University at Buffalo Sweeps D1 and B ECRHA Titles for the Second Time in 3 Years!

Both teams will travel to San Jose, CA to compete in the NCRHA National Championships!

The D1 Team went into regionals putting their ECRHA undefeated streak on the line. They would play Stony Brook first and win in decisive fashion 10-1. Tyler Walser had 5 goals and 2 assists in the effort. Next, the Wings would play West Point; the only team they tied conference play this season. The Wings would come out on top, 5-3. In their final round robin game, they would play their rival Towson. They would get off to slow start only being up 4-2 after two periods of play, but would score 8 goals in the 3^rd to win 12-2. The Wings received a bye to the semi finals boasting a 3-0 record. The Wings would play Rutgers and dominated from start to finish winning 9-1. Mike Kaminska would get his first career hat trick. The finals were set and it would be a rematch of last years championship, between Rhode Island and Buffalo. After being deadlocked at 3 after two periods, the Wings would score 3 unanswered to win their second D1 title in 3 years. They clinched an auto-bid to Nationals in San Jose, CA in early April.

The B squad went into regionals needing a championship to receive a bid to Nationals. They would start off the campaign against Suffolk CC. They would beat them 6-2. Jeff Elias had 5 points in the win. Next the Wings would play Stony Brook. They beat them with ease 6-1. Elias had a hat trick while his linemate Bryan Feiler added 3 assists. Next they would have to play West Chester. A team that had beat them twice earlier this season. The Wings would end up taking 44 penalty minutes in the game which caused a 3-1 loss. They had to play an extra game against Towson to get to the semi finals. Buffalo would go up 3-0 in the first and then wait out a very sloppy victory to end a long day. The next morning they faced West Chester in the semi finals. The Wings would get into some penalty trouble and after two periods were down 5-3. While killing off a major penalty to start the 3^rd the Wings went down 7-3. With less than 8 minutes left in the game the Wings would score five unanswered goals to win the game. Freshman John McLaughlin would have a natural hat trick to cap the 5-0 run. The Wings would then play #1 ranked in the country, Penn State. The Wings went up 4-0 with the help of another freshman natural hat trick by Dan Vrana. However, a late surge by Penn State would pull the game to within one. With 5 seconds left the puck was cleared from Buffalos zone and the Wings jumped the boards and mauled goaltender Ben Kozar. The B team won their 2^nd ECRHA title in 3 years. They also clinched an auto-bid to Nationals in San Jose.

By the Numbers:

2^nd time in 3 years both teams have won the ECRHA Championship. 3^rd Straight year both will get bids to Nationals

D1-Tyler Walser led all players in the tournament with 27 points and 16 goals. Chris Kendall led all players with 14 assists. Had 3 of the top 4 scores in the tournament (Tyler Walser, Chris Kendall, Alex Durinka). Alexx Christie led all goaltenders in wins (5), GAA (2.00), and save percentage (.902).This was their 2^nd ECRHA Championship in 3 years. They have made it to the ECRHA Championship game the last 4 years (2-2 record). This is their 7^th straight year of getting a bid to the National Tournament. This year was their first D1 Regular season championship. They were undefeated in Conference play as well.

B-Bryan Feiler led all players in assists (9). The Wings had the number 2-6 scorers in the tournament (Bryan Feiler, Jeff Elias, Dan Vrana, John McLaughlin, Nick Narchus). Goaltender Ben Kozar was first in GAA (2.70) and 2^nd in save percentage (.888). He also played a game as player and added a goal. This was their second ECRHA championship in 3 years. This is the 3^rd straight year they will get a bid to Nationals

Can't Clip These Wings
2009-2010 Season Recap (SUNY Buffalo)

What's In A Name?  

We begin today's recap with a bit of an English lesson:

Buffalo (n.)- A city of western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie on the Canadian border. It is a major Great Lakes port of entry and an important manufacturing and milling center. Population: 276,000.  

Buffalo (n.)- a. Any of several oxlike Old World mammals of the family Bovidae, such as the water buffalo and African buffalo. b. The North American bison, Bison bison.  

Buffalo (v.) buf·fa·loed, buf·fa·lo·ing, buf·fa·loe 

1. To intimidate, as by a display of confidence or authority: "The Wing's storied history buffaloed many of their ECRHA opponents this year."

2. To deceive; hoodwink: "With a 9 man roster at nationals they were able to buffalo many opponents at this year's national tournament."

3. To confuse; bewilder: "The amount of toe drags I saw Tyler Walser perform this year was absolutely buffaloing."*  

*Note: All joking aside I am serious I've never seen a team toe drag so much in my entire life.

Yes, the word buffalo is synonymous with many different definitions however this season the name SUNY Buffalo was success.

The Good

Williamsville, NY native Tyler Walser continued his dominance in the NCRHA leading the nation in points for the second year in a row and led his team in every offensive category again, a feat he has accomplished every year since joining the ECRHA. Walser however, was supported by fellow skill players Alex Durinka and Chris Kendall who combined garnished 93 points during the 2009-2010. The three headed monster of Walser, Durinka and Kendall along with the rest of the SUNY Buffalo squad put up an ECRHA high 141 goals during their 18 game undefeated regular season.  

The Bad

The Wings often had to rely on the stellar goaltending of Alexx Christie who led the entire nation in saves made (810) and was fourth in the NCRHA in save percentage (.881).  If the Wings hope to advance past the final four next year, they will have to be a little more defensively sound. With the amount of shots Christie faces on average per game it’s a matter of time before the proverbial straw breaks the camel’s back as it did in the 9-1 loss to Arizona State in the National Semifinals.

The Ugly

With only an eight man roster this year during the national final and losing five of those eight players SUNY Buffalo is going to be at a serious issue keeping themselves as the pinnacle of the ECRHA, after such a strong showing at this year's National Tournament. 

Looking Forward
For the outlook Buffalo Roller Hockey President Bryan Feiler had this to say:   "We are losing 7 players to graduation this year, including 5 from the D1 team. To replace them we have people emailing us from Long Island, Hudson Valley, and even as far as California and Alberta, Canada. Also, we should have a couple players coming in from the Rochester area that have played college hockey in the NJCAA. We have two freshman goalies coming in that have played tournament hockey, which either could play on either team."

They look like they're definitely going to have it together for the 2010-2011 season expect The Wings to fight tooth and nail to retain it's position as the "Beast of The East". 

Little Wings Breaking Out in Big B

2009-2010 Season Recap (SUNY Buffalo B)
 

The Buffalo B Wings
The Buffalo Wings followed suit with the D1 squad this year playing a similar style that would put them at the pinnacle of the ECRHA's B Division. With a 10 men squad led by a dynamic offensive duo of Bryan Felier and Jeff Elias, the Wings found themselves generally cruising past teams in the division with the exception of both West Chester University and Penn State University who seemed to have the Wings' number all year. With WCU and PSU in the regular season out scoring the SUNY squad 23-8 in all regular season match ups; however none of this would deter the Wings from their climb to the top beating both teams in stunning fashion winning the ECRHA's regional championship and earning a trip to the national tournament.