Cappy in the home stretch..........

Good morning bloggers!

With the season opener just a day away you can tell the guys are really anxious to get it going.  It's been a long 2 weeks of just practice and beating up on each other to get ready for tomorrow night.  It's going to be nice to finally see some people in different jerseys and be able to take it to them for a change.  Although the first game of the season is always an exciting time, I know it will be bitter sweet for me and the 3 other seniors on the team.  This marks the start of our last season here at Fredonia.  All four of us are definitely excited about what's going to come out of this season, we have a tight knit group with a lot of good hockey players.  Not only on the ice but off the ice we all enjoy spending time and having fun together.

I know its Halloween tomorrow night but I think you guys can take a few hours out of your time and make your way to Steele Hall to catch a great hockey game.

See you guys tomorrow night,

Cappy #21

Wynia getting gritty and loving every second of it...........

Good morning everybody! 

 

Jared Wynia back with you here and on a nice Fall day. I'm up early for class today and going to start walking to school soon and the wind doesn't seem to be blowing Mach 5 which is a nice change of pace from the other day. 

 

The boys are all getting excited for the opening weekend starting this Friday and I am really looking forward to it. Practice was kicked off with a solid Monday skate yesterday and we're going to continue that today as we prepare for Cortland. As for myself I'll be doing my school work today and tonight, hopefully, watch the Royals win the World Series as I've found this baseball to be very entertaining as of late. 

 

Until next time! All the best. 

Jared Wynia #20

PS. Just an added photo of my 'day at the office' last Friday during practice blocking shots. Getting gritty and loving every second of it. You can't even tell it's there.

Excited for my senior season......

Excited for the final season.

Never thought that this day would arrive, but this Friday will be my first game to my final season of NCAA hockey. Exciting yet depressing that this may be one of my last seasons of hockey in a competitive setting. We had our Blue/White scrimmage this weekend on Saturday afternoon, that really got the feelings going. Sitting there lacing up my skates thinking I only have 28 more of these times before it's all over can only give me the motivation to put it all out there every game I have left. 

 

The scrimmage itself was a success as I stayed on the Blue team the whole session and came out with a W. Time to keep those W's coming facing Cortland this Friday. It will be a great game to get the season rolling, facing off against an old friend I've grown up with since the 5th grade who was a roommate of mine in juniors in Cortland defenseman, Jeff Vanzant. We'll have some extra motivation facing each other with friends and family in the crowd. It's going to be a big win for first year assistant coach, Mike Lysyj, who is a Cortland hockey alumni, so expect some extra energy from the coaching staff this weekend as well. 

 

Starting a hard week of practice to prepare us for the weekend ahead! For those that will be participating in Halloween on Friday, be safe and have fun!

 

#23 Brian Doust

Melky gearing up for SUNYAC Battle on Friday night........

Hello Ladies and Gentleman,

 

Just me Cory checking in for another blog post. Blog posts may start to heat up a bit now with the season just one week away. October 31st has been circled on my calendar for sometime now as its our first game of the season and the SUNYAC opener for the boys. We just had our Blue/White game and it went pretty well and was face paced.

 

Although the body is getting older (turning 24 in 2 weeks...I think its 24?) and pretty much gets sore with minimal activity I still love the game and I cannot wait to go through my game day routine this coming Friday. This week will consist of figuring out ways  on how to slay the Dragons of Cortland, and I am confident the guys will lay it all out there on the ice in Steele Hall Friday night.

 

Another exciting time of year is that around my birthday, my two best buddies always come up to the Fredonia to visit me. This year it turns out they will be making the trip for opening weekend because we are away on my birthday weekend, and I couldn't be more excited to see both of them. I have been best friends with them for a lot of years now and for them to still be coming out to support me and the team means a lot. Don't worry Mom I haven't forgotten about you, I'll see you in the stands for warm ups at exactly 6:20 pm........and she says I am the superstitious one.

 

I can't wait to lead the team into the battle we call the SUNYAC, until next time, all the best.

 

Cory Melkert #2

Damo excited as we start the season......

Hello bloggers freshman forward Damien Kulynych bringing you today's blog!

The first week of practice is finally over and with that brings the blue and white game today. Its been a great first week of practice.  All the boys were rolling and are very eager to get the season started. It's now just a week away and I think I can speak for everyone when I say I’m excited! For myself its been a good week of practice, seeing how Coach Meredith likes to run things and all the fine details it takes to play college hockey.

On Tuesday morning I became a member of an exclusive club, the Breakfast Club! The Club starts at 6:30 in the morning and we do 45 minutes of cardio. As early as it is, its good to get up and get some cardio in! Well its time for me to go get ready for the Blue and White game!

Until next time…
Damien Kulynych #14

A day in the life of Marcus Andersson..........

Hello all,

This is Marcus Andersson with the honor of writing today’s blog. 

The first week of practices has now passed and tomorrow we’re playing a scrimmage. The intensity is very high on the ice – but also off the ice. Therefore, I thought it could be interesting for you to read about a regular day for a hockey player in the Blue Devils. Let me present… my Wednesday!

9 am
Wednesday morning means English class, which of course is perfect for a Swede like me.

10 am
Over to next class – Communication. One hour of sitting still, listening and taking notes in a big lecture hall. Luckily, the chairs are very comfortable.

11 am
Lunch.

12 pm
Noon and it’s time for my Journalism class. Journalism is my major and this class is always fun and challenging.

So it begins – the afternoon of training. This afternoon is what will make us successful this year. No other guys in any other team in the SUNYAC can work harder than what my teammates and I do here in Fredonia.

1 pm – 2 pm
Workout group. Sprinting, jumping, lifting and getting better, stronger and faster.

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Skill practice on the ice.

3:45 pm – 5:45 pm
Team practice. 

6.30 pm
Low on energy after a long afternoon of training. A big dinner with the team always helps!

And this is how it goes on. Every day we get better, both academically and of course on the ice. Let us show you what we can do on the ice. Next Friday it is time, and we will see you then!

Thank you for reading, 

#11 Marcus Andersson

Harps getting a little extra time in BC............

Hey everyone!

Nick Harper here checking in for my second blog post of the year. This week was the week all of the boys have been looking forward to. The first week of official practices. After only a few days into the season, you can already see the intensity starting to pick up as everyone is giving it their all out there.

The first week of the season also means that the infamous Breakfast Club starts. For those of you who don't know what Breakfast Club is, you're in for a treat. The Breakfast Club consists of selected individuals who didn't make the two mile run in under 13 minutes. What we do in the Breakfast Club is that at 6:30 in the morning, we have to do 45 minutes of cardio in the gym. Tuesday the 21st was the first day of breakfast club and it was great to see all the boys' smiling faces bright and early in the a.m.

All joking aside, only a little over a week away from our first two home games of the year against Cortland on Halloween, and then Oswego the next night. It's awesome seeing all the dedication and desire to win all of the boys have. We know a fast start to the year will be a tremendous help and it's about time to play some games! That's all for me today and hope to see everyone October 31st and November 1st!

Nick Harper #30

Looking forward to the opener.......

Hey Everyone! 

 

Matt Cessna checking in to fill you in on how the team and I are getting well prepared for our season and home opener at Steele Hall. Coach Meredith has us working hard everyday in the classroom, on the ice, and in the weight room. We have a talented team this year and have a great compete level that will make us do well this season. The boys and I know what it takes now to win a championship thanks to the great advice we got from the 93-94, 94-95 championship winning alumni hockey team that visited Fredonia this past weekend.  They gave us great advice and shared their experiences here at Fred with us. We can't think too far ahead though, we have to take it one game at a time so our focus now is all on opening night against Cortland. I am also very excited because my parents will be traveling from Chicago for the weekend to watch the Blue Devils home opening weekend. It will be great to see them and show them around this great campus and community. 

 

That's all I got for now. Thanks for reading and hope to see you all at our first game on October 31.

 

Matt Cessna #19

Daniel getting ready for the home opener............

Hi everybody, Daniel here!

The second day of the season is currently rolling and in only a few hours it is practice starts.

Yesterday I had my first DIII college hockey practice and it was a lot of fun, workout and skill session with practice afterwards. The season is really picking up now and I cannot wait to see where this season will take us and in 10 days we have our home opener against Cortland followed but Oswego the day after, make sure you are there and support us at 7:00 pm both nights.

It was a fun but long day yesterday, early morning for testing and late night studying but that’s the life of a SUNYAC student-athlete sometimes.

Have a great day,

Daniel Martensson #18

Younger loved talking to the Championship teams.........

Hi all,

Jamie Young here checking in for my second blog post of the year.

Today is the day all the boys have had circled on their calendars since the day we stepped on campus, October 20th, the official beginning of this years hockey season!! It started off with a bang this morning at 6:45AM with physical testing in the gym lead by Coach Meredith and Coach Lysyj and will be followed by our first official practice today at 3:45PM. 

Its been a long but productive pre-season here at Steele hall. The boys have been skating 3-4 times a week paired with workouts in the gym, track, and the pool to get us ready to go for the season. As the season has changed from summer to fall we've all made a collective effort to turn our focus on the set team goals and our Halloween opponent, Cortland. 

This past weekend was Homecoming weekend here on campus and it was great to get a chance to meet all the alumni from the 1993 and 1994 teams who made back-to-back appearances at the Frozen Four. Getting a chance to pick their brains about how they found so much success was a great experience for everyone here from the freshmen all the way up to the seniors. They provided great inspiration to all of us right before the start of the season and it was a perfect way to celebrate what they did 20 years ago!!

Well, that's enough from me for now, I hope everyone’s fall is off to a great start and I hope everyone gets a chance to come out for the home opener against Cortland!!

Until next time,

Jamie Young #3

We'll Monday is in the books and I'm happy to say I'm laying in bed watching the Monday Night Football game while doing my best attempt to finish some homework for tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow is the first practice with the team and I'm looking forward to being out there and ready for this season to start up. The first game is coming up quicker than we think and I know it all starts tomorrow and all the boys realize it too, I were all thrilled to be able to start the season off strong. Here is a picture of Andy Christ and Matecki who I had the pleasure of having an amazing lunch with in the fabulous dining halls. Until tomorrow!

- Wynia 

Oskar says the cold means it's hockey season....

Hey everybody, Oskar Gerhardson here signing in for the second time.

The last few weeks here in Fredonia things have started to change, leaves are turning into all different colors and the cold wind is blowing them off the trees. Two weeks ago I could still walk around in shorts and a t-shirt. Now I have brought the winter jacket out of the closet. The change in weather and temperature might not be very nice when I walk around campus but it doesn't matter to me, it means that the hockey season is upon us.

 

Tomorrow Coach Meredith steps on the ice and the real season begins. In a week and 5 days we open the season at home against Cortland. This is what we have been waiting for since we got here in the end of August. Sure it was warm and nice back then but I'm pretty sure that all of us prefers the cold which means that we get to do what we love and that is playing hockey.  

 

Hope you all had a great weekend, I know I did!

Until next time,

 

Oskar Gerhardson

#9

Looking forward to meeting the alumni.......

Hello all,

It’s Kurt Gottschalk signing in for my 2nd blog post of the year.

It’s been a busy week getting back into the swing of things after a nice fall break. It’s always nice to get the chance to spend time with family, relax and have a nice Canadian Thanksgiving.

Aside from relaxing and doing a bit of homework I went apple picking with my mom and my sister. I also went with my cousin and my Dad to see Dracula which was really good and I highly recommend seeing it, if that’s your cup of tea.

Yesterday was just a short day for me just having one Accounting class and had some computer science homework. It’s been a busy week for me having 2 exams yesterday that consisted of Geology and World History and a couple of assignments earlier in the week. Aside from school, we had our last day of skate finishing off with a scrimmage with my Team White to take the game 9-7. This week was exciting because we got our team equipment for this year that consisted of new gloves, helmets, sticks and pants which is always a nice thing for a hockey player.

Today we will be meeting with the 93-94 and 94-95 SUNYAC champions and Frozen Four alumni team looking over highlights of that year with my team. We will also have the chance to talk to them about their experiences as Champions and Blue Devils. Hopefully we can learn from their success as a team so we can win a Championship ourselves. I am excited to meet these alumni it should be a good time and a good learning experience as a team. Like Eisey says in his post, we're a talented unit of selfless hockey players that will go to war for each other. 

I also wanted to say good luck to my sister Alison on her marathon and a Happy Birthday to my Mom!

Till next time 

Kurt Gottschalk #6

........what we do now will determine how we do in the future......

It almost that time as the season starts on Monday as the boys are anxious to step on the ice and get better every day. Today started with getting my classes organized starting with Corporate Finance and then ending with an exam in Operations Management. Once that was over it was time to focus on hockey. I am about to head over to the gym right now to get in a work out before we go on the ice today.

            We are going through the transition of getting our equipment for the season, so it will be nice on Monday to start using that equipment. Getting that new equipment in my stall always reminds me that this year is going to be a new start, a fresh slate. Everything that happened in years past doesn’t matter, because what we do now will determine how we do in the future. I’m excited to get to work as I know my teammates are too.

Until next time,

Darrin Trebes #4.

Eiserman readies his troops for battle.........

The season is three days away and the team is very excited to get things underway. Our team is filled with a lot of talent and a lot of character. One thing that I learned about hockey is that hockey doesn't build character, hockey reveals it. When I look around the locker room I see a lot of guys that are hungry, guys that want to be the best, and they're going to whatever it takes to get there.

My favorite part about this team is that we're blue collar.  We're going to have to fight day in and day out. We will not get respect by any team, we're going to have to earn it. The way I judge a best friend is if they're going to have my back. I know if I had to call up anyone of these guys and say" Hey I'm headed to Iraq, and I need you by my side". Without any question I know my teammates would be on that Black Hawk helicopter next to me. So keeping with the theme, three days from now. the Blue Devils are going to boot camp, and were getting ready for war.

Gearing up for the season

Gearing up for the season 

Hi there folks its Mackenzie McAvoy tuning in for today’s edition on the blog. 

It’s almost time for hockey season to begin, and Monday cannot come any faster. With this week being the week before the season starts, coach has been giving us our new gear for Monday. With all the new gear just sitting in our stalls waiting till Monday, the boys are just itching to use it. It feels like just yesterday we all arrived on campus and now the fun is just about to begin. With the NHL back on T.V it gets all the boys excited to get the season rolling, and have a great year as well. In this point of the year it is a really busy time, because we are gearing up for the season, but also a lot of us are taking midterm exams or have some projects due in the next couple of days. For myself I had 4 exams in the past week and a half, so a lot of time spent studying in the library after dinner, and of course getting "PSL's" from Starbucks. For anyone who doesn’t know what a PSL is it is a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Swedish favorite, Erik Moberg, usually gets one after our dinners at Cranston before we hit the library.

Anyways it’s time to get back to study, and also continuing hitting the gym and getting ready for the season, and be in the best shape possible for practice Monday and first game on the 31st. Goodbye from Fredonia, and till next time.

#27 Mackenzie McAvoy