"We are the Millers".........

Hi There,

Today we had a good morning day skate and packed up the bus for our trek to Michigan.  This weekend we have a non-conference game vs #5 Adrian and an exhibition game vs the US under 18 National Development Team.  Our go to bus driver Sandy wheeled us over here in about four and a half hours.  Whole squad watched two great flicks on the hike here, the first being We are the Millers, and the second being an all time classic Ace Ventura Pet Detective.  Well that's it for today it is a short one but we have a game day skate tomorrow at 10 am so I am gonna rest up and prepare myself for a meat grinder tomorrow night at Adrian's Ice Arena.  Tune in for updates on our results.

Talk to ya soon,

 

John DeFeo #15

Happy Thanksgiving with the boys........

Hey there fellow Bloggers,

Happy Thanksgiving to all here from the boys of the Fredonia state hockey club.  It was a great day here in Fredonia, we gathered all the boys to the Forest Fire for a lovely home cooked meal by Mitch Kauf #24 and Father Andrew Christ #19.  We had a tremendous spread of a 21 lb. turkey, ham, homemade stuffing and mash potatoes, and veggies.  We then finished it all up with some pumpkin and apple pie.  It was just as good as Mama makes it.  We also were very entertained by Chad Bennett #14 with his hilarious stories and experiences.  Overall it was a great Thanksgiving, and we are all very blessed to have been able to cook and enjoy it with each other.  I hope you all enjoy your evenings, I am off to watch the Steelers/Ravens game with the fella's.  Safe travels home everyone.

Catch ya later,

 

John DeFeo#15

1 - 2 - Left, 1 - 2 - Right, and a great day of team building

Hello All,

Today was an early day for the whole squad waking up on a cold Monday morning heading to Steele Hall for our Team Skill Building.  I really haven't done anything like this with any other team before so I was quite anxious.  We were put through various mental and physical tasks that could only be completed as a whole team not just one individual.  The most impressive part of it all I felt was not just in the games, but in the progress you could see being made from 8 in the morning till 4 in the afternoon during all of the activities.  The communication at the start was more chatter than actual beneficial talk, but by the time we were putting together those puzzles late in the day the communication and planning was precise and we were working together as one well oiled fine machine.  That's all for today need to head to bed and rest up for our two-a-day tomorrow.

Hasta Luego,

John DeFeo #15

.........recommending The Hunger Games II

John DeFeo #15 clocking in for the blog this week, seems like yesterday I was writing my first blog post of my freshman year.  But on a different note it was a cold cloudy day here in Fred-Vegas so what better to do than start the day with some much needed house cleaning and laundry.  After putting in some man hours the Forest Fire is finally spotless, amazing what a little spit shine can do to a place.  Following the cleanup the boys and I thought we had earned a movie night down at the Dunkirk cinemas.  I was not familiar with any of the current movie choices being featured but the boys recommended The Hunger Games II.  So in order to get into the loop we quickly through on NetFlix and had a double feature by watching the first Hunger Games before going to the theater. Turned out to be two excellent films that i would suggest people to go see, even though they left the second movie on a huge cliff hanger that currently has me rattled.  But that's all for today folk's look forward toward writing about our team skill building session tomorrow, an all-day event that is going to bring are team closer together than we already are.

Hasta Mañana,

 

John DeFeo #15

Boys at the game...........

Kauf here back for another post Saturday afternoon from Steele Hall watching the women's basketball team take on Hilbert College in a non conference nail biter. After a tough tie to Buff State last night after being up two goals with 8 minutes to play the boys have a day off to relax and recoup. My roommate John "JD" Defeo and I took to some much needed house cleaning this afternoon along with a payday at the bottle depot. Well that's it for today I believe some of the boys are at captain Rod Perkins house so I'm out the door.

Cheers, Kauf

Here's a pic of the boys at the game.

 

Rival game night.......

Kauf back for another post from my local residence in Fredonia on Forest Place or the "Forest Fire" as we like to call it. Had a great practice today to round out the week before a big game as we travel to Buff State tomorrow who I would consider through the time I have spent here as our rival team. Something about facing those guys gives me a bitter feeling in the pit of my stomach. 

In other news around campus today it was noted that Freshmen goalie Chris Eiserman has sparked some new love which is great to hear. For those of you know don't know Chris he is a charismatic, outspoken gentlemen and when he first arrived in Fredonia, I knew we had created a life long friendship. I truly believe that's one of the greatest things about being in college and being apart of a group such as our hockey squad; with being together nearly 24/7 you know the ins and outs of every individual on our team which to this date is the closest group of guys I have ever been a part of. Everyday we strive to bring the best out of one another which once in a while brings us to butt heads but thats just part of the experience. 

Here's a picture of Chris and I enjoying an evening with the boys during preseason.

 

SUNYAC Game, OOC game and US 18's loom on the horizon

Kauf back for an evening post after a tough loss in Elmira tonight. But with an opponent in Buff State only a couple days away we have to recoup, evaluate, and move on to preparation Wednesday and Thursday before our huge SUNYAC battle Friday night before the Thanksgiving break.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, this year the boys will be sticking around campus to practice and play an out of conference game and also a game versus the US National under 18 squad which is a great privilege for our club. USA Hockey has been preparing and mentoring kids from such a young age now they are beginning to take over the national tournaments around the world. As Canadians we pride ourselves in doing the same thing and the rivalry has never been greater. With the World Juniors in December and the Olympics coming up in February it'll be interesting to see how the teams compete and compare in style of play. Hopefully Canada will regain their World Junior title and also remain at the top of the World in the Olympics.

Cheers, Kauf

Canadians win..............

Kauf here just grinding another night away at the library after a long day in the classroom and physics lab with teammate/roommate John DeFeo. With such a short turn around before tomorrows game in Elmira the boys had a shorter practice today and focused on more of a flow and tempo to get the heart rates up with a little bit  of special teams mixed in. To top it all off the Canadians pulled through in the US/Canada showdown today the shootout winner coming from yours truly.
 
Bit of a short post today but this lab report isn't gonna finish itself! Lets hope fellas play well tomorrow and pull a win out in Elmira!

Cheers, Kauf

Dancing with the Athletes a huge success.....

Mitch Kaufmann signing in for the blog this week as we prepare for 2 big games coming up shortly with an away game in Elmira on Tuesday and a huge SUNYAC game against Buff State who we were blanked in 2 regular season losses as well as an early playoff exit as our first opponent in SUNYAC playoffs. Needless to say our upperclassmen are a bit hungry for this one. After a big win against Potsdam on Saturday night today we were able to see some of our players face off in a pairs dance competition today in "Dancing with the Athletes" which included junior Tyler Matecki, sophomore Chad Bennett, and freshmen Marcus Ortiz, Hunter Long and Marcus Moles with categories ranging from hip hop to Bollywood. Unfortunately our captain, senior Rod Perkins was not able to perform due to a rolled ankle in practice. At the end of the Day Marcus Moles (80's) placed first with a close second Chad Bennett (Bollywood) and an honorable mention in Tyler Matecki who I believed had the hardest job in performing ballet. With a short turnaround in games coming up Tuesday it's time for me to get some homework in order and get some rest.

Cheers, 

Kauf

Win over Potsdam starts streak...

Had a great day with Mom and Dad, enjoyed a nice walk along Lake Erie and showed them some of the sites around Fredonia. This is the first time my parents had a tour of our campus  and they really enjoyed it. Both of my parents left home for school, however they can agree that their experience was nothing like the opportunity I have here. The boys played great this weekend and had a nice win against Potsdam. The win streak starts now, let's keep going boys!!

 

Slick over and out. #25

 

Me and the parents enjoying dinner

40 years of service from a college hockey icon...

Congratulations to Ducky Drake for 40 years of service to college hockey.  Pictured at right is Plattsburgh Head Coach, Bob Emery with Fredonia's Jeff Meredith in the middle and Cardinal Radio broadcaster, Ducky Drake.

It feels like it's going to be a great day......

It feels like it's going to be a great day today. Had an easy day in class, I found out I got a 98% on my Spanish test from the other day so I'm pretty happy about that. After class I went for a quick game day workout then headed to Cranston for a nice little pre-game meal with Brian Doust, Jared Wynia, and Stephen Castriota. Everyone is excited and ready to take on Plattsburgh tonight, this should be a real good game. Now it's time for me to catch a few Zs before the game so that I'm prepared to go tonight.

Wilkie #25

Family is the most important thing...........

As this week is coming to a close I am getting very excited for the weekend, not just because we get to play our first two SUNYAC home games but because my parents, along with several other players parents, are coming into town as well. It will be great to see them again as I haven't seen my Mom since I left home in August.

Family is a unique thing, you can go from fighting one second to laughing the next. I am here today because my family stood by me and never stopped pushing me to succeed. I have that same feeling when I sit in the dressing room with such a great group of guys. I miss my family at home very much but I know I will always have a family here at Fredonia.

Until next time, Wilkie #25

   
                                          (my parents and I during Christmas a few years back) 

BIg news out of Buffalo.......

Our 2013-14 team photo

We've made it to the half point of the week now and we only have one practice left before the big match up against Plattsburgh.  There was big news around campus today as the Buffalo Sabres fired their GM and Head Coach and hired Pat LaFontaine as President of Hockey Operations and Ted Nolan as the new Head Coach.  Some of the local boys such as Matty O. and Tyler M. seemed pretty excited to hear the new changes in the front office.  Matty is already starting the talks of a Stanley Cup run.   Now I'm not sure if that's going to happen, since they would have to go through my Ottawa Senators, but it is nice to see this new and much needed rejuvenation in the Sabres fans.  Good night! Wilkie #25

Palmy is the Gatorade Player of the Day

a ritual of meeting at the 'Forest Fire' ...

It was picture day today at Steele hall.  All the boys did their hair and were looking good for our 2013-14 team photo. Pictures were followed by another great practice on the ice with yellow taking a 2-0 lead in the second Gatorade cup series. But what everyone has been waiting for in Fred is a great episode of Sons of Anarchy. Alex Perkins, John DeFeo, Brian Doust, Mitch Kaufman and I have made a ritual of meeting at the 'Forest Fire' every Tuesday night to partake in 'Sons'. The episodes have been a little slow lately so hopefully tonight will be action packed! Sons is coming on now so I have to run, talk to you tomorrow. Wilkie #25

 

(Alex, Brian, and John enjoying a snack while watching the MC)

Play of the Day

Moore to Doust to Cappy.......GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

The birthday boys........Melky and Hunter

Today we had a great start to the week at practice.  The energy and tempo was high and everyone was already starting to prepare for Plattsburgh on Friday night.  However off the ice I would like to wish a Happy 23^rd Birthday to the best D partner around, Cory Melkert.  I don’t know if I have ever seen the guy look so happy, but I think that was because his Mom just came and spoiled him with presents over the weekend.  After practice the team went over to the local Marche' and enjoyed a nice pizza party on behalf of Corey, he also decided to indulge in a very well deserved sundae after dinner.  Tomorrow is freshman Hunter Long’s birthday too, so they decided to get together and watch a birthday movie at Corey’s tree fort.  Have a fun night and I will see you all tomorrow. Wilkie #25 (The birthday boys hanging out.)

....a nice relaxing Sunday.....

Yesterday was a nice relaxing Sunday. I started the day off grabbing breakfast with fellow my sophomores Mitch Kaufman and John DeFeo. Afterwards Mitch and I did some laundry as we seemed to both be running very low on clothing.   When I finished folding all my clothes it was time to buckle down and get some homework done. I finished my accounting project and studied for my Spanish test which I think I aced today. To finish off my Sunday I watched the movie "The Heat" with my roommate Marcus moles which we thought was hilarious.

That's all for now, Wilkie #25

...a nice birthday lunch ...

Tough one last night no doubt about it but I felt as a team we played pretty well just couldn't find a way to score. A few unlucky bounces and that's the way the game goes sometimes. I feel as though we are actually playing well as a team and individuals but things just didn't go our way the past two games. Today I will be going into buffalo with my parents for a nice birthday lunch before they had back to Canada, and then probably just be relaxing the rest of the way here to get rejuvenated before another week of practices and classes. It has been great to be on the blog this past week and I hope everyone enjoyed my posts, and now its time for the blog to be handed over to the sophomores which I am sure have a lot of cool information for the blog. Everyone stay classy and ill check back in next year.

 

Cory Melkert #2

A little more sleep and Flags with the nod.........

Thursday night here and that means one thing, game day tomorrow at the Bob Steele Arena. Thursdays may be my favorite day of the week from only having one more sleep until game day, to the game day skate practices we have on Thursday afternoons. I am a pretty superstitious person when it comes to hockey so it is very important that everything remains the same on game day. Here is a quick glance of what my game day looks like on Fridays before I get to the rink:

 

7am- Breakfast (oatmeal with a banana and Greek yogurt)

8am-11am - class

11am- lunch (salad with two pieces of salmon)

1145 am- Pre Game skate on the Bob Steele

1245 - 245 pm- Hibernate in my bed

3pm- Pre game meal with my Mommy

4pm-Shower

5pm- Arrive at rink

 

Also another exciting note is freshman goaltender Jeffery Flagler will be making his college debut. Come out and support him and the rest of the boys at 7pm at the Steele Hall Ice Arena.

 

Here is a picture of Jeffery and is pearly whites.

 

Gatorade Play of the Day....Jared Wynia and John DeFeo

Everyday at practice we video and then present our Gatorade Play of the Day.

Melky getting older and Hehrsy skating backward????

Checking in here on Wednesday night, just relaxing after I finished up some work down in the Reed Library. Getting more and more excited as Friday gets closer and the boys get to suit up and take on SUNY Canton. It will be a cool experience to see my old buddy, old pa,l and roommate, Mat Hehr behind the bench of the other squad coaching the defense (not sure if he can even skate backwards). 

 

First year SUNY Canton Assistant Coach, Mat Hehr

The upcoming weekend is also exciting because my best friend from Ottawa is coming down for my birthday.  It will be nice to see him since the last time I saw him was back in August before I left for Fred Vegas. Of course it will be nice to see the family as well, their dedication to my hockey still amazes me and I'm definitely grateful for them. On the downside I will be turning 23 on the 11th and I'm starting to feel a little 'over the hill', but there is still some fight in this old dog. Well that about wraps it up for I will talk you everyone tomorrow.

 

#2

...some more interesting facts about Melky....

Just another Tuesday night here in the Vegas of Freddy state. I was thinking about a question my Mom asked me this summer. She asked if I could play a round of golf with any 3 other people who would it be. I had to think about it pretty hard and I chose Tiger Woods, LeBron James, and Dion Phaneuf. Here are some more interesting facts about yours truly:

 

Favorite Hockey Team: THE Ottawa Senators

Favorite NHL player: Dion Phaneuf/Erik Karlsson

Favorite Athlete: Tiger Woods/Lebron James

Favorite Past Time: Golf, Basketball, Fishing

Favorite Food: Tacos

Favorite Music: Country

Most Influential Person: Momma Bear

Favorite Movie: Remember the Titans

 

That's just a little bit about myself. Hope everyone enjoyed their Tuesday and have a great Wednesday, until tomorrow keep your sticks on the ice.

Melky on stage with country music star, Blake Shelton........

Its Monday night here in Fredonia and that makes very a great night on television. From approximately 8-10 pm I will be glued into the big screen here in my humble abode watching the Voice. Because I grew up a little outside of the city in the country, I'm currently inspiring to be like Blake Shelton who is one of the biggest country music stars going and a host of the show. Now I've been taking some flack for being such a big fan of the show but I must say its a real gem to watch. Besides watching the Voice, Monday has been a rather long day waking up pretty early for a nice 45 minute jog on the treadmill due to Breakfast Club and three classes on top of a workout and a practice, safe to say lights out time will be earlier than usual here at the fort. Here is a nice little picture of me on stage with my idol Blake Shelton.

"I'm about to dig in and feed the beast"............

Just sitting here with my roommate in the 'tree fort' watching my favorite NFL team, the Eagles put up a big number against the Raiders. I always enjoy relaxing days after a week of school and a weekend of hockey.  It gives you a chance to get recharged for another week of school and another week of prepping for Friday and Saturday nights. My NHL team as been a little less lucky this year as the Sens seem to lose every game in overtime or a shootout, but at least I'm not a Sabres fan right? On a another note I just bought a beautiful roasted chicken from the local Tops Market and I'm about to dig in and feed the beast. So until tomorrow have a good night and keep it real out there.

"I believe that we are on the right track".........

Hey its Cory Melkert here checking in for my first blog post of my junior year. I just played my first two games as a junior as well and  I must say it feels a little different to be one of the older guys on the team. I can honestly say that as a team I'm very excited of what we can and will accomplish this year, even though we only got 2 out of the 4 points this past weekend.  I believe that we are on the right track as a individuals, but more importantly as a team. It feels different this year with an "expect to win" attitude and I think that will take us a long way as the season goes on. Other than hockey I have just been concentrating on school, which has proven to, let's just say, be a little more difficult than my first two years. I also enjoy hanging out in my 'tree fort' (my apartment) with my always colorful, zesty roommate #14 Chad Bennett. Well until next time or tomorrow Good Night all and keep it classy!

 

Yours truly,

#2 Melky

Big win over #8 Oswego on the road.........

Huge win for the boys last night in Oswego! Me, Eddy and Palmy just had a nice breakfast together and now were waiting to go for our team activity. Freshman forward hunter long with the big goal in OT. Although it was a big win, there's still work to be done in Cortland. Another two points is on the line and the boys are hungry.


Teck #22