Folga gets his day with Stanley Cup
By David Leisering
’ On the Rangers staf was head equipment manager Mike Folga. Twenty years ago, the New York Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks four games to three to win the Stanley Cup, ending a 54-year championship drought. On that team were the likes of future National Hockey League Hall of Famers Brian Leetch, Mark Messier and Mike Richter.
’ Fresh of her third Olympic gold medal, former womens hockey star Meghan Agosta-Marciano ’11 made a stop at her alma mater on March 7 to show of her latest gold. After posing for pictures and signing autographs for dozens of fans, she dropped the ceremonial frst puck to open the 2014 College Hockey America Tournament at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. She stayed to watch Mercyhurst s semifnal victory over Syracuse. ’ Striking gold By David Leisering ’ She played at Mercyhurst from 2006 to 2009, took a year of for the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010, and then returned for her senior season in 2010-11. She fnished her playing career with the Lakers as the NCAAs all-time leading scorer with 303 career points, and also holds the NCAA records for goals scored (157), power play goals (55), shorthanded goals (20) and game winning goals (39). - Meghan brought along the gold she earned at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where she helped Team Canada defeat Team USA 3-2 in overtime. She also led Canada to a gold medal victory over the U.S. at Vancouver in 2010, when she was named Most Outstanding Player. Before she enrolled at Mercyhurst, she had already won gold at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. ’ “I think a lot of people don t look at Mercyhurst as being a great school strictly because it s a smaller school, she said. “But they ve done special things here. They ve made it to the fnal eight almost every year. They ve made it to the Frozen Four. I just hope that a lot of people open their eyes to this school because it is an amazing school both hockey wise and community wise. I m so proud to say I m from Mercyhurst. ’ ” ’ ’ ’ - - ’ ’ ” The future for Meghan remains wide open. At 27, she is already thinking about the 2018 Olympics, but also would like to work for the Ontario Provincial Police and think about starting a family with her husband, Marco Marciano. But wherever her life takes her, she wants to be an inspiration to young girls. And she wants to talk about how special Mercyhurst is.
’ Mike had time with the Stanley Cup on that memorable June night in 1994 and in the days after the Rangers last NHL championship. He was also supposed to get his day with the Cup – one of the perks that all players and staf members get when their team wins the title – but that day was rescheduled and then the opportunity simply faded away, until Feb. 1 this year. “ ” ’ That s the day the Stanley Cup, arguably the most famous trophy in all of professional sports, came to Mercyhurst. Mike Bolt, one of the Hockey Hall of Fame s “Keepers of the Cup, accompanied the Cup. ’ ”
’ And Mike Folga ’86, head equipment manager for the Mercyhurst mens hockey program for the past 13 years, fnally got his due.
“ ’ The visit was facilitated by Laker junior defenseman Tyler Shiplo and Phil Pritchard, curator at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. We re always trying to fnd ways to give back to ‘Folgy because he s such an integral part of our team, Shiplo told a reporter. “Defnitely, it s something that he deserves. ’ ’ ” ’ ” Hundreds of Erieites had the opportunity to touch, kiss and pose for pictures with the Cup throughout the day. Then, before Mercyhurst faced of against Bentley, Mike fnally got to raise the Cup above his head to a standing ovation from about 30 members of his family and the largest crowd ever at the Mercyhurst Ice Center (1,817). To put icing on the cake, the eventual Atlantic Hockey Association regular season champion Lakers beat the Falcons, 4-1.
In addition, funds were raised during the day to beneft the Wounded Warrior Project.
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