By Janet Schultz, [email protected]
After a very nice summer hiatus from ice hockey, NYHOL is ready to gear up for the 2024-25 season. There is lots to celebrate and to look forward to this season. This season NYHOL will be focusing on the WNY region, but will continue to share NYS news as we can.
So let’s start by taking a look at the College scene.
Women’s ice hockey is growing with the addition of a team at St. John Fisher College in Rochester. They have named Scott McDonald (pictured below) the head coach of the women’s ice hockey team. and will play in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference beginning in the 2025-26 season. Home games will be played at the Rochester Ice Center in Fairport. Reid Lesswing was named Head Coach of the inaugural men’s ice hockey team.
“We are excited to welcome Reid and Scott to our roster of talented and committed coaches at Fisher. We are thrilled that they will serve as the inaugural head coaches for our men’s and women’s hockey programs, and look forward what they will bring to the University; their experience and enthusiasm, and most importantly, their support of our student-athletes,” said Jose Perales, vice president for enrollment management.
McDonald joins Fisher after three years as the player development coach of the Bishop Kearney Selects Girls Hockey Program. In addition, he is owner/leader of Maverick Hockey Development, where he designs custom hockey development programs for all Rochester Area youth hockey organizations.
Prior to his time at Bishop Kearney, McDonald served as the head women’s ice hockey coach at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) from 2006-2018, where his 12-year overall record was 205-154-29. He led the team to the Division III Women’s Ice Hockey National Championship, where the team clinched the title in 2012. In addition, the team had four NCAA Tournament appearances, and achieved two Division I CHA Playoff Conference Championships, two Division III ECAC West Playoff Conference Championships, and three Division III ECAC West Regular Season Titles. In 2009 and 2011 respectively, McDonald was named Conference Coach of the Year, and in 2011 and 2012, he was named National Coach of the Year Runner-Up.
Between 2003-2006, McDonald served as the assistant coach of the men’s Division I ice hockey team at RIT, which at the time competed in the Atlantic Hockey Association, and as assistant coach of the men’s Division III team, competing in the ECAC West. He also served as assistant coach of men’s ice hockey at Utica University for one year.
Professionally, McDonald played for the San Angelo Outlaws in San Angelo, Texas, and the IK Viking club in the Swedish Professional League. McDonald is a graduate of Niagara University where he was a member of the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey team through his undergraduate career.
“I am truly humbled and honored to be the first head coach of the St. John Fisher University women’s hockey program. The culture and commitment the Athletic Department has is second to none. I’m extremely grateful to be joining this staff and begin building our hockey program from the ground up within their standards,” said McDonald. “Fisher’s strong academic and athletic programs will give us the opportunity to quickly build our program into a perennial contender and challenge teams, not only in the UCHC, but nationally. Rochester has an amazing hockey community that is only getting stronger with the addition of both men’s and women’s hockey.”
The Buffalo State women’s hockey team continues to develop a very young squad with the same goal of reaching the postseason for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
Head Coach Rachel Grampp concluded her third season at the helm of the women’s hockey program looking to rebuild the team into a championship contender. The Bengals picked up a pair of wins this season and had multiple individual performances that show promise on a team that featured eight new faces and a reigning Northeast Women’s Ice Hockey League (NEWHL) All-Rookie Team selection.
As a team, Buffalo State tallied 34 goals, 54 assists, eight power play goals, and a .506 face-off percentage across the 25 game season. The Bengals tallied a season-high in points (21), goals (7), assists (14), and shots (64) in a dominant victory over Hilbert near the end of the season.
Buffalo State kicked-off the 2023-24 season with an impressive win over Neumann University. Reigning NEWHL All-Rookie selection Vanessa Willick (Williamsville, NY/Buffalo Bisons) picked up a pair of goals while Liz Flores (Colleyville, TX/Dallas Stars Edition) scored her first collegiate goal. Eight different Bengals earned an assist across the team’s four goals while Jessica Auge (Laingsburg, MI/Honeybaked Detroit) made 19 saves in goal. The Bengals outshot the Knights with a 40-12 margin. The Bengals second win on the year came in a dominant 7-0 shutout against Hilbert. Bethany Horvatits (Elma, NY/Cazenovia Chiefs) led Buffalo State with a pair of goals while 15 other Bengals tallied at least one point. Auge and Amelia LeBrun (Plattsburgh, NY/Salem State) combined for the six-save shutout.
Willick and Carys Ursell (Calgary, AB/Calgary Fire) shared the team lead with 11 points on the year. Willick had a team-high seven goals and one game-winning goal while Ursell had the team lead with eight assists and 21 blocked shots. Nearly the entire team registered at least one point while three scored their first collegiate goals. Auge was the leader in the goaltending room compiling 642 saves with a .884 save percentage across 21 starts. She now has 2,506 saves in her career putting her second in program history behind Mary Keddie who made 2,665 saves.
Grampp’s squad also continues to be a staple in the classroom. Auge, Katie Sarich, and Hannah Tingley were selected to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team while the team had 19 athletes named to the SUNYAC Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll and 17 athletes earning Dean’s List recognition following the spring semester.
With a very young team, Grampp has established the foundation for the program she aims to build. With a year of experience under their belt, the goal is to take another leap ahead next season as they climb up the standings in a very strong conference leaderboard. (Recap provided by Buffalo State College Athletics)
Jessica Auge (Laingsburg, MI/Honeybaked Detroit), Katie Sarich (Columbia, MD/Washington Pride), and Hannah Tingley (Stoneboro, PA/Washington Pride) of the Buffalo State women’s hockey team have been recognized for their outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments, earning selection to the 2024 Academic All-District Team, selected by College Sports Communicators.
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Bruce B. Bates Women’s Hockey Coach Celeste Brown announced the schedule for the 2024-25 season, Thursday. The Tigers’ 34-game regular-season slate features 20 games in Atlantic Hockey America and 19 home dates.
“The 2024-2025 season is going to build on our growth from last season,” said Brown, who enters her fifth season on the Tiger bench. “We are set to play four top 15 teams, all who made the NCAA tournament, and we couldn’t be more excited and motivated towards the challenge.”
RIT kicks off the season on Friday and Saturday, September 27-28 for a pair of non-conference games against Assumption. The Tigers play at Union the following weekend (Oct. 4-5) to take on the Garnet Chargers.
RIT hosts Colgate for a pair of games on Oct. 11-12, followed by a weekend series against RPI (Oct. 17-18) as part of Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend. The Tigers host St. Lawrence for a weekend series Oct. 25-26.
RIT starts November with two Atlantic Hockey America games against Robert Morris (Nov. 1-2). The Tigers play at Syracuse on Nov. 15 and at the Gene Polisseni Center the following afternoon. RIT plays at Mercyhurst Nov. 22-23 for a pair of AHA games and at Cornell (Nov. 26). RIT closes out the first semester with a pair of AHA games against Lindenwood (Dec. 6-7).
The Tigers return to action after the semester break on Tuesday, December 31 with a non-conference home game against Cornell. RIT rings in 2025 with a trip to Post (Jan. 4-5) before a road series against Penn State (Jan. 10-11). The Tigers hit the road to face Robert Morris (Jan. 18-19) before a home-and-home series against Syracuse (Jan. 24-25).
Mercyhurst comes to town on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, before the Tigers play at Lindenwood (Feb. 7-8). RIT wraps up the regular season at home against Penn State Feb. 14-15.
“To all our Tiger Fans we can’t wait to have you back in our building,” said Brown. “We are counting down the days until puck drop!”
All games and dates are subject to change. Stay tuned to RITAthletics.com and @RIT WHKY on Twitter for the latest information about the team.
To support the RIT women’s ice hockey team check out the RIT Breakaway Club. As a member you receive two complimentary season tickets (upgradeable to club lounge), a RIT Athletics Polo Shirt, RIT car decal, RIT Athletics pin, to complimentary tickets to the Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend game at Blue Cross Arena, Zoom sessions with head coach, invitation to a meet and greet with team at a select game. For information call Dan Christner at 585-475-6908 or email [email protected]
Nazareth’s Julia Holmes and Alexis Jones were named to the CSC Academic All District Team. In just its fourth season of existence, the Nazareth women’s hockey team hosted an NCAA quarterfinal contest against #3 Elmira on March 12, 2022. In a hard-fought battle, the Golden Flyers fell 2-1 with a late third period goal from Elmira. Ally Watrous scored her 23rd goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1 in the third (check out the goal below). The 23 goals for Watrous remains the single season scoring record at Nazareth. Nazareth also set the school record that season for wins after going 27-2. The Golden Flyers were an unblemished 20-0 in UCHC play.
Nineteen players were named to All Academic Team honor roll from the UCHC and 10 were named to the Scholar All American honor roll from the American Hockey Coaches Association.
The All-Academic team included Meredith Boettcher, Kate Cascio, Zoe Dupuis, Abby Flanagan, Kieran Fults, McKinley Hoff, Julia Holmes, Ingrid Holstad, Maggie Jacoby, Alexis Jones, Alexis Kindred, Lindsay Moses, Rebecca Mullahy, Juliet Rutigliano, Nikki Sharp, Corsica Skibinski, Sydney Swanson, Makenna Wiljanen and Allie Zack.
The Scholar All-American list included Ingrid Holstad, Meredith Boettcher, Zoe Dupuis, Kieran Fults, Maggie Jacoby, Alexis Jones, Juliet Rutigliano, Nikki Sharp, Corsica Skibinski and Makenna Wiljanen.
The UCHC award required at least a 3.2 grade point average and the ACHA award winners needed at least a 3.5 GPA for each semester of the 2023-24 season.
Hilbert College has become a member of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference effective in the 2025-26 season. Hilbert recently completed its second season as a women’s ice hockey program and have competed against UCHC opponents in the first two seasons. They play their home games at the Hamburg Nike Base.
“Hilbert Women’s Hockey is very excited to join the UCHC and compete against strong programs within our region,” said Head Coach Earl Utter.
The Hawks had one win last season, a 5-3 victory over Kings College. The roster included NY natives Kaitlin Cowle, Henrietta; Brooke Kwiecien, Perry; Courtney Wesolowski, Depew.
Niagara University is icing two women’s teams this season with a DI and DII team in the ACHA. Anna Quattro remains as head coach for the DI team and they are searching for a DII Head Coach.Opening day for the DI team is Friday, September 27 at 8:15 p.m. against Maryville University. The DII schedule has not been posted.
Around the State:
SUNY Canton women’s ice hockey team tied the program records for the most overall wins and most conference wins in a season playing a 25-game schedule. The wins (14-11-0) tied the mark set by the 2016-17 and 2022-23 teams, while the Roos eight wins in their first season in SUNYAC play this year ties the mark of eight set by last year’s team in the final season in the NEWHL.
St. Lawrence’s captain Lindsay Charlebois LaSala ‘04 was inducted into the New York State Hockey Hall of Fame, Class of 2024. During her time at St. Lawrence she played in 144 games, scored seven goals and added 22 assists for 29 points. She is tied with 12 others for first in the Saints’ record book with two goals in a game by a defenseman vs Vermont on February 22, 2003. She is also a member of the St. Lawrence team that was inducted into the St. Lawrence University Hall of Fame in 2017.
Clarkson’s Womens Ice Hockey Team has remained a fixture on the national stage by returning to the Frozen Four. Coach Matt Desrosiers has named Tony Moci as Associate Head Coach for this season.The Golden Knights will open their season against St. Michaels College in Vermont on September 27 and 28 and will hold their home opener against Vermont on October 4 and 5.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has added eight rookies this season. This incoming class features five forwards, two defenders and a goalie; as well as a pair of transfers and a former National player. Included is one New York native hailing from Clifton Park. Natalie Tulchinsky is transferring in from Saint Anselm College, where she played two seasons and prior to that two seasons at Boston College. Last season she had 20 goals and 22 assists and was named NEWHA first team All-Conference as well as the NEWHA Player of the Year.
William Smith Ice Hockey Assistant Coach Kaylee Harnen attended the 2024 WeCOACH NCAA Academy in Denver this summer. This conference is designed for women coaches to elevate their holistic coaching effectiveness by learning advanced leadership skills and strategies that directly effect their personal and team success.
After eight years at Union College, HC Josh Sciba has accepted a position on the coaching staff of the PWHL New York team. Sciba joins his former coaching partner Greg Fargo. Sciba is the winningest coach in Union Women’s Ice Hockey history.
Former Cornell women’s ice hockey captain, Canadian national team member, and first ever woman assistant coach in the American Hockey League (AHL), Jessica Campbell ‘14, continues her journey of trail-blazing for women and girls. Following a strong two-year run with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Campbell has been named an assistant coach of the Seattle Kraken, making her the first ever female assistant coach in NHL history.
Colgate has named Stefan Decosse (above, Colgate photo) the head coach of the women’s ice hockey program. He is the fifth head coach in Colgate’s history. He has served the past nine seasons as an assistant coach.
Elmira College announced Greg Haney has their new Head Coach and Jimmy Poreda as Assistant Coach. Haney spent most of his pro career as a goalie in Orlando in the ECHL and Knoxville and Macon in the SPHL. Poreda spent four seasons at Plattsburgh State where he was a three-time AHCA All-American Scholar. He spent his senior season playing professional hockey in Finland, due to Covid-19 canceling the SUNYAC season.
The SUNY Oswego women’s ice hockey team has named Grace Schnorr as their new Assistant Coach heading into the 2024-25 season.
Schnorr is a native of Camillus, NY where she attended West Genesee High School and won two New York State Titles while being named Player of the Year in her senior season. She went on to play hockey at Cortland from 2018-2023. Grace is still the all-time leader in points (114), goals (63), assists (51), and tied for first for most points in a season with 35 in 2021-22. Schnorr was a three-time All-NEWHL selection including a pair of First Team picks and a spot on the NEWHL All-Rookie Team in 2018-19.
“I’m very excited to get to work with Grace. She will be a great resource for our players; she was a very talented player and has already proven herself to be a strong teacher of the game. She’s won everywhere she has been, and we look forward to adding her knowledge to our program. “Head Coach Mark Digby.
In 2023-24, Schnorr was an assistant coach for the Nazareth University Golden Flyers women’s hockey team. They finished their season with a 22-6-1 overall record securing a spot in the NCAA tournament.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to join the staff here at Oswego. It is awesome to have the opportunity to work with another great coach and be a part of another strong program. I am excited to be back in the SUNYAC and compete against some familiar opponents, and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish soon! “Assistant Coach Grace Schnorr.
The Lakers will home opener will be Friday November 1st against William Smith at the Deborah F Stanley Arena.
Hockey honors went to several New York State natives:
Cortland: 2023-24 Krampade/American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-American Scholar list.Elena Eichmann (Gr., Rochester/Syracuse Nationals 19UAAA)Jillian Hlasnick (Sr., Olean/Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles U19) – Business Economics2023-24 Division III Men’s and Women’s At-Large Academic All-District teams for District 3: Mia Hlasnick, Olean and Dany Donegan North Syracuse.
Colgate: Elyssa Biederman ‘26, Sydney Bard ‘24 and Allyson Simpson ‘24 were all selected to attend the Team USA Women’s National Festival from Aug. 4-11 at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., USA Hockey announced on Thursday.
Potsdam: CSC honors went to Sara Barrett, Tonawanda/Niagara Jr Purple Eagles and Alex Quinn, Potsdam/St Lawrence Steel.
Plattsburgh: Named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Women’s At-Large Teams were Aziah Thompson(above), Williamsville/Bisons. Thompson was also named a Krampade/American Hockey Coaches Association All American Scholar.
Clarkson: Haley Winn, Rochester/Bishop Kearney Selects, was honored by the CSC.
Editors note: NYHOL will be contacting all Sports Information Offices with regards to press releases, credentials and story ideas shortly. Anyone with information on a New York-related women’s ice hockey story, player or event should contact [email protected]
