CANTLON: HOCKEY OFF-SEASON NEWS & NOTES VOL 35 PT 2 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The Hockey East conference released the coaches poll late last week, with UCONN listed at number seven.

MEN’S POLL: Points, with first-place votes in parentheses

1. Boston College, 95 (8)
2. Massachusetts, 87 (2)
3. Providence, 77
4. UMass Lowell, 71 (1)
5. Northeastern, 68
6. Boston University, 55
7. UConn, 48
8. New Hampshire, 44
9. Maine, 27
10. Merrimack, 23
11. Vermont, 10

Hockey East released Wednesday its free online video programming to the public. Look for that HERE.

Sacred Heart University (AHA) of Fairfield, CT, has pushed back the start of their season until December. A pair of weekend games at AIC (American International College) in Springfield, MA at the Mass Mutual Center and Saturday at Quinnipiac University (Hamden) were shelved, as were a pair of games against Army after Thanksgiving.

Sacred Heart did, however, gain a recruit.

Hunter Sansbury, who skated for the Gunnery School (now known as the Gunn School), currently plays for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL). He has committed to Sacred Heart for 2021-22.

Quinnipiac University just released its non-conference schedule for the rest of 2020.

Men’s ice hockey will open the season with three home games in November. The Bobcats will host AIC on Tuesday with a 7:00 PM faceoff. On November 27th, the day after Thanksgiving, Quinnipiac will host LIU at 7:00 PM in Hamden. The Bobcats end November hosting Clarkson at 3:00 PM on November 29th.

On December 15th, QU faces in-state competition as the Sacred Heart University Pioneers will play at the People’s United Center. Quinnipiac will then welcome Bowling Green (Ohio) (WCHA) to Hamden on December 18-19.

On December 22nd, the Bobcats will take on the Holy Cross Crusaders (AHA) at 7:00 PM at home. Quinnipiac will then play its first road game of the season against AIC on December 27 at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, followed by a trip to Worcester, Mass., to take on Holy Cross Crusaders (AHA) on December 29th to end 2020.

But those plans all came to a screeching halt and was changed within 48 hours of the announcement that all hockey activities were put on pause because of two confirmed positive team cases of COVID-19.

“The health and safety of the Quinnipiac community remain paramount as Quinnipiac Athletics continues to follow university, local, state, and national guidelines in response to the global pandemic,” read a school press release.

With that, the team has announced major changes to its just-released 2020-21 schedule.

The 2020-21 season opener against AIC at the People’s United Center in Hamden scheduled for Tuesday, November 24th, has been postponed and rescheduled for Saturday, December 26.

Also, two non-conference games for the Bobcats against LIU-Long Island University (November 27) and Clarkson University (November 29) have been canceled.

The ECACHL saw Union College, located near Albany, NY, announce they’re dropping winter athletics and leaving ECACHL hockey, who have just four schools left, St. Lawrence, Clarkson University, Colgate University (all in upstate New York) and Quinnipiac University in Hamden.

RPI joins Union College in canceling winter sports for their men’s and women’s programs.

The University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves (WCHA), whose program had already been eliminated in state budget cuts starting next season, has opted not to play this year, leaving the WCHA with nine teams. The University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks are still alive and well.

There is a “Save the Seawolves” campaign on going that has raised $850K of their goal of raising $3 million needed to keep the program going.

Nine Division-I schools have elected not to play this year because of COVID-19.

Colorado College (WCHA) is on a quarantine pause for two weeks with a coach who tested positive. They have to pull out of their conference pod.

The college hockey season finally got underway last weekend, and it also continues to lose schools.

In games played, Michigan swept their opening series with Arizona State by a combined score of 11-1, and in Sunday’s 3-0 shutout, outshot Arizona State 47-16.

Jimmy Lambert, the nephew of former New Haven Nighthawk player and Bridgeport Sound Tigers head coach Lane Lambert, the Islanders assistant coach, scored in the shutout win.

The Sun Devils have a long way to go on the Division-I Iadder but did get a big boost.

The Arizona Board of Regents this week approved a $115-million proposal from Arizona State that includes a 5,000-seat, two-sheet arena on the Tempe campus, cementing their Division I status. The new building will be used for the Sun Devils’ hockey, wrestling, and gymnastics programs and adjacent to the Sun Devil football stadium.

Christian Krygier, the son of the former UCONN Husky (Division-II era), Hartford Whaler, and New Haven Nighthawk, Todd Krygier, scored his first collegiate goal in a 1-1 OT tie with Arizona State Thursday night. Father Todd is an assistant coach with Grand Rapids (AHL).

How about the brand new LIU (Long Island University) program knocking off Holy Cross 3-2 in overtime for the school’s first victory?

Notre Dame and Wisconsin split their Big 10 matchup, with the Badgers winning the college hockey opener on a 3-0 shutout on Friday.

Minnesota swept Penn State this week.

PLAYER MOVEMENT

Sound Tiger goalie prospect Jakub Skarek is loaned to Peliitat (Finland Division-1).

The Calgary Flames have assigned winger Eetu Tolvannen on loan to SaiPa (Finland-FEL) rather than sending him to Vasterviks IK in Sweden Allsvenskan league as originally planned. He played all of last year in Stockton.

Mat Robson is the second Iowa player assigned to Europe, being loaned to EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL), making 188 AHL players loaned or signed to Europe and the 15th player assigned to Germany.

Lawton Courtnall of Western Michigan (NCHC) signs with the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL). He is the son of former NHL’er Russ Courtnall, who briefly played for the Rangers in the mid-1990s. His uncle Geoff was also an NHL‘er who had stints with Boston and Edmonton, and his cousin is ex-Sound Tiger Justin Courtnall.

At Yale University (ECACHL), Matt Foley is the second Bulldog to sign a pro deal with Wheeling (ECHL).

From the Michigan Tech Huskies (WCHA), Alex Smith signs with the Florida Everblades (ECHL).

John Lethemon of Michigan State (Big 10) signs with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL), making 192 players from Division-I college who have signed North American pro deals. 325 players in total from D-I and D-III have signed pro deals in North America and Europe. The conference breakdown is; Hockey East 35, NCHC 34, the Big 10 has 33, WCHA has 32, the ECACHL 31, AHA has 25, and Division I independent Arizona State has four.

Prized goalie Owen Savory, 23, after RPI (ECACHL), canceled winter sports, transfers to UMASS-Lowell (HE) for this year, and looks like he can play immediately or may have to wait until the second semester. His move makes for 44 college school transfers.

Denver gains a graduate transfer in Yale University (ECACHL) goalie Corbin Kaczperski this season. Kaczperski had a career record of 29-22-4 with a 2.53 GAA, .911 save percentage, and three shutouts in three years of varsity play (2017-2020). He played in 29 of 30 games last season, going 14-13-2 with a 2.77 GAA and .903 save percentage. He finished third in Yale’s all-time career record books for GAA and save percentage. He becomes the 20th grad school transfer.

The Huskies gained its third commit for next season in righthanded shooting defenseman Ryan Tverberg (Richmond Hill, ON), a top player in the OJHL with the Toronto Jr. Canadians slated to play for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL) this year. Forward Nate Hanley and goalie Logan Terness are the other two to give verbal commits.

Jake Osiecki, the son of former New Haven Senator Mark Osiecki, who skates with the Utica Jr. Comets (NCDC), commits to Division-III Augsburg College (MIAC).

Matt Carey, the ex-Wolf Pack, signs with Dusseldorfer EG (Germany-DEL).

Ex-Pack, Luke Adam, exits Dusseldorfer and signs with Nuremberg (Germany-DEL).

Ex-Pack, Brandon Alderson, is loaned from BK Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic-CEL) after three games to HK Dukla Trencin (Slovakia-SLEL).

Ex-Sound Tiger, Brandon DeFazio, the son of former Nighthawk Dean DeFazio, goes from Kunlun (China-KHL) to HC Brno (Czech Republic-CEL).

Former Wolf Pack star Derek Armstrong’s two sons, Dawson and Easton, will be skating together for three games this weekend with the Utah Outliers (USPHL-Premier).

Oliver Tärnström, the New York Rangers third-round draft pick (92nd overall) in October, and who’s the son of former Sound Tiger, Dick Tärnström, is loaned to Tyresö/Hanviken (Sweden HockeyEttan Division-3) where his cousin Alexander plays for Segeltorps IF. Oliver has played this season with the AIK J-20 team for 12 games with eight points and for AIK (Allsvenskan) this year with no points in three games.

Landon Ferraro, the son of former Hartford Whaler Ray Ferraro, signs with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany DEL-2). He has also started planning for a post-hockey career as an assistant coach in his hometown of Vancouver for the U-18 team at St. George’s School. One of the other coaches at the school is former Whaler, Todd Harkins, who coaches the U-15 team and has his nephew, Nicklas as his assistant.

Kevin “Kato” McCarthy, a former Whalers assistant coach and head coach for the Beast of New Haven, is hired as the assistant coach in Washington, joining Peter Laviolette. Both were let go by Nashville last season.

Ex-Wolf Pack head, Keith McCambridge, fired two years ago, was hired by the Vancouver Giants (WHL) as their associate head coach, and their season begins January 8th. He replaces Jamie Heward, who will be taking the assistant coach position with the Henderson Silver Knights. He reunites with his junior coaching tag team partner, Manny Viveiros, the Silver Knights’ first head coach.

CONGRATS

Congratulations to the one-time Wolf Pack PR Director, Laura Brubaker-Crisco, on her third child’s birth, all boys.

IN MEMORIAM

Ken Schinkel, an original member of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise, has died at age 87.

A native of Jansen, Saskatchewan, Schinkel joined the newly formed Penguins at age 35 through the 1967 expansion draft when the NHL doubled in size from six to twelve teams.

He was the first player in franchise history to be selected to the All-Star Game in 1968 and 1969. Schinkel spent six seasons with the Penguins in the late 1960s and early 1970s. By the time he retired as a player in 1973, Schinkel was the franchise’s career leader, to that point, in games (371) and points (236).

Schinkel recorded the first postseason hat trick in franchise history when he scored three times during a 5-2 win against the (California) Oakland Seals in Game 3 of a quarterfinal series on April 11, 1970.

During the 1971-72 season, line nicknames were big and in vogue; Schinkel was grouped with Ron Schock and Eddie Shack, forming the popular and phonetic-friendly “Schink-Schock-Shack Line.”

Midway through his final season of 1972-73, Schinkel retired as a player at age 40 and was named head coach of the team on January 13, 1973. He held that position for parts of four seasons over two stints. In 203 regular season games as the Penguins’ head coach, Schinkel fashioned a record of 83-92-28.

After stepping down as coach for good in May of 1977, Schinkel held various front-office positions with the franchise.  He stayed with the Penguins through 1989, then followed Eddie Johnston to the Hartford Whalers, where he remained in the front office for the rest of his hockey career as Director of Hockey Operations.