# 2023–24 Colgate Raiders men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Colgate Raiders Men's ice hockey season was the 94th season of play for the program and the 63rd in the ECAC Hockey conference. The Raiders represented Colgate University, played their home games at the Class of 1965 Arena and were coached by Mike Harder in his 1st season.

## Season

After 30 seasons behind the bench for the Raiders, Don Vaughan retired following his first conference tournament championship. A few months later, the school decided to bring back former assistant and team captain Mike Harder as the program's 15th head coach. Harder began with a solid foundation as most of the team's roster returned, however, he would have to find a way to replace some missing offense. Three of the Raiders' top four scorers had departed, however, as Colgate was already one of the better offensive teams in the conference, they were well-positioned to handle that loss.
The team encountered difficulty early in the season but, surprisingly, it was the defense that appeared to be the culprit. Carter Gylander had an up-and-down start to his season and was unable to string together a consistent run of solid goaltending. With the offense still a work in progress, the team hovered around .500 for the first half of the season despite playing a relatively easy schedule.
After returning from the winter break, the layoff of more than a month didn't appear to help the Raiders and they went winless in their first four games in January. With the season starting to spiral out of control, Colgate recovered against defending national champions Quinnipiac with a surprising 2–1 win in the middle of the month. That proved to be the turning point of the season as Gylander began looking like the starting goaltender that he was and returned to his 2023 form for the remainder of the season. The offense began to function as a cohesive unit in the second half as well. Though the Raiders didn't have the same top-end scoring they did in '23, the team had greater depth to its offense and ended the year averaging nearly half a goal per game better than it had the year before.
Colgate nearly ran through their conference schedule in the latter half of the year, ending the regular season on a 10–3–1 run. As the wins piled up, the Raiders shot up the conference standings. Though hey barely missed out on a 2nd-place finish, the Raiders not only received a bye into the quarterfinal round, but they would kick of the defense of their conference championship at home. When Colgate got back on the ice, they hit the ground running against St. Lawrence. The Raiders were by far the more aggressive team in the first but the Larries were kept in the game by a stellar performance from their goaltender. SLU took advantage of a lull by Colgate in the second to score 2 goals in quick succession but the Raiders were able to recover in the third. Tommy Bergsland had a hand in 2 markers for Colgate to even the score and force overtime. The offense continued to assault the Saints' net in extra time but they could not find the winning goal. It took until the middle of the second overtime for the game to be decided, however, a seemingly harmless shot from the point was not be picked up by Gylander and found its way into the goal. The rematch saw Colgate's offense provide a consistent barrage on the St. Lawrence cage but the opposing goaltender remained stout. Colgate opened the scoring but were again down when the third period began. Ryan McGuire's power play marker even the score but, less than three minutes later, SLU's surging offense netted the go-ahead goal and the Raiders were unable to respond. The final 10 minutes of the game passed without any further scoring and Colgate's season ended with a disappointing thud.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Jack Hoey | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Anthony Stark | Defenseman | United States | Graduate transfer to Augustana |
| Arnaud Vachon | Forward | Canada | Graduate transfer to Augustana |
| Matthew Verboon | Forward | Switzerland | Graduation (signed with HC Lugano) |
| Liam Watson-Brawn | Defenseman | Canada | Graduation (retired) |
| Alex Young | Forward | Canada | Transferred to Arizona State |
| Colton Young | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Greenville Swamp Rabbits) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Brett Chorske | Forward | United States | 22 | Edina, MN; transfer from Colorado College |
| Dominic Foglia | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Tinton Falls, NJ |
| Robby Newton | Forward | United States | 22 | Milwaukee, WI; transfer from Wisconsin |
| Niko Rexine | Forward | United States | 21 | Syracuse, NY |
| Ryan Sullivan | Forward | Canada | 21 | Calgary, AB |
| Sebastian Tamburro | Forward | Canada | 20 | Toronto, ON |

## Roster

As of September 19, 2023.

## Standings

2023–24 ECAC Hockey Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #6 Quinnipiac † | 22 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 99 | 39 | 39 | 27 | 10 | 2 | 160 | 79 |
| #9 Cornell * | 22 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 44 | 74 | 45 | 35 | 22 | 7 | 6 | 115 | 65 |
| Colgate | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 85 | 68 | 36 | 16 | 16 | 4 | 120 | 112 |
| Dartmouth | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 37 | 66 | 60 | 32 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 92 | 91 |
| Clarkson | 22 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 62 | 58 | 35 | 18 | 16 | 1 | 95 | 97 |
| Union | 22 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 75 | 75 | 37 | 16 | 18 | 3 | 123 | 121 |
| St. Lawrence | 22 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 49 | 64 | 39 | 14 | 19 | 6 | 90 | 118 |
| Harvard | 22 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 28 | 49 | 64 | 32 | 7 | 19 | 6 | 70 | 106 |
| Princeton | 22 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 70 | 90 | 30 | 10 | 16 | 4 | 89 | 114 |
| Yale | 22 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 46 | 57 | 30 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 63 | 91 |
| Brown | 22 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 43 | 69 | 30 | 8 | 19 | 3 | 61 | 98 |
| Rensselaer | 22 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 58 | 89 | 37 | 10 | 23 | 4 | 93 | 150 |
| Championship: March 23, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (Cleary Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Whitelaw Cup) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 7 | 7:00 pm | Connecticut* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 2–4 | 923 | 0–1–0 |
| October 8 | 3:00 pm | Connecticut* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 792 | 0–1–1 |
| October 13 | 7:00 pm | at Sacred Heart* | Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut | FloHockey, SNY | Gylander | W 3–2 | 4,165 | 1–1–1 |
| October 14 | 7:00 pm | at Sacred Heart* | Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut | FloHockey, SNY | Gylander | W 6–1 | 3,703 | 2–1–1 |
| October 20 | 7:00 pm | Massachusetts Lowell* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 2–4 | 847 | 2–2–1 |
| October 21 | 7:00 pm | Massachusetts Lowell* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Takacs | L 2–5 | 926 | 2–3–1 |
| November 3 | 7:00 pm | at Brown | Meehan Auditorium • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 1–3 | 577 | 2–4–1 (0–1–0) |
| November 4 | 7:00 pm | at Yale | Ingalls Rink • New Haven, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 7–1 | 1,393 | 3–4–1 (1–1–0) |
| November 10 | 7:00 pm | Harvard | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 1,241 | 3–4–2 (1–1–1) |
| November 11 | 7:00 pm | Dartmouth | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 2–3 | 987 | 3–5–2 (1–2–1) |
| November 17 | 7:00 pm | at Princeton | Hobey Baker Memorial Rink • Princeton, New Jersey | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 6–3 | 2,040 | 4–5–2 (2–2–1) |
| November 18 | 7:00 pm | at #7 Quinnipiac | M&T Bank Arena • Hamden, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 4–7 | 2,802 | 4–6–2 (2–3–1) |
| November 24 | 7:00 pm | Niagara* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 2–5 | 804 | 4–7–2 |
| November 25 | 7:00 pm | Niagara* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Takacs | W 2–1 | 603 | 5–7–2 |
| December 1 | 7:00 pm | #16 Cornell | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 2–4 | 2,198 | 5–8–2 (2–4–1) |
| December 2 | 7:00 pm | at #16 Cornell | Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 4–2 | 4,316 | 6–8–2 (3–4–1) |
| January 5 | 7:00 pm | at #7 Maine* | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 1–3 | 4,785 | 6–9–2 |
| January 6 | 7:00 pm | at #7 Maine* | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Gylander | T 4–4 $^{OT}$ | 5,043 | 6–9–3 |
| January 12 | 7:00 pm | at Long Island* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 650 | 6–10–3 |
| January 13 | 2:00 pm | at Long Island* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Haas | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 450 | 6–11–3 |
| January 19 | 7:00 pm | #3 Quinnipiac | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 2–1 | 1,008 | 7–11–3 (4–4–1) |
| January 20 | 7:00 pm | Princeton | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 6–3 | 908 | 8–11–3 (5–4–1) |
| January 26 | 7:00 pm | at Dartmouth | Thompson Arena • Hanover, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 1,374 | 9–11–3 (6–4–1) |
| January 27 | 7:00 pm | at Harvard | Bright-Landry Hockey Center • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 3–6 | 3,095 | 9–12–3 (6–5–1) |
| February 2 | 7:00 pm | Clarkson | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 4–2 | 1,531 | 10–12–3 (7–5–1) |
| February 3 | 7:00 pm | St. Lawrence | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 3–2 | 1,087 | 11–12–3 (8–5–1) |
| February 9 | 7:00 pm | at Union | Achilles Rink • Schenectady, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 3–5 | 1,992 | 11–13–3 (8–6–1) |
| February 10 | 7:00 pm | at Rensselaer | Houston Field House • Troy, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | T 5–5 $^{SOW}$ | 4,290 | 11–13–4 (8–6–2) |
| February 16 | 7:00 pm | Yale | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 5–2 | 897 | 12–13–4 (9–6–2) |
| February 17 | 7:00 pm | Brown | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 4–2 | 1,059 | 13–13–4 (10–6–2) |
| February 23 | 7:00 pm | at St. Lawrence | Appleton Arena • Canton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 1,328 | 13–14–4 (10–7–2) |
| February 24 | 7:00 pm | at Clarkson | Cheel Arena • Potsdam, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 2,498 | 14–14–4 (11–7–2) |
| March 1 | 7:00 pm | Rensselaer | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Takacs | W 6–2 | 908 | 15–14–4 (12–7–2) |
| March 2 | 7:00 pm | Union | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Gylander | W 4–3 | 1,100 | 16–14–4 (13–7–2) |
| ECAC Hockey Tournament ||||||||||
| March 15 | 7:00 pm | St. Lawrence* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York (Quarterfinal Game 1) | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 2–3 $^{2OT}$ | 763 | 16–15–4 |
| March 16 | 7:00 pm | St. Lawrence* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York (Quarterfinal Game 2) | ESPN+ | Gylander | L 2–3 | 834 | 16–16–4 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Ross Mitton | F | 34 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 14 |
| Daniel Panetta | C | 36 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 6 |
| Brett Chorske | C/RW | 35 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 6 |
| Simon Labelle | LW | 36 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 17 |
| Ryan McGuire | C | 34 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 31 |
| Tommy Bergsland | D | 36 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 16 |
| Alex DiPaolo | LW | 26 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 16 |
| Nick Anderson | D | 36 | 2 | 19 | 21 | 35 |
| Ethan Manderville | C | 36 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 10 |
| Jake Schneider | RW | 35 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 12 |
| Pierson Brandon | D | 34 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 37 |
| Ryan Sullivan | F | 35 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 16 |
| Reid Irwin | D/C | 36 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 24 |
| Ben Raymond | C/LW | 35 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 6 |
| Dom Foglia | D | 24 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Levi Glasman | LW | 33 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Nic Belpedio | D | 9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Sebastian Tamburro | LW | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Niko Rexine | C | 31 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Bobby Metz | D | 36 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Robby Newton | F | 36 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 25 |
| Carter Gylander | G | 32 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Nick Haas | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Takacs | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Owen Neuharth | C | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | | | 120 | 212 | 332 | 303 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Andrew Takacs | 4 | 176:45 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 67 | 0 | .905 | 2.38 |
| Nick Haas | 2 | 63:52 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 0 | .903 | 2.82 |
| Carter Gylander | 32 | 1963:35 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 96 | 871 | 0 | .901 | 2.93 |
| Empty Net | - | 22:01 | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2226:13 | 16 | 16 | 4 | 112 | 966 | 0 | .896 | 3.02 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR |
| USA Hockey | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award | Ref |
| Tommy Bergsland | ECAC Hockey Second Team | |
| Jake Schneider | ECAC Hockey Rookie Team | |