Men’s Hockey Caps Best-Ever Season with Win at Nationals

Jacksonville, FL ~ 20 wins.  That has been the benchmark of a successful college hockey season for as far back as the 1980s.  Back then, NCAA Division III (for the first time in 1983) had just begun hosting the NCAA Division III Championships.  Less than a decade later, the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) completed its first season (in 1991).  NCAA Division I started hosting national championships in 1948, by far the longest and most storied in college hockey.  Then, in 2022, the Collegiate Hockey Federation (CHF) was formed to bring a competitive national tournament to even more programs.  Since 2024, the CHF rebranded as AAU College Hockey, and with it, opportunity and support from an association that has been around since 1888 which boasts membership number almost a million while offering dozens of sports nationwide.

The Paul Smith's College women's hockey team won the inaugural national championship at the 2024 AAU College Hockey National Tournament.

Today, the Paul Smith's College men's hockey team is that much closer to etching their names in the hockey history books, having earned their first-ever win at a national tournament when they defeated Penn State Harrisburg 3-2 in Jacksonville, FL earlier this month.

"It was just an incredible experience, and one that I'll never forget," said head coach Casey Gerrish.  "To think that five years ago we were just finishing a season with one win, and now, winning 20 games and taking a game at nationals, is just extraordinary."

The season-to-season progression was jumpstarted by the current graduating seniors - captain Colin Palmer (Clifton Park, NY), assistant captain Kyle Davis (Canandaigua, NY), Attila Quesnel (Montreal, QC), Tyson Smith (Cato, NY), Ryen Janus (Frederick, MD), and goaltender Kevin Zamazal (Opava, Czech Republic).  These six seniors saw the turnaround in the program, culminating in back-to-back trips to the national tournament, two AAU College Hockey All-Americans, an Upstate New York Collegiate Hockey League (UNYCHL) League MVP, and numerous other program firsts and individual and team honors.

The Bobcats return 18 players, with 18 more expected to join the ranks this fall as the school looks to add a JV program to help develop young talent and give them an opportunity to play in games.  As programs shutter all over the country, the Paul Smith's College hockey program is building, and the future certainly looks bright for the Bobcats.

You can follow the men's hockey team on Instagram at @pschockey and the women's team at @pscwhockey 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.