Men’s Hockey Takes Third Place in Burning Leaves Tournament

Saranac Lake, NY ~ Unlike previous starts to seasons where the Paul Smith's College men's hockey team would typically drop multiple games in a row, this year feels like something completely different.

This past weekend the team hosted seven other schools across multiple leagues and divisions within AAU College Hockey at the Third Annual Burning Leaves Tournament.  In past years, the Bobcats would always seem to start slow and then pick up momentum.  This year, they started with a bang, going 2-1, defeating the University of Vermont (ACHA D3) and Hobart (AAU D3) while losing to eventual tournament runners-up St. John Fisher (AAU D3).

Friday night's matchup with the SJF saw the Bobcats outshoot the Cardinals 43-25 and control play, but unfortunately the visitors won where it counted on the score sheet as they defeated the hosts 6-2 in front of a large crowd.

Defensive mistakes, penalties, and miscues on the power play, which saw the Bobcats go 0 for 8 on the man advantage in the game, resulted in a 2-0 deficit after the first period.  Team captain Colin Palmer (Clifton Park, NY) would begin his final campaign with the first goal of the season for the Bobcats, as last year's AAU College Hockey Division II First Team All-American and Upstate New York Collegiate Hockey League (UNYCHL) Division II MVP Attila Quesnel (Montreal, QC) picked up the assist.  The Bobcats would try to claw back in the third period as hometown product Noah Munn-Jennings (Saranac Lake, NY) scored his first collegiate goal, but it was too much to overcome as the Cardinals pumped two more into the net to make it 6-2 with power play goals to put the game out of reach,

Saturday was a different story, as Paul Smith's College finally hit their stride as they defeated UVM 4-2. Sophomore Collin Trapiss (Macedon, NY) scored two goals and added an assist, picking up Player of the Game honors, while linemates Sean Wright (Wappingers Falls, NY) and Julien Shafer (Queensbury, NY) added two assists each with Wright also picking up a goal of his own.

"I think we played well with each other this weekend - we know the game, we know where to be, and we know when to be there," said Trapiss speaking about playing with his linemates.  "We have only been playing together for a week so the chemistry will grow and I see us being a very strong line in the future," he added.

Omar Uqdah (North Adams, MA) scored the game winner on the power play while sophomore goaltender Ethan Stefaniak (Franklin, VT) was excellent in net, stopping 23 of 25 shots faced, including a stretched-out pad save with 20 seconds left that left the Catamounts in disbelief.

"I've worked hard this summer to get to where I am now, and that big save at the end of the game really made it feel like that hard work paid off," said Stefaniak, recalling the big moment.

Stefniak grew up in northern Vermont and would follow and watch the Catamount NCAA Division I team as a youth.

"Being able to play against UVM was an awesome experience and I'm grateful I got the opportunity to do so in front of my friends and family," added Stefaniak.

Sunday's matchup with Hobart resulted in six different players etching their name on the score sheet as both AJ Dennett (Franklin, VT) and Caden Doran (West Newton, PA) buried their first collegiate goals.  Senior Ryen Janus (Frederick, MD), Attila Quesnel, Omar Uqdah, and Sean Wright rounded out the scoring as the Bobcats were superb on special teams, going 3/5 on the power play and stopping 7/8 attempts while shorthanded.

"It felt amazing scoring my first collegiate goal," said Doran.  "The transition has been quick but not anything I can't handle," he responded when asked about making the jump from high school to college.

Fellow first year player AJ Dennet also spoke about what it felt like to score his first collegiate goal, noting "It felt amazing being able to pot my first collegiate goal with this team who were just as excited as I was when I scored."' The first year player was a teammate of Stefaniak at Missisquoi Valley Union HS and earned an Honorable Mention for the Vermont Division II All State Team.  "The pace was a little faster than high school but after the first game I was able to make the adjustments I needed to be able to play cleaner and smarter hockey," added Dennett.

Nick Ogden (Queensbury, NY) and Quesnel each notched three assists while Colin Palmer added two.  Assistant captain Kyle Davis (Canadaigua, NY), Dylan Sauve (Wappingers Falls, NY), Shafer, and Dennet picked up solo assists.  Second Team All-American goaltender Kevin Zamazal (Opava, Czech Republic) was lights out in net, stopping 44 of 45 shots to earn his first win of the season as he earned Player of the Game for his near-shutout performance.

"It was a great way to bounce back from the first game, huge confidence boost," said Zamazal, who started the game against Fisher and Hobart.  "The team played really good, making my job easier.  I'm confident we'll make it far if we keep playing like we did this weekend."

The Bobcats are 2-1 on the young season and play another homestand this weekend as they host St. Bonaventure on Friday at 7:30pm followed by Union Saturday at 2:30pm.  Both games will be played at the Saranac Lake Civic Center and livestreamed on the team's YouTube channel (@paulsmithsmenshockey).

You can follow the men's hockey team on Instagram at @pschockey or follow the general athletics account at @smitty_nation for schedules, updates, photos, and much more!

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At Paul Smith's College, it's about the experience. As the only four-year institution of higher education located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, Paul Smith's provides real-world, hands-on learning in fields such as business and hospitality, culinary management, forestry, environmental sciences, and natural resources. We can draw on industries and resources available in our backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. Our community of resourceful, enterprising, supportive, and adventurous individuals collectively provides experiential education, student support in the classroom and beyond, and meaningful opportunities for our alumni. We pride ourselves on research and advocacy on issues that improve our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Learn more at www.paulsmiths.edu.