Head Coach
Brian Becker's squad features an even blend of new and returning talent, as eleven newcomers join eleven returning players in Hilbert's first season of United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) action.
Seniors
Tia Card,
Jacqueline Alaburda, and
Caitlin Conrad will be relied upon to lead the Hawks in their fourth season with the program. The trio all enters their senior campaigns at Hilbert already holding program records
Card, who has backstopped the Hawks since she arrived in Hamburg, is the program career leader in goalie games played and started (30-25), saves (1195), and save percentage (.875). The senior goalie from Burlington, ON also recorded the first win in team history with a 26-save effort against King's College on 10/28/23.
Alaburda is the current program leader in blocked shots (108) and shots on goal (101), while she also ranks second in program history with five goals and nine points. The San Jose, CA native finished third on last year's squad with four points in eight games played.
Conrad, who has spent time playing both forward and defense, is the program leader in games played (47), while she currently sits second in program history in blocked shots (92) and seventh in points (six). Her four career goals are the most all-time by a Hilbert defenseman. Conrad led last year's team with 49 blocked shots and a .200 shooting percentage.
Izabelle Wagner,
Kelsey Fuller, and
Brooke Kwiecien will all look to follow up a 2024-25 season that saw them each finish top five on the Hawks in scoring.
Wagner led the team with four assists and six points in her rookie campaign. The Miles City, MT native fired 21 shots on goal with a .095 shooting percentage.
Fuller tallied two goals and an assist in her first year of collegiate hockey, while also leading the team with 55 shots.
Kwiecien's four points a year ago matched her freshman point total, as she enters her junior year with eight career points, good enough for fifth all-time in program history.
Wilkes transfer
Amelia Murphy will look to produce right away on the Hawks' blueline, while incoming freshman
Victoria Battaglia will aim to make an immediate impact offensively for Hilbert.
The 27-game campaign kicks off on the road with an exhibition contest against Buff State (October 22nd), before the Hawks return to Hamburg to take on Keene State (October 31st and November 1st) and Niagara University Club (Exhibition on November 6th) ahead of the team's first two UCHC weekend series'.
The first conference games in program history are set for November 14th and 15th on the road against Utica, with the following weekend marking the first home league games for the Hawks against Albertus Magnus at the Nike Base.
Hilbert will follow these first four UCHC matchups with nine consecutive nonconference contests, bookended by home doubleheaders against Buff State (December 5th and 6th) and Hood College (January 16th and 17th). The team will make trips to take on MCLA (December 12th and 13th), Neumann University (January 2nd and 3rd), and Buff State (January 9th) in this span to prepare for five-straight weekends of UCHC action to end the regular season.
January sees the Hawks host Elmira College (23rd and 24th) and travel to Rye, NY for the first two meetings with Manhattanville (30th and 31st) in program history, before Hilbert finishes its campaign with February series' against Chatham (away on the 6th, home on the 7th), Nazareth (home on 13th and 14th), and St. John Fisher (away on 20th and 21st).
Hilbert will be working to earn a spot in the UCHC postseason which begins on Wednesday February 25th, with the first round winners moving on to play in the semifinals on Saturday February 28th, for the right to play in the Saturday March 7th UCHC Final.
COACHING / SUPPORT STAFF
After joining the staff last season as an assistant,
Brian Becker takes over as the team's Head Coach this season. Becker previously served as the St. Francis High School Prep Hockey head coach from 2021-2024 following stints with Frontier High School, the Lockport Express (NAHL), Hamburg Hawks 18u AAA, and the Buffalo Stars (Empire Junior Hockey League).
Stephen Hurtubise will join Becker behind the bench for his second season with the Hawks, while
Matt Krug rounds out the coaching staff.
Prior to his first year with Hilbert, Hurtubise served as the commissioner for the Northeast Collegiate Hockey League Division I since 2022 after guiding the Canisius University Men's Ice Hockey team in the American Collegiate Hockey League Division I from 2010 through to 2022. Since 2022, the Williamsville native has served as the director of hockey development with the Golden Griffins in the ACHL.
Krug brings experience and a winning pedigree to the program, as the Buffalo, NY native was a member of the 2013-14 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey National Championship-winning Union Garnet Chargers.
Richard Luczak will serve as the program's Director of Hockey Operations where he will oversee all organizational aspects of the program, including budget management, travel coordination, and logistical planning.
Laura Dannebohm, J.D., M.A. will support the hockey program by serving as the team's Faculty Team Advisor. She is an additional source of academic support and serves as a resource regarding academic issues for the hockey student-athletes and coaches. Dannebohm's association with the department also creates a communication link between faculty, student-athletes, and coaches.
