St. Lawrence sophomore defenseman Ben Finkelstein (South Burlington, Vt.) spent his summer training with two of the more accomplished players in the Lake Champlain area.
Coming off a strong freshman season in which he ranked second on the team in assists (18), Finkelstein worked out with one of the most accomplished players in St. Lawrence hockey history — his former teammate and mentor, Gavin Bayreuther (Canaan, N.H.) — as well as NHL defenseman Ben Lovejoy (Canaan, N.H.).
"It’s actually the same program I’ve always done," Finkelstein said. "Those guys have always trained in New Hampshire. A lot of it is weight training for explosiveness, becoming a better athlete. We’re training for power and mobility."
Finkelstein emerged as St. Lawrence’s second-best defenseman last winter as a freshman, behind only Bayreuther, who earned All-America honors. This year Finkelstein is being asked to fill the substantial shoes of Bayreuther, who was extremely productive over his four seasons at St. Lawrence while tallying 111 points (35 goals, 76 assists).
Bayreuther is now playing professional hockey in the Dallas Stars organization, and Finkelstein also likely has professional hockey in his future. The Vermont native was selected by the Florida Panthers in the seventh round of the 2016 NHL draft after an exceptional career at Kimball Union. There, Finkelstein served as a team captain and was a high school All-American defenseman, earning All-New England and All-League honors.
Before Finkelstein explores his professional hockey dream, the St. Lawrence staff would like to see him make a contribution at the college level similar to that of Bayreuther.
"I learn a lot from those guys every summer," Finkelstein said. "I see how they carry themselves as people and take care of their bodies. They act like pros; they’re easy to learn from."
THE NOTEBOOK
For the third straight season, the ECAC will send teams to the Friendship Four tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Clarkson and Rensselaer will meet on Friday, Nov. 24, in the opening game of the tournament.
The league also will be represented on an international stage at the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, in February. Yale head coach Keith Allain (Worcester, Mass.) was named to the coaching staff for the U.S. men’s hockey team over the summer.
In addition to Allain, Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold (Bedford, N.H.) was on the coaching staff for Team USA for the IIHF Men’s World Championship last spring. …
Quinnipiac quickly has established one of the best goaltending combinations in college hockey. Sophomore Andrew Shortridge has been rotating starts with freshman Keith Petruzzelli (Wilbraham, Mass.) in the early part of the season.
Petruzzelli was a third-round pick by Detroit in the third round of June’s NHL draft, the second highest a Quinnipiac player has been drafted. Shortridge was 1-0-1 after two starts with a 1.41 GAA and .940 save percentage. Petruzzelli took the loss in his first start, allowing three goals against 31 saves in a loss to BU. …
Defending ECAC Hockey champion Harvard boasts arguably the most talented group of freshmen, including a pair of third-round picks from June’s NHL entry draft in forward Jack Badini (Greenwich, Conn.) and defenseman Reilly Walsh (Andover, N.H.).
Badini was selected 91st overall by the Anaheim Ducks after playing for the USHL champion Chicago Steel last season. Walsh was selected 81st overall by the New Jersey Devils after playing prep hockey at Proctor Academy and USHL hockey with the Chicago Steel. …
Clarkson was unbeaten (3-0-1) through its first two weekends of action, matching its best start since the 2006-07 campaign. All four of Clarkson’s games were played against teams that competed in last year’s NCAA tournament.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Jared Cockrell, Colgate
The sophomore forward from Readfield, Maine, got off to a fast start to the season with two goals in Colgate’s season-opening 5-1 win over Niagara. Cockrell added another goal for the Raiders in the second game of the season against Merrimack.
Ryan Scarfo, Union
The senior forward from North Chelmsford, Mass., had a productive weekend Oct. 13-15 when he collected a goal and two assists in a two-game home series against UMass and Vermont. Scarfo tallied 14 points last season as an assistant captain.
Mat Harris, RPI
The freshman defenseman from Sudbury, Mass., earned his first ice time at the collegiate level in a 1-1 tie against Ohio State on Oct. 14. Harris blocked two shots in the game. He played six years with the Boston Junior Bruins program before heading to Troy.
THE QUOTE
‘I’ve got a couple guys that I think our coaches up here would probably recommend. The (Ryan) Donato kid, who’s not bad.’
— Union coach Rick Bennett at ECAC Hockey media day on which players he’d recommend to represent Team USA at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games
