Union Recruit Recap - 11/27/13

by Ryan Fay

It's time for another check-in on the Union men's hockey recruits.

2014-2015 RECRUITS

Ammirato

F Roman Ammirato (Amarillo, NAHL) is riding a hot streak as he has eight points (2 g, 6 a) in his last five games. He registered his fourth three-point game of the season on Saturday with two goals and an assist. The 20-year-old has 26 points (6 g, 20 a) in 24 games this season. His 20 assists are the third-most in the league.

D Nick DeSimone (Buffalo Jr. Sabres, OJHL) is the latest recruit to join the fold having announced his commitment on November 17. He leads all OJHL blueliners with 29 points (8 g, 21 a) in 27 games. Check out these recent features on him.

F Tyler Hynes (Omaha, USHL), who turned 20-years-old on Saturday, gave himself an early birthday present as he picked up the game-winning goal in Omaha's 4-2 triumph at Fargo on Friday. Hynes, a Guilderland native, has six goals and five assists in 19 games this season.

D Connor Light (Omaha, USHL) is starting to show off the offensive side of his game. The 6-foot-5 blueliner has a goal and two assists in 17 games this season, but all three points have come in his last six games.

F Ryan Scarfo (Powell River, BCHL) has continued his strong season with eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) in nine November contests. He leads the River Kings with 29 points (12 g, 17 a) in 25 games this season.

2015-2016 RECRUITS

F Mark Dufour (Islanders Hockey Club, USPHL Premier) broke a season-high five game scoreless drought when he recorded a power play assist in the Islanders' 2-0 shutout of the Jersey Hitmen on Sunday. Dufour has seven goals and two assists in 19 games this season.

F Brett Supinski (Millbrook School) began his senior season at Millbrook on Saturday, picking up an assist in the Mustangs' 3-2 loss to Cushing Academy. He had 44 points (24 g, 20 a) in 20 games as a junior last season. The 18-year-old played with the Connecticut Wolf Pack this fall, collecting 22 points (11 g, 11 a) in 29 contests.

G Joe Young (Philadelphia Flyers, USPHL Premier) has racked up at least 31 saves in six straight games, bringing his season saves total to a league-leading 567. His .926 save percentage ranks third while his 2.69 goals against average is fifth-best.

2016-2017 RECRUITS

F Wade Novak (New Jersey Colonials U-16 National team) continues his blistering pace this season. He has goals in three of his last four games, giving him 12 in just 13 games. He also has chipped in seven assists. The 16-year-old leads the Colonials in goals and points.

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Dutchmen Recruit Recap - 11/4/13

by Ryan Fay

It has been a few weeks since the last recruit recap, so lets check in on how future Dutchmen are doing for their current teams:

2014-2015 RECRUITS

F Roman Ammirato (Amarillo, NAHL) chipped in a helper in Amarillo's 4-0 victory over Topeka on Friday. Ammirato has 17 points (4 goals, 13 assists) in 16 games. The 13 assists are tied for third-best in the circuit.

Light (USHL)

F Tyler Hynes (Omaha, USHL) was held off the scoresheet over the weekend, but the Guilderland native has gotten off to a strong start with 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 13 contests. For a recent feature on Hynes, click here.

D Connor Light (Omaha, USHL) collected the first point of his junior hockey career with an assist in Omaha's 4-1 win over Lincoln on Saturday. Light, who has appeared in 11 games this season, is ninth in the league with a plus-10 rating.

F Ryan Scarfo (Powell River, BCHL) picked up a goal in Powell River's 4-3 loss to Nanaimo on Friday, and an assist in Powell River's 4-1 win over Nanaimo on Saturday. Scarfo has 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 18 games. He ranks in the top 10 in the league in goals (10th) and points (9th).

2015-2016 RECRUITS

F Mark Dufour (Islanders Hockey Club, USPHL Premier) has seven points (6 goals, 1 assist) in 11 games. The six goals rank second on the team. After a weekend off, the Islanders Hockey Club returns to action this coming weekend for two games against the Connecticut Yankees.

F Brett Supinski (Connecticut Wolf Pack U-18 National team) has piled up 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 29 games. Supinski is the most recently announced recruit; he committed to the program last week.

G Joe Young (Philadelphia Flyers, USPHL Premier) turned aside 25-of-27 shots as the Flyers downed the P.A.L Junior Islanders, 7-2, on Saturday. Young's 2.67 goals against average is fourth-best in the league, and his .927 save percentage is tied for third-best.

2016-2017 RECRUITS

F Wade Novak (New Jersey Colonials U-16 National team) has accumulated 14 points (9 goals, 5 assists) in 8 games. He leads the team in points and goals. The Colonials haven't played since Oct. 6; they resume play this weekend. Novak is the younger brother of current Dutchmen forward Max Novak.


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Union Recruit Recap - 10/19/13

by Ryan Fay

It's time for another recap of the latest happenings among Dutchmen recruits.

2014-2015 commit Roman Ammirato (Amarillo, NAHL) collected three helpers in Amarillo's 7-1 romp over Corpus Christi on Friday, giving the forward 13 points (3 g, 10 a) through 11 contests. His 10 assists are tied for fourth in the league, and his 13 points are tied for fifth-best.

Hynes (USHL)

Guilderland native Tyler Hynes (Omaha, USHL) picked up a goal and an assist in Omaha's 5-3 victory at Chicago on Friday. The forward leads the league with a plus-10 rating, and has seven points (2 g, 5 a) through seven games. The offensive output has been a nice step-up from last year, when the 19-year-old went 6-9--15 in 53 games. Hynes, a teammate of current Dutchmen defenseman Jeff Taylor when the two were at Albany Academy, is set to join the Dutchmen next fall.

Another Omaha player arriving at Union next autumn is 6-foot-5 defenseman Connor Light. While Light remains without a point through seven games, he is tied for third on the team with a plus-7 rating.

Forward Ryan Scarfo (Powell River, BCHL) has potted a goal in three straight contests. Overall, the former Governor's Academy standout has 18 points (9 g, 9 a) through 13 games. His 18 points are tied for seventh-best in the circuit, while his nine goals are tied for fifth-best. Scarfo, 19, is slated to join Union next season, but is already on the radar of NHL teams.

Forward Mark Dufour, a 2015-2016 commit, has four goals in six games with the Islanders Hockey Club (USPHL-Premier). He missed four games after breaking and badly cutting a finger, but returned on Oct. 10.

Goaltender Joe Young, another 2015-2016 commit, has appeared in nine games for the Philadelphia Flyers (USPHL-Premier). He ranks fifth in the league with a 2.67 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. The 19-year-old hasn't allowed more than two goals in a game since Sept. 28, when he allowed four at the Junior Bruins.

Max Novak's younger brother, Wade Novak, recently committed to Union for the 2016-2017 season. Season stats are unavailable for the 16-year-old forward, who is currently skating with the New Jersey Colonials Midget 16 National Team.

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Recruit Recap - 9/17/13

by Ryan Fay

Several Dutchmen recruits have already started their season, and here's what they have done so far:

F Ryan Scarfo is off to a scorching start with the Powell River Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League. The 19-year-old missed last season due to injury, but has quickly regained his stride as he currently leads the BCHL with 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) through four regular season games.
ETA at Union: 2014-2015

Scarfo (cred: BCHL.ca)

F Mark Dufour is also off to a hot start. Dufour has three goals through three regular season games with the Islanders Hockey Club of the United States Primier Hockey League.
ETA at Union: 2014-2015 or 2015-2016

D Connor Light has two goals in three preseason games with the Omaha Lancers of the U.S Hockey League. Both of Light's tallies were game winning goals.
ETA at Union: 2014-2015 

F Roman Ammirato and the rest of the Amarillo Bulls of the North American Hockey League will take part in the upcoming NAHL Showcase, which runs from September 18-22 in Blaine, Minnesota. The Bulls will play four regular season games in the showcase.
ETA at Union: 2014-2015 

G Joe Young stopped 18-of-20 shots, but was hung with a hard luck loss as the Philadelphia Junior Flyers of the USPHL fell 3-1 to the Portland Junior Pirates on September 7.
ETA at Union: 2015-2016

F Tyler Hynes has not appeared in preseason action for Omaha (USHL).
ETA at Union: 2014-2015

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Eyewitness Reports on Pontarelli, Light

by Ryan Fay

It has been a busy last seven days in Union hockey recruiting.

Cornwall Colts forward Michael Pontarelli is joining the Dutchmen this fall, a year earlier than expected, while former Phillips Academy Andover (MA) prep defenseman Connor Light committed for the 2014-2015 season.

Few Dutchmen fans have ever seen either prospect play, so for some additional insight, I went to a couple people who have.

Michael Pontarelli  Height: 5'7" | Weight: 183 | DOB: 12/22/93 | Position: F | Shoots: R
2012-2013 Team: Cornwall Colts (CCHL)
2012-2013 Stats: 53 gm, 52 g, 55 a, 107 ptsJoining Dutchmen this season
Cornwall Colts assistant coach Dustin Traylen, previously a goaltender at Clarkson from 2002-2005, weighs in on Pontarelli:

Pontarelli (cred: Pointstreaks)

"Michael has been an offensive machine over the last few years. He was far and away the best offensive player in the CCHL last season. He is a consistent scorer and that can be attributed to his diligent work on and off the ice. He is a game-changer and a difference maker in almost every game that he is a part of.

Michael is deceptively powerful; he is a baby faced assassin. He is really on strong the puck, which will serve him well in the corners at places like Cornell. He worked very hard on learning to play a solid two-way game last year, which previously had been a knock on him. His improvement is due in large part to Colts head coach Ian MacInnis, who worked tirelessly with him to improve that aspect of his game.

As [junior "A" hockey] player of the year in Canada, and more importantly a two-way contributor on [our] championship team, there is not a whole lot more we could have asked of him at the junior level.

It's never fair to look too far ahead, but if Michael continues to learn and adapt at the rate that he's going, he could be a four year force [at Union]. If the chemistry with his linemates is good early, you can anticipate production early and often."

Connor Light
Height: 6'5" | Weight: 205 | DOB: 2/8/95 | Position: D | Shoots: L
2012-2013 Team: Phillips Academy Andover (MA) (NEPSIHA)
2012-2013 Stats: 25 gm, 6 g, 5 a, 11 pts
2013-2014 Team: Omaha Lancers (USHL)Committed for 2014-2015 season
Phillips Academy Andover (MA) boys varsity hockey head coach Dean Boylan, formerly a defenseman at Yale from 1970-1973, breaks down Light:
 
"Connor obviously has great size (6'5"/205), but he has an exceptional skill set to complement that size. He has good hands and very good feet for a big man. He can shoot; he scored three goals in one period last year.

Light (cred: Phillips Academy)

He is still learning to make good decisions coming out of the zone. I can say the same thing about any young defenseman that I have coached.

I think Connor can eventually develop into a shut down defenseman who is sent out to play against the other team's top unit. As I said, he also has some very good offensive skills."


RELATED: Hawkesbury coach high on Union recruit Roman Ammirato

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Union the "obvious choice" for Light

by Ryan Fay

Phillips Academy product Connor Light recently committed to Union for the 2014-2015 season, and he didn't have a shortage of suitors at the Division I level.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound defenseman was also courted by three of Union's biggest league rivals: Cornell, Rensselaer, and Yale. Vermont, which is coached by former Union head coach Kevin Sneddon, also had interest in the 18-year-old.

But for Light, who had six goals and five assists in 25 games for Phillips last season, Union was the "obvious choice" for a combination of reasons.

"I knew I wanted to end up in the ECAC since over the past several years the league has proved to be one of the top leagues in college hockey, if not the best," Light explained. "Being back-to-back ECAC champions proves what Union is capable of and I just felt very comfortable with head coach Rick Bennett and his staff. [Union] is clearly a program that can develop players and push them to the next level, so I'm excited to have the opportunity to play for a proven program.

"Union is also a great place to be from an academic perspective, which really made Union the obvious choice for me."

As for what Union's staff liked about him, Light said, "I think the staff really liked my work ethic, knowing several of my coaches, how much improvement I've made to my game over the past couple years, and trying to be more than just a big, stay at home defenseman."

Light will play one season with the U.S. Hockey League's Omaha Lancers before joining the Dutchmen next fall. The Lancers drafted him in the second round (22nd overall) of the 2013 USHL draft. He'll be teammates this season with another Union recruit, forward Tyler Hynes, who will also join the Dutchmen next fall.

Light said he enters the upcoming season with a few clear objectives.

"At this point, I am more of a raw athlete than a refined hockey player, so hopefully this year in Omaha I can refine my skills and work on applying my physical abilities to the game," Light said. "This year should be a good way to challenge myself with a much quicker pace than what I am used to in prep school, so I'm excited to get out there and get to work."

NHL Central Scouting ranked him 185th among North American skaters in its final 2013 NHL draft rankings. The Sudbury, Massachusetts native wasn't drafted.

VIDEO: Connor Light 2012-2013 season highlights (Light is #2 in navy blue).

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