New St. Thomas Tommies men's hockey coach - Troy Ryan

Photo Credit -  http://billmcleansports.blogspot.com

The St. Thomas University Tommies have found their man and Troy Ryan is his name.  Ryan, a Spryfield Nova Scotia native, has a very impressive resume and you can view it HERE

Most recently Ryan has been the Head Coach and General Manager of the Metro Marauders of the MHL.  Previous to this he was Head Coach of the Pictou Crushers of the MJHL.

He certainly has an impressive list of qualifications and he will certainly need to draw from them as he looks to rebuild the 3 and 25 Tommies of 2010-11.

Here is a quick look at some "Honors, Awards, and Special Recognition" Troy Ryan has received.

- 2007-2008 Hockey Nova Scotia Coach of the Year

- 2007-2008 MJAHL Coach of the Year

- 2008 Fred Page Cup Champions

- 2005-2006 MJAHL coach of the Year

- Guest coach for Team Canada at the 2003 World Junior Hockey Championship in Halifax.

Some interesting insight on our new coach - Jusk Ask - Troy Ryan

Daily Gleaner - Ryan up for the challenge of coaching the Tommies *NEW*
Daily Gleaner - Tommies hand reins to Ryan
Daily Gleaner - Ryan will 'do great things' for STU hockey - Burns
Metro - Tommies announce new bench boss
Halifax Chronicle Herald - Troy Ryan to coach Tommies

Official STU Press Release

Troy Ryan website

Troy Ryan named GM for World Junior A Challenge

Troy Ryan information

New Arena coming soon for Tommies

The 2012-2013 AUS season will be the dawn of a new era for the St. Thomas University Tommies men's and women's hockey teams.  In the fall of 2012 the new $29.2 million "Grant-Harvey Centre" will be completed and our Tommies will have an exciting new home.

Construction of new Grant-Harvey Centre April, 2011.

"The steel and concrete two-storey complex features an 8,000 square-metre ground-floor footprint. It will feature an Olympic-size ice surface and an NHL-size ice surface and will be home to the men's and women's ice hockey teams from St. Thomas University....
The two-level complex will also offer a three-lane walking/running track on the upper level as well as a community event room, a multi-purpose meeting room and full kitchen facilities. The Olympic-size ice surface will have 500 seats for spectators while the NHL surface will feature seating for 1,500. There will be 10 dressing rooms and a referees' room in the complex.
The Grant-Harvey Centre will be the cornerstone of a 45-acre recreational hub. The grounds will include an artificial turf soccer/football pitch, a six-court indoor tennis facility, a two-acre, fenced dog-walking park and parking for more than 600 vehicles." City of Fredericton Press Release

STU Hockey areas at Grant*Harvey. Click on picture for larger view.

It has been reported that STU will spend at least one million dollars for features that will customize their new arena.  By clicking on the diagram above you will be able to see some of the specific rooms and layouts including locker rooms, lounge areas, washrooms, and plenty of storage.  First aid and training facilities will all be part of the Tommies new home.

STUTOMMIES.com will bring you updates and progress reports as the new arena approaches completion.  In the meantime here are links to information concerning the building.

Grant-Harvey Center news releases.
Grant-Harvey Site Plan
Grant-Harvey Ice Level Floor Plan
Grant-Harvey Second Level Floor Plan

Tommies add D-man for 2012

Sebastien Bernier - Courtesy QMJHL

The Tommies have added smooth skating defenceman Sebastien Bernier to the line-up for next year but they will have to wait until after Christmas before he can play.

Originally from Lac Saint-Charles, QC this well travelled D-man last played for 3L du Riviere-du-Loup of the LNAH until December of 2010.  This Quebec league has many former Q players and even some former NHLers.  Previous to this, Bernier played for the Castors d'Avignon of the French Division 1 League and the Matane Castors of the LHSEQ.

In the junior ranks Sebastien played for 7 teams in his 4 year QMJHL career.  His best year being his overage one where he totaled 52 points between Gatineau and Rimouski in 2007-08.

Bernier has been redshirting with the Tommies since joining the team in January.  Welcome aboard Sebastien and we look forward to seeing you play in January.

New recruit bolsters Tommies' defense

Caley Steinert

The Lady Tommies have added a top notch recruit in  Emerson, Manitoba native Caley Steinert.  Coach Peter Murphy described her as follows "She is a smart, puck moving defender who can play in all situations. Her 5’6” height and great vision of the ice allows her to make the right play at the right time. We are very excited to have Caley join the Tommie family.” 


She has spent the last three season's with the Pembina Valley Female Hawks of the Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League, which included being league champions all three years.  She has been the assistant captain for the past two seasons with the Hawks and has chipped in offensively with 23 goals and 38 assists in that time.  She was also a member of the 2010 gold medal hockey team at the Manitoba Winter Games. 


She intends on getting her Education degree at STU.  Good luck Caley and welcome aboard.  STU Press Release

Former Tommie remembers time at STU fondly

It may have been close to 50 years ago but time can never erase the pride in being a Tommie.  Pat Barry, who will be inducted into the STU Sports Wall of Fame this summer, has his memories of life at STU and his time spent in Chatham before St. Thomas was moved to Fredericton.  There is an interesting article in today's Telegraph Journal chronicling a few of these memories.  If you thought our rivalry with UNB is new think again, it existed back in the 50's as well.  

"Those dates with the rival UNB squad highlighted the season's agenda, especially if the Tommies, who revelled in their David role against the Goliath UNB opponents, pulled out a victory...."Me and another fellow got in the back of a bakery truck between loaves of bread and the duffle bags. This is halfway to Fredericton from Chatham and the guy took us to the rink at UNB and dropped us off."  The result?  "We won the game." Barry said matter-of-factly."

Sometimes we must look back for a moment to get a better view of what lies ahead.  STU was an underdog then and we still are now to the big and wealthy school next door but we're on the road back Tommies fans, don't forget it.  Telegraph Journal: Former star in three sports at STU enjoyed every game, even a loss.

Former Huskie now a Tommie

Chris Morehouse - Courtesy Richard Lafortune

Former Moncton Wildcat captain and Saint Mary's Huskies agitator will be playing for the Green and Gold this fall.  Chris Morehouse committed to the Tommies late in 2010 after playing a year and a half  of pro hockey.

Morehouse brings with him that "super pest" reputation of being great to play with and hated to play against.  Never a big point producer, Chris adds that spark when you need a boost or scores the  opportunistic goal when you least expect it.

It would be easy to label Chris a real "Jekyll and Hyde" as he is noted to be one way on the ice and another off it.  In 2008, while serving as Captain of the Moncton Wildcats,  Morehouse was the QMJHL and Canadian Hockey Leagues Humanitarian of the Year.

Chris' last pro game was on November 17, 2010 with the Tulsa Oilers of the CHL, therefore he will not be eligible to suit up with the Tommies until Saturday November 18, 2011.  Welcome Chris.

Tommies add western grit to line-up for 2011-12

Cassidy McTaggart

The Lady Tommies have added some much needed size to the roster for next year in the form of 6 foot Calgary native Cassidy McTaggart.

Cassidy comes to STU after spending the past three seasons with the Calgary Midget AAA Bruins of the AMMFHL scoring 18 points this season.  The Tommies can expect a strong leader as well as she was the team captain in her final year with the Bruins.

In addition to playing for the Bruins, Cassidy has played in the Alberta Cup and in the Alberta Winter Games.  She intends on taking psychology and sociology at St. Thomas.


Welcome Cassidy.

STU Hockey schools set to go for summer 2011

The following information is from STU Athletics. 

The St. Thomas Tommies are offering summer and pre-season hockey schools at the Lady Beaverbrook Rink.

Summer Hockey School - July 11-15

The Summer Hockey School runs from July 11 to July 15. There will be two ice sessions daily (at the beginning and end of each day) along with off-ice and classroom sessions. 

• Novice (born 2003-2004) runs 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, registration is $300
• Atom (born 2001-2002) runs from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, registration is $300
• Power skating and goalie clinic (ages 11 to 14) runs from 11:30 am to 12:45 pm, registration is $115

Players are to bring their own lunch.
The 2011 Junior Tommies players receive a $20 discount for the summer hockey school.

Pre-Season Hockey School - Aug. 29-Sept. 2 

The Pre-Season Hockey School will take place August 29 to Sept. 2 at a cost of $115.

• Novice (born 2003-2004) runs 10:30 am to 11:45 am
• Atom (born 2001-2002) runs 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm
• Pee Wee (born 1999-200) runs 1:30 pm to 2:45 pm

Limited space is available. 
Some exceptions may apply on the age groups.
Sing up for the Summer and Pre-Season Hockey Schools and save $20.

For more information, call 460-0378 or mhockey@stu.ca. 

Registration forms are available HERE. 

And....we're back!!

Well Tommies' fans it has been a little over a year since my self imposed hiatus separated us and it was a nice break but I'm glad to be back bringing you the STU hockey news.  While the blog may have been turned off I hope you were still able to follow all the Tommies developments of the past year by following us on Twitter (@stutommies) or Facebook for you dedicated hard core Tommies.  Sorry, No Squirrels Allowed on Facebook....squirrel chatter gets you deleted.

So we have seen some major changes over the past little bit and as time permits, we'll update you on the news of the day.  In the meantime, take a walk down memory road and check out some of the old posts and comments.