Griffs refreshed by young forwards

This story first appeared on the Buffalo News website.  To read Amy Mortiz's original story click here.

By Amy Moritz

As he talked about the Golden Griffins' five-game unbeaten streak, Cory Conacher was heckled by one of the team's trainers.

"Make sure he has parental permission to do media interviews," was the quip after practice at the Amherst Pepsi Center.

But Conacher doesn't miss a beat, easily ignoring the comment.

After all, he's used to it by now. On Dec. 14, the Canisius hockey forward celebrated his 18th birthday, making him the youngest player in Division I hockey.

His linemate, Vincent Scarsella, turned 18 in September, making him the fourthyoungest player.

In a sport where players often spend a few years on minor junior teams and enter college as 20-year-old freshmen, Conacher and Scarsella are a bit unusual, which prompts the good-natured ribbing.

"They're not too hard on us. They make up nicknames for us every once in a while," Conacher said. "All around, they're an awesome group of guys."

"They make young jokes a lot," Scarsella said. "Like when some of them were in eighth grade I wasn't even out of the womb yet. It's all in good fun."

Their production on the ice, however, is no laughing matter.

Conacher, who played one season with his hometown Burlington (Ont.) Cougars, missed the first 17 games of the season with a wrist injury. Back in the lineup against Niagara on Dec. 30, he picked up assists on the first two Canisius goals. Over the weekend against Bentley, he scored his first goal and finished his first three collegiate games with four points (one goal, three assists) and earned Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week honors.

Scarsella has been a consistent offensive producer for the Griffs. A Lackawanna native who played his high school hockey at St. Francis, Scarsella has 14 points through his first 20 games (five goals, nine assists) and leads Atlantic Hockey freshmen in scoring.

While their youth might have kept them off other college hockey rosters, for third-year Canisius coach Dave Smith, they were the right fit at the right time.

"We knew we were going to play them, that they were talented, but we didn't know how long it would take for them to adjust," Smith said. "They adjusted quickly and forced us to play them. Based on where our team was we thought this was a terrific opportunity for them to come in and play. Maybe in two years that opportunity won't be there, but right now we're saying, ‘Let's get faster, let's get more skilled.' We weren't concerned with their age."