Some pictures from Alumni Weekend

Ron Czech and his son Gavin at the Alumni Weekeend

Ron Czech and Jeff Lupu at Alumni Weekend Family Skate

Justin Lupu getting ready for the face-off

Sanborn on second half push

After two huge SUNYAC wins to start the second semester, the boys are nothing but excited to continue to make a strong second half push.  After several weeks away from the classroom, classes started up again this Monday and I'm sure the guys could not be more thrilled.  Practice the first couple days of the week have been fast paced and up-beat as our team prepares to play Morrisville in our annual "Pink the Rink" game, which helps raise awareness for cancer.  Playing during the "Pink the Rink" game is an exciting experience in itself, as all the boys try to find a little something extra to give on that night, especially for the names that they wear on the back of their jerseys that night but, nevertheless, as we prepare for Friday's game we are viewing it as if it were a playoff game.  Look forward to getting a huge win at home with the boys on such an important night!

Bill Sanborn

Grinch likes how things are shaping up!

Last semester senior year, how time flies by. It seems surreal that nearly 4 years ago I walked onto the Fredonia campus for the first time. A lot of good times have been had here in Fredonia, the only thing that would make it better would be to take care of business and win the SUNYAC title this year. We are starting to get on a bit of a roll winning our last 4, all of which are against quality opponents. I like the way things are shaping up and it should be a good run from here on out.

Palmy's pads for Pink the Rink

Sellout crowd sees Devils win Pink the Rink vs. Morrisville

Coach Jeff Meredith and Mike Porpiglia, Community Executive, American Cancer Society in appreciation for the work the Fredonia State Hockey team has done to help in the fight against breast cancer awareness.  Photo taken by Carla Wisniewski - Colleges Against Cancer President.

Rosser on 'no lines, no waiting'

J-term might be my favorite time of the year. No lines at the dining hall. No looking for parking spots, and the gym is wide open. J-term is really a time to get to know each and every one of your teammates even better. I think as an entire group we bonded quite well over the month of January which helped our team preform better on the ice. It is going to be very exciting to see what else we are capable with only a month left in our regular season play. Looking forward to tonight's Pink the Rink.....always amazing atmosphere!

Rosser

Palmy preaches......

Hey there, Palmy here, lets just start out by saying it is nice to be back into the whole school routine. J-Term is fun and all, but its good to have some sort of motive to get up to go to class and not come back to my room to sleep the day off. Its nice to see the friendly faces you saw a month ago, and nice to meet some new people as well. This semester should be a fun one and a tough one. I'm taking some pretty hard classes, but for me, usually the harder it is the more want to succeed in it. So I should get some solid grades.

 

As far as hockey goes, nothing is too new, Coach TJ still can't score in the showdown, but luckily for him his team bails him out from time to time (lucky for him). The team though is looking good, we have something good going right now and we need to work off all of that energy and work with each other. We have a big game coming up this Friday against Morrisville. Pink The Rink. If you don't know what it is, it is a game where my teammates and myself wear pink jerseys to support breast cancer. All the money raised from that game, from our jerseys being purchased by friends, family or people in the community or neighboring communities, donations, as well as other purchases is donated. It is a really good cause and I am glad to be a part of that special day and game. If you have never been to a Pink The Rink game or any hockey game for that matter, I highly suggest going. Get there EARLY.  Packed house, lots of fun and a great cause!

"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you,
till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer,
never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."
-Harriet Beecher Stowe

#alotofhype boys,

Palmy #30

Perks on swaggar and getting into the classroom again...

Rod Perkins here. Just got back from night class and am currently taking in a little New York Islanders action with their only fan; Brett Mueller. Although, Brett seems extremely invested in the game, I can't say I share his enthusiasm. On a more positive hockey note, the boys are feeling great after our first SUNYAC sweep of the year, and a couple of great battles over the weekend. With our recent success, and new found swagger, it's hard not to see resemblance to last years team, who also really turned the corner after Christmas. Hopefully with this years group we can take our second half success even just one game further. From an academic stand point, today was the first day of the second semester, and as weird as it is to say, it actually feels pretty good to get off the couch and back in the class room. Overall, couldn't be happier about how things are going, and looking forward to making a charge into the playoffs and beyond.

 

Roderick Perkins

Only 3 days till Pink the Rink 2012

Dave Ridos reflects on college experience

     As J term has come to an, end, and classes started today, I have mixed feelings about this upcoming semester. On one end I am excited to start the second half of SUNYAC play, and playoffs, and on the other end I am a little sad, because this spring semester will be my last as an undergraduate student.  Although I am a little sad to be leaving a great group of guys, I am excited to what is going to be coming next for me as I leave Fredonia.  The last 4 years have gone by so fast, and I can't say how happy I am that I made the decision to come to Fredonia to go to school and be a part of the Blue Devil hockey program.  The last 4 years have been a very interesting, exciting, and at times bumpy, as there are many ups and downs a college student athlete goes through.  At times I must say I had doubts if I would make it to graduation or not, but as I begin my last semester, I can truly say I am thrilled for the next upcoming months, and especially in May when I can walk across the stage and receive my degree. I just want to say that I am very thankful that I was able to experience being a Fredonia State hockey player, not only for the great people I have met, but the things I have learned on the ice, but more importantly off the ice.  With that being said, I will miss Fredonia dearly, but for now I'm going to enjoy every second of this last semester, and  I am excited to see the boys tear it up in the second half of the season, and bring home a SUNYAC title when it's all said and done.

 

Daver

Great turnout for Alumni Weekend

All the old boys were in town for this past weekend's Alumni Game.  Some were older than others, but one thing is for sure, they all had a good time.  The game was an offensive explosion as the Blue team nipped the White 12-10 as the dangles and 'bar downs' were plentiful.

Some of those in attendance were, Matt McKeown, Bryan Goudy, Ricky Boyce, Jeff Sylvester, Jeff Aonso, Ron Czech, Jeff Lupu, Matt Zeman, Jim Gilbride, Tom Briggs, Neal Sheehan, Scott Bradley, Bill Wagner and his 2 sons, Alex and Cody, Don Jaeger, Joe Muli, Scott Goergen, Dave Ridos, Kody Van Rentergem and Kraig Kuzma.  It was great seeing the guys skate again and have fun with each other

Later on that day, Joe Valvo stopped by the office with his son, Lucas who I already have my eye on for another ten years from now.

The whole Lupu and Czech family was also in town and I spent my time between playing goalie and referee in a game that their kids were having in the hallway.  Brought back a lot of good memories.

Oh yeah, and the fact that the alumni saw the Devils beat Brockport and Geneseo was icing on the cake.  Already looking forward to the next Alumni Weekend.

Coach Meredith

Cizz gearing up.....

J-term here at Fredonia is finally coming to an end, it has been great to be back and playing hockey without the burden of class hanging over our heads.  That being said it will be good to get back to our regular routine with classes starting and what not.  Personally I'm looking forward to sleeping in a bit later during the second semester then we were able to over J-term as I'm not a huge fan of the alarm buzzing every morning at 7am.

The second semester starting also brings about the second half of our SUNYAC schedule, every game here on out will feel like a playoff game, with 2 points on the line that feels as if they're the most important of the season. If there's one game in particular I'm looking forward to its our road game in Cortland in the middle of February, because one of my best friends from home recently transferred there and is having an immediate impact on their top line.

Until next time,

Cizzz #8

Nunner counting on being a difference maker

J-tem is in its final week and I feel the team has made some very large steps forward.  The level of compete is way up these past few weeks, but more importantly everyone is show more desire to win.  After going through two thirds of the season with out reaching our potential, this last stretch of SUNY games should really be a great test for us and an eye opener for the rest of the teams around the league. 
The weather is crazy here in Fredonia this winter.  It is as if someone is playing with the outside thermostat because the tempreture is fluctuating every single day.  I know I can't control the weather, but I know I have a control on the impact I will make on helping the team this last stretch of the regular season and into playoffs.


Brad Nunn

Dave Simpson still taking care of business

Hockey alum, Dave Simpson of the Rochester Police Dept.

Back in the mid-90's when the Blue Devils were making back to back Frozen Four appearances, Dave Simpson was a key part of that historic run.  Dave was the energy and heart of a group of guys who hold a special place in Fredonia State history. 

Today Dave is a member of the Rochester, NY Police Department and SWAT Team.  Always one of the hardest workers and grittiest players, Dave has brought that 'team first' mentality to his unit in Rochester.

Congratulations to Will and Rachel Hamele

Emma Hamele, born on November 27, 2011

Nosky ready for SUNYAC along with 28 hearts

As the days go bye, we are getting close to SUNYAC play and our team is pumped. We are all finally all on the same page and playing Blue Devil hockey. Brockport and Geneseo are coming to Steele Hall this weekend and we are excited to see them. We have skill, swag, and twenty-eight hearts filled with the passion to win. I can't wait to get after both teams this weekend and get four points. Let's do it!

Muhser and the boys looking to build swaggar

It's now Monday after a pretty good weekend going 1-1 with Neumann and I am already getting the sense that this week is going to fly by heading into another huge SUNYAC weekend at Steele Hall.  I think that we are all happy about finally seeing our hard work pay off with that OT win and it will be important to remember that feeling after winning a tight game heading into each game for the rest of the season.  I hope we can use this past weekend and carry that momentum over into Friday night as we look to start streaking towards the playoffs.  It has become that time of the year where each game is more important than the next and they have that playoff feel to them.  Overall I think the team is feeling great and it will be important to keep building confidence and having the right amount swagger coming into each new challenge ahead.

Bellzy on Dad's Weekend in Fredonia

I started playing hockey around the age of five years old.  My Dad would take me to the ice rink every weekend for public skating.  We lived in Florida at the time so it was about an hour drive because there was only so many ice rinks in Florida at the time.  He would guide me around on my double bladed skates until I started to glide on my own which wasn't till months later.  I had a passion for it so I didn't feel like I was practicing, rather just enjoying myself out on the ice.  It was about two or three years later until I played in my first game which says a lot about hockey because it takes years of practice to get going on the ice.

Bellzy #24 

Mules loading up on fluids for push

Just relaxing and hydrating as we gear up for the most important contest of the season tomorrow night. It felt good to get that 1st game since taking over a month off from games out of the way. Now our focus turns to Neumann, from hear on out  every single Friday and Saturday night will have a playoff atmosphere as we make our push for the SUNYAC Championship. Can't wait to get it started 

Muelly #26

Willy on the grind!

Christmas break is over and we are back on the grind looking forward to having a great 2nd half. J term is quite nice and relaxing. We don't have to worry about school we get to just focus on hockey and spend some quality time with our teammates. We got two games coming up this weekend against Neumann which are gonna be two battles between two very hardworking teams. But the games are good to get us ready to play some SUNYAC hockey the following weekend and get us ready to make our second semester run.

Teck likes the weather

I can't recall the last time it was mid 40's in the middle of January with not an inch of snow on the ground.  I really don't think anyone is complaining though.  J-term is flying by and so far it has been a great experience.  Always being with the boys gives you a lot of time to get closer as a team.  Although i enjoyed my nice Christmas break in buffalo it does feel good to be back and playing hockey again, it was a much needed time away from the rink.  It gave a lot of guys time to rest any injuries or sickness but its now time to get back to work in the SUNYAC. 

Teck

Melky excited about second half

Cory Melkert checking in here for another blog entry. Just getting back after the Christmas break now, we have had a good hard week of practices leading up to our first game against Elmira. The second half of the season is going to be a great stretch and it will go by very quick. The boys have to be on their toes and ready to battle to get geared up for the play-offs. I survived the first final exams of my student athlete collegiate career, coming out of the first semester with a decent GPA but I hope to improve my GPA this following semester. It has been a good first half of my freshman year here both hockey and school wise. I hope it continues and I hope to continue to improve in both areas of being a student athlete.

Cory Melkert

Ellenberger enjoys break, ready for second half

It's day three of our J-term chapter of our season, and the campus certainly has a different feel to it. The holiday break was relaxing, and it was great to spend time with my family and catch up on things with friends who go to different colleges. It was also great to skate with former teammates from home over the Christmas break, and it was great to catch up with them and how they are doing, whether they are still playing juniors or NCAA hockey. While there is little to no activity on campus, its gives us as a team time to work on our game without outside distractions, such as classes. Its great to focus only on hockey, and I'll be taking advantage of this time we have before the hectic second semester starts up in a few weeks. With some non-conference games scheduled in the coming weeks against some strong opponents, we're looking to build some momentum before we begin out conference schedule and to make a strong run toward the playoffs.

Gunner says war brewing

Just got back from Canada I had a good Christmas with my family and a unbelievable New Years it was nice to be back and relax for a bit during the break but now its back to the grind and get some of the rust out. We had a good practice today and I could tell by how everyone is playing that we have a lot of enthusiasm to be back on the ice and towards the upcoming game against Elmira we have a little over a week to prepare for the game but, will be ready to go to war.

Holly focused on a great start in January

We are now back on campus after our much needed Christmas break. It was great to go home and and recharge for a couple of weeks and just enjoy being with friends and family, but it is great to get back on the ice again too. J-Term is good because even though I am taking one online class, when we wake up each morning we only have one thing to worry about and that is hockey. It reminds me of playing junior hockey where our only responsibilities were at the rink. That may be just what we need right now to not have to worry about school or anything besides hockey. We can use January to get to where we need to be and work towards our goal. January is also good because not only do we work together on the ice, but we get to spend a lot of time together off the ice and it helps to bring our group even closer. I can't wait to play that first game again and start getting ready for the most important stretch of our season.

Freeze excited to be back

Well, it's time to get back to work here in Fredonia. I had such a nice Christmas break at home in Calgary, and it was great to spend some time with my family. I'm now back in Fredonia, and we just started practicing together again today. It felt great to be back on the ice! It's looking to be a fairly busy J-term, as I am taking two online classes in addition to our busy hockey schedule. I'm looking forward to this second half of the season, and I know that it is going to go by very quickly! We are busy preparing hard these next couple weeks to be successful as a team. Right now I am currently watching Canada play Russia in the World Juniors.. Russia is up 3-1, I'm hoping Canada can turn things around here! I'm excited to see what this next half of our season will bring, and look forward to the opportunities ahead for us.

We're back................ time to get 'er going for the stretch run!!!!!

We just finished our first practice since the Christmas break, and it was great to see all the boys battling it out again. We have a big test coming up so we know how important getting an early jump on things is. One of my good buddies I played juniors with is on Neumann so it will be nice to see him again and backhand t-drag him for two games. During the Christmas break I went to two World Junior games, sadly both were the United States games. I seen them play Russia in exhibition, and Denmark in the round robin. The atmosphere was very anti-US. I don't think Denmark was expecting to have all of Edmonton behind them. 

Grinch was too scared to come to Sherwood Park during the break, which doesn't surprise me. He is soft.

Hehrsy