Ryan Ferland seizes reins at Princeton

Ryan Ferland seems to have made New Jersey his new home. The freshman from Franklin, Mass., who prepped last season with the New Jersey Titans of the North American Hockey League, has taken the Tigers by the figurative tail in becoming the No. 1 netminder this fall for Princeton University. He had played every minute of the regular-season through mid-November as Princeton went 3-3-1 overall (2-3-1 ECAC).

“I’ve definitely enjoyed it,” said Ferland. “I’ve felt my way into the season and gotten into a little bit of a rhythm, and I try to progress each time. It’s slowed down a little bit, and now I’m more comfortable and enjoy it.”

Ferland, 19, stopped all four shots he faced in playing the final 8:24 of regulation for the Tigers in a 6-4 exhibition triumph over visiting Western Ontario on Oct. 14. He then made 38 stops two weeks later in his NCAA debut, a 4-2 win over Holy Cross at Hobey Baker Rink, after being named the starter for the first time in his collegiate career.

“I found out that Saturday morning,” he recalled. “I was a little nervous, but being at home was helpful. It was really exciting, and we got the win.”

Ferland stopped 36 shots in a scoreless tie with Colgate on Nov. 3, made 40 saves in a 4-3 OT setback at Union on Nov. 10, and had 37 saves in a 5-4 win over Yale on Nov. 17 while adjusting to the speed and scoring prowess inherent in college hockey. “Colgate was probably the most fun game so far,” he admitted. “It was the first 0-0 game I’ve ever played in, and it was really fun. The other goalie (Colton Point) also played well, and you can’t take that away from him. We got a point, and that was one of the games that really settled me down.”

Ferland’s road from New England to New Jersey took a detour through Sioux City (USHL) last year. He later requested a trade and was sent to the Titans in January, where he was also able to attend several Princeton contests to gauge his future club. “It was a good fit, and a good league for developing goalies,” he said of his NAHL tenure. “Being close to Princeton was also helpful, and I had an open dialogue with the coaches.”

He examined attending several other Ivy League schools, and eventually chose Princeton for its academic reputation plus its goaltending situation, as four-year starter Colton Phinney (Chatham, N.J.) graduated in the spring.

“The biggest thing was school, for me and my parents, and it’s one of the best in the country,” said the 6-foot-tall Ferland, who is leaning toward majoring in economics. “The coaching staff is also moving the team in the right direction, and that drew me in.”

Ferland’s goals for now are to do the best he can in class, to set him up for later in life, while taking hockey as far as possible. That includes taking a Tigers team that won 15 games a year ago to even greater heights.

“We seem to be able to compete offensively with anyone, and our defense is solid,” said Princeton’s No. 30. “We have a chance for a pretty good season, and we have an everyday mentality to get further than last year. I’m excited to see how it goes.”

THE CLASH

Dec. 8-9, Clarkson vs. St. Lawrence

The annual Battle of the North Country this season was scheduled for just before the beginning of the non-conference holiday campaign. The two regional rivals met on Friday at Clarkson’s Cheel Arena, before heading to SLU’s Appleton Arena the next night. The Golden Knights and Saints split a pair of meetings last season, with each squad winning on its home ice, and hadn’t played each other on back-to-back nights since the 2016 ECAC Hockey tournament.

THE NOTEBOOK

Brown won its third game of the year by blanking Princeton, 3-0, on Nov. 18, as Gavin Nieto made a career-high 47 saves. …

Fifth-ranked Clarkson won its sixth straight ECAC game by shutting out Cornell, 4-0, on Nov. 18, for its best league start since 1991-92. Sheldon Rempal put up 18 points in his first 14 games. …

Cornell opened the new season with a nation-best 7-0-0 mark, including 5-0-0 in ECAC competition. Freshman goaltender Matthew Galajda had six of the Big Red’s wins, allowing just eight goals in his first seven starts, as Cornell was ranked seventh nationally. …

Dartmouth went 2-3-0 in its first five ECAC outings, besting Brown and Yale. …

Harvard lost its fifth game of the year, 2-1 in OT at Minnesota on Nov. 18, its fourth straight setback. The Crimson’s fifth loss last season didn’t arrive until mid-January, just prior to an 18-game unbeaten streak, while its last four-game skid came back in 2014-15. …

Princeton junior forward Max Véronneau notched a team–best five goals and 10 points in his first seven games this season. …

Quinnipiac got off to a rough start in ECAC play, dropping its first four conference contests, before blanking Brown and Yale back-to-back on Nov. 17-18. …

Rensselaer got its first ECAC win of the season, and first for new head coach Dave Smith, with a 5-3 victory over Quinnipiac on Nov. 10. …

St. Lawrence started November with an 0-5-1 mark in ECAC play, after splitting at Wisconsin just before Halloween. …

Union seemed to have righted its ship after an 0-5-0 start, with the Dutchmen winning seven of their next eight outings. …

Yale went 3-5-0 in its first eight ECAC/overall appearances, as its power play functioned at just over 5 percent early in the year. …

Colgate’s unbeaten streak reached seven games (4-0-3) after a 3-2 win over Dartmouth on Nov. 11.

GOSSELIN ENTERS POLITICAL FRAY

Ex-Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute forward Jean-Francois Gosselin finished second in the Nov. 5 mayoral election in Quebec City, garnering 4,991 votes in all under the aegis of Québec 21, according to CBC.ca. He was thus elected to the city council, although a recount was under way in the Ste-Thérèsede-Lisieux district in mid-November, after Gosselin’s running mate triumphed by a margin of less than 150 votes.

Gosselin skated for the RPI Engineers from 1995 to 1999. He tallied 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points to go with 110 penalty minutes in 125 career games, while also earning academic degrees in business administration. He then played with Alexandra, Shreveport and Fort Worth in the WPHL and capped his hockey career with Beaupre of the then-Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League.

THE QUOTE

‘It wasn’t until later, actually. I called my mom and she congratulated me and said I saved a goal.’
— Clarkson sophomore defenseman Greg Moro after blocking a shot on what had been an open Clarkson net in a 3-1 win over Union (Watertown Daily Times)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Jake Kielly, Clarkson

The sophomore from Minnesota went 10-3-1 with four shutouts in his first 14 outings while playing every second for the Golden Knights. He led the nation in shutouts and was second in GAA (1.50), save percentage (.946) and minutes played (839) as of Nov. 19.

Brett Supinski, Union

The Pennsylvania-born junior led the ECAC in overall scoring with five goals and 12 assists for 17 points, including a goal and 10 points in league play. He had points in all but two games through Thanksgiving and had recorded four multi-point outings.

Colton Point, Colgate

The sophomore from Ontario led the nation with a 1.46 GAA and .952 save percentage in going 7-1-4 in his first 12 appearances. He posted five games of 30 or more stops, including a season-best 43 saves in a scoreless tie at Princeton on Nov. 3, for the No. 18 Raiders.