12 players to watch as Division 3 hockey season rolls along

Jacob Modry is someone Plattsburgh is counting on. (Gabe Dickens/Plattsburgh State Athletics)

In the 2021-22 season, four teams from the New York area played in the NCAA Division 3 tournament, including Geneseo, which made it all the way to the NCAA championship game.

It isn’t just the teams from the local area that are thriving.

There are plenty of players from the region making a mark as well — top scorers, breakout players, All-Conference and All-American selections.

With the new season well underway, here are some of the top players from the New York and New Jersey area to watch as we churn toward another NCAA tournament.

Justin Allen

Hilton, N.Y., D, Gr., Utica

The start of Allen’s graduate student year did not go as planned. After four games (and two assists), Allen broke his collarbone. Utica head coach Gary Heenan said he would be out of action until January.

The positive to take away, however, is that Utica typically plays deep into the playoffs (it made the NCAA tournament in two of the past three years), so there’s a better chance Allen will get more time to shine.

Allen is the top-scoring defenseman in program history and entered the season seventh-best in program history among all scorers. In 2021-22 season, his 32 assists (out of 40 total points) set a program single-season record, and he led the team with a plus-35 rating. He earned first-team All-America status and was the UCHC Defensive Player of the Year.

“He’s the best ‘D’ in D-3,” Heenan said.

Matt Araujo

Brookhaven, N.Y., D, Gr., Plattsburgh

Jacob Modry

Albany, N.Y., D, Sr., Plattsburgh

A pair of upperclassmen provide a big presence on the Cardinals’ defensive end.

Aruajo is a familiar face, returning for a graduate year — unfortunate for opposing forwards in the SUNYAC. A second-year captain, he’s earned All-SUNYAC honors each year there’s been a season. In 2022 he earned his second All-SUNYAC second-team selection after finishing with one goal, 11 assists and 20 blocks.

Plattsburgh head coach Stephen Moffat praised Araujo for more than just his play on the ice, however.

“Plays in all situations, (power play), (penalty kill),” he said. “Leader of the team on and off the ice. Leads by example, cleans the locker room, sharpens skates, goes above and beyond the call of duty. He has tremendous character and the respect of his peers.”

Alongside Araujo is the hulking figure of Modry. The 6-foot-6 defender enjoyed a strong first season with Plattsburgh after transferring from Division 1 program Merrimack. For the 2021-22 season, Modry finished with four goals and 14 assists (his 18 points were fifth-best on the team and tops among defenders) as well as 23 blocks, the second-most on the team.

Modry was a third-team All-SUNYAC selection, and Moffat believes he can get even better.

“He provides leadership with his preparation and desire to be a great player,” he said. “He wants to get better as a player. He wants to learn. He has been a great role model for the younger players. Competes and practices like a pro in every practice.”

Justin Cmunt

East Amherst, N.Y., F, Sr., Geneseo

A transfer player from Mercyhurst, Cmunt made an immediate impact for the Knights in his first season with the program. Not only did he finish second on the team in goals (18) and third in points (24), but also his nine power-play goals led the team.

“He has an NHL shot,” head coach Chris Schultz said, “and can catch goalies by surprise with his velocity.”

Through the first eight games of the season, Cmunt had three goals and eight points.

Gino DeBlasiis

Rome, N.Y., Jr., F, Canton

In the Roos’ final game of last season, DeBlasiis earned an assist in the team’s 5-2 victory over Albertus Magnus. It was only his second point of the season. In the 2022-23 season, however, he has picked up where he left off. In his first seven games, DeBlasiis has four goals and one assist. All of that damage came over the course of a three-game stretch, including two goals in the team’s overtime defeat to Rivier.

Josh Dressler

West Seneca, N.Y., D, So., Nazareth

After dropping the first two games of 2022-23, Nazareth went on a six-game winning streak, which included a 4-3 overtime victory over SUNYAC’s Fredonia. It was the longest winning streak in program history, which goes back to the 2012-13 season.

Head coach George Roll gave a glowing review of Dressler’s work to spark the winning streak.

“Josh has been a key force in our resurgence,” he said. “He is a dominant defenseman and has become a force offensively.”

Following his freshman year, where he played 25 games and tallied six assists, Dressler has appeared in six games and is second on the team in scoring with six points on one goal and five assists; he also has two blocks.

Dressler stepped up in a big way when Nazareth needed him most. Against Lebanon Valley in the third game of the year, he scored one goal and assisted on another to stop the team’s two-game losing streak.

Domenic Garozzo

Sewell, N.J., F, So., Geneseo

As a freshman, Garozzo had a solid year, finishing with 16 points on a balanced seven goals and nine assists. He tallied an assist in each of his first two games, and he earned his first career hat trick in a 6-3 victory over Plattsburgh State.

Through the first 12 games this season, Garozzo was second on the team in points (11). The sophomore earned his second career hat trick in the team’s 7-1 victory over Plattsburgh; he also had an assist in the matchup.

Garozzo is still young, but Geneseo head coach Chris Schultz has plenty of praise.

“Dom is a really dynamic player for us,” Schultz said. “His incredible speed and tenacity has really improved since he arrived on campus. I think he’s a player that was kind of beat down from years of junior hockey, and last year really rejuvenated his love for the game. He worked his tail off this summer and he’s in incredible shape and is by far our most improved player. His talent matches our style of play, and he is going to thrive moving forward.”

Nick Grupp

Depew, N.Y., D, Sr., Cortland

A steady hand in the team’s defense that allowed only 2.3 goals per game, Grupp played in all 27 of the team’s games last season. He scored three goals and added 12 assists while finishing with a plus-3 rating and tied for second on the team in blocks (12).

Grupp delivered in big moments, with two shorthanded goals in the team’s 6-4 victory over Lebanon Valley and the game-winning goal in a 3-2 overtime victory against Morrisville State.

As one of a few players on the team with collegiate experience, Grupp took a leadership role to help guide a defense backed by SUNYAC Goalie of the Year Luca Durante.

“It’s just stepping up,” he said. “They hadn’t played any SUNYAC games or had any real exposure to the league yet, so any questions they would ever have, it was stepping up and answering them in a way that would help them better their game and better the team as a whole.”

He earned third-team All-SUNYAC honors.

Andrew Harley

Brockport, N.Y., F, Jr., Brockport

In his first season with the Golden Eagles, Harley finished second on the team with 32 points and first on the team with 15 goals; his three game-winning goals also were tied for the team lead. After leading scorer Ryan Romeo graduated, Brockport head coach Brian Dickinson is expecting another big season from Harley.

“He’s a leader both on and off the ice that is always working on ways to not only improve his own game, but that of those around them.” Dickinson said. “He’s the centerpiece of our lineup.”

Bailey Krawczyk

Elmira, N.Y., F, Jr., Elmira

After a solid first season in 2020-21, Krawczyk exploded during his sophomore campaign. In 27 games, Krawczyk scored 12 goals and added 14 assists for 26 points (fourth-best total on the team).

He tallied multiple points on eight different occasions, and although he didn’t earn a point in the first game of the season, he earned a point in each of the next six games, his longest stretch of the season.

Craig McCabe

Webster, N.Y., D, Sr., Fredonia

McCabe improved in several important statistics in his second season. He scored his first three collegiate goals and improved his point total from four to seven. He also lowered his penalties from 17 to 10 and improved his blocks from 15 to 20.

McCabe’s first multipoint game was in a Jan. 21 victory over Buffalo State, tallying a goal and an assist to go with one block as well.

An assistant captain for the 2022-23 season, McCabe had one goal, two assists and six blocks through 11 games. His lone goal came in the team’s 4-3 overtime loss to Nazareth; his power-play goal with six minutes remaining in the game was the equalizer that sent the game into overtime.

Shane Shell

Westfield, N.J., F, So., Hobart

In his freshman year, Shell earned 10 points on two goals and eight assists in a total of 15 games. He has already surpassed those this season. In 12 games, Shell has three goals and 10 assists.

Hobart head coach Mark Taylor says he has seen a big improvement from Shell this season, and a big reason for that is his growth in maturity.

“He is providing a culture example for other guys,” Taylor said. “Like most guys that come to college after being a top guy on a top junior team, they face the reality that all the other guys are like them, and they will face some adversity and need to elevate and persevere to find their place again. Shane went through that, the right way; as a good teammate and good competitor. That example is very valuable for a team’s culture and chemistry. Character stripes mean more to me than talent pins.”