1996-97 Utica Blizzard Roster
Colonial Hockey League (COHL)
Team Record: 22-42 (SO: 0-10) - 54 points
in the COHL's East Division
Lost in 1st Round
Coach: Don Martin (22-42, 10 OTL)
Location: Utica, New York
Attendance: 58,534, Avg. 1,582 in 37 home dates
1996-97 Utica Blizzard StatisticsTeam Record: 22-42 (SO: 0-10) - 54 points
in the COHL's East Division
Lost in 1st Round
Coach: Don Martin (22-42, 10 OTL)
Location: Utica, New York
Attendance: 58,534, Avg. 1,582 in 37 home dates
The Utica Blizzard of the Colonial Hockey League ended the 1996-97 season with a record of 22 wins and 42 losses, with a 0-10 showing in shootouts for 54 points in the COHL's East Division.
The Blizzard netted 278 goals and yielded 385. John Vecchiarelli scored 56 goals for Utica, and Troy Stephens tallied 30 or more, too. John Vecchiarelli recorded 50 assists. Ron Bertrand topped the squad with 9 wins and a team-best 5.23 goals against average, leading regular goalies. Don Martin coached the team. The 1996-97 Utica Blizzard lost in the in 1st Round of the playoffs.
Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Pos. | Birth Date | Height | Weight | S/C | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan Anderson | D | January 5, 1972 | 5'8" | 170 | Regina, SASK Canada | |
| Jason Anderson | F | July 14, 1972 | 5'10" | 165 | Escanaba, MI USA | |
| Jeffrey Azar | D | September 7, 1973 | 5'11" | 195 | Quincy, MA USA | |
| Ryan Bach | G | October 21, 1973 | 6'1" | 185 | L | Sherwood Park, AB Canada |
| Pascal Belanger | W | July 8, 1975 | Lapocatiere, QUE Canada | |||
| Mark Bell | F | February 3, 1975 | 5'11" | 195 | New Westminster, BC Canada | |
| Ron Bertrand | G | January 15, 1972 | 5'10" | 170 | Ottawa, ONT Canada | |
| Chad Black | G | |||||
| Scott Blair | C | November 1, 1978 | 5'11" | 170 | R | Detroit, MI USA |
| Fran Bussey | LW | July 9, 1974 | 6'3" | 190 | L | Duluth, MN USA |
| Troy Caley | C | January 14, 1974 | 5'10" | 181 | R | Owen Sound, ON Canada |
| Tom Colasanto | F | April 9, 1973 | 5'6" | 176 | Commack, NY USA | |
| Tom Cole | G | February 8, 1969 | 6'1" | 183 | L | Woburn, MA USA |
| Len DeVuono | D | February 7, 1971 | 6'1" | 209 | L | Sault Ste. Marie, ON Canada |
| Aaron Ellis | G | May 13, 1974 | 6'3" | 187 | L | Indianapolis, IN USA |
| Larry Empey | D | July 25, 1973 | 6'3" | 209 | L | Swift Current, SK Canada |
| Richard Fatrola | C | October 29, 1970 | 5'11" | 173 | Mississauga, ONT Canada | |
| Tim Fingerhut | LW | May 20, 1971 | 6'0" | 194 | L | Pennsauken, NJ USA |
| Andrew Gagnon | G | April 4, 1972 | 5'10" | 174 | L | Manchester, CT USA |
| Ray Gallagher | D | May 12, 1968 | 5'10" | 187 | R | Ajax, ON Canada |
| Lou Germain | G | 5'10" | 180 | Rochester, NY | ||
| Harry Gorman | L | |||||
| Roy Gray | D | April 22, 1976 | 5'8" | 185 | R | Toronto, ON Canada |
| Mike Gruttadauria | D | October 10, 1970 | 6'2" | 190 | Rochester, NY USA | |
| Jeff Guay | D | February 9, 1972 | 5'9" | 187 | L | Lewiston, ME USA |
| Tim Harris | RW | October 16, 1967 | 6'2" | 203 | R | Uxbridge, ON Canada |
| Jamie Hayden | D | April 19, 1972 | 6'0" | 201 | L | Saskatoon, SK Canada |
| Steve Herniman | D | June 9, 1968 | 6'4" | 216 | L | Windsor, ON Canada |
| Chad Holloway | D | February 29, 1972 | 6'1" | 196 | L | Burlington, ON Canada |
| Corey Isen | LW | May 26, 1975 | 5'8" | 201 | L | London, ON Canada |
| Christian Labonte | C | April 2, 1975 | 5'11" | 203 | L | Asbestos, QC Canada |
| Mark LaForest | G | July 10, 1962 | 5'11" | 190 | L | Welland, ON Canada |
| Rob MacInnis | D | September 12, 1965 | 6'0" | 194 | L | Inverness, NS Canada |
| Ralph Marziale | C | January 3, 1974 | 5'10" | 194 | R | Providence, RI USA |
| Dan Menard | C | December 5, 1973 | 6'0" | 187 | L | Ottawa, ON Canada |
| Gary Miller | D | March 19, 1972 | 6'2" | 207 | L | Palm Beach, FL USA |
| Sean Ortiz | LW | December 10, 1971 | 6'1" | 179 | R | Peoria, IL USA |
| Len Perno | G | October 18, 1971 | 5'9" | 170 | L | Rochester, NY |
| Mike Peters | F | May 9, 1974 | 6'2" | 194 | Yonkers, NY USA | |
| Jason Renard | F | April 22, 1974 | 6'1" | 190 | R | Brooks, AB Canada |
| Jacque Rodrigue | D | May 7, 1971 | 6'0" | 190 | L | Nashua, NH USA |
| Matt Ruchty | LW | November 27, 1969 | 6'1" | 225 | L | Kitchener, ON Canada |
| Jason Scanzano | L | |||||
| Zdenek Sikl | F | July 20, 1971 | 6'1" | 181 | L | Most, CZE |
| Kelvin Solari | RW | March 4, 1974 | 6'0" | 209 | R | Sudbury, ON Canada |
| Oleg Sorokin | L | January 4, 1974 | 6'4" | 230 | L | Riga, Latvia |
| Mike Steckler | C | September 13, 1966 | 5'10" | 170 | L | New Hartford, NY USA |
| Troy Stephens | C | February 28, 1971 | 5'7" | 172 | R | Mississauga, ON Canada |
| Shayne Stevenson | R | October 26, 1970 | 6'1" | 190 | R | Aurora, ON Canada |
| Sergei Tkachenko | G | June 6, 1971 | 6'0" | 203 | L | Kiev, UKR |
| John Vecchiarelli | RW | July 4, 1964 | 6'0" | 194 | L | Toronto, ON Canada |
| Ben White | D | June 1, 1974 | 6'3" | 216 | L | Sudbury, ON Canada |
| Joakim Wiberg | G | October 23, 1972 | 6'1" | 196 | L | Salem, SWE |
| Shawn Yakimishyn | C | February 15, 1972 | 5'9" | 190 | R | Roblin, MB Canada |
