Owls Host Exhibition Against Quebec All-Stars

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Westfield State men's ice hockey hosts a unique preseason exhibition game on Thursday, as the Owls welcome an all-star team from the Ligue de Hockey Junior de Quebec for a game at Amelia Park Arena at 2:30 p.m.   Admission to the game is free.

Westfield State returns its top two scorers from a year ago.   Emile Pichette (Saint-Eustache, Quebec) led the Owls in points with 31 on 12 goals and 19 assists.  Christopher Miraldo (Montreal, Quebec) led the Owls with 17 goals and added 11 assists.

Thursday's game for the Owls is the first time stepping out of NCAA competition for their exhibition.

"Given our strong connection with Quebec it's great opportunity for us to grow that relationship even more, and an opportunity for their players to see the campus and learn more about Westfield State and NCAA hockey," said Westfield State head coach Bob Miele.

We have seven players from Quebec on the roster now," said Miele.  "We've had players like FX Girard, and Thierry Messervier in the past, and recently alumni like Mattheiu Jones, Tristan Theriot, and John-Michael DigGegorio all played in the LHJQ. 

"We have been looking forward to such an opportunity for our players and the game we'll be playing at Westfield State University is so much more than your usual exhibition game, said LHJQ Commissioner Kevin Figsby.  I"t's opening the window on what the future can be for some of our players after their time in the LHJAAAQ. We're very pleased with the success this event has among all of our players.

 "What started out as a project will be reality this Thursday when some of the best players in our league travel to Westfield State to face the Owls in what should be quite a match-up, added Grigsby. "The result of the game is not this issue. It's the perception, and even the dream, our players will have. Education is so important and this avenue, playing hockey while getting an education, is a can't miss opportunity for our kids."

In the past, several former LHJAAAQ joined NCAA teams to play the game and earn a degree and to all of them, it has paid off. So why not promote the idea further. This is what our league is about: giving our players the opportunities they deserve."

"Does the name Martin St-Louis ring a bell? Yes, he became a great player and got a high education making the jump to the NCAA after a stint in the LHJAAAQ," said Grigsby.

St. Louis played collegiate hockey at the University of Vermont before going on to star with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL and winning a Stanley Cup.

Thusday is the face off on the 2024-25 season for the Owls. 

Junior Cooper Board will wear the "C" for the Owls this season after netting seven goals and nine assists in 2023-24, and he's joined as a captain by sophomore defenseman Raphael Seguin, who dished out eight assists last season.

Westfield will have a new face between the pipes, as senior goaltenders Valtteri Valtonen and Kevin Chandler were lost to graduation.

Junior Duncan Nichols-Delay (Calgary, Alberta) is the incumbent, but he saw just 35 minutes in net in three appearances last year behind the two seniors.  The Owls have two newcomers who will vie for time in goal in first-year Esteban Gauthier (Sainte-Julie, Quebec) and sophomore Aiden Winslow (Jacksonville, Fla.).

Westfield looks to build off the momentum it earned last year when the team finished 13-12-2 and registered a win and a tie against teams ranked in the top-15 nationally.

The Owls open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 1 at home against Franklin Pierce, with a 7:35 start at Amelia Park, as part of the Western Mass Invitational Tournament the Owls co-host with Western New England University.  Westfield is the defending champ in the tournament, having beaten WNE in last year's title game, 6-2.