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H.S. Girls Basketball: Pittston Area tops Valley West

Nissan says ex-leader Ghosn still behind serious misconduct

<p>The Wilkes men&#8217;s ice hockey team has continued taking strides as a program, even without taking the ice the past couple of weeks.</p><p>The latest United States College Hockey Organization (USCHO) Top 15 poll has ranked the Colonels as the 14th team in the country in the program&#8217;s second season.</p><p>&#8220;Being ranked in the national poll for the first time in program history is a great accomplishment. It&#8217;s an exciting way to start the second half of our season,&#8221; Head Coach Tyler Hynes said. &#8220;It&#8217;s something our young men have certainly earned through their hard work.&#8221;</p><p>After their first season, the Colonels made a lot of noise, producing the top two offensive freshman, Donald Flynn and Tyler Barrow, in terms of production/points per game. The team was receiving votes in the poll last season, but they never quite did enough to crack the list.</p><p>Now the Colonels are thriving, starting the season 10-2 and a perfect 7-0 in United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) play. The only hiccups for the Colonels came to SUNY Canton, who is receiving votes in the poll, and Franklin Pierce, a Division II school.</p><p>The Colonels&#8217; success once again can be tracked to Flynn. He leads the UCHC in goals (14) and points (24). Nick Fea has also had an impact for Wilkes, leading the conference in assists (14) and ranking third in points (18). Barrow, who was recognized as the country&#8217;s Rookie of the Year, is also in the top five for the conference in scoring, tied for fifth with 15 points. Goaltender Michael Paterson-Jones has also been sharp in his first eight games with a .904 save percentage and a 2.75 goals against average.</p><p>Although the Colonels are in first place in the UCHC and undefeated, they are behind two conference foes in the rankings.</p><p>Utica, who will clash with Wilkes for the first time this season on Jan. 17 at the Toyota SportsPlex, is ranked seventh. Stevenson, who fell to Wilkes 3-2 in the first meeting between the two programs, is ranked 10th.</p><p>&#8220;Having three teams ranked in the national poll is a testament to the depth and strength of the UCHC,&#8221; Hynes said. &#8220;In the UCHC, every team poses a different challenge and anybody can beat anybody on any given night. I think parity makes each team in the conference better and I&#8217;m glad it is getting the respect it deserves on a national level.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ben Mandell</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Wilkes breaks into top 15 in United States College Hockey Organization poll