By Michael Battista / @MichaelB_96

The Colonial States College Hockey Conference is happy to announce that Stockton University will be joining its ranks for the 2020-21 season. The Ospreys will become the 11th members of the CSCHC and seventh New Jersey program. This will also be the first time the program will play at the Division II level within the American Collegiate Hockey Conference (ACHA).

The team, which plays home games out of the The Flyers Skate Zone in Atlantic City, NJ, joins The Colonial after playing Division III hockey last season in the Collegiate Hockey Federation (CHF). The Ospreys played within the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference’s (DVCHC) National Division, nearly going undefeated within conference play and winning the regular season title. The team finished the regular season with an overall record of 18-4-1 (including a win over CSCHC member Monmouth University), was ranked 10th nationally, and eventually reached the National Division Championship Final where they fell to the University of  Delaware.

Following this the Ospreys participated in the 2020 CHF Federation Cup, finishing with a record of 0-1-1 before its third game in group play against Penn State Harrisburg was cancelled after the first period. The entire tournament in West Chester, PA was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Founded in 2005 following a successful year-long campaign, the Ospreys’ ice hockey team played in ACHA Division III from their inaugural season in 2006 up until 2019 within the DVCHC . The team made five trips to the regional tournament and reached the DIII National tournament in the 2011-2012 season where they finished 10th.

The program has been on an upward trajectory since 2017-18, finishing with an improving record every season since including last year. The team is looking to take this momentum into Division II and The Colonial next year.

“Our transition to ACHA D2 allows Stockton University Ice Hockey to align regionally,” said assistant coach Alan Rhoads. “Besides the two NJ ACHA D1 programs, nearly 70% of NJ teams are now ACHA D2.”

The two Division I programs in question are William Paterson University and Rutgers University, the latter of which also fields a team at the Division II level within the CSCHC.

“Our focus is to provide a competitive platform for our student-athletes while placing a priority on their time, academic commitments, and personal finances,” Rhoads continued. “The CSCHC and ACHA D2 deliver the best solutions to fulfill our regional alignment goal and prioritizes our student-athletes’ overall experience.”

Of the team’s roster from last year, 24 of those student athletes are set to return with a “strong inbound recruiting class” set to join according to head coach Bob Gialanella, who is going into his fifth year with the team after being named DVCHC National League ‘Coach of the Year’ in 2019-20.

Team captain Garrhet Reedy, who was second in goals scored last season (10), is set to return for his senior year after suffering a season-ending injury in January. Coach Gialanella also noted that alternate captain Zach Harmel and goalie Mike Corella, both also seniors, will be leading the team into it’s first DII season as well.

“Zach Harmel has been an important defenseman for us for the past three seasons,” Gialanella said. “ He’s smart, plays well at both ends, and has a good bite to his game.  He’ll anchor our blueline. (Corella) is a returning MVP-level goalie. After an outstanding first half, he overcame a second half injury and still delivered for us all season.”

Despite Corella being the team’s main goalie last season, including posting a record of 11-2 and winning league MVP, coach Gialanella made it clear every member of the team will be battling for starts.

“Along with returning goalies Zach McCloskey, Ben Sheehan, and a few new Ospreys, this group will all be competing for playing time.”

Of the new faces taking the ice next season, the first official commitment is forward Zach Minafo from Manahawkin, NJ. The Southern Regional High School alumni will be entering his freshman year at Stockton this fall. Minafo previously played with the NJ Titans AAA Elite program within the Atlantic Youth Hockey League’s (AYHL) and helped lead his team to a championship last season.

Outside of ice hockey, Stockton’s varsity athletics compete within the NCAA at the Division III level inside the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). Due to this, the team already has a built in rivalry with CSCHC member and 4-time defending conference champion The College of New Jersey. Both Stockton and TCNJ compete within the NJAC against one another in multiple sports and were founding members of the conference back in 1985.

Further information about the team, including its full schedule, will be coming out over the next few months in the lead up to Fall 2020. You can find more about the Ospreys on their Twitter (@StocktonHockey), Instagram (@stocktonhockey), or on the team’s page on Stockton Athletics’ official website.