Hall of Fame Members

Richard R. Roy, MD

The late Dr. Roy grew up in Berlin, but it was the contributions he made to Rochester, where he moved in 1962, that still impact hockey in the state. He was one of the men responsible for starting the Rochester Youth Hockey Association in the early 1970s, and he gave back to the community in ways that included, but were not limited to, fundraising for a new rink and inspiring others to donate their time.

Born in Berlin in 1931, he spent one year at Notre Dame High School and then attended St. Charles School in Sherbrooke Canada. He graduated from the University of Montreal, where he attended medical school. After serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy in Portsmouth, he made his home in Rochester, where he opened his private practice and was the first pediatrician on staff at Frisbee Memorial Hospital. He would practice there for 35 years.

“Doc” Roy, as he was known by many in the community, was heavily involved in it, serving as chairman of the school board at Holy Rosary School and on the parish council at Holy Rosary Parish, and he was the team doctor and coach for many sports teams in town.

By the late 1960s, Roy and some of his colleagues began taking steps to grow the game in the area. In 1969, Berwick Academy coach Pop Whalen wanted to upgrade the school’s outdoor rink and the boards were donated to Rochester to replace the current rink at the school grounds.

Roy reached out to parents from the community and three of his friends — Skip Kendall of Kendall Insurance, Charles Baxter Jr. of Baxter Woolen Mills and Jim Bisbee of Varney’s Insurance — to sponsor the teams by providing jerseys, pants and socks. This four-team league was the start of the Rochester Youth Hockey Association.

With Roy serving as its president for the first three years, the RYHA grew from four neighborhood teams to over 200 participants. With the money being raised, he applied a down payment for a new indoor rink in town, getting local businesses on board to support it. He went to fi ve other local communities — Dover, Somersworth, Oyster River, Portsmouth and York, Maine — for commitments to start youth programs and created what would eventually become Seacoast Hockey League.

In 2008, the Rochester Ice Arena was renamed the Dr. Roy Ice Arena. In 2015, Roy was posthumously inducted into the Rochester Sports Hall of Fame as a contributor, two years after he’d passed away at the age of 82.

“When it comes to youth hockey contributions over the last 40 years, he ranks at the top,” said Rochester Sports Hall of Fame chairman John Creteau. “It’s obvious when you look at (former Spaulding High School coach) Paul George’s program and the many state hockey championships for Spaulding over the years. We thank God for Dr. Roy, as he is one individual who has made an impact in the lives of a lot of children.”

Richard P. Ryerson

Dick played hockey at St. Paul’s School during the 1943-44 and 1944-45 seasons, and during his senior-year vacations traveled south to play for the Jamaica Hawks in the New York Metropolitan League. He also played football and baseball and track and was awarded the Gordon Medal for the Best All-Around Athlete and Sportsman.

After his 1945 graduation from St. Paul’s School, Dick served in the US Armed Forces for two years.

After his honorable discharge, he enrolled at Princeton University and played hockey during the 1947-48 season and part of the 1948-49 season. After leaving Princeton, he played three seasons for the Schenectady Generals of the New York State League. In 1952-53, he began teaching and coaching at the Berkshire School where he played hockey for the New Milford Tomahawks for two of his three years. The Tomahawks, during his tenure, were runners-up in the A.H.A. National Championships. In 1955-56, he returned to school, enrolling at Wesleyan University where he played hockey and graduated in 1958.

In 1958-59, he began a 12-year stay at the Tilton School in New Hampshire as a history teacher, serving also as head hockey coach and athletic director. His teams in the very competitive Lakes Region League played against New Hampton, Holderness, Proctor, Brewster, Berwick, Fryeburg Academy and Vermont Academy. In 12 seasons, Tilton won five Lakes Region Championships. In addition, they played Middlebury, UNH, Bowdoin and Dartmouth freshman teams.

In the early to mid-Sixties, while working at the Tilton School, Dick played forward for the Laconia Lakers in the Granite State Hockey League.

In 1970, he began a tenure at Concord High School as Assistant Hockey Coach while teaching at Rundlett Junior High School in the Capital City. In 1973, he became Head Hockey Coach, overseeing the program for the next six seasons. Ultimately, Dick led the Crimson Tide to two state championships. In 1977, Concord defeated Bishop Guertin,
3-2, and in 1979 defeated Bishop Brady, 6-1. In 1975 and 1978, his teams were runners-up.

He was named Coach of the Year in New Hampshire in 1977 and 1979.

He also coached in the Concord Youth Hockey system at all levels and coached at the Exeter Summer Hockey School for more than 10 years.

Richard P. Ryerson

Dick played hockey at St. Paul’s School during the 1943-44 and 1944-45 seasons, and during his senior-year vacations traveled south to play for the Jamaica Hawks in the New York Metropolitan League. He also played football and baseball and track and was awarded the Gordon Medal for the Best All-Around Athlete and Sportsman.

After his 1945 graduation from St. Paul’s School, Dick served in the US Armed Forces for two years.

After his honorable discharge, he enrolled at Princeton University and played hockey during the 1947-48 season and part of the 1948-49 season. After leaving Princeton, he played three seasons for the Schenectady Generals of the New York State League. In 1952-53, he began teaching and coaching at the Berkshire School where he played hockey for the New Milford Tomahawks for two of his three years. The Tomahawks, during his tenure, were runners-up in the A.H.A. National Championships. In 1955-56, he returned to school, enrolling at Wesleyan University where he played hockey and graduated in 1958.

In 1958-59, he began a 12-year stay at the Tilton School in New Hampshire as a history teacher, serving also as head hockey coach and athletic director. His teams in the very competitive Lakes Region League played against New Hampton, Holderness, Proctor, Brewster, Berwick, Fryeburg Academy and Vermont Academy. In 12 seasons, Tilton won five Lakes Region Championships. In addition, they played Middlebury, UNH, Bowdoin and Dartmouth freshman teams.

In the early to mid-Sixties, while working at the Tilton School, Dick played forward for the Laconia Lakers in the Granite State Hockey League.

In 1970, he began a tenure at Concord High School as Assistant Hockey Coach while teaching at Rundlett Junior High School in the Capital City. In 1973, he became Head Hockey Coach, overseeing the program for the next six seasons. Ultimately, Dick led the Crimson Tide to two state championships. In 1977, Concord defeated Bishop Guertin,
3-2, and in 1979 defeated Bishop Brady, 6-1. In 1975 and 1978, his teams were runners-up.

He was named Coach of the Year in New Hampshire in 1977 and 1979.

He also coached in the Concord Youth Hockey system at all levels and coached at the Exeter Summer Hockey School for more than 10 years.

Dick is one of the legendary hockey players to come from Hockey Town USA (Berlin). His hockey career began in grammar school where he starred on the Angel Guardian team and won two Parks and Recreation championships. Dick played wing for three years on the Notre Dame varsity team from 1950 through 1953. Notre Dame won three state championships during his tenure and Dick also participated in three New England High School Championships held in Providence, RI.

From 1953 to 1962, Dick played for the Berlin Maroons, in 1954 he played wing on the team that won the Senior Amateur Hockey Association’s U.S. National Championship.

From 1962 to 1965, Dick played for the Concord Shamrocks, and the Alpine Hockey Club when a serious injury ended his playing career.

Dick was one of the original organizers of the Manchester Blackhawks and was the team business manager from 1965 through 1971.

Because of his playing abilities in High School Hockey and at the Senior Amateur Level, Richard received the honor of being given honorable mention on the All New Hampshire Millennium Team.

Richard is the Chairman of the Board was the prime organizer of the New Hampshire Legends of Hockey.

Rich Ryerson stood out at St. Paul’s School before moving on to Dartmouth College and helping the Big Green reach the Frozen Four in back-to-back seasons.

Growing up in Concord, Ryerson left his mark at St. Paul’s, competing on the varsity team for four seasons. For his last three seasons, his coach was Legends of Hockey Hall of Famer (Class of 2006) Bill Matthews, who took over the program in the 1973-74 season and called Ryerson one of the fi nest players he ever coached.

“Rich had a burning desire to win and (was) always unselfish,” said Matthews. “He helped, along with several other Concord-area players, to get St. Paul’s hockey back to a place of respect in New England hockey. I’m honestly surprised he had anything left in the tank for college hockey, as I had him on the ice all the time – 6-on-6, man down, power play.”

After a freshman season that saw St. Paul’s go 11-2, Ryerson helped the team finish second in the Northern Division as a sophomore. In his junior year, he scored 38 points and the team reached the Southern Division championship game, losing to Thayer, 5-2.

As a senior, he served as co-captain and received the Gordon Medal at the end of the year for being the school’s best all-around athlete.

After that it was on to Dartmouth, where he would end up skating in 111 games, including at least 25 in each of his four seasons.

He burst onto the college scene by scoring 11 goals and adding seven assists as a freshman. In his sophomore year, he added another eight goals to his total and finished with 10 points.

In his junior and senior seasons, he was a key part of some superb teams that featured fellow Class of 2018 Legends Hall of Famer Bob Gaudet in goal. Ryerson, who primarily skated on the wing, was known as a player who could be relied upon to perform in all situations.

As a junior, he was part of a Dartmouth team that reached the Frozen Four in Detroit, where it lost to North Dakota, 4-2, at the Olympia Stadium. Ryerson assisted on a goal in a 7-3 win over UNH in the third-place game.

The next year, in the ECAC Hockey semifinal game against Clarkson in the old Boston Garden, he scored two goals to propel Dartmouth to a win and a trip to the championship against Cornell. The Big Green also returned to the Frozen Four in Providence, R.I., where they fell to North Dakota again, 4-1. Ryerson’s last college point was an assist in the third-place game against Cornell.

He finished his Dartmouth career with 29 goals and 26 assists for 55 points. He is currently the associate director of admissions at Kimball Union Academy.

Rev. MSGR. J. Alpheri Lauziere

Monsignor Lauziere arrived in Berlin in 1922, when the young sport of hockey was growing rapidly, as the local mill had just formed a mill league and Berlin High School finished its first year competing in the sport. Msgr. Lauziere organized a city league whereby the mill teams, the High School, and various local clubs would play each other with playoffs held at the end of the season. His team, The Canadiens, won two city titles in four years.

Beginning in 1930, the depression was taking its toll on local hockey. Msgr. Lauziere persuaded several of the teams to merge, forming the Berlin Hockey Club, which became the Berlin Maroons in January 1937. Under his leadership and Hall of Famer “Navy” Labnon, the Maroons became a powerhouse and won the New England AAU championship in 1941.

After WWII, the Maroons resumed play in 1946/47. Described in newspaper accounts as having a “cool business head,” Lauziere financed the club year after year finding innovative ways to raise money to keep the club afloat. Under his guidance and quiet support, the Berlin Maroons won 7 New England and three national Senior AHA Championships. In 1949, Msgr. Lauziere and fellow priest Fr. Omer Bousquet were cited by the Amateur Hockey Assoc. for their outstanding contributions to hockey.

In 1966, as the treasurer of the Notre Dame Arena, Inc., he convinced the arena board to install artificial ice. He set aside $25,000 and had faith that the community would raise the balance. In 1969, the arena roof collapsed. He was one of those who spearheaded the arena rebuild which was completed in one year. His title “Patron Saint of Hockey” in the North Country was well earned.

Rene Cy LeClerc

Rene grew up in Berlin, known to all as Hockeytown USA, first learning about the game when he was 3 years old.

He graduated from Notre Dame High in 1964 and graduated in 1971 from NH College, now Southern New Hampshire University. He served as Captain his junior (1969-70) and senior (1970-71) seasons. Later, a job transfer landed him in Chicago where his stellar coaching career began. He first became Head Coach at Driscoll, a Parochial High School in Addison, Ill. Driscoll had just 250 boys enrolled, while their rivals, in some cases, had total enrollments of more than 2000. Rene took charge of a team that was 1-13 the previous season and established a contender, finishing in second place. For that accomplishment, the Metropolitan High School Hockey League named him Coach of the Year. Over the next three years, his teams compiled a 79-38-6 record and Rene earned one more Coach of the Year Award.

In 1975, he returned to Manchester, settled in, and became involved in the Manchester Regional Youth Hockey Association, coaching Mites to Midgets, while winning several New.England championships.

Then, in 1987 he was named Assistant Coach at Manchester Central High School and the following year became Head Coach, serving for 12 seasons. Under his tutelage, his teams compiled a 129-101-11 record and made it to the State Tournament finals in 1987 and 1994.

In 1999, he returned to Southern NH University, this time as Head Coach. His teams have been in the conference finals several years. They have amassed a record of 111-80-16.

Rene also spent 20 years as an official beginning in 1971 in Chicago. He worked games for local colleges, the US Hockey League, and the WCHA. Upon returning to NH he officiated the NE Junior Hockey League, as well as ECAC Division I and Division II, calling the Division II National Championships of 1982 and 1983. Also during that span he worked the Beanpot tourney . He also officiated the NHIAA State finals several times and served a two-year term as Association President. In 1980 Rene worked the pre-Olympic Romania-versus-UNH game, and in 1984 UNH-versus-the US Olympic team game.

• Played for the Manchester Alpine Club in 1964.
• Centered the Manchester Blackhawks from 1965 to 1970.
• Played for the Manchester Monarchs from 1971 to 1977.
• Also played for the Manchester Freedoms in 1984.
• Co-holder of the New England record of 55 goals in a single season. Accomplished the feat in 40 games during the 1971 season
• Scored over 400 career goals with the Blackhawks and the Monarchs, members of the New England Hockey League.
• Led his team to consecutive NEHL championships in 1971 and 1972.
• Named MVP of the NEHL in 1971.
• Began a coaching career with the Manchester Generals Junior Hockey team in 1973.
• Skated with the Concord Budmen for one season in 1975-1976.
• Also officiated high school and college hockey for a 10-year period beginning in the late 1970’s.
• Also ran the Manchester Professional Hockey School.
• Still skates and coaches at the Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett, New Hampshire.

From growing up in Bedford and skating for Manchester West High School, to building one of the top college programs in the country, Rand Pecknold has impacted the game at both state and national levels.

After playing for two years at West and two more at Lawrence Academy, Pecknold attended Division 3 Connecticut College, where he was a standout player. As a senior, he led the Camels to the ECAC South championship. He set school single-season records for goals (17) and points (47) by a defenseman.

He earned first-team All-ECAC South honors and a spot on the Division 3 All-England Team as a senior. Playing as a forward in his first three collegiate seasons, he led the Camels in goals as a sophomore (19) and junior (23). Overall, Pecknold scored 59 goals and 64 assists for 123 points, the eighth-most in program history.

But it’s as the head coach at Quinnipiac that he has achieved national renown, and is currently in his 23rd season. Twice in the last four seasons, he has led the Bobcats to the Frozen Four and NCAA championship game.

To date, Pecknold owns a career head coaching record of 446-26483 and currently ranks sixth among all active Division 1 coaches in career victories. Since Quinnipiac qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2012-13 — the first of four straight times it would make the NCAAs — and advanced to the national championship game, the Bobcats have the second-most wins (109) among all Division 1 programs in the country, behind only North Dakota (110). In addition, over the last fi ve years in the NCAA, Quinnipiac is #1 in Power Play, #1 in Penalty Kill and #2 in Wins.

In 2015-16 Quinnipiac won a program-record 32 games while winning the ECAC Hockey regular-season (Cleary Cup) and tournament (Whitelaw Cup) championships. The Bobcats’ 32-4-7 record made them the first team since Michigan in 1997 to finish the season with only four losses for the year.

Quinnipiac then went on to win the NCAA East Regional with wins against RIT and UMass-Lowell before advancing to its second Frozen Four. The Bobcats defeated perennial power Boston College before falling to North Dakota in the national championship game.

Pecknold has the most wins of any coach in Quinnipiac hockey history (446). He is a four-time Spencer Penrose Award finalist, given to the national Coach of the Year (2002, 2005, 2013, 2016), and the award winner in 2016.

He was hired at Quinnipiac on May 5, 1994, following three years as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Connecticut College. He has overseen the program during its move from Division 2 to Division 1 (for the 1998-99 season), from the MAAC to ECAC Hockey (for the 2005-06 season) and into the TD Bank Sports Center, regarded as one of the top rinks in college hockey.

Ralph ‘Navy’ Labnon

Every hockey player in New Hampshire knows about the Berlin Maroons. It wouldn’t be that way if Navy Labnon hadn’t cared so much.

When the Berlin Maroons hockey team was first being organized back in the late 1930’s, finances and promotion presented major problems. In addition, the young hockey club needed someone who could present a positive image for the budding organization in order to encourage spectator attendance at the games. The team turned to Navy, then a young and imaginative businessman. With his guidance, success promoting the Berlin Maroons was almost meteoric .

In short order, the team began traveling far and wide to play games and eventually developed a reputation that became almost mythic. To nearly everyone’s disbelief, Navy soon had the Maroons practicing and playing at the Boston Garden. Navy helped take the band of devoted players from a sandlot team to a great hockey attraction.

Navy served as General Manager of the Berlin Maroons from 1938 to 1942. In 1941, the Maroons were New England Champions and runners-up in the National Championships. Navy later was named Sportsman of the Year by the Athletic Booster Club.

Throughout his tenure, he was recognized as a shrewd promoter as well a successful businessman. His contributions made it possible for the Maroons to become a national force.

In an anecdotal history of hockey in Berlin, Navy Labnon’s name will forever be linked with the two Catholic priests who conspired to help make the city widely known as Hockeytown USA. Monsignor Bousquet is the man who built the Notre Dame High School and arena. And it was Monsignor Lauzier who worked so hard with the youth of the city and also became the manger for the Maroons. Hockey in Berlin has the fingerprints of these men on it.

Between 1943 and 1945, Navy took timeout to serve his country in the military. He returned to the Maroons, though, for the 1946 and 1947 seasons. He couldn’t stay away.

Navy and his family have been proprietors of the Town and Country Inn in Shelburne, NH since 1956.

Played three years of varsity hockey at Berlin High School, where he was a co-captain and the top scorer his junior and senior years, as well as New Hampshire’s leading scorer his senior year. He moved on to Oswego State University where he was a captain for three years and the team’s top scorer for two years. He still owns the school records for most goals in one game (7), most assists in one game (8), most points in one game (12), and average number of points in a game (3.45) at Oswego State, which made him a clear choice as the first ever inductee into the Oswego State Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989. Pierre was a member of the Johnstown Jets and Long Island Ducks in the Eastern League from 1969-1970. He also refereed eight Beanpot Tournaments, seven NCAA Final Fours, and games in the AHL, and the North American Hockey League. Belanger now dedicates a great deal of his time to officiating at the high school and collegiate levels, in addition to his current position as Supervisor of Off-Ice Officials for the Manchester Monarchs AHL team

Peter Maher forever etched his name in University of Maine hockey history when he scored the Black Bears’ first-ever goal in a Hockey East game, in 1984-85 against the University of New Hampshire.

It wouldn’t be the only milestone during a career that saw Maher grow up in Exeter and eventually play professionally in Denmark before coming back to New Hampshire for good.

Like so many players growing up in Exeter, Maher picked up the game through coach George Crowe’s (2004 inductee) “Learn to Skate” program at Phillips Exeter Academy. He prepped at Canterbury School in Connecticut after coach Charlie Huntington, who’d helped run a summer camp at the Academy, invited him down. In his senior season of 1980-81, Canterbury won the Division I prep title and Maher amassed 99 points in just 25 games. He’d leave as that program’s all-time goals and points leader, with 212 of the latter.

He used that as a springboard to college hockey at Maine. During his sophomore year Maher was one of the tops in the nation for points per game for the Black Bears. Before his senior year, the program joined with six others in New England to form Hockey East and Maher finished his final season with 10 goals and 27 points.

The first of those goals, against UNH at Snively Arena, was the first the Black Bears would score in a Hockey East game. “I always had some pretty decent games at Snively. I always got up for those games.”

For Maher, the induction is special for several reasons. For nearly a quarter century, he played on a line with good friends Dana Barbin (’11 Inductee) and John Normand (’07 Inductee) at adult tournaments across New England and Quebec. In addition he and John skated with the Concord Budmen.

“Being part of an elite group, with Dana and Johnny and other players I’ve played with or against, that’s special,” said Maher. “To be part of this group, I am very honored.”

Barbin helped him land a professional contract in Denmark after his graduation, playing in the Elite Series League for HIK. In his first year of professional hockey, in the top league in Denmark, Maher took home the Carlsberg Award as the league’s leading scorer. Before returning to Denmark in 1987-88 he played for the Budmen one season then led his team in scoring and had an opportunity to skate against the famed Red Army team in the Europa Cup in Norway.

Maher still makes his home in Exeter. Since 2000 he has operated Power Sum Technologies, which sells voice and data technology components.

But those who played with or against him remember the hockey most of all. “When the chips are down, he does not like to lose,” said Normand. “There’s an inner drive that he has. People have different gears – low gear, middle gear and high gear. When it’s time to turn it on, it’s like a switch goes off on this guy, and it’s contagious.”