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Colantonio Commits to Hamilton College

By Neil Ravin - Director of Communications, 04/19/21, 9:00AM EDT

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Avalanche Defenseman Heading to the NESCAC this Fall

HOOKSETT, NH -- Christian Colantonio, a defenseman for the New Hampshire Avalanche, has committed to Hamilton College for the fall of 2021.

The '01 native of Meadville, PA recently finished his first and only season in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), following a pair of years spent at the Trinity-Pawling School (Prep HS) in Pawling, NY.

"We are very excited to announce Christian's athletic and academic commitment to Hamilton College in the NESCAC," said Avalanche head coach and general manager Chris Cerrella. "After missing all of last season due to a leg injury, Cheech [Colantonio} did a great job developing his game this season to get back into 'game shape'. He battled all the adversity that came his way and we could not be more proud and happy for him. He is a player that took care of business on the ice and in the classroom, and now gets a great opportunity at a fantastic academic institution. I am happy for him and his family, and wish them all the best."

As Cerrella mentioned, Colantonio now sets off for a program that competes out of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), which is comprised of 11 highly selective liberal arts institutions in the Northeast region of the country. It's difficult to get accepted into any of these institutions, and look no further for proof than Colantonio being just the 2nd player in league history to commit to Hamilton.

"It has been a dream of mine to play collegiate hockey in the NESCAC, and to attend Hamilton College," said Colantonio. "I could not be happier with where I have ended up today.  The whole situation is surreal.  It’s been a long road with a lot of hard work to get to this point, and it is really exciting and gratifying to see the results. I want to give a huge thank you to my immediate family for always being supportive and encouraging me to reach my full potential.  I also want to thank my extended family and mentors at Trinity Pawling (TP), especially Coach Ferraris, Coach Gillman, and Coach Harff, for their guidance and counsel.  Thank you also to the Avalanche organization and coaches for taking a chance on me after a season-ending injury at the start of my senior year. Of course, I owe a lot to my teammates at TP and here with the Avs; the guys who challenged me to play at my best, but also kept things fun. All these folks helped prepare me in many different ways for the next chapter in my life, and I absolutely cannot wait to grow further as a person and an athlete at Hamilton."

Despite having a year of eligibility left for another season of juniors, Colantonio is ready to make the jump now, and return to the state (New York) where he attended prep school.

​​Learn more about the Avalanche on the team's official website, and check out the full 2020-21 NCAA commitment list.

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