By Brooke Killgore and Isabella Cucci
SYRACUSE, NY – Tonight’s puck drop begins the annual Syracuse Men’s Hockey Hall of Fame Weekend. This weekend encompasses two home matchups against the University of Delaware, an induction banquet, and an alumni game on Sunday. The banquet is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday at Dineen Hall.
The Hall of Fame Class of 2024 consists of six players — three forwards and three defensemen — and the 2015-2016 Northeast Collegiate Hockey League (NECHL) Championship team. In addition, Syracuse Men’s Hockey is inducting the annual Van Winkle Award winner. Their achievements and biographies are listed below.
Ben Potenza (1985-1989)
Forward, Team Captain (1987-1989)
Ben Potenza grew up in the hockey-obsessed suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts and spent years developing his craft for the collegiate level. The forward had secured himself a scholarship to play for Boston University when he tore his MCL his senior year.
However, Potenza credits discovering SU as his forever home to an interaction on a campus tour. After meeting then-player Scott Shaul in his ice hockey jacket, Potenza knew having a team on campus would be the “cherry on top.”
“The best part was that we represented Syracuse University. That meant something. It was a great sense of pride,” the Massachusetts native said. “Little kids would come into our locker room at the end of the game and ask us for autographs. It was because we were from Syracuse University.”
While there are not a lot of statistics kept from this period, Potenza is remembered for his dedication and grit on the ice. Fellow teammate Mike Pace noted Potenza’s personality.
“We are in total agreement, to recognize him for his skill and leadership on and off the ice, and the attributes he has carried into the rest of his post Syracuse life.”
Potenza served as team captain alongside Jeff Kennedy for their last two years on campus. The forward graduated with a degree in communications from the S.I Newhouse School of Public Communications. He currently serves as the Managing Director of 3S Circular and throughout his career, he has focused on start-ups, growth management, and international sales/marketing.
Jack Braim*
Defenseman, Team Captain
While records about Jack Braim are limited, the defensemen served an impactful role in the early development of Syracuse Men’s Hockey.
Braim played from the start, a part of the hockey enthusiast community that scrimmaged occasionally at Drumlins. As time went on, the cohort formed the Syracuse University Hockey Association, where he served as one of the original leaders alongside goaltender Richard Van Winkle.
The defenseman stepped up as the program’s team captain to allow Van Winkle to focus on goaltending and to serve as the association’s president.
Former teammate and Hall of Famer Brian Fitzgerald played alongside Braim for the semi-pro team, the Syracuse Stars.
“[Braim] wasn’t a stay-at-home defenseman, he was one who could score. Braim was a real good skater, a real good stick handler, he was a very well rounded player - he was of a size where he could have made it into the NHL.”
Neil Kovnat (1975-1978)
Forward, Team Captain (1976-1978), 1976-1977 Finger Lakes Collegiate Hockey League Champion
Neil Kovnat’s hockey career began after a friend convinced him to pick up a stick for a game of basement hockey. After buying “a fifteen dollar pair of skates and a $3 Norsemen wood
stick,” Kovnat played for several Philadelphia travel teams and brought a championship home to the Marppool/Newtown High School team.
The forward would secure a spot on the Syracuse Blazers his freshman year at SU. However, Kovnat became injured during his sophomore year tryout and turned to the SU Men’s Team, who he described as “ a rag-tag group - a hodge-podge of misfits who really gelled and worked well together.”
Kovnat played alongside linemates Chris Clark and Steve Campbell. The three led SU to the 1976-1977 Finger Lakes Collegiate Hockey League Championship with a dominant 15-2 win over Hobart.
His former teammates described Kovnat as “a playmaker, a highly skilled player with a hard shot…[who] had great awareness on the ice, just as quick to make a pass as to take a shot, he was always willing to do what needed to be done.”
The Daily Orange described Kovnat as “a scrappy, hustling player and shows fine anticipation” with a proclaimed hardest slap shot on the team. The forward earned the “C” his junior year and held it until he graduated.
After Syracuse, Kovnat continued playing in a highly competitive men’s league in New Jersey. From there, he attained his coaching certificate and coached middle school and high school until 2020. In addition, he served a 38-year career with the Defense Logistics Agency.
Kelly Park (1996-2000)
Defenseman
Kelly Park served as a passionate four-year defenseman from Lynnfield, Massachusetts. He had been surrounded by hockey his whole life, his father being Brad Park — an eighteen-season NHL veteran, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.
His father served as a role model to him and honored him by wearing #11 in deference to his father’s #22.
“I felt if I could be half as good as him, I would feel successful,” Park said.
Although Park came off as lighthearted and humorous, his seriousness and intensity for the game balanced this.
“He was a dedicated hockey player,” said Juan De la Rocha, a former SUMH team captain, “He meshed well with the group right away, he was a significant contributor on the ice for us.”
His former teammates often describe Park as calming, especially when tensions were high, but knew when to crank the energy up and intimidate opponents with playful chirps.
His love and passion for the game never stopped. Post graduation, he continued to play and work for the Upper Valley Hockey League, serving as an owner, general manager, web designer, head referee, and player.
Passing on the legacy his father gave to him, he proudly engraved his passion for hockey into his daughter and son, who both became skillful due to his coaching.
Aaron Nardozza* (1998)
Defenseman
Aaron Nardozza started playing hockey in his hometown of Rome, NY at just five years old in the local house league. The moment he stepped on the ice, he immediately fell in love with the sport and never looked back. Nardozza eventually played for his high school team where he would be named captain.
The Syracuse Men's Hockey team saw him as a contributor and leader, being the team's top defenseman. Nicknamed “Dozer,” his grit and determination set the tone for his teammates to put in the work on and off the ice.
“Dozer was a great defender, he probably became one of our best defensemen, along with Justin [Armstrong] – the two of them were our shutdown defense. He was quick to defend his teammates and had a true passion for the game,” former head coach Tyson Hall said.
Nardozza’s physicality equaled that of a player someone wanted to have on a team but would be very unpleasant to play against. His tremendous work ethic helped elevate the level and standards of the team, which has spread the positive reputation of the program throughout campus.
Teaching his prior tactics, Nardozza returned to SU a few years after graduation, serving as the team’s assistant coach.
Nolan Metzler (2017)*
Forward
Nolan Metzler grew up in the birth country of hockey, specifically Oakville, Ontario where he learned to skate at an early age. Although he didn't start playing hockey until the age of nine, he decided to join the Oakville Rangers youth where he played competitively and then joined his high school team.
Metzler made SU Men's Hockey history, playing 109 games and compiling 88 points (34 goals, 54 assists) placing 11th in the program's history. He did continue his reputation on the sheet, racking up 162 penalty minutes, and being 4th overall.
Coach Pierandri recalls that “the pace of the game, the physicality of the game was mostly dictated by Metzler, he was a key component in taking the team to the next level.”
Aside from being an aggressive and impactful player, he was passionate whether he was supporting his teams on the ice, in the locker room, or off the ice. Metzler could always be found in the middle of things, known as the “social chair” which to this day he unites and plans events with his team.
Metzler continues his love for the sport, playing once a week surrounded by his closest friends.
“I attribute hockey to a lot of my connections. My closest friends are guys I have met through hockey or played with.”
2015-2016 NECHL Championship Team
This year’s championship team is the 2015-2026 NECHL Championship squad. The 2015-2016 team continued the emerging dynasty built under Coach Nick Pierandri.
SU earned its second NECHL Championship and second National Tournament berth in three years and ranked in the top twenty in the ACHA’s national poll. After a slow start, Syracuse Men’s Hockey rallied for a record of 21-8-2 with 124 goals for and 95 goals against on the season. They were 9-7 at home and 14-3 on the road before being crowned NECHL Champions.
The strong talented senior class comprised of a core of determined players from 2013-2014 set out to recapture the NECHL championship and return to Nationals. They capitalized on the talents of captains J.R. LaPointe, who led the team in scoring (38-20-58 points), and Nino DiPasquale (7-22-29 points), alongside Nolan Metzler (16-21-37 points).
The team won the final twenty games of the season and captured both the regular season and playoff championships. They then went on to their second ACHA National Tournament appearance in three years where they won their first-round matchup against No. 15 University of Illinois 5-3 – the program’s only ACHA Nationals win. The team ended the historic run 3-2 in a heartbreaking loss to Stony Brook.
The 2015-2016 season confirmed that Syracuse was a legitimate rising power in the ACHA with the promise of more to come. The team included five future Hall of Famers: Nino DiPasquale, JR LaPointe, Jaime Ketchabaw, Nolan Metzler, and coach Nick Pierandri - the first coach to be inducted.
Van Winkle Award
William “Bill” Diamond (2002)*
Defenseman
This year’s Richard Van Winkle Award recipient had been a member of the inaugural SU Hockey Hall of Fame class in 2019, William “Bill” Diamond.
Diamond was often recognized for his team leadership skills and his aggressive offensive style as a defenseman. Today he is honored for his leadership, not just as a team captain, but as someone whose efforts remain vital to the continuation and growth of the Syracuse Men’s Hockey program.
Diamond served as the SU Men's Hockey Captain and President in 2001-2002. He was also a board member of the Syracuse University Club Sports Advisory Board, where he advocated and found solutions throughout the struggling period for this team, ensuring that there would be a stable coach and a thriving team.
“Bill was just an unbelievable captain, the way he carries himself on and off the ice…he is the father of this hockey team,” assistant captain Justin Greene said.
Involving the community, he engrained learn-to-skate programs and developed on-campus community skating and hockey classes. Later, these programs grew into larger Syracuse community-sponsored programs gaining press and recognition for the team and spreading the reputation of the team throughout campus.
Diamond mentioned how Syracuse provided him with a place to play and think about how to build teams and programs. At graduation, he traded a player’s jersey for a coach jacket, where he coached at numerous prep and private high schools.
Diamond is still actively involved with the team, being one of the SU Hockey alumni who has contributed to the Syracuse University Men’s Hockey History project, Hall of Fame Selection Committee, and now The Van Winkle Award Selection Committee.
The Syracuse Men's Hockey team congratulates William “Bill” Diamond for receiving the 2024 Richard Van Winkle Award.
*** The lack of information concerning Braim, Christe, and other players from the earliest years of the Modern Era of SUMH hockey is a common issue that the historical committee has run into. The only known information available has been taken from a few newspaper articles during the early years of the team and very few photos from this time are available. However, the available information was enough to compel the HOF Selection Committee to choose to honor these players. We hope in the future to discover more information concerning Braim and other similar players from this era and would appreciate any leads any of you may be able to provide.
Contact us:
X: @BKillgore13
Email: bnkillgo@syr.edu
X: @bcucci24
Email: bellacucci242424@gmail.com
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