After going 20-5-1 in the 2021-22
season and earning the Middle Atlantic
Conference (MAC) Championship, the
Colonels look to keep the momentum
going after graduating a large number of
their roster.
While there are 17 who return from the
20-win season, Tyler Hynes. head coach
and MAC 2021-22 Coach of the Year,
added 11 newcomers to their roster.
Additions to the roster include transfer
students Garrett Nieto (senior) and Luke
Dobles (sophomore) along with first-year’s
Christian Blomquist, Patrick Roginski,
Christopher Paige, Matt Carlson, Cam
Lowe, Carter Jordan, Kyle Mandleur,
Mason Vonk and Steven Spetz.
“Our young guys have stepped in and
embraced our culture from day one,” said
Hynes. “I give a lot of credit for that to our
older players for showing them how we do
things and the standard to which we do
them too.”
Returning skaters include graduate
students Phil Erickson, Ben Stefanini,
Ryan Galvin and Scott Mueller; seniors
Nick Godfrey, Billy Berry and Michael
Paterson-Jones; juniors Jimmy O’Kane,
Luc Fox and John Barrett; sophomores
Nick Swain, Max Cocchi, Lorenzo
Marcolin, Cole Jungwirth, Joe Johnson,
Judson McGrath and Jack Perna.
“We practice extremely hard and our
players are dialed in from the moment
they step on the ice,” said Erickson. “Our
team has high expectations for ourselves,
I’m excited about what this new group of
Colonels can do moving forward.”
In the United Collegiate Hockey
Conference (UCHC) preseason polls,
Wilkes was ranked third under Stevenson
University (second) and Utica University
(first).
Thus far, the Colonels sit at 2-3-1 and
are in the number two seed in the UCHC
standings. They tied their first game of the

season 3-3 against SUNY Cortland, lost 3-2
in overtime to King’s College, and went 1-2
with Albertus Magnus College winning 3-2
and losing 5-1. In a doubleheader against
Manhattanville College, Wilkes split with
the Valiants with a 4-3 win in overtime and
a 3-1 loss.
The newcomers are already having
exceptional performances on the ice.
In his first win in goal, Nieto received the
MAC Defensive Player of the Week for the
3-2 win over Albertus Magnus where he
saved 30-32 shots taken while calculating
a .938 save percentage. Overall, Nieto has

been in goal for six games while making
151 saves with a .921 save percentage.
Lowe was announced as the UCHC
rookie of the week during the first week of
the season as he added three points on one
goal and had two assists.
First-year’s Vonk, Mandleur and Carlson
have all scored for the Colonels, while
Roginski and Spetz each recorded points
for Wilkes. Vonk has also recorded the
most blocks on the team at seven.
“As a newcomer on this team, I find
myself being more of a learner than
a leader at the moment,” said Lowe.

“Our team culture is immaculate. I am
incredibly confident we will keep Wilkes a
winning and competitive program moving
forward.”
The returners have also been continuing
to make their mark.
Erickson has recorded one goal on the
season, three assists, as well as adding four
points to his name.Last season, Erickson
recorded 14 goals (fourth most on the
team), 26 points and 12 assists.
“I find myself being a leader both on
and off the ice,” said Erickson. “Our
performance in these games has offered
some bright spots. We’ve been able to come
back from deficits in multiple games.”
O’Kane, Johnson, Sefanini, Berry,
Godfrey, Galvin, and Swain have each
recorded goals for the Colonels. Perna
has added 26 saves in goal with a .839
save percentage in his two goaltending
appearances. Berry tied Vonk for the most
blocks on the team with seven.
On Friday and Saturday, Wilkes will
travel to Utica to face off in a doubleheader.
The Colonels have lost to their UCHC rival
seven out of the nine times the teams have
faced each other. Wilkes recorded one win
and one tie in the 2021-22 season.
“This is a crucial year for our program
having graduated so many quality young
men and hockey players,” said Hynes.
“While our personnel has changed a bit,
our goals as a team have not. We will not
rest until we are UCHC Champions.”
Most recently, the Colonels lost 7-4 in
the UCHC Conference Championship
match. Under Hynes, the team is seeking
to get to the finals and claim their first
UCHC Championship title.
“One of the main goals we have for this
season is winning a MAC championship
as it is our final year of being in the
conference,” said Erickson. “We’re also
excited about contending for a UCHC
championship. There is a lot of parity in
the conference this year which shows just
how tough it is to win in this league each
and every night.”