The Hawks have enjoyed a steady ascension since joining the ECAC Northeast. Now in its fifth season of Division III play, Becker has made the playoffs three straight years and will look to build on a program-best 13 wins last season, including eight in conference play.
“We want to play with intensity, fire, grit, and competitiveness every time we skate on the pond,” Becker coach Steve Hoar said. “Our program goal is to make continuous improvement and build off last season’s success.”
In order to do that, Hoar will be looking for more offense from his returning players to back junior goalie Jake Rosenthal, who saw the majority of time in net last season and posted a .916 save percentage and 2.63 goals-against average.
“[We need] to get more offense from our returning players to create some nice offensive balance and be strong in our defensive end,” Hoar said. “Our goalies will have to be on top of their game. Hopefully our second goalie, Tom Natoli, and some newcomers will push Rosenthal to be at his best.”
The Hawks return their top three scorers from last year’s team: sophomore Branden Parkhouse, junior Patrick Bellew, and junior Rob Johnson, who was the only Becker player to top 10 goals last season.
Junior blueliner Jeremy Narducci will help anchor the defense, along with transfers J.D. Gordon (Nichols) and Cole Bell (Lebanon Valley).
Gone is captain Jim Ceglarek, along with forward Jared Kersner, but Hoar is counting on his returners and transfers, along with the incoming freshman class, to help push Becker to the next level.
“We want to be competitive every game, every shift,” he said. “I believe if we play with an aggressive, competitive edge every game, we’ll have a successful season.”
