Mercyhurst College sophomore forward Phil Ginand has been invited to the Philadelphia Flyers‘ rookie development camp this summer, Lakers coach Rick Gotkin said Tuesday. Ginand had 15 goals and 34 points in 39 games as a freshman in the 2008-09 season. But he missed all but two games this season after undergoing knee surgery.
- Victor Fernandes
Neil Graham (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)
Mercyhurst College senior forward Neil Graham has secured a spot in the NCAA’s Frozen Four Skills Challenge on April 9 at 8 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit. The official announcement was made on Wednesday.
Graham, a native of Calgary, Alberta, is the school’s first player selected to participate in the event. Several past Lakers have been added to the event as alternates. The Skills Challenge, which occurs on the off day between the national tournament’s semifinals and championship game, features six skaters and two goaltenders apiece for the men’s and women’s East and West teams competing in various events.
The original list of hopefuls included 140 players and was trimmed to 75 by the selection committee. Then fans voted for their favorite players. The committee took those votes into consideration.
The night also includes the presentation of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award – presented to Division I’s top men’s hockey player – and the announcement of the American Hockey Coaches Association all-American teams.
Tickets for the 2011 NCAA Division I Women’s Frozen Four, which will be hosted by Mercyhurst College and is set for March 18-20, 2011, at Tullio Arena, are on sale at Ticketmaster.com. All-sessions passes for the three games are $49 for adults and $39 for students. Check out Ticketmaster’s tickets page by clicking the link.
Mercyhurst College senior defenseman Cullen Eddy has signed with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. The Hidden Valley native recently completed his Lakers’ career with nine goals and 49 points in 144 games. He joins four Lakers Matt Pierce, Brett Robinson, Scott Reynolds and Jamie Coghlan on the Cyclones’ roster. Read more by clicking the link.
MINNEAPOLIS - Julie Chu has experienced many memorable moments as a member of the United States women’s hockey teams in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Olympics. But on Saturday, she recalled a memorable against Mercyhurst College from her days at Harvard.
The date was March 19, 2005. The Lakers and Crimson met int the NCAA Women’s Division I quarterfinals in Cambridge, Mass. The game lasted 12 minutes into the third overtime, when Chu, then a junior forward, scored to seal Harvard’s 5-4 win. Then-Mercyhurst goaltender Desi Clark made 78 saves in that game – a NCAA tournament record that still stands.
“It was an unbelievable game,” Chu said following the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award ceremony at McNamara Alumni Center on Saturday. “I just remember it being back and forth. There were tons of opportunities on either side. It was one of those games (that) at the end of it … we can walk away saying that was an incredible game that could have gone either way.”
Chu is impressed with the growth of Mercyhurst’s program since that game.
“Since then, Mercyhurst has just exploded and become a powerhouse for women’s hockey. It’s fun to see that growth of Erie.”
Chu was joined by fellow 2010 Olympians Caitlin Cahow, the ceremony’s keynote speaker, Jenny Potter and Angela Ruggiero and their silver medals from the Vancouver Olympics last month. Mark Johnson, who coached the U.S. team and won gold with the 1980 U.S. men’s team, also attended the event.
* Bittersweet ending: Mercyhurst senior defenseman Johanna Malmstrom‘s career ended with Friday night’s 3-2 overtime loss to Cornell in the NCAA Women’s Division I Frozen Four semifinals
“It’s been a tough two days, still a lot of crying,” said Malmstrom, the Lakers’ lone senior. “But it’s part of it. It’s just how it is.”
Now she has to focus on the future. “I haven’t even thought of it yet,” she said, “most likely go back to Sweden and play hockey there.”
* News and notes: Marney Gellner, a pregame/postgame host and sideline reporter with FOX Sports North for Minnesota Twins (MLB), Minnesota Wild (NHL) and University of Minnesota men’s hockey broadcasts, served as master of ceremonies, even though she was 10 days away from giving birth to her second child. … The state of Minnesota has 126 girls’ high school hockey programs.
- Victor Fernandes
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Three members of the Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team were honored at the Atlantic Hockey Tournament banquet Thursday evening in Rochester, N.Y. Junior forward Brandon Coccimiglio was named to the All-AHA Second Team, junior goaltender Ryan Zapolski earned a spot on the All-AHA Third Team and senior Chris Risi was honored with the Individual Sportsmanship Award.
Coccimiglio, a native of Burlington, Ontario, makes his first appearance on an all-conference team after finishing the season second in scoring for the Lakers. He tallied 14 goals and added 14 assists for 28 points through 31 games, missing five due to injury.
Zapolski represents Mercyhurst as an All-AHA selection for the second-straight season, being named to the second team in 2008-09. The Erie, Pa., native went 15-17-3 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.79 goals against average. He set a new Mercyhurst single-season save record with 1,109 stops and won 15-plus games for the second time in his career.
Risi, the team’s captain, garnered one of the conference’s major honors for displaying honor, courage and respect to his team and opponents throughout the season. On the ice, he produced the Lakers with three goals and 13 points through 32 games, missing four contests with an injury earlier in the season. For his career, the Thorold, Ontario product netted 23 goals and added 40 assists for 63 points.
- From Mercyhurst College news release
Vicki Bendus (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)
MINNEAPOLIS – Mercyhurst College junior forward Vicki Bendus was honored as the NCAA Elite 88 Award winner on Thursday night at the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four Champions Banquet at TCF Bank Stadium.
The award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average at the Frozen Four tournament. She has built a 3.937 GPA and is majoring in biology/pre-medicine while tying teammate Jesse Scazano for the NCAA Division I lead with 65 points. Bendus also ranks among the top five in several other categories.
Bendus was named College Hockey America player of the year and an all-CHA first team selection as well as a top-three finalist for the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented to the nation’s top women’s player.
Vicki Bendus (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)
MINNEAPOLIS - Mercyhurst College junior forwards Vicki Bendus and Jesse Scanzano were named RBK All-Americans by the American Hockey Coaches Association. Bendus earned first-team honors while Scanzano secured a spot on the second team.
They were two of 12 players honored – eight of which are playing in this weekend’s Frozen Four at the University of Minnesota‘s Ridder Arena – during NCAA Women’s Frozen Four Champions Banquet Thursday night at TCF Bank Stadium.
Senior forward Emmanuelle Blais and junior defenseman Jocelyne Larocque were Minnesota Duluth‘s recipients. Cornell Fr. D Laura Fortino, the program’s first-ever, first-team selection, headlined a group that included Fr. D Lauriane Rougeau and So. F Catherine White. Fr. G Noora Raty and So. D Anne Schleper were Minnnesota’s honorees.
2010 Women’s Division I All-America teams
Goaltender: Noora Raty, Fr. – Minnesota
Defense: Laura Fortino, Fr. – Cornell
Defense: Anne Schleper, So. – Minnesota
Forward: Vicki Bendus, Jr. – Mercyhurst
Forward: Emmanuelle Blais, Sr. – Minnesota Duluth
Forward: Kelly Paton, Sr. – New Hampshire
Second Team
Goaltender: Florence Schelling, So. – Northeastern
Defense: Courtney Richard, Jr. – New Hampshire
Defense: Lauriane Rougeau, Fr. – Cornell
Forward: Felicia Nelson, Sr. – St. Cloud State
Forward: Jesse Scazano, Jr. – Mercyhurst
Forward: Catherine White, So. – Cornell
Michael Sisti (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)
MINNEAPOLIS - Mercyhurst College women’s hockey coach Michael Sisti smiled when asked about his team’s morning practice on Thursday at the University of Minnesota‘s Ridder Arena.
“You want honesty?” Sisti asked, which evoked laughter from media members during the opening news conference at the NCAA Division I Frozen Four.
“It was probably the worst practice of the season,” he said. A blend of nerves and excitement left the Lakers unfocused for their first on-ice workout in preparation for Friday’s 6 p.m. ET semifinal game against Cornell.
“Some players were trying too much,” Sisti said. “Some were nervous. Some were probably trying to conserve energy for (Friday’s game). But it’s all right. We’ve solved so many problems on the go. That’s the story of our season.”
The Lakers understand the magnitude of this national championship tournament and the talent Cornell, Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth possess. “We’re excited,” junior forward Jesse Scanzano said. “But we’re definitely nervous because you never know what could happen in that one game.”
Sisti said the thought of skating his players hard in Friday morning’s skate crossed the coaching staff’s mind on Thursday. “But calmer heads prevailed,” he said. Instead, Sisti has scheduled an optional skate – his normal game-day plan all season. Despite the subpar practice on Thursday, Sisti isn’t concerned about his team.
“What’s great with this team is the resilience and also the focus when it’s time to focus,” he said. “With some of the maturity (on this young team), there’s days where we may not have everyone dialed in on every single day. But when it’s time to play, they play. They’d be nuts not to show up ready to play awesome. They know what’s at stake.” Read the rest of this entry »
Check out video from the Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team’s NCAA Division I Frozen Four news conference, held Thursday at the University of Minnesota‘s Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
