Browsing: pace

Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov stands out in win, rapidly adjusting to NHL pace

They were a bit behind through most the night, but the 19-year-old was way ahead.

“Obviously, (Demidov has) got great feet, heâ€s got great deception, quick hands,†said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, “but heâ€s got a quick mind, too, so he can execute fast what he sees, and we saw that multiple times tonight.â€

Yes, we did, and it marked one more special quality this special player possesses: the ability to adjust quicker than most players in his position would.

Wednesdayâ€s 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames was just Demidovâ€s 15th game at this level — including the two regular-season contests he appeared in before playing five Stanley Cup Playoff games against the Washington Capitals — and thatâ€s about all the experience he has of playing competitively on an NHL-sized ice surface. You could see through the first seven games of the season that his skills were enabling him to regularly beat opposing players in one-on-one situations, but you could also see he was being left with much less time to execute the next play than he was accustomed to.

We asked St. Louis on Wednesday morning how long it might take Demidov to adjust to that.

“Itâ€s just feeling that, feeling those reps, and I think he will,†St. Louis responded. “Great players always do. Iâ€m not worried about it.â€

Turns out the coach has great anticipation, as well, because Demidov was able to string together his plays much more frequently in Calgary on Wednesday than he had in any other game through the start of this season.

Not that he hasnâ€t been making great ones all along. He wouldnâ€t have a goal and six points through eight games if he wasnâ€t.

But to see Demidov coral the puck in overtime and know exactly what he was going to do with it as soon as Matheson jumped over the boards highlighted to what extent his NHL game is rapidly evolving.

“When I turned, I saw him,†said Demidov. “I knew he would be screened on the other side, hidden, and I saw that they would not notice him.â€

Demidov identifies what heâ€s going to do right after he gets the puck. Heâ€s facing Montrealâ€s bench, where he can see Matheson jumping on and beginning a route to the opposite side. He takes his man, Flames forward Matt Coronato, with him to the corner, then shifts his angle and his head towards Canadiens teammate Alex Newhook, whoâ€s in the high slot. And once heâ€s baited Rasmus Anderson to move towards Newhook, he slides the puck across Dustin Wolfâ€s crease to Matheson.

It was an elite play from an elite player whoâ€s finding his composure in the worldâ€s best (and fastest) league.

The one Demidov made towards the end of the third period — when he flashed to the dot to open up a great one-timer opportunity and, instead of shooting it, threw it across an open seam for what wouldâ€ve been a sure goal for Nick Suzuki had Flames defenceman Rasmus Anderson not gotten a piece of it — was another sign of just how comfortable heâ€s becoming.

“Heâ€s doing it way faster than I did it,†said Juraj Slafkovsky, who was chosen first-overall in 2022 and really took massive strides in that process through the back half of last season, which heâ€s built on at the start of this one.

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Unlike Slafkovsky or Demidov, Suzuki grew up on an NHL-sized ice surface.

But it still took the Canadiens†captain time to adjust to NHL speed.

“Itâ€s tough,†Suzuki said. “Guys get paid a lot of money to defend, and youâ€ve got to find ways to create. Youâ€re not going to get something every shift, so you have to be patient.

“But Demiâ€s starting to make elite plays all the time, and heâ€s learning his way through the NHL.â€

Itâ€s happening quick, and it doesnâ€t detract from Demidovâ€s early-career accomplishment that it was most apparent against the Flames, who lost their seventh game in a row on Wednesday.

They were the better team at Saddledome for most the game. Maybe not when the lights were out above the ice through the start, but they seized control before Demidov and Suzuki made some great plays in the final 10 minutes of regulation and the former made the decisive one to turn the red light on behind Wolf in overtime.

Jakub Dobes was great for Montreal, making 36 saves to match several spectacular ones Wolf made. Zachary Bolduc scored on a Canadiens power play, Suzuki couldâ€ve had a hat trick with the chances he got, and the teamâ€s penalty kill came up big on five man-advantages awarded to the Flames.

But it was Demidovâ€s performance that really stood out.

At the rate at which heâ€s adjusting, thatâ€s going to happen more and more as this season rolls along.

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Hosts set the pace, but SBCL Championship is close after weekend one

September 23, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Hosts Nottingham lead the way after the first weekend of Senior British Clubs League, Championships Division action.

A competitive weekend saw all 10 clubs pick up at least two points, with Nottingham managing three wins and a draw to finish on 7pts, one clear of BATTS II and Urban, who both also remain unbeaten.

Nottingham started with a 7-1 win over Perry Dale, the most emphatic scoreline of the opening round of fixtures, which included two draws.

One of those saw BATTS fight from 4-2 down to claim a point against Finsbury, for whom Munib Ahmed won twice. Jack Bennett, who had earlier beaten Ho Yin Tam in a decider, won the seventh match 3-2 (8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4) against Jonathan Lancry and Ethan Walsh completed the comeback for BATTS with victory over Abdullah Ubaidullah in match eight.

The other draw was between Wymondham and Woodford Wells. Adam Alibhai (pictured above, photo by Michael Loveder) put Woodford in front by coming from 2-0 down to beat Umair Mauthoor 3-2 (5-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-6), but Wymondham led 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 before Aarav Pariharâ€s win over David McKenzie sealed a draw for the young Woodford team. Alibhai won twice, as did Dan Ives for Wymondham.

Ormesby II started with a 6-2 win over Hurricane, pulling away from 2-2 as Thomas Rayner and Zac Greenhough won twice each.

Urban saw off Ormeau II 5-3, who threatened a draw when Paul McCreery beat Niall Cameron and Thomas Earley led Leon Thomson 3-2 in match eight – Thomson came back to win 3-2 (6-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9, 11-8) to seal overall victory.

Nottingham had to chisel out a draw from 4-2 down in the Saturday afternoon round of matches as Ormeau took charge of the tie early on – the Belfast club also led 2-0 and 3-1. Joseph Dennison started the revival by winning in five against Adam Faulkner, and Adam Fuzes sealed the draw as he beat Thomas Earley in the final match.

Finsbury got their first win, claiming the final two matches to prevail 5-3 against Perry Dale, with Ubaidullah winning twice. There were 6-2 victories for BATTS over Hurricane, Ormesby against Woodford Wells and Urban against Wymondham.

The only 8-0 scorelines of the weekend came on Sunday morning, BATTS defeating Woodford Wells and Nottingham dismissing Wymondham.

There were two drawn matches too, including a first point for Perry Dale, who fought back from 3-0 and 4-3 down against Ormeau. All four Perry Dale players contributed a win, including Daniel Moses beating Thomas Earley 3-2 (7-11, 6-11, 15-13, 11-6, 11-9) in match four and Harri Doherty overcoming Faulkner 11-8 in the fifth in match six.

The other draw was a see-saw encounter between Ormesby and Urban. The Londoners took the first match, then trailed 3-1 and led 4-3 before Josh Weatherby beat Thomson to seal the point for the Teessiders. Weatherby won twice, as did Alim Hirji, who came from 2-0 down to beat Greenhough in match six.

There was a first win for Hurricane, who trailed Finsbury 2-1 after Tam beat Joe Sawyer 13-11 in the fifth and Ubaidullah saw off Pawel Orzechowski in a decider. Hurricane came back to lead 4-2, but Ahmed kept Finsbury alive by defeating Adedapo Onakomaya – but Orzechowski won it for Hurricane as he beat Kevin Kan in four.

Sunday afternoon saw Nottingham make sure of top spot by easing to a 7-1 win over Ormesby, but elsewhere there were two draws and two narrow victories, with Ormeau and Woodford Wells notching their first wins, both by 5-3 scorelines.

Ormeau built a 4-0 lead over Finsbury but saw their opponents hut back to take the next two matches, including Tam beating Sophie Earley 12-10 in the fifth. McCreery made sure for Ormeau in the penultimate match.

Woodford led Hurricane 2-0 and 3-1 but were pegged back to 3-3, before Alibhai overcame Onakomaya in the fifth and Parihar completed victory for the Essex side in four against Richard Jermyn.

Perry Dale picked up a second successive draw as they recovered 2-0 and 4-2 deficits against Wymondham, for whom Oleh Biletskyi and Mauthoor won twice – the latter 14-12 in the fif th against Mohammad Salameh. For Perry Dale, Neil Pickard won twice, including the draw-clinching 3-2 (11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 6-11, 11-7) win over Adam Gigli.

Urban and BATTS both preserved their unbeaten records in a 4-4 draw – and it will be BATTS who are the happier as they came from 3-0 and 4-1 down after Gabriel Achampongâ€s double for Urban, including from 2-0 down against Josh Bennett (7-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4, 1-8). But three wins in a row for Jack Bennett, Ryan Choong and Ethan Walsh saw BATTS rescue a point.

Two players remain with 100% records in the averages – Ormeauâ€s McCreery won all eight of his matches and Nottinghamâ€s Hobson won four out of four.

Hobsonâ€s team-mates Adam Dennison and Max Stevens, and Urbanâ€s Hirji, all have seven victories from eight matches played.

The next weekend of the SBCL Championship is 8-9 November.

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319 Pace Student-Athletes Listed on NE10 Fall Academic Honor Roll

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PLEASANTVILLE, NY – The Northeast-10 (NE10) Conference released their Fall Semester Academic Honor Roll list in which Pace Athletics is well represented with 319 student-athletes.

Among the NE10’s 11 member and six associate member institutions, the Conference recognized 3,790 student-athletes for their academic achievements. The Academic Honor Roll (AHR) acknowledges the commitment of NE10 student-athletes to excel in the classroom with three designations: Academic Excellence (4.0 GPA), Academic Distinction (3.50-3.99 GPA) and Academic Honors (3.00-3.49). 10 of 11 NE10 full member institutions had at least 50-percent of their student-athletes earn AHR status. Six institutions reached 70% or higher, while 10 had at least 60% of their student-athletes recognized.

The overall breakdown of the 319 Setter names mentioned is as follows: 51 student-athletes named in the Academic Excellence category, 170 in the Academic Distinction, and 98 in the Academic Honors.

Adelphi had a league-high 85.2% of its student-athletes named to the Academic Honor Roll, while Bentley ranked second at 84.1% and Pace was third at 78.6%. New Haven (71.5%) and Saint Michael’s (70.6%) rounded-out the top five.

About Pace University Athletics
Pace University Athletics is a member of NCAA Division II, competing within the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10). Pace Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, along with cheer, dance, and E-Sports programs. In 2023-24, Pace student-athletes posted a cumulative grade point average of 3.37. Additionally, a total of 311 Setters were selected to the NE10’s Academic Honor Roll following the spring 2024 semester.

For all information regarding Pace Athletics, log on to www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow Pace Athletics on Facebook (T-Bone, Official Mascot of Pace University Athletics), Twitter (@PaceUAthletics) and Instagram (@PaceAthletics). In addition, the Official Pace University Athletics newsletter, Setters Sports Wrap, is available. CLICK HERE to sign up for weekly updates on Pace Athletics content.

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