac School) is back for her sophomore campaign, along with juniors Taya Balfour (Moorestown, N.J./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers) and Su-An Cho (Madison, Ala./Florida Alliance), as well as sophomore Maeghan Forsyth (Billings, Mont./Notre Dame Hounds). Balfour appeared in all 28 games last year, while Forsyth appeared in 26, and Cho in 12.

The Cardinals have two new blueliners this year, as Marina McCann (Bear, Del./St. Louis Blues) and Seoyoung Yoo (Yongin, Republic of Korea/Ontario Hockey Academy) fill out a strong group for the 2024-25 season.

Forwards
With the graduation of First Team All-American Julia Masotta and All-SUNYAC selection Ivy Boric, the Cardinals will have some new contributors looking to step up and fill the void left from their graduate students last year.

As usual, Plattsburgh will not be without experience this year, as assistant captains Wall and Orr will be the leadership group for the forward group along with graduate student Mae Olshansky (Las Vegas, Nev./North American Hockey Academy). Wall is the team’s top returning scorer after posting 10 goals and 16 assists last year, as she will be one of the team’s top offensive options for 2024-25. The team should also receive some good contributions from Orr, who had eight goals and eight assists last year, and Olshansky who has 62 career points.

Other returners include juniors Ella Fesette (Plattsburgh, N.Y./RIT), Emma McLean (Burlington, Mass/Pomfret School), and Molly Riggi (Farmingdale, N.J./New Jersey Titans), as well as sophomores Sydnee Francis (Canton, N.Y./Nepean Jr. Wildcats), Emily Kasprzak (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite), and Ava Mattaliano (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Belle Tire).

Several newcomers will see a lot of time on the ice this year for the Cardinals as they look to put out a formidable and deep offensive unit. The first-years in the forward group this year are Kate Conlon (New Hudson, Mich./Little Caesars), Emma Holmes (Winthrop, Mass./Worcester Academy), Julia Holmes (Winthrop, Mass./Worcester Academy), Tessa Morris (Grand Island, N.Y./Rome Girl’s Hockey), Ashley O’Hara (Chittenango, N.Y./Syracuse Valley Eagles), Ella Procyk (Stratford, Conn./Lovell Academy), and Kayson Ruegge (Edmond, Okla./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers).

Schedule

The Cardinals tune-up for the regular season on Oct. 20 and Oct. 27 with two exhibitions at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena, taking on the Ottawa Jr. 67s and Trinity (Conn.) before opening their season on Nov. 2 against Norwich in their home rink. The Cardinals then embark on a string of five straight SUNYAC road games, beginning with a SUNYAC Championship rematch on Nov. 8 at Cortland. The team next heads to Potsdam on Nov. 15 and follows that up with a trip to Oswego on Nov. 16. A date with the Canton Kangaroos concludes the road trip on Nov. 22, as the team returns home the following day for a home game against Buffalo State on Nov. 23.

The Cardinals host the Cardinal/Panther Classic in 2024, as the team will play St. Norbert in the tournament’s opening game at 3 p.m. on Nov. 30, followed by Middlebury taking on Endicott at 6 p.m. The consolation game is set for Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. with the championship game to follow at 5 p.m. The team then concludes the 2024 end of their schedule by hosting Morrisville in a SUNYAC semifinal rematch on Dec. 6.

Plattsburgh State opens up the 2025 portion of its schedule at the Norwich East-West Hockey Classic where they play Nazareth in the tournament’s opening game. The team will then either play Amherst or Norwich in the consolation or championship game, set for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. respectively.  The Cards return home to take on Oswego State in conference play for two-weekend games, occurring on Jan 10 and Jan. 11. The team next heads to Morrisville for games on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18, and then Buffalo State on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25 for four straight conference road games. Plattsburgh State then heads to Vermont, as they take on Middlebury in road action on Jan. 28.

The Cards finally return home on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, hosting Cortland for two important SUNYAC games, and then take on Potsdam on Feb. 7 at home and Feb. 8 on the road. The conference schedule wraps on Feb. 14 and Feb. 15, as Canton comes to Plattsburgh for two league games. Plattsburgh State will then finish its regular season on the road, as they head to Williams on Feb. 22.

The top four teams in the final regular-season conference standings will qualify for the SUNYAC Tournament, with the semifinals set for Mar. 1 and the championship set for Mar. 8.

NEW YORK — Former Cornell men’s hockey forwards Morgan Barron and Riley Nash and defensemen Joakim Ryan ’15 and Sam Malinski ’23 were named to their respective NHL teams’ opening day rosters as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, it was formally announced by the league office.

Barron is entering his fifth NHL season and third full season with the Winnipeg Jets. Over 80 games last season with the Jets, Barron scored a career-high 11 goals and added seven assists. Three of Barron’s 11 goals were game-winners for Winnipeg, who fell to Colorado, 4-1, in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Primarily playing on Winnipeg’s fourth line, Barron averaged 10:30 of ice time and recorded 122 hits last season, ranking fifth on the Jets and second among the team’s forwards.

Nash and Ryan were designated as non-roster injury selections by the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively.

Nash is looking to appear in his 13th NHL season since making his debut during the 2011-12 season with the Hurricanes. Last season, Nash appeared in one game for the Rangers, suiting up against the Washington Capitals on Dec. 9, 2023. With the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, Nash accumulated 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) across 41 contests.

After playing for the Malmö Redhawks in Sweden over the last three seasons, Ryan is vying to return to the NHL after signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Hurricanes on July 14. During his time with Malmö, Ryan accumulated 64 points (17 goals, 47 assists) in 156 games. His most recent NHL appearance was during the 2020-21 season with the Hurricanes, where he suited up in four games.

Malinski will start the 2024-25 season with the Colorado Avalanche. He aims to build on his rookie season, during which he played 23 games with the Avalanche and recorded 10 points (three goals, seven assists). Additionally, he participated in 46 games with the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, where he accumulated 27 points (five goals, 22 assists). Malinski earned 37 points in 69 games between the NHL and AHL levels (eight goals, 29 assists).

Tonight marks the start of the NHL regular season with three games, starting with the Seattle Kraken hosting the St. Louis Blues at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT). In this game, Jessica Campbell, a former Cornell women’s hockey player, will make NHL history when she becomes the first female assistant coach behind the bench for an NHL regular-season game.

Among the other season-opening contests later tonight, Boston will play against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference final at 7 p.m. in Sunrise, Fla. Following that, the Utah Hockey Club will have its inaugural game when it hosts the Chicago Blackhawks at 10 p.m. ET (8 p.m. MT). All three games can be watched on ESPN or streamed on ESPN+.

Barron and Malinski are set to make their season debuts on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Winnipeg will be playing against the Edmonton Oilers, while Colorado will be facing the Vegas Golden Knights. Both games are scheduled to start at 10 p.m. ET. The game between Colorado and Vegas will be broadcast live on TNT and can be streamed on Max, HBO’s streaming service.

(Photo provided by Cornell Athletics/Men’s Hockey)

By Warren Kozireski —

Rochester finished the 2023-24 regular season tied with Cleveland atop the North Division standings with 88 points but were seeded second for the Calder Cup playoffs with one fewer victory. Their season ended in game five of the Atlantic Conference semi-finals to Syracuse.

Now they begin anew with a new head coach in Michael Leone following Seth Appert’s promotion to Buffalo and a plethora of Sabres draft picks trying to make their way to the National Hockey League.

With preseason still in progress it is speculative about who of the prospects might dent the Sabres roster to start the season, but the numbers will likely mean some disappointed with being sent to Rochester. It’s a good problem to have.

That list is led by Jiri Kulich, who paced the Amerks with 27 goals last season and defenseman Ryan Johnson, who split last season between Buffalo (41 games) and Rochester (27 games). Both may be squeezed back to the AHL for more playing time.

Kulich could be joined at forward by fellow high draft picks Isak Rosen (tied for team lead with 50 points), Noah Ostlund, Lukas Rousek (41 points), Anton Wahlberg, Aleksandr Kisakov and Viktor Neuchev.

Last year’s co-leading scorer Mason Jobst should be back with fellow veterans Brett Murray, Graham Slaggert, Brendan Warren and/or Tyson Kozak to support and mentor the younger players.

Newcomers up front could include big center Josh Dunne, who scored 20 goals two seasons ago with Cleveland and Tyler Tullio (a 2020 fifth round pick by Edmonton acquired as part of the Matt Savoie trade) along with Riley Fiddler-Schultz, who spent last season in the ECHL with affiliate Jacksonville and Oliver Nadeau, a 2021 fourth-round pick who was his teammate for most of last season.

15 players for potentially 13 positions.

Rochester appears to be deep on the blueline especially if 2019 first round selection Ryan Johnson is squeezed out in Buffalo. Kyle Clague, Ethan Prow, Peter Tischke, Zach Metsa, plus newcomers and five-year AHL veterans Colton Poolman and Jack Rathbone provide leadership while either Jacob Bryson or Buffalo native Dennis Gilbert, who played 34 games in Calgary last season, could also be sent down.

They join defense prospects Nikita Novikov, back for his second AHL season and Vsevolod Komarov, who was named Defenseman of the Year in the QMJHL last season with Quebec and Drummondville after racking up 69 points in 60 games.

But that’s potentially ten defensemen for seven spots.

Goaltending is the $10,000 question. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen establishing himself as the clear number one in Buffalo, do the Sabres send Devon Levi to Rochester to get more minutes and keep 15-year NHL veteran James Reimer as his backup?

Or is it the UPL-Levi tandem in Buffalo with Reimer and either Felix Sandstrom, who played last season with Lehigh Valley, or Michael Houser in Rochester?

Answers come in the next few weeks with the season opener Sun. Oct. 6 at Syracuse and the home-opener Fri. Oct. 11 versus Belleville.

BY RANDY SCHULTZ –

In a few weeks the Western New York Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Federation will begin their 15^th season of play. It’s hard to believe that a decade and a half has passed since that opening faceoff.

But the WNYGVIHF are just kids when compared to the Tomkins Girls Hockey Association (aka the Ithaca Shooting Stars) in Ithaca, NY. They are the oldest girl’s hockey organization in New York State, developing the player and the person since 1972.

The TGHA will begin their 52^nd season of play in just a few short weeks. This organization has set the gold standard for other girl’s hockey organizations to follow.

Late last spring NY Hockey OnLine travelled to Ithaca for one of the TGHA meetings. We had the opportunity talk and listen to several of the veteran members of the Association.

Mary Grainger, a spokesperson for the Association, explained how the organization has grown over the years.

“Ithaca has always been a hockey town,” said Grainger. “When Title IX was passed into federal law in the spring of 1972, opportunities for girls and women to play hockey in Ithaca has already been established.

“When Cass Park opened here in November of ’72, the Tompkins Girls Hockey Association was organized enough to hold a practice the same week the Park opened. We are very proud of the fact that we were the first all-girls hockey program in New York State and just the third in the country at the time.

“Credit has to be given to the parents, coaches and players who have grown the program over the years. They built a strong foundation for girl’s hockey to grow from.”

By the time TGHA got to their 50^th season of play for the 2022-23 season, the organization was looking to connect with as many of their former players, coaches, parents, referees and fans in general to celebrate their golden anniversary. Several events were planned through the season.

Thanks to social media and simple word of mouth, the TGHA alumni has grown. Thanks to the efforts of people within the organization, enough TGHA memorabilia and photographs were gathered to set up an exhibit at the Ithaca History Center.

In February of this year an exhibit and Kiosk opened there called “We Broke the Ice.” It runs through the end of this year.

“We’ve told people who come to visit the exhibit to allow enough time to see it,” said Grainger. “There are digital display sections to click through, as well as drawers of artifacts to look at.

“It’s an exhibit that tells the story of the growth of girls and women’s hockey in Ithaca.”

This Sunday, Sept. 29^th, two guest speakers will be at the History Center from 3-5 p.m. to tell of their experiences with TGHA.

For hockey fans in general, the “We Broke the Ice” exhibit is worth the visit.

(Representatives from the four men’s hockey teams that will play in the 2025 Friendship Four show off their school’s jerseys (photo: Miami Athletics). (Story as reported by USCHO)

The Odyssey Trust has unveiled plans to continue the Friendship Four and Friendship Series U.S. college hockey tournaments through 2026.

Marking 10 years of NCAA hockey in Belfast, games are set to take place at the SSE Arena in Nov. 2025 and Jan. 2026.

Founded by the Odyssey Trust and held in Belfast since 2015, the Friendship Four and Friendship Series are the first and only NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey tournaments to take place outside of North America.

The Friendship Four, which will take place in Nov. 2025, will see the Rochester Institute of Technology, Sacred Heart, Miami, and Union go head-to-head for the coveted Belpot Trophy at the SSE Arena.

For the first time, four women’s teams will take part in the Friendship Series, with Boston University, Harvard, Quinnipiac, and Minnesota Duluth set to make history in Jan. 2026, following three successful two-team Friendship Series tournaments in 2019, 2020, and 2024.

“I am very proud to announce the return of both the Friendship Four and Friendship Series in 2025 and 2026, and I look forward to welcoming both new and returning teams to the SSE Arena,” said Odyssey Trust chair Martin McDowell in a statement. “For nearly a decade, the tournaments have provided unique opportunities for North American student-athletes to have a cross-Atlantic experience in Belfast, using ice hockey as a tool to educate and create a spirit of mutual understanding, friendship, solidarity, and fair play.”

The high-profile tournaments are designed to promote education, social welfare, and community interaction, building on the Sister Cities agreement between Belfast and Boston signed a decade ago. The agreement aims to foster stronger economic development, trade and investment, tourism, youth, cultural, faith-based exchanges, and educational linkages between the two cities, as well as to increase awareness of Belfast and Boston being growth cities in the connected health and life sciences, creative industries, tourism, financial services, and knowledge economy sectors.

To support the growth and development of the two tournaments, a new legacy committee – the Friends of the Friendship Advisory Board – was formed in Jan. 2024. Reporting to Robert Fitzpatrick, chief executive of the Odyssey Trust, and chaired by McDowell, the board will meet twice a year, once in Boston and once at the annual Friendship Four tournament, with a focus on growing relationships with collegiate ice hockey programs across the United States.

“As we approach a decade of the Friendship Four, it’s been fantastic to see how the tournament has gone from strength to strength,” said Quinnipiac deputy director of athletics Sarah Fraser. “Undoubtedly, the significance and impact of the games reaches far beyond the ice, offering student-athletes a rounded cultural experience in Belfast. Looking ahead to the next two tournaments, I feel particularly proud that 2026 will see the first four-team women’s tournament take place at the SSE Arena, providing a great opportunity to showcase the up-and-coming talent within the female game.”

Ahead of the tournament’s 10th anniversary next year, the Friendship Four returns to Belfast this November with Notre Dame, Harvard, Boston University, and Merrimack set to compete for the Belpot Trophy at the SSE Arena.

(Photo by Miami Athletic Dept. and USCHO)(Story as reported by USCHO)