 Springfield Ma: The Springfield PICS are proud to announce that alum Goalie Connor McAnanama of Agawam, Mass has signed a Pro Contract with the Binghamton Black Bears of the Federal Prospect Hockey League (FPHL). Connor was a stand out goalie for the PICS U18’s before being signed to an NCDC contract of the UPSHL. Connor then suited up for the NCAA Division III UMass, Boston Men’s Hockey team.
When GM Rob Bonneau was asked about Connor’s signing: “Connor was a tremendous goalie for our u18 team the only season he played for the Springfield Pics. He caught the attention of the Bandits NCDC Coach and played 2 seasons for them before attending UMass Boston. Connor spent last season as our goalie coach but had always the itch to still play. It’s no surprise and a proud moment to get the call from Connor to hear his excitement on signing a pro contract. We will miss him as our goalie coach but wish him the best”.  Springfield PICS are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of long time Coach Brian Collins. He will always be remembered & never forgotten. Collins a legend on the bench for the PICS will be missed by his family, friends & the hockey players he helped along their path.
Coach Brian Collins 1957-2023. Brian Collins, age 65, passed away on July 30, 2023 at Baystate Medical Center surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Springfield on Dec 14, 1957 to the late Thomas Patrick and Mabel (Nelson) Collins. Brian grew up on Hungry Hill with his 3 brothers, Tom, John, Kevin and his one sister, Candy. Being the youngest in this Irish Catholic Family on Hungry Hill, Brian learned his most valuable lesson that you do anything for family and family is everything. Brian met the love of his life in 1984, and married Kathleen (Leonard) on October 18th 1986. Together they were blessed with two beautiful children, Brian James and Kayla Marie. Brian understood from the beginning of his family life that he needed to carve his own way in the world and he started his own electric business, Springfield Electric with his brother Tom. His integrity and hard work has been known by many tradesmen throughout New England for the past 30 years. Besides his family and his business, Brian was passionate about his favorite past time, hockey! He played the sport throughout his youth, including the Springfield Pics' under Coach Gary Dineen. Brian was known as "Coach" since 1989, coaching both Brian and Kayla in the sport he loved. Brian was president of the Holy Name Hockey Association for many years moving onto to coach the Springfield Pic's, with his nephew Rob Bonneau. Brian had the biggest heart and often made sure that any child that wanted to play hockey, could play – not letting money stand in the way of equipping young people with everything they would need to play the sport he so loved. Brian's other passion in his life was his car collection – a hobby that became a love with his most recent purchase, a 1969 Camaro, that he just acquired last week. However, the life he loved so much still wasn't complete until he became a "Papa" to his two granddaughters, McKenna and Hailey. The light and love that showed through Brian becoming a grandfather was clearly evident to anyone who saw him with his two princesses. Brian was larger than life and his passing will leave a void in the hearts of all who knew and loved him. The world is a much better place for Brian Collins being part of it. Besides his loving wife Kathy and his daughter, Kayla, Brian leaves his son Brian James and his wife Kristyn of Longmeadow, his brother Kevin and his wife Mary of Springfield, his brother John and his wife Maryann of Florida and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Thomas and his sister, Candice Collins. Visiting Hours will be held on Fri, Aug 4, 2023 from 10 am until 2 pm at Sampson Chapel of the Acres, 21 Tinkham Rd. Springfield with a prayer service to begin at 2 pm. Burial is Private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Brian Collins Memorial Youth Hockey Fund C/O New Valley Bank, 1930 Wilbrham Road, Springfield, MA 01129.  Nick Foster 2 year premier player has committed to Norwich
The Springfield Pics are proud to announce the commitment of 2 year Premier player Nick Foster of Amherst, Mass to NCAA Division III Norwich University Men’s Hockey for the 2023-2024 season. Nick spent two years with the Premier squad and appeared in over 80 games for the club. Nick spent the past season in the CCHL starting in Pembroke before finishing out the season with Brockville Braves in which he appeared in 33 regular season games and 12 playoff appearances. When asked of his commitment: “First off I would like to thank Coach Bonneau, Coach Collins, the Sarno brothers, and the entire Pics organization. It was an honor playing there and with the support and dedication of the entire Springfield Pics staff the transition to Canadian Jr A hockey was seamless. I am forever grateful for the opportunities playing with the Pics afforded me”. When GM and Head Coach Rob Bonneau was asked of Foster’s commitment to Norwich this is what he had to say: “Nick is a tremendous kid who has earned everything with hard work. “When he played for us he was used in every situation and had many great games with us. In his last season of junior hockey Nick played in CCHL for Pembroke and Brockville where he was the teams defensemen of the year. We wish Nick and his family the best in the next chapter in his life at Norwich” PICS U16 Coach and College Placement Coordinator John Sarno had this to say: “Nick is a tremendous skater very strong on his skates and the puck. It was great seeing him commit to a top notch and prestigious NCAA team like Norwich University. He was a great player for pics premium squad and in Pembroke & Brockville of the CCHL in Canada. Well Done Nick and big pics congratulations!”  Pics 4 year Alumni Connor O’Brien commits to NCAA Div III SUNY Canton
The Springfield PICS are proud to announce the commitment of Veteran player at U16, Elite and Premier Connor O’Brien of Wilbraham, Mass to NCAA Division III SUNY Canton Men’s Hockey for the 2023-2024 season. Connor appeared in over 200 games in a PICS jersey with 55 goals and 88 assists for a total of 143 points. When asked of his commitment: I just want to thank Rob Bonneau and the entire Pics organization for helping me become the player I am today. Going into my first year with the organization I was a defensemen and John and Anthony Sarno said I was a much better fit at forward, so with their help I made the switch. I can’t thank them enough for helping me find who I was as a player. I developed a lot in Springfield and I have to thank the organization for doing that, they pride themselves in development and getting players to the next level and they did that for me. Coach Bonneau coached an old style of hockey which helped me because I play that power forward role and getting into the corners and dirty areas is where I thrived. I also have to thank my family for believing in me and giving me all the opportunities to play at the next level. I will be attending SUNY Canton this upcoming year and I can’t wait to get there. Coach Alex Boak runs an amazing program and is a great coach. School hasn’t started yet but I already feel like I’m a part of their family. Go Roos GM and Head Coach Rob Bonneau had this to say: “Connor is a great kid who has a tremendous shot which will allow him to score goals at the next level. Connor's biggest attribute is his personality, a fun loving player who knows when to get serious. It was a privilege to watch Connor grow and become a young man from U16 to Elite and 2 years at the Premier level. I look forward to watching Conor the next 4 years and wish him and his family the best. Head Coach of the U16’s John Sarno: “I coached Conor at the U16 PICS AAA level and the U18/Elite level. It was a pleasure to coach him because he finished every check and he backchecked every game like it was a championship on the line. He scored big goals when needed and also a big hit when needed. Conor plays the game the right way, we're very excited for “Obi” committing to powerhouse NCAA Suny Canton well done and best of luck!”  The Springfield Pics are proud to announce the commitment of Premier Goalie Landry Laird of El Paso, Texas to NCAA Division III MCLA Men’s Hockey for the 2023-2024 season. This is Landry’s second year for the Premier team and in his time in net for the Pics, he has an impressive sub 2.25 GAA and a .923% save percentage. When asked of his commitment: “I would like to thank my parents and family for their support from day one. I would also like to thank my coaches and teammates for helping me become the player and person I am today, and giving me the opportunity to play at the next level”.
When GM and Head Coach Rob Bonneau was asked of the netminder this is what he had to say: “Landry has been with the premier team for the last 2 seasons and has worked hard and earned a chance to compete for playing time next year in NCAA college hockey. Landry is a guy who works hard and always has a smile on his face. We are extremely proud and excited for Landry on his commitment to MCLA , we look forward to watching him the next four years. Landry becomes the first Pic to commit to MCLA , we expect to have future players playing at MCLA”. PICS U16 Coach and College Placement Coordinator John Sarno had this to say: “Landry has a true passion for the game. He was generous with his time as he volunteered his time and worked with local youth goalies 2x a week helping them out. He had some big moments in net playing for the PICS Junior Hockey Program and it's with great excitement to see Landry committed to the NCAA hockey ranks”.  The Springfield PICS would like to Congratulate Defensemen Luc Fricchione of West Springfield on his NCAA Div III commitment to Worcester State University Men’s Hockey. Luc has represented the PICS for over 7 years; dressing in over 170 games, and part of the 100 point club. The ‘big guy’ was selected “Captain” at each level of the club he played for: U15, U16, Jr. Elite and Premier level.
When GM and Head Coach Rob Bonnueau was asked about Luc; this is what he had to say: “Luc has been with the Springfield Pics at every level the program offers. He started with our U15 and U16 teams, a season of Jr. Elite and now is entering his 2nd season at the Premier level. Luc is an offensive defenseman who plays in all situations. He will be very hard to replace; but we look forward to seeing Luc help Worcester State over the next four seasons. It is nice to see a player rewarded that has been such an important part of the Springfield Pics Program”. When asked about Worcester State as being the choice, Luc was quick to say: “I was lucky enough to have some of the Worcester State players tour me around the campus and rink and met a lot of the team. I already know a couple former Pics players on the team and could tell it was a great group of guys, a group that had a lot of fun together, but also wanted to win a championship. I then met with Coach Deraney and loved the way he described his team, how he runs it, how he thinks Worcester will be a championship team, and that he will do anything to help his players become the best versions of themselves. I’ve spent most of my career with the Pics and have been lucky to be with such a great program with great coaches. I grew up in the Pics youth system with my Dad, Vern Smith, Chuck Blood, and the late George Rettew developing me into the player I am today. I would like to thank John and Anthony Sarno, TJ Syner, and Barry Almeida for coaching me on the Pics U16 and Elite levels. Lastly, I’d like to thank Rob Bonneau and Brian Collins for coaching me on the Premier team the last 2 years. Coach Bonneau has really helped my overall game focusing on compete level, intensity, and my defensive side of the game while still being able to jump up in the play. Playing my last year has really helped me round out my game and prepare me for college hockey with Coach Bonneau putting me in a great spot to be a leader and contribute in all situations of the game. When Coach Johny Sarno was asked about his former player: “Luc was a good player and team leader for us at the U16’s PICS AAA team and has played for the U15, U16’s, Jr Elite and Premier teams. He was able to excel and grow throughout his career and within each season. It's great to see him reach the next level of NCAA hockey with Worcester State. We're very excited and happy for Luc. A big congrats”!  The Springfield Pics are proud to announce the commitment of Premier Player Jacob “Jake” Trowt of Wilmington, VT to NCAA Division III Fitchburg State Men’s Hockey for the 2023-2024 season. This is Jake’s first year for the Premier team and in 27 games for the Pics, he has lit the lamp 14 times, and 21 assists. When asked of his commitment: “I would like to thank my family for their support and being there for me every step of the way…as well as my teammates and coaches for pushing me to become the player I am today”.
GM and Head Coach Rob Bonneau had this to say: “Jake is a very hard working player who has great offensive abilities. Jake plays in all situations for us and has been an impact player from day one. We have been trying to get Jake for 3 years to come play for us and final this season that happened and the wait was worth it. We wish Jake the best as he will follow in a long line of former Pics players to play at Fitchburg State.“ “Jake will be joining (3) three PICS Premier alumni next season at NCAA Fitchburg State Men’s Hockey program making (4) four pics hockey alumni in their line up next season. It will be very exciting to watch at Fitchburg Civic center; they will be a top contender for the MASCAC title”. Coach Sarno.  Springfield, Ma: The Springfield Pics U15 Tier 1 AAA squad who are part of the USPHL’s U15 Division are having the best season to date for the 15’s at the midway mark. When Head Coach Vern Smith was asked about his squad he had this to say; “overall strongest group we’ve had to date”. The boys are sitting in first place with 8 wins and 3 losses in league play. This season has proven the boys to be a league contender facing top level clubs such as IHC (Islanders Hockey Club) as well as Northern Cyclones.
The offensive push has the team at a plus 50 goal differential…with 75 goals scored on the season. The boys leading the charge are Ryan Netkovick and Logan Carpenter of South Hadley, MA, Cal Hoyt of Hatfield, Ma and Dom Fiorentino of Wilbraham, MA. The growth of the program is starting to show as Coach Vern referenced the newcomers Blake Alibozek from Simsbury, CT and Oliver Pzinski from Salisbury, CT “giving us added scoring depth…and solid contributions from the depth of the rest of the squad making this an exciting group to coach”. The coaches are starting to see the results of the PICS developmental process. Team success starts with good team defense and goaltending has been especially strong lead by local net minder Gavin Carpenter of South Hadley as well as Andrew Bezaire of Windsor, Ontario of Canada. This puts the U15’s in a position to make a solid run as the top seed at the Divisional Playoffs over the last two months of the season. You can follow all the action and results on our social media platforms or catch games on LiveBarn when available. All Springfield Pics home games are played at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield, Mass. You can find all the club information at www.springfieldjrpics.com as well as the league's web page at www.usphl.com and for the U15’s and U16’s at https://www.tier1hockeyfederation.com/ BE SOCIAL Stay up to date by following Springfield Pics’ on Twitter, “Liking” the Official Springfield Pics’ Facebook page Springfield, Ma: Pics Premier currently stand at 15 wins-10 losses as well as a couple wins via shootout and a thriller of an OT win within league play. Prior to the annual holiday break the squad was able to pick up nine (9) crucial points with a nice three (3) game winning streak. This has the squad sitting 4th overall in the highly competitive New England Conference of the USPHL.
Heading into the back half of the season seedings for playoff’s start to come into play. GM and Head Coach Rob Bonneau stated with a good run “they’d like to secure home ice for the first round of the playoffs' “. The Pics have 5 of their next 6 games in January on home ice Vs. South Shore Kings, Bandits, IHC and the Cyclones before heading north to face New Hampshire Monarchs. In order to achieve home ice, the squad will continue to rely on veteran Dom Balboni of West Springfield, MA who has been leading the charge with 19 goals and 19 assists while Jake Trowt of Wilmington VT sits at 14 goals and 18 assists. The defensive side has pinched in too; returning players Luc Fricchione (4G-18A) also of West Springfield and Josh Tisdell (1G-15A) of Chicopee, MA have been called on to shut down opponents' top lines, while contributing on the offensive side as well. Returning Veteran Ben Zaranck of Deerfield, MA has an impressive record at 10-1-1 with a .941 save percentage and a 2.26GAA placing him in the top 20 of all goalies at number 14 overall in the league (70 teams). One goalie can’t do it all and so when called upon Landry Laird of Gunter, TX at 1-5-1 has an impressive .925 save percentage and equally as impressive is his 2.68GAA. The Pics take the greatest pride in accomplishing the goal of Junior hockey: college placement. The Premier placed 50% of their roster to college hockey last year. The success the boys are having on the ice is generating a good deal of attention. The tradition of the Pics is well known throughout the region and GM Rob Bonneau had this to say; “we are hoping to announce a few college commitments soon”. You can follow all the action and results on our social media platforms or catch games on LiveBarn when available. All Springfield Pics home games are played at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield, Mass. You can find all the club information at www.springfieldjrpics.com as well as the league's web page at www.usphl.com BE SOCIAL Stay up to date by following Springfield Pics’ on Twitter, “Liking” the Official Springfield Pics’ Facebook page Springfield, Ma: The Pics U16 squad is again in position to make a run at the “Banner Season” as they begin the back half of the league schedule. There are only 11 games left and the Pics after the holiday break are ready to return to the ice and make that run over the next two months.
The U16’s find themselves with an overall 20-10-8 season. The showcase style schedule at the start of the season allowed the coaching staff of Head Coaches Anthony and John Sarno to find the right line combinations both offensively and on the defensive side. They seemed to have found that combination as all three of the top line are leading the USPHL’s U16 Division in points. This line consists of two local returning veterans of the U16 squad (and NCDC drafted) Devin Niles (Hatfield, Ma) and Aiden Pisano (Springfield, Ma) who are joined by newcomer Tom Smentenko from the Czech Republic. When asked about the ability of the defense to help them reach their goal Head Coach John Sarno had this to say; “We have a very sold D core…Barbee (Aidden Barbee of Potomac MD) and Aldi (Algirdas Jarad an 07 from Lithuania) logging big minutes…as well as Matthew Percsi (of Palmer, Ma) who was promoted from last years U15 squad and Adol” (Sylvester Adolfsson from Sweden)... As for the goalies; Coach Sarno went on to say “all 3 goalies have been very solid and give us a chance to win each time we take the ice…Very reliable”. In goal the Pics have Matteo Lachance from Connecticut who was promoted from last year's PICS U15 squad, Jack Signorelli from Connecticut as well as rookie Massimo De Vita from San Jose, California. You can follow all the action and results on our social media platforms or catch games on LiveBarn when available. All Springfield Pics home games are played at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield, Mass. You can find all the club information at www.springfieldjrpics.com as well as the league's web page at www.usphl.com and for the U15’s and U16’s at https://www.tier1hockeyfederation.com/ BE SOCIAL Stay up to date by following Springfield Pics’ on Twitter, “Liking” the Official Springfield Pics’ Facebook page |
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