POTSDAM—The SUNY Potsdam men's hockey team celebrates 50 years of intercollegiate hockey entering the 2026-27 campaign. The Bears open the year on this Friday against Elmira College in Maxcy Ice Arena.

Head coach Mike Grace returns for his second season at the helm of the program. He is joined by first year assistant Nathan McDevitt. McDevitt played four seasons for the Post University Eagles. The Bears return 17 veterans and are joined by eight freshmen and one transfer. 

Senior defenseman Eli Doughart-Wood (St. Louis, Mo./Navan Grads) will serve as the Bears' captain this season. He was named third team All-SUNYAC last year after totaling four goals and 12 assists for 16 points, while playing in all 25 games. Junior forwards Finnegan Kilmurray (Ottawa, Ontario/Smiths Falls Bears) and Garrett McCabe (London, Ontario/Brantford 99ers) are Potsdam's assistant captains. Each played in 23 contests last winter with Kilmurray recording six points (2g 4a) and McCabe five (2g 3a). 

Forward

Nine of the Bears' 16 forwards are returnees. Junior Owen Watson (Smiths Falls, Ontario/Smiths Falls Bears) is the team's top returning scorer. He netted a career-high 18 points on eight goals and 10 assists a year ago. Jack McCandless (Victor, N.Y./Richmond Generals), Will O'Brien (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Potomac Patriots) and Andrew Gubbins (South Pomfret, Vt./Seahawks Hockey Club) are the senior forwards. McCandless missed last season due to injury. O'Brien saw action in 19 contests and tallied a goal and three assists. Gubbins had a goal in 16 games last season. Watson, Kilmurray, McCabe and Andrew Blanchard (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Pennsylvania Huntsmen) are the junior forwards. Blanchard had a goal and an assist in 15 games. Sophomores Platon Krasnoiarov (Khabarovsk, Russia/New Hampshire Mountain Kings) and Landon Cole (Raleigh, N.C./Providence Capitals) are also back. Krasnoirarov played in every contest as a freshman and had three goals and five assists for eight points. Cole competed in 10 games.

Six freshmen look to bolster Potsdam's offense this winter. Daniel Alexander (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Potomac Patriots) had 68 points on 27 goals and 41 assists in 38 games for the Potomac Patriots last year. Owen Robitaille (Endwell, N.Y./Boston Jr. Rangers) registered 45 points (20g, 25a) in 49 games with the Boston Jr. Rangers. Travis Ouellette (South Mountain, Ontario/Kemptville 73's) split time with the Smiths Falls Bears and Kemptville 73's, totaling 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points in 34 contests. Taylor Casey (Dorset, Vt./Northern Cyclones) scored 11 goals and assisted on 12 for 23 points in 53 games for the Northern Cyclones. Leo La Vecchia (Ottawa, Ontario/Renfrew Wolves) compiled 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points in 49 games with the Renfrew Wolves. Brody Bess (Hershey, Pa./West Chester Wolves) had 11 points (6g, 5a) in 28 games for the West Chester Wolves and Colin Norton (Rochester, N.Y./Casper Warbirds) notched seven points on four goals and three assists in 16 games for the Casper Warbirds. 

Defense

Seven of the eight Bears defensemen are veterans. Doughart-Wood leads the group. Rocco Seery (Bloomingdale, Ill./East Coast Wizards) and Ben Presley (Greenwich, Conn./Protec Jr. Ducks) join Doughart-Wood to make up the senior class. Seery had six points (2g, 4a) in 23 games last season and Presley played in three contests. Junior Lucas Salas (Hazlet, N.J./New Jersey 87's) played in every game and had eight points on a goal and seven assists. Fellow junior Will Walsh (Pompton Lakes, N.J./Worcester Railers) played in 10 games. Zdenek Dobes (Ostrava, Czech Republic/Lonestar Brahmas) is the lone sophomore defenseman, registering two assists, while playing in every game. Sophomore Kyle James (Almonte, Ontario/Plattsburgh State) transfers to Potsdam after seeing time in seven games for Plattsburgh State last season. 

Goal

The Bears have three talented goaltenders again this year. Lenny Perno (Rochester, N.Y./Richmond Generals) enters his senior season with 14 career victories and four shutouts. He is the program's all-time leader in save percentage (.914) and he ranks fourth in goals-against-average (3.27) and sixth in saves (1596). Junior Luciano Chinappi (Hilton, N.Y./Boston Jr. Rangers) was 2-3-1 last season with a .906 save percentage, 3.58 G.A.A. and a shutout. Freshman Sebastian Pribula (Košice, Slovakia/West Chester Wolves) was 8-8-5 with a 2.50 G.A.A. and a .926 save percentage in 23 contests with the West Chester Wolves a year ago. 

Schedule

Potsdam opens the season with a four-game homestand. After facing the Soaring Eagles, the Bears host Nazareth University this Saturday, November 7, at 4 p.m. They open SUNYAC play against SUNY Canton on November 13. Amherst College comes to Maxcy Ice Arena for the first time in 30 years the next day for a noon matchup. The Bears play their next three contests on the road. They have a November 21 SUNYAC battle with No. 2 Hobart College followed by another conference contest with No. 9 Oswego State the following evening. In addition to 18 conference contests, Potsdam will have a nonconference meeting with Canton (November 24), a two-game series at Johnson and Wales University (January 1-2) and host St. John Fisher University (January 5). 

Coverage

All home games will be streamed live on potsdambears.com and 10 will be broadcast on My Mix 96.1 FM with Taylor Salisbury handling the play-by-play and Bears Hall of Fame Coach John Horan providing the color and analysis.