The Mercyhurst women’s hockey team has gained from the loss of a College Hockey America rival for the second straight year.
The Lakers have added senior forwards Jenna Hendrikx and Kelsey Welch and junior forward Kaleigh Chippy from Niagara, which folded its program in March in the wake of the athletic department’s restructuring plan. The trio ranked among the Purple Eagles’ top four scorers this past season with a combined 23 goals and 54 points. Last summer, the Lakers added graduating senior defenseman Jill Szandzik and rising senior forward Gina Buquet from Wayne State, which folded its program after the 2010-11 season.
The newest transfers headline Lakers coach Michael Sisti‘s 12-player recruiting class for the 2012-13 season. They are joined by nine freshmen – forwards Jaclyn Arbour, Hannah Bale, Jenna Dingeldein, Kathy Donohue, Emily Janiga, and Maggie Rothgery; defensemen Lauren Kilroy and J’nai Mahadeo; and goaltender Julia DiTondo.
DiTondo, a native of Kenmore, N.Y., who played for the Nichols School and the Buffalo Bisons’ Tier I program, will compete with senior Stephanie Ciampa and sophomore Amanda Makela for the chance to replace Hillary Pattenden, a four-year starter in goal.
Mahadeo, a native of Airdrie, Alberta, played for the prestigious Edge School in Calgary, Alberta. Kilroy joins the Lakers from the North American Hockey Academy in Stowe, Vt., by way of her hometown of Cypress, Calif.
Sisti recruited two forwards apiece from western New York – Donohue (Rochester) and Janiga (East Aurora) – and Ontario – Bale (Oakville) and Dingeldein (Toronto). Donohue joined Kilroy at the North American Hockey Academy, while Janiga played with DiTondo at Nichols.
Arbour, a native of South Seatauket, N.Y., played for the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid, N.Y. Her grandfather, Hall of Fame coach Al Arbour, led the NHL’s New York Islanders to four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1980-83.
Rothgery, a native of Elyria, Ohio, played for the Ohio Flames Under-19 team. The Lakers’ season begins Sept. 22 with an exhibition game against the Stoney Creek (Ontario) Sabres at Mercyhurst Ice Center.

NEW YORK — For the fifth consecutive year, NHL Network™ U.S. will air the MasterCard Memorial Cup, the championship of the Canadian Hockey League. NHL Network U.S will feature a combination of live and tape-delayed broadcasts throughout the 10 days of competition from the host city of Shawinigan, Quebec.

Fans will have the opportunity to see the NHL’s future stars and 2012 NHL Draft™ picks from May 18-27 at the Canadian Hockey League’s elite event. The host Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will be joined by the QMJHL champion Saint John Sea Dogs; the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights; and the winner of the Western Hockey League, the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Each team will play three games in the preliminary round-robin, May 18-23. The semifinal game is May 25 and the championship game is May 27.

NHL Network U.S. will telecast Rogers Sportsnet’s coverage of all the championship games with the broadcast team of play-by-play man RJ Broadhead, analyst Sam Cosentino and host Rob Faulds. Each live game broadcast will feature intermission reports from NHL Network’s own NHL Tonight™ team in Toronto. All games will be broadcast in high definition.

MasterCard Memorial Cup games will be live unless there is a Stanley Cup® Conference Final game being played that night. In those instances, NHL Network will offer a broadcast of the MasterCard Memorial Cup game on a tape delay. Additional live game coverage from the championship will be added to the NHL Network U.S. schedule as the Stanley Cup Conference Finals series conclude. Fans are encouraged to check www.nhlnetwork.com for updates.

NHL.com also will have special coverage of the championship in its entirety with a team of reporters and videographers on-site to cover the sights and sounds of the CHL’s best.

2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup on NHL Network U.S. Schedule (all times Eastern)

Date Game Time (ET)
Fri., May 18 Edmonton vs. Shawinigan 7:00 p.m. (LIVE)
Sat., May 19 Edmonton vs. Shawinigan 10:00 a.m. (tape delay)
Sat., May 19 Saint John vs. London 7:00 p.m. (LIVE)
Sun., May 20 Saint John vs. London 10:00 a.m. (tape delay)
Sun., May 20 Shawinigan vs. London 7:00 p.m. (LIVE)
Mon., May 21 Shawinigan vs. London 1:00 p.m. (tape delay)
Tue., May 22 Saint John vs. Edmonton 1:00 p.m. (tape delay)
Wed., May 23 London vs. Edmonton 1:00 p.m. (tape delay)
Thur., May 24 Shawinigan vs. Saint John 1:00 p.m. (tape delay)
Fri., May 25 tiebreaker* (if necessary) 1:00 p.m. (tape delay)
Fri., May 25 Semifinal TBA
Sun., May 27 Championship TBA

** for a complete MasterCard Memorial Cup schedule, visit
www.mastercardmemorialcup.ca.

Erie Otters defenseman Adam Pelech is moving up at least one NHL draft board. Read the story by clicking the link.

Toronto – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Andrew Agozzino of the Niagara IceDogs is the 2011-12 recipient of the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy.

A three-year captain with the IceDogs, Agozzino was chosen for the award by a media selection committee as the OHL team captain that best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice, with a passion and dedication to the game of hockey and his community that Mickey demonstrated.

Nomination forms were submitted by OHL general managers on behalf of their individual team captains. The selection committee consisted of a panel of four, representing media from each OHL division.

“It is a special honor to have been awarded of the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy,” said Agozzino, who competed against Mickey as a rookie with the IceDogs in 2007. “Mickey was very well respected and a great captain and to receive this in his memory is something I’m very proud of.”

On the IceDogs nomination form, Agozzino is described as a passionate and determined individual who truly cares for his teammates, his opponents, and the game. He leads by example putting team goals, objectives, and the well-being of those around him before his own personal goals. Agozzino is also very active in the community playing a large role in appearances and team initiatives in each of his five seasons, while personally raising $2,480 for Movember this year. His fundraising efforts led all OHL players in the first year of this CHL-wide initiative in support of men’s health and prostate cancer awareness.

“For five years Andrew has been the heart and soul of the IceDogs, just as Mickey was the heart and soul of the Spitfires,” said IceDogs’ owner Bill Burke. “With Mickey’s mother Jane having been from Niagara Falls and his father Mark having played for the Thunder, there is obviously a connection between the Renaud’s and the Niagara Region, making the award even more special for our team.”

Agozzino is a 21-year-old native of Kleinburg, ON, who played all five of his OHL seasons with the IceDogs after being the franchise’s first ever draft pick selected 15th overall in the 2007 Priority Selection. This season he tied for fifth in league scoring with a career-high 88 points in 67 games scoring 40 goals and 48 assists leading the IceDogs to their first Central Division title and best overall record in team history with a record of 47-18-0-3 for 97 points.

Also named the Overage Player of the Year, he led the IceDogs in both goals and points for the third time in five years finishing his career with a franchise record 159 goals and 147 assists for 306 points in a franchise record 318 regular season games played.

Agozzino becomes the fourth recipient of the award following Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires, John Kurtz of the Sudbury Wolves, and Chris Terry of the Plymouth Whalers who won the inaugural award for the 2008-09 season.

The Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy will be formally presented to Agozzino in addition to the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy at the OHL Awards Ceremony on Tuesday June 5 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

- From OHL news release

Check out this College Hockey News story on college hockey possibly moving closer to trading full shields for half-visors.

Check out this story from The London Free Press on Dale Hunter leaving the NHL’s Washington Capitals to rejoin the OHL champion London Knights.

Toronto – The Board of Governors of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) have approved the sale of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors to Mississauga businessman Elliott Kerr. Kerr, President of Landmark Sport Group Inc., will be the majority owner and the new franchise will continue to call the Hershey Centre home for the 2012-2013 season.

“We are very excited about the upcoming 2012-13 hockey season as well as the opportunity to continue Major Junior Hockey in our great City of Mississauga,” said Kerr. “I have been a proud resident of Mississauga for 25 years, my six year-old twins are actively involved in minor hockey here, our Mississauga Marathon event will be celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2013 and our Landmark Sport Group office is based here as well.”

“The Ontario Hockey League is excited to see the expanded involvement of Elliott Kerr in the OHL with his acquisition of the Mississauga franchise,” said OHL Commissioner David Branch. “ His experience as part of the ownership group with the Guelph Storm and the original Mississauga franchise, along with his passion for the game, family values, and being a Mississauga resident, will undoubtedly serve to see the Mississauga franchise grow and flourish”

Mayor Hazel McCallion is also thrilled to have the team staying in Mississauga “It is wonderful to know that we will continue to have an OHL team in Mississauga under the ownership of Elliott Kerr” said City of Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion. “I encourage community support for hockey at all levels in Mississauga and I am pleased that our residents will continue to enjoy a high caliber of sports entertainment that brings in many visitors to our City.

Under the new ownership, the hockey club will undergo a complete rebranding as the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors name will be returned to the school. We want to thank Eugene Melnyk for supporting minor hockey in Mississauga and for bringing the Majors to this great city. In an effort to engage the residents of Mississauga, the new team will be conducting a “Name the Team Contest” in association with the Mississauga News this week. The team name will be unveiled following the contest.

Coach and General Manager, James Boyd will remain with the team and Kerr has appointed Scott Rogers as Vice President and Director of Business Operations for the club.

- From OHL news release

Mercyhurst University men’s hockey coach Rick Gotkin has announced that senior Grant Blakey (Canton, Michigan) and juniors Nick Jones (Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania) and Daniel O’Donoghue (Port Jefferson Station, New York) will serve as the captains for the upcoming 2012-13 season.

The trio will serve as tri-captains for the upcoming season, with each player garnering the “C” on his jersey.

Blakey missed eight games last season due to an injury, but still posted four goals and 12 assists for 16 points, finishing 11th on the team in scoring. He was leading or near the team lead in scoring before he went down with his injury. He finished tied for third on the team with a +2 rating last season and also had one of Mercyhurst’s two shorthanded goals. His 12 assists was tied for eighth on the team. Blakey has played in 105 games for the Lakers in his three seasons, and has recorded 24 goals and 42 assists for 66 points. He will be one of only four seniors on next year’s squad, joining defenseman Charlie Carkin, forward Paul Chiasson, and goaltender Max Strang.

Named the team’s Top Defenseman at the team’s postseason banquet, Nick Jones was only one of five players last season to play in all 40 games. He was the only non-freshman from Mercyhurst to be named to an All-Conference team, earning a Third Team nod as a defenseman. Jones led all Laker defensemen in scoring with 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points this season. He was tied for fifth on the team in both goals and points. His ten goals was the most goals by a Laker defenseman since Jamie Hunt scored 12 during the 2005-06 season. Hunt went on to become the first Laker to play in the National Hockey League, skating for the Washington Capitals.

In fact, Jones’ ten goals was tied for third-most by a Mercyhurst defenseman since the 1999-2000 season. T.J. Kemp scored 11 in 2002-03 and then scored 10 during the 2004-05 season. Jones finished in a tie for third among Atlantic Hockey defensemen with his 24 points this season, trailing only Air Force’s Tim Kirby (28) and Connecticut’s Alex Gerke (25). He was tied with Air Force’s Scott Mathis. Jones has played in 74 career games and has 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points.

Named the team’s Top Defensive Forward at the team’s postseason banquet, Daniel O’Donoghue played in 39 games last season and was tied for seventh on the team in scoring with eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. He was one of the Lakers’ best penalty killers all season and was usually on the team’s top unit when called upon to kill a penalty. O’Donoghue scored Mercyhurst’s first shorthanded goal of the season against Sacred Heart on January 6 and he was named the Atlantic Hockey Co-Player of the Week on January 23 after posting two goals and two assists in a series at Holy Cross. In 76 career games, O’Donoghue has 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points.

Mercyhurst loses just three players to graduation from a team that finished the 2011-12 season with a 20-16-4 overall record and advanced to the Atlantic Hockey Association semifinals for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The team’s 20 victories was also the most by a Mercyhurst team since winning 22 games during the 2008-09 campaign.

Check out this story on Erie Otters defenseman Adam Pelech from thehockeywriters.com.

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna says the conference’s expansion plans are focused on the University of Connecticut.

Bertagna and UConn Athletic Director Warde Manuel say they hope to know in June whether UConn will be upgrading its men’s hockey program and becoming a member of Hockey East.

The 10-member conference, which is in the process of adding Notre Dame for 2013, has been looking for a 12th member.

The school and the conference have been in talks that also have included Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and officials with Hartford’s XL Center, a likely venue for games.

Bertagna says while there have been casual conversations with other schools, the league’s talks with UConn are the most serious.

Connecticut currently plays in the Atlantic Hockey conference.