CAN/AM Lake Placid Tournament Summary - 3/28/26 - 3/29/26
Do you believe in miracles? After approximately 10 years of waiting, the Dare Devils finally made it back to Lake Placid to feel the magic of skating on the same sheet of ice where the 1980 USA hockey team made Olympic history. There was so much enthusiasm amongst the players that we had to register two teams for this tournament. The Dare Devils White squad was represented by Patrick Law, Will Trampota, Andrew Piccirillo, Andrew DePiero, Aaron Quintana, Ryan Kientz, Andrew Katz, Madison Mitchell and Samantha Ciemiecki. Meanwhile, Reese Citro, Kory Wadleigh, Jimmy McTernan, Shea Passikoff, James Cooney, Kieran O'Malley, Liam Smith, Ayden Duran, Richie Sherman, Ryan Tomkievicz and Michael Thampoe suited up for the Dare Devils Red team. Goalie duties for both teams were handled by veteran superstar Matty Brighton, with the occasional spell from our favorite guest goalie, Taylor Esposito. After an awesome opening ceremony on Friday, where Taylor Esposito received a roaring ovation for lighting the Olympic Torch, the Dare Devils kicked off their game action on Saturday. Below is a summary of the action.
This tournament concluded the Dare Devils 2025-2026 season. The coaching staff is extremely proud of the way all of the players developed throughout the season and we thank you all for your dedication to becoming better hockey players. Now it's time to focus on fundraising in connection with the 15th Annual Bruce Giger Golf Outing scheduled for June 22, 2026. Details and registration info can be found here.
Saturday, 3/28/26 - Dare Devils White vs. Cleveland Rockin' Wildcats - USA Rink:
The Dare Devils opening game was against a top tier team from Cleveland, Ohio. Heeding the tough love from bench coach Andy Piccirillo, the white jersey'd Dare Devils came ready to play. Patrick Law opened the scoring by converting a breakaway off a beautiful pass from Andrew Piccirillo. Everyone on the team was looking to make the extra pass, led by veteran superstars Will Trampota and Aaron Quintana, who continually looked to setup their teammates for goals. The offensive highlight was a rebound goal from Andrew DePiero, assisted by Will Trampota. In addition to the stellar goaltending from Matty Brighton (who stood on his head the entire game), the defense was anchored by the steadying play of veteran leaders, Will Milazzo, Andrew Katz. The game was back and forth but the Dare Devils ultimately lost a score of 8-6. The Dare Devils on the scorecard were Patrick Law (4 goals), Ryan Kientz (3 assists), Will Trampota (1 goal, 1 assist), Andrew Piccirillo (1 assist), Samantha Ciemiecki (1 assist) and Madison Mitchell (1 assist).
Saturday, 3/28/26 - Dare Devils Red vs. New York Raptors - 1932 Arena:
The Dare Devils didn't have to wait long to try and avenge last weekends loss at the hands of the Raptors. This time, playing on neutral ice, the Dare Devils dictated the pace with two evenly matched lines. Given this game was directly after the white squad's game, Taylor Esposito backstopped the team in net and made several highlight reel stops. Similar to their teammates on the white squad, this iteration of the Dare Devils played true team hockey and were consistently looking to set each other up and defend one another on the ice. This was highlighted on several occasions throughout the game. There was a play in the corner where Shea Passikoff was battling for a puck and the Raptors took some liberties with their sticks. James Cooney and Kieran O'Malley came to the defense of their teammate and there were not any similar incidents the rest of the game. In addition, superstars Reese Citro, Jimmy McTernan, Kory Wadleigh, Liam Smith and Ayden Duran were all consistently making the extra pass to their teammates, to the delight of Coach Myles. One example of this was when Taylor Esposito made a perfect breakout pass from behind the net to superstar Kory Wadleigh, who buried a 30 foot wrist shot into the back of the Raptors goal. The Dare Devils ultimately came out victorious on a last second tic-tac-toe Jimmy McTernan goal, with multiple passes going back and forth between Reese Citro and Jimmy. The box score was as follows: Jimmy McTernan (6 goals), Shea Passikoff (3 goals, 1 assist), Kory Wadleigh (1 goal, 2 assists), Kieran O'Malley (2 goals), Michael Thampoe (1 goal, 1 assist), James Cooney (1 goal, 1 assist), Liam Smith (1 goal after a strong back check to retrieve the puck, 1 assist), Reese Citro (1 assist), Ayden Duran (1 assist), Taylor Esposito (1 assist) and Richie Sherman (1 assist). The defense was paced by the strong play of Reese Citro, Ryan Tomkiewicz, Kieran O'Malley and Kory Wadleigh while Richie Sherman was all over the ice throughout the game.
Saturday, 3/28/26 - Dare Devils White vs. Southern Connecticut Storm - USA Rink, 2pm:
The Dare Devils skated away with a hard-fought victory over the Southern Connecticut Storm in a chippy, physical contest that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.
The offense was led by Will Trampota, who had an outstanding performance, lighting the lamp three times and adding two assists for a dominant five-point night. Trampota opened the scoring with a beautiful finish into the upper corner of the net off a slick feed from Aaron Quintana, and later added a second goal assisted by goalie Matty Brighton before burying a penalty shot to round out his hat trick.
Aaron Quintana also had a strong outing, contributing two goals — one assisted by Samantha Ciemicki and Andrew Katz and another set up by Andrew DePiero — along with his first-period assist on Trampota's opener.
Patrick Law chipped in a pair of goals, the first assisted by Will Milazzo and the second off helpers from Ryan Kientz and Andrew Piccirillo. Kientz also found the back of the net himself on a penalty shot. Andrew DePiero added a goal of his own off assists from Madison Mitchell and Trampota, and Samantha Ciemiecki rounded out the scoring, finishing off a setup from DePiero and Trampota.
Despite the high-scoring offense, the story of the game was between the pipes. Goalie Matty Brighton was outstanding, turning in a stellar performance that proved the backbone of the Dare Devils' victory. Brighton even picked up an assist on Trampota's second goal, showcasing his quick instincts and hockey sense.
The Storm made it a battle throughout, and the game had plenty of edge to it — but the Dare Devils kept their composure when it mattered most, refusing to take the bait and staying disciplined in the face of adversity for the win.
Saturday, 3/28/26 - Dare Devils Red vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, USA Rink - 3:15pm:
In their 2nd game of the day, the Dare Devils Red took on CCYHA Columbus Blue Jackets team from Ohio's capital. After a quick jersey swap, Matty Brighton backstopped the Dare Devils in back to back games. From the start, this was shaping up as a goalie battle. Matty Brighton played his typical stonewalling game and as the game progressed, the Dare Devils realized that the Columbus counterpart was up to the challenge. The Blue Jackets got on the scoreboard first while the Dare Devils were having trouble solving the talented Columbus netminder. After a few shifts, Jimmy McTernan gathered a Matty Brighton save and worked his way up the ice and finally got the Dare Devils on the scoresheet. Jimmy's opening goal showed the Dare Devils the way and his teammates quickly picked up the slack and put in several goals of their own. The game was close but the Dare Devils took the lead halfway through the game and held on for the victory, led by the the 1st star of the game, Matty Brighton. The scorecard read as follows: Jimmy McTernan (3 goals, 1 assist); Liam Smith (2 goals); Kory Wadleigh (2 goals); Shea Passikoff (1 goal, 1 assist); Matty Brighton (2 assists); James Cooney (2 assists); Kieran O'Malley (1 goal); Reese Citro (1 goal); Ayden Duran (1 assist). The defense was once again anchored by the steadying play of superstars Reese Citro and Kory Wadleigh. Richie Sherman, Michael Thampoe and Ryan Tomkievicz all played solid all-around games to help the Dare Devils squeeze out the victory.
Sunday, 3/29/26 - Dare Devils White vs. Montgomery Cheetahs/Nova Cool Cats, '80 Arena - 8:30am:
Today was the day all of the players were waiting for - a chance to play on the same ice the 1980 USA Olympic heroes skated on when they shocked the Soviet Union in the semi-finals on their way to Olympic gold. The players felt the aura of the moment and didn't disappoint in their match-up against the the combined DC powerhouse. They performed at a high level despite the fact that the coaching staff seemed a bit shorthanded and were quieter than usual on the bench. Superstar Matty Brighton once again led the Dare Devils to victory by making countless high-danger saves throughout the game. The offense was paced by multiple goals from Patrick Law, Andrew DePiero, Will Milazzo and Andrew Piccirillo. Aaron Quintana, Ryan Kientz, Samantha Ciemiecki, Andrew Katz and Madison Mitchell all played strong games and helped the Dare Devils White team earn their championship medal.
Sunday, 3/29/26 - Dare Devils Red vs. St. Louis Blues, '80 Arena - 11am:
After sleeping in a bit, the Dare Devils Red team got their turn on the mythical sheet of ice for an 11am contest against a talented St. Louis Blues squad. Similar to their Dare Devils compatriots, the Red team came ready to play and dictated the pace of the game. Playing for the 5th time this weekend, other-worldly goaltender Matty Brighton once again was the difference maker in this championship game. Despite being bombarded with shots, Matty only let in one goal and also got on the scoresheet by playing the puck behind the net to Shea Passikoff, who darted up ice through the entire Blues team and finished a breakaway attempt on the final shift of the game. Matty was justly named tournament MVP and was given a beautiful framed CAN/AM Hockey Lake Placid print that will allow him to cherish this experience in perpetuity. The coaches once again kept the balanced lines together and all of the skaters contributed to the victory. Superstar Richie Sherman got the Dare Devils first goal by burying a shot off beautiful passes from Reese Citro and Jimmy McTernan. In fact, today was Jimmy McTernan's birthday and the hockey gods were looking out for him as he put home four goals, in addition to playing a solid all-around game. Liam Smith rounded out the scoring by burying a rebound off a Shea Passikoff shot on goal. The final scoresheet reads as follows: Jimmy McTernan (4 goals, 1 assist); Shea Passikoff (1 goal, 1 assist); Reese Citro (2 assists); Richie Sherman (1 goal); Liam Smith (1 goal); Michael Thampoe (1 assist); Ayden Duran (1 assist); Ryan Tomkievicz (1 assist); Kieran O'Malley (1 assist); Matty Brighton (1 assist). James Cooney and Kory Wadleigh both played strong defensive games and were key components to allowing the Dare Devils Red squad to win the championship medal.