WILKES-BARRE -- The Wilkes University men's ice hockey team hits the ice for their 20-21 season After a 19-10 season and a run to the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) conference championship series, the Colonels have high hopes entering the shortened season. The Colonels finished 14-4 in UCHC play in the 19-20 campaign, 6-0 against Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) opponents, and was ranked in the USCHO.com poll for the first time last season, reaching as high as 12th in the January 13th poll.
Tyler Hynes enters his second season as head coach of the program and his third in total after being a graduate assistant in the program's first season. He was named MAC Co-Coach of the year last season
When asked about the season, Hynes said "Our goal for the past 3 years has been to win a UCHC Championship and we feel like we've made strides towards achieving that goal each of the past two seasons. The most important takeaway from making it to the Championship game last season was just how tough it is to get there. The UCHC is one of the three best leagues in the country, and we know the 9 other teams have improved during the off season. With a shortened season, every game matters more, and just because we made a bit of a run last year doesn't mean we get a free pass to the playoffs this season."
The Colonels return the core of their lineup from last season's squad, losing only one senior from the team that reached the UCHC championship. Last season's squad also had multiple players named to multiple postseason teams, including six to the all-MAC teams, three to the all-UCHC team, two All-USCHO, and two named CCM/ACHA All-Americans. When asked about returning his core squad, Hynes said he wanted them to "continue being a team of great teammates". He went on to say; "This group has been together for almost 3 years and they only seem to grow closer. Good people make good hockey players, and we hope our program continues to be a testament to that."
Junior forward
Donald Flynn (Randolph, NJ) had an impressive season, leading the country in goals (27), goals per game (1.00), and power play goals (14). He was also second in the country and first in the UCHC in points per game (1.93) and total points (52). Flynn finished his sophomore campaign as the NCAA Division III statistical champion, as well as a finalist for the Sid Watson National POY. Junior forward
Nick Fea (Oak Ridge, NJ) also had an impressive sophomore season, finishing second in the country with 35 assists, and fourth in the country with 47 points. Junior forward
Tyler Barrow (Massapequa, NY) also had a strong sophomore year, earning MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. He posted 1.44 points per game, good for 13th in the nation, and 0.93 assists per game, good for 16th.
Junior defender
Michael Gurska (Revere, MA) was a cornerstone of the Wilkes attack last season, recording 31 assists, good for second in the UCHC and fifth in the nation. He added in 37 blocked shots as well to finish second on last year's edition of the squad. Sophomore
Michael Paterson-Jones (Baldwinsville, NY) stepped up into goal for the Colonels in his first season with the program, recording 16 wins as a goalie, earning four MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, and led the UCHC in saves with 587.
The Colonels field three seniors, a trio of defensemen, in the 20-21 edition of the squad.
Charlie Spetz (Oak Ridge, NJ) anchored the defense last season with his 58 blocks to lead the squad, while Ryan Soloman had 17 blocked shots.
Xavier Abdella (Albany, NY) rounds out the senior core of defenders for the Navy and Gold.
The Navy and Gold bring in 18 players for their junior class this season. Junior defenders
Dylan Kuipers (Andover, NJ) and
Paul Cimilluca (Colonia, NJ) both contributed heavily last season, the former with 24 blocked shots and the latter with 35. Fellow junior defenders
Scott Mueller (Mount Juliet, TN) and
Chris Dalfarra (Warrington, PA) round out the group for the Navy and Gold.
The Colonels bring back several forwards in the junior class.
Danny Reidel (Wayne, NJ) scored 14 goals last season, including a game-winner, while
Phil Erickson (Eau Claire, WI) posted 11 goals and a pair of game-winning goals.
Devon Schell (Scarsdale, NY) posted six goals and seven assists, while
Joey Pasquini (Schenectady, NY) won 264 faceoffs and had 10 assists on the season.
Ryan Galvin (Atlanta, GA) scored five goals and netted seven assists last year, including a pair of goals and an assist in the first playoff game against Stevenson.
Jay Gallagher (Reading, MA) skated in 18 games for the Colonels in his sophomore season, while
Ben Stefanini (Framingham, MA) and
Angelo Marquart (Hackettstown, NJ) round out the returning junior forwards.
The Colonels bring back junior goaltender
Nico Pidro (Cannonsburg, PA), who manned the net in two games last season, and bring in newcomer junior forward
Tyler Dill (South Lake Tahoe, CA) to round out the junior class from Utica College.
Including Patterson-Jones, the Colonels return five sophomores from last season's first year class. Forwards
Billy Berry (Redding, CT) and
Nick Godfrey (Cedar Run, NJ) both contributed heavily during their first season in the Navy and Gold, the former recording 11 points and the latter seven. Forward
Chris Dunne (Fort Myers, FL) and defender
Toon De Schepper (Nieuwenrode, Belgium) round out the sophomore class for the Colonels.
The Colonels introduced four first year players this season. Forwards
Jimmy O'Kane (Chicago, IL),
John Barrett (Charlotte, NC), and
Jack Lane (South River, NJ) make up the skaters of the class, while goaltender
Luc Fox (Valencia, CA) rounds out the class. "They've done a good job with their time management as they balance academics and hockey," said Hynes of the freshman class. " I'm proud of how this group has observed and embraced our culture, the next step is enhancing it and I'm confident they will do just that as their time at Wilkes progresses."
The Colonels open their 2020-2021 slate with a trio of rematches versus foes they faced in the conference playoffs. They start with a home and away doubleheader against Utica, before travelling to Stevenson for a rematch of the UCHC semifinal series.
"As a whole I believe the UCHC is deeper and stronger than it's ever been," said Hynes. "The strength of our conference means we get to measure ourselves against some of the best teams in the country. This year our schedule begins the same way it ended last year, with two games against defending UCHC champion Utica Pioneers, before we travel to Stevenson in what has become a budding rivalry with the Mustangs."
The Navy and Gold host the Utica Pioneers on February 19th with puck drop at 6:45 p.m. at the Toyota Sportsplex.
