Nichols Prep Defeats St. Michael's to Win Season Opener

In the season opener, the Nichols Prep team traveled to St. Michael's College and left with a 3-1 victory. From the opening faceoff, it was evident that Nichols was ready to compete. Nichols came out hard, finishing checks and winning the battle of the boards, and they were eventually rewarded on the scoresheet. Ten minutes into the first period, Charlie Stein took a Derek Marks pass down the left wing boards and fired a low snapshot to give Nichols their first goal of the season and the 1-0 lead. The lead was short lived as St. Mikes scored on a defnsive zone turnover three minutes later to even the score at 1-1.

The second period saw both teams trade power plays, but it was clear that Nichols was gaining strength and starting to gain confidence. Although the score was still tied at 1-1, the Nichols team began to generate numerous scoring chances.

It was the in third period that Nichols began to take control of the game. Most of the period was spent in the St. Mike's end of the rink, and at the 10 minute mark, Matt Benedict was able to finally break the tie as he slipped a wrist shot under the crossbar to finsh a quick two-on-one with Andrew Stein. Nichols turned up the pressure and shut down any chance of a St. Michael's attack. With the St. Mike's goalie pulled, Avery Coppins scored on the empty net to put the game away. Brandon Mueller made 16 saves in the win as Nichols outshot St. Mikes 43-17 for the game.

The prep team will take a break for exams and the Thanksgiving holiday and will return to play when they travel to the Berkshire Showcase on November 30. Nichols will play Pomfret School(Ct.) at 9:00am and Brunswick School (Ct.) at 1:00.

Nichols-Belmont Hill Holiday Tournament Schedule

-- All games at the Belmont Hill School; Belmont, Mass.

Green Division:
Belmont Hill, Hebron, Kimball Union, Ridley College.

Blue Division:
Nichols, Millbrook, South Kent, St. Francis School.

Mon. Dec. 28, 2009:
9:00 am – Belmont Hill vs. Hebron
11:00 am – Kimball Union vs. Ridley
1:00 pm – Nichols vs. Milllbrook
3:00 pm – South Kent vs. St. Francis
6:00 pm – Ridley vs. Belmont Hill
8:00 pm – Kimball Union vs. Hebron

Tues. Dec. 29, 2009:
9:00 am – South Kent vs. Nichols
11:00 am – Millbrook vs. St. Francis
1:00 pm – Ridley vs. Hebron
3:00 pm – Belmont Hill vs. Kimball Union
6:00 pm – Nichols vs. St. Francis
8:00 pm – Millbrook vs. South Kent

Wed. Dec. 30, 2009:
9:00 am -- Semifinal #1: 1st place Blue vs. 2nd place Green
11:00 am – Semifinal #2: 1st place Green vs. 2nd place Blue
2:00 pm -- 7th Place Game: 4th place teams
4:00 pm -- 5th Place Game: 3rd place teams
6:30 pm -- Championship

Roster Trimmed to 26

After 3 days of training camp, the Nichols Prep Hockey Roster has been trimmed from 34 to 26 players. Currently, the team features 15 forwards, 9 defensemen, and 2 goalies. By Wednesday of next week, the roster will be set at 20 players.

Earlier this afternoon, Coach Printz commented, "There are never any easy decisions when you are sending players down. We think we are getting closer to putting together a group of guys who are going to compete at a high level and reach their potential. We are committed to making this program the top program in Western New york once again."

Good luck to all.

Randaccio Leads White to Victory Over Green

In the annual Green and White game, junior forward James Randaccio paced the white team to a 3-1 victory behind his two goals, including the game-winner. Freshman Nick Smith opened the scoring for White as he buried a wrist shot from the top of the circle about halfway through the first half. The score would stay at 1-0 for White going into the second half.

Green began the half with a great deal of pressure. The ice had tipped, and green was finally rewarded when Colin Wegner one-timed a nifty feed from freshman Frankie Cefalu into the empty net. White came back strong and the puck fell to the stick of James Randaccio during a goalmouth scramble. Randaccio put the game away when he slipped a wrist shot from the slot up under the crossbar with just over 2 minutes remaining.

"I saw a lot of things I liked. The pace was quick, and everyone elevated their games for the final day before first cuts. It was better than I had expected after only three days," said Coach Printz at the end of the game.
"We (the coaching staff) are going to have some tough decisions to make. A lot of guys have made it difficult for us because of their play tonight."

The roster will be trimmed to approximately 25 players on Thursday morning. The final roster will be set by November 14.

62nd Annual Lawrenceville Christmas Tournament

-- at Lawrenceville and Princeton, NJ; Dec. 19-20, 2009

Participating Schools:
Belmont Hill
Canterbury
Choate
Lawrenceville
Nichols
Northfield-Mt. Hermon
Taft
Upper Canada College

Sat. Dec. 19, 2009:
9:00 am – Game 1: Choate vs. Nichols
9:00 am – Game 2: Belmont Hill vs. NMH (@ Baker Rink; Princeton University)
11:00 am – Game 3: Lawrenceville vs. Canterbury
11:00 am – Game 4: Taft vs. UCC (@ Baker Rink; Princeton University)
2:00 pm – Game 5: Losers of Games 1 & 2
4:00 pm – Game 6: Losers of Games 3 & 4
7:00 pm – Game 7: Winners of Games 1 & 2
9:00 pm – Game 8: Winners of Games 3 & 4
Sun. Dec. 20, 2009:
8:00 am – Losers of Games 5 & 6
10:00 am – Winners of Games 5 & 6
12:00 pm – Losers of Games 7 & 8
2:30 pm – Championship Game: Winners of Games 7 & 8

34 Report to Training Camp

Nichols Boys Prep hockey has begun its training camp for the 2009-2010 season, and 34 players have reported for consideration. Currently there are 21 forwards, 11 defense and 2 goalies at camp. The roster will be trimmed to 25 players (15 forwards, 8 defense and 2 goalies) on Wednesday. The following week, the roster will settle on its final 20-22 players.

Day 2 of camp will feature a practice from 6:00 - 7:10pm, and day 3, the final day before first cuts, will feature a Green and White intersquad game (see article below) at 6:00pm.

Annual Green and White Game Set for November 4

Nichols Boys Prep Hockey will hold a Green and White game open to the public on November 4 at 6:00pm. The game will be an intersquad game involving the players who are trying to make the prep hockey team. This will be the first year that Nichols has held this game.