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With talent returning, Canisius seeks another step up

October 5, 2010

In 2009-10, Canisius enjoyed its best season under sixth-year coach Dave Smith, finishing fourth in Atlantic Hockey and advancing to the playoff semifinals for the first time since 2004.

Several Golden Griffins also won individual accolades, including senior Cory Conacher, the reigning player of the year in the AHA. Conacher put up 53 points last season and fellow all-star and linemate Vincent Scarsella had 41 points.

“Cory had a magic season last year,” Smith said in a news release. “He’s poised to break our all-time points record. Cory needs to continue to make his teammates better.”

Conacher and Scarsella are again expected to skate with Preston Shupe, who put up 25 points as a freshman.

“Every team needs a top line and they were just that for us last season,” Smith said. “They have proven that they can play against anybody else’s top line and create offense at the same time.”

Junior Dan Morrison should see the lion’s share of time in net again this season.

“This is the first year that we have a clear No. 1 coming into the season,” Smith said. “Dan Morrison will play a majority of the games for us. He’s a big-game goaltender who is going to get a lot of opportunities to really show his stuff.”

Like the other five teams in the AHA’s West “pod,” Canisius has a tough road to the playoffs. Even though the Griffs are expected to be better than last season, adding Robert Morris and Niagara to the mix dropped them to sixth in the preseason poll.

But Smith expects his program to improve despite the challenges.

“It’s time to take that next step as a program,” he said. “We’ve been able to improve our league record for five consecutive seasons and I’d like to see that trend continue.”

After turnaround season, Sacred Heart looks to keep building

By Chris Lerch

October 5, 2010

At the beginning of last season, the Sacred Heart Pioneers were coming off a disappointing 11-23-4 season and didn’t have a head coach. But C.J. Marottolo put the pieces together quickly and led his team to a 21-win season and a spot in the Atlantic Hockey championship game.

“The group of seniors we had last season will be sorely missed,” he said. “They really raised the bar. We’re going to try to build off that.”

Gone are all-stars Nick Johnson and Dave Jarman, who combined for 101 points last season. But the cupboard isn’t bare. Patrick Knowlton (39 points last season) and Matt Gingera (23 points) will provide leadership, and two impressive rookies last year, goaltender Steven Legatto and forward Eric Delong, are expected to improve on all-rookie seasons.

Marottolo has brought in eight freshmen, including R.J. Boyd, who was selected by the Florida Panthers in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL entry draft.

“He’s a big, strong defenseman who can move the puck,” Marottolo said. “We like our defensemen to skate, and R.J. can skate.”

Legatto will get the bulk of the starts in goal early, but Oliver St. Onge is in the mix as well.

“There will be competition for the [goaltending] job, but Legatto has proven himself,” Marottolo said. “He’s ahead going into the season, but St. Onge is right on his heels.

“We achieved a lot last year, but not ultimately what we wanted, which was to make the NCAA tournament. We’re exited to get back at it and see what this team can do.”

Mercyhurst ready for another season near top of standings

By Chris Lerch

October 5, 2010

The Mercyhurst Lakers are again picked to finish near the top of the Atlantic Hockey standings, which doesn’t come as a shock to coach Rick Gotkin.

“We always seem to be in the hunt and I think that’s the result of the success and commitment of our program,” he said.

So it was unusual to not see the Lakers in Rochester for the AHA semifinals last season. After finishing fourth, Mercyhurst was eliminated by Canisius on home ice in the quarterfinals. The Lakers finished the season 15-20-3 after going 20-15-3 the year before.

An injury to forward Phil Ginand was a big reason for the stumble, according to Gotkin.

“He was only able to play in two games last season,” Gotkin said. “I think we missed him a lot. If we would have had him, I honestly think we would have won five more hockey games.

“He’s a big, strong, dominant center in Atlantic Hockey. I think it’s big [that Ginand is back and healthy].”

The silver lining for Ginand not being in the lineup last season is that other players stepped up, like Mike Gurtler (30 points last season) and Brandon Coccimiglio (28 points).

“Mike Gurtler, quietly last year, was our best player every night,” Gotkin said. “He’s matured into a player that I think can play pro hockey.”

With projected starting goaltender Ryan Zapolski suspended for a few weeks, junior Max Strang and freshman Jordan Tibbett will carry the load in net.

The Lakers already have a game under their belts, playing Michigan on Oct. 2. Tibbett played very well as Mercyhurst came back to earn a 4-4 tie at Yost Arena.

“It was a crazy scheduling thing,” Gotkin said of playing a game on the first official day of practice. “But we wanted to honor our commitment and we got to see some good things early.

“A few years ago, we’d go to Michigan and get outshot 57-12. But we’re right there with them. It was a good game. I think that says a lot about how far Atlantic Hockey has come.”

Nebraska-Omaha hopes to break ground on new arena in 2011, Blais says

USCHO Staff Report

October 5, 2010

Minnesota-Duluth and new member Bemidji State are among the WCHA teams already planning on debuting new arenas in 2010-11.

Nebraska-Omaha may have arena news of its own soon.

Mavericks coach Dean Blais said on Tuesday’s WCHA preseason teleconference with media members that the school is hoping to break ground in the spring on a 7,500-to-8,000-seat arena that it would call home once its lease with the Qwest Center Omaha is done.

Blais said the lease runs another three seasons, meaning the Mavericks could play in their new home in the 2013-14 season.

Bemidji State is set to play in the Bemidji Regional Events Center this season, while Minnesota-Duluth will move to Amsoil Arena on Dec. 30.

“A new building like Duluth and Bemidji is hopefully going to be announced here,” Blais said. “We’ve got three more years left at the Qwest and then we want to break ground in the spring. It’ll take about two years to build and they’re thinking 7,500, around 8,000 [seats]. Details should be out hopefully within a month or two.”

Nebraska-Omaha’s desire for an on-campus arena isn’t new; athletic director Trev Alberts talked about it at last season’s WCHA Final Five.

Contributing: Theresa Spisak

Army faces season with big offensive holes to fill

By Chris Lerch

October 5, 2010

The good news for Army coach Brian Riley is that he has 24 players back from last year’s squad. The bad news is that none of them is named Owen Meyer or Eric Sefchik.

Those two, along with now-senior Cody Omilusik, saw tons of ice time and racked up almost 50 percent of the Black Knights’ goals last season.

“I don’t know if you can replace guys like that,” Riley said. “They played in so many key situations. They’ll be obviously missed, but other guys are looking to step up and increase their roles.

“Omilusik had a great year and Mike Hull is a very good offensive player who’s ready to step up a little bit. Danny Colvin is ready to have a good year. Alvi [Marcel Alvarez] has shown he’s an all-star player.”

Goaltender Jay Clark is back for his senior season. Last year, Clark posted a 2.99 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 32 games.

“Obviously, Clark’s the guy,” Riley said. “But at some point you have to see what the other guys [sophomore Ryan Leets and freshman Anthony Cadieux] can do.”

Cadieux is among four new Army recruits. Also coming in are forwards Mike Henderson and Brian Schultz as well as defenseman Dax Lauwers.

“Schultz is a hardworking, blue-collar guy, an energy guy,” Riley said. “Henderson has offensive skills, and we need to find offense this season. Lauwers is a big tough kid that will give us size.”

The Army schedule features 16 home games this season, including non-conference games with Colgate and Merrimack.

“We’re fortunate to play in one of the best arenas around in front of some of the best fans around,” Riley said.

Goaltending transition key to Air Force’s success

By Chris Lerch

October 5, 2010

At the beginning of last season, Air Force coach Frank Serratore was asked whether he was going to start other goalies instead of relying solely on then-senior Andrew Volkening, who had played almost every minute of every game over the past two seasons. After all, life without his workhorse goaltender would begin the next year.

“I don’t worry about it one bit,” Serratore said at the time. “I’m going to play the goalie that gives us an equal to or better chance of winning. If that’s Andrew Volkening, so be it. As someone once told me, ‘Worry about this year this year, and next year next year.'”

Now, next year is here, and Serratore agrees that his team’s fate will be strongly linked to whomever fills Volkening’s skates.

“We won 16 games last season, and the main reason for a lot of those wins was Andrew Volkening,” he said.

Competing for the job in net will be junior Steve Caple (63 minutes played last season), sophomore David Bosner (17 minutes) and newcomer Jason Torf, who was sixth in the NAHL in save percentage (.914) last season.

“The job’s wide open,” Serratore said. “Nobody’s stepped forward to grab it.”

“I don’t think we need a goalie to stand on his head to lead us to the promised land. Just a 90 percent save percentage.”

Back for their senior and junior campaigns, respectively, are a couple of league all-stars: Jacques Lamoureux, who was a Hobey Baker finalist two seasons ago, and defenseman Tim Kirby, who put up 24 points last year.

“Overall, I think we’re a stronger team than last season; a much deeper team,” Serratore said.

The Falcons failed to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in four seasons last year, and the road back will be tough thanks to a difficult non-conference schedule and a revamped league schedule that has the Falcons playing three games against the top teams in the coaches’ preseason poll.

“It’s the toughest schedule we’ve ever had,” Serratore said. “Fairbanks, Anchorage, Denver, CC, Denver, Yale and Clarkson.

“We’ll know more about where we stand come Christmas time,” he said. “By then, we’ll know what we’ve got.”

In new, closer surroundings, Niagara looks to find scoring

By Chris Lerch

October 5, 2010

Niagara’s admission to Atlantic Hockey was seen as one of necessity rather than desire. The school was criticized in the media for “taking a step back” because the move meant fewer scholarships. But according to coach Dave Burkholder, it also meant less of something else.

“Travel,” he said. “Besides the other advantages, we’ll be traveling a lot less. That means more class time for our student athletes, more time spent on campus.

“We’re looking forward to playing a lot of different teams instead of the same team six times a season. We’re hoping to establish local rivalries and it will be fun to play RIT and Canisius with points on the line.”

The Purple Eagles are coming off a season that saw them win fewer games (12) than any time since moving to Division I in 1996.

“We had a tough season last year,” Burkholder said. “We had a very young team. We had 17 underclassmen last season.

“We’ll be able to get a better look at [goaltender] Chris Noonan, who got thrown into the mix after not having played a minute his freshman year, but won seven games as a sophomore. He’ll continue to make progress. [Sophomore] Andrew Hare will get a good look and [freshman] Carson Chubak [Tri City Storm, USHL] is juniors tested.”

The Purple Eagles lost their three leading scorers to graduation but return senior Bryan Hazcyk (22 points last season) and brothers Paul and Marc Zanette, who combined for 41 points last year.

“Ryan Annesley [played only seven games last season due to injury] will be back quarterbacking our power play and we have several new players who we’re pretty excited about,” Burkholder said.

Losing some scholarships (almost five to get down to the league-mandated limit of 12) will be a challenge, but Burkholder says it’s not the end of the world.

“We just have to work harder and be more creative,” he said. “But we haven’t stopped doing what we’ve been doing and are still bringing in great players.”

Connecticut wants to rely less on goaltenders in new season

By Chris Lerch

October 5, 2010

Last season was a difficult one for Connecticut. The Huskies endured injury and personnel problems en route to a 7-27-3 season.

Freshman goaltender Jeff Larson was forced into a starting role early in the season thanks to an injury to Brad McInnis, and he won just two games before quitting school in December. Coach Bruce Marshall had to bring in another rookie, Garret Bartus, from juniors and thrust him immediately into the spotlight.

“It was tough for him,” Marshall said. “He came here in December and had to start taking classes and playing right away. I think it will work wonders for him this year now that he’s settled in.”

Bartus helped UConn to a strong finish, including a 57-save performance against Air Force and 51 in a playoff loss to Rochester Institute of Technology.

Marshall is trying to avoid having to rely so heavily on goaltending this season.

“We’ve got to score more goals,” he said. “We got better as the year went on. [We] were in more games. We won a playoff game and gave RIT a run.”

UConn has brought in seven players despite losing only two to graduation.

“We like the players we brought in,” Marshall said. “We have a big senior class that will hopefully provide good leadership. We want them to look for their last year to be that one special year.”

Andrew Olson (20 points last season) leads that senior class, which also includes Jason Krispel (15 points) and Justin Hernandez (14 points).

A highlight on the schedule is an outdoor game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, which seats 40,000 and is home to UConn’s football team. The Huskies will host Sacred Heart as part of a 10-day “Whalers Hockey Fest” organized by former Hartford Whalers executive Howard Baldwin.

“[Baldwin] really wants hockey to thrive in this area,” Marshall said. “We’re pretty fortunate to be able to play outdoors, which is ironic, since we did for so many years on our old rink.”

Holy Cross points to goaltending, defense as hopeful signs

By Chris Lerch

October 5, 2010

Last year, Holy Cross put up almost identical numbers as the year before (12-19-6 in 2009-10; 13-20-5 in 2008-09). Treading water isn’t what coach Paul Pearl has in mind.

“We had a star-crossed kind of season,” Pearl said. “Guys were pretty banged up.”

Twenty-two returning players, a strong recruiting class and some momentum from last season make Pearl optimistic.

“We need to score more goals,” he said. “We did that in February. We need to finish plays and put pucks in the net. We got some in bunches at the end of last season.”

The Crusaders return seven of their top 10 scorers but lost Jordan Cyr (a team-leading 30 points last season), who had a year of eligibility left after transferring from Rensselaer after his freshman year.

“We knew we would have him for only two seasons,” Pearl said. “He didn’t need to come back for a fifth year [of school].”

Continued big contributions are expected from senior captain Everett Sheen (20 points last season) and junior Jay Silvia (10 goals). Ron Linsmayer had 19 points in his rookie campaign, and goaltender Thomas Tysowsky is coming off an outstanding freshman year, playing in 34 games with a .910 save percentage and a 2.43 goals-against average.

Tysowsky will be pushed by senior Adam Roy, who is looking to reclaim his starting role. It’s a good problem for Pearl and Holy Cross to have.

“I’ll tell you what, Adam Roy has looked good,” he said. “I think our goaltending and defense are going to be strong points.

“We’re feeling good heading into the season. There are things to work on, but we’re optimistic.”

Robert Morris thinks big right away in Atlantic Hockey

By Chris Lerch

October 5, 2010

The Robert Morris Colonials are an unknown commodity heading into their first season in Atlantic Hockey. But an impressive, experienced lineup has made them a favorite to finish near the top of the standings. Robert Morris was picked to finish fourth in the coach’s preseason poll, and got two first-place votes.

Are they the team to beat right off the bat?

“We need to learn how to play in the AHA,” coach Derek Schooley said. “There’s new teams you’re playing against in new arenas. It’s going to be a welcome change from playing a team six times [a season] in the CHA; playing teams somewhere around 13 to 14 times over two years. That makes for a lot of familiarity where now we’ll be playing teams on the fly without knowing a lot about them. There’s a new opponent every weekend.”

Schooley and others who are expecting big things have a right to be optimistic about returning 23 players, including three CHA all-stars.

Senior forwards Nathan Longpre (31 points last season) and Chris Kushneriuk (30 points) lead a experienced offense, and senior defenseman Denny Urban (25 points) was one of the best two-way players in the CHA.

“We like our freshman, but it’s going to be tough based on what we have returning,” Schooley said. “You’re going to have to beat a guy [for a spot in the lineup] who has a lot of Division I experience.”

The Colonials start league play right away, with their first games of the season coming at American International.

“We understand what we have to do to get home ice, and that’s our goal,” Schooley said. “You need to win your scheduling pod, and that’s going to be tough with so many good teams. We’ve had great games in the past with Canisius and Air Force and we expect more of the same.”

Younger players growing up fast for American International

By Chris Lerch

October 5, 2010

American International won only five games during the 2008-09 season, but played some of its best hockey late in that season.

Coach Gary Wright hoped that the strong finish would bode well for his 2009-10 squad. But AIC again won only five games last season, albeit with another strong finish. Hope springs eternal.

“We felt down the stretch that we showed some marked improvement,” Wright said of last year’s team. “You hope every year that you’re going to be strong but this year I think we have a little more. We have a combination of returnees and newcomers that we’re happy with.”

A bright spot last season was the play of Adam Pleskach, who led the team in scoring as a freshman with 15 goals and 25 points. Pleskach was named to the Atlantic Hockey all-rookie team.

“The nice thing about Adam is that he is as fine a person as a player,” Wright said. “Just because someone sores 15 goals as a freshman doesn’t make him a leader, but Adam has that leadership potential. He’ll be one of our assistant captains this season.”

Another rookie, Ben Meisner, took over the majority of the goaltending duties in the second half of last season. His main competition for time last season, Dan Ramirez, has left the team to explore professional opportunities.

“It’s seldom that we have a kid leave after his junior year,” Wright said. “But we have a freshman coming in that will push Ben.”

That would be 6-foot-6 Ryan Kerpan, who posted a .904 save percentage last season in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

“He’s a big kid and has some skill,” Wright said. “We obviously need to improve our goal scoring and our goaltending. We need to get more competitive.”

The first semester will be challenging for AIC. After three home games to start the season, the Yellow Jackets will be on the road for 10 of their next 12 contests.

“We can’t afford to wait to play our best hockey at the end of the year,” Wright said. “We need to get some good games under our belts early.”

Can Brown turn deep playoff run into sustained success?

By Brian Sullivan

October 4, 2010

Last year

Brown was no worst-to-first fairytale under rookie coach Brendan Whittet last year, but the Bears made strides nonetheless.

The former Dartmouth assistant and Brown letterwinner guided his alma mater to a six-point improvement over its 2008-09 finish, and stunned the field in a Cinderella sprint into the league tournament’s final four in Albany.

“The fact that we had 13 wins was a major accomplishment. The fact that we had a winning record at home was a major accomplishment,” Whittet said of last year’s team.

The Ocean State icers collected 20 more goals in league play than they had in Roger Grillo’s final season behind the bench (64, tied for seventh in the conference), but were also blistered for 13 more goals-against (95 total), which marked the worst defense in ECAC Hockey. The minus-31 goal differential was the second-worst in the league as well, so it was no surprise that the Bears finished 11th on the table.

The assets

Brown returns its top, second-, fourth-, sixth-, and eighth-highest overall point-producers, as well as 15 of 21 players who appeared in at least 20 games last year. The graduating seniors accounted for four defenders (of whom three were regular starters), one goalie (Dan Rosen, who played in only seven games his senior season), and three forwards, so this fall’s squad shouldn’t have to suffer from unreasonable inexperience at any given position.

“We’re going to be a team that plays very hard and is in your face,” Whittet said. “That’s a major strength, in terms of philosophy of play.”

Senior Harry Zolnierczyk (11-14–25 in ECAC play) and junior Jack Maclellan (9-14–23) were the Bears’ big guns up front last time out, but they got a big boost from goal-minded blueliner Jeff Buvinow, who topped a 17-point freshman campaign with a 25-pointer last year. Forward Chris Zaires led Brown’s freshman class in goals and points last year with nine and 24 overall, respectively.

“Maclellan’s one of the best scorers in the league,” Whittet said. “He’s a guy we’re going to lean on.”

The weak links

Out of 29 rostered Bears, 10 are mere cubbies.

“We’re going to be really young,” Whittet said. “We have 10 freshmen, of whom many will be playing every night. We’re going to have to grown and learn as a team. It’s a new team with 10 new hockey players. We have to get those guys to believe in themselves and in their teammates, and that’s hard to do.”

Whittet has 11 upperclassmen in his locker room, composed of six seniors and five juniors. It’s a young team, and its ability to maintain an even keel through a rough-and-tumble ECAC campaign remains to be seen.

Prediction

Scoring may be an issue for the Bears, as Volpatti and his classmates accounted for over a third of Brown’s goals last year, but Whittet’s biggest concern will be right in his wheelhouse: the defense. The former assistant in charge of Dartmouth’s D corps has his work cut out for him, but with a year of experience together, the coach and his young charges should see significant improvement over last year’s red-light extravaganza. I’m not expecting a big jump for Bruno, but I wouldn’t rush to the optometrist if I saw a playoff game in Providence on the books this spring.

Goaltending experience has Union looking to continue rise

By Brian Sullivan

October 4, 2010

Last year

Union had one of its best seasons ever last year, setting a team Division I record for wins (21) and advancing to the ECAC Hockey semifinals for the first time. The win total was the most in program history since 1984-85, when the Dutchmen finished third in the nation in the D-III playoffs. The successes came thanks to eight winning streaks of varying lengths and only three losing skids, none longer than three games.

Senior Mario Valery-Trabucco led the team in goals (23) and points (45), but four other players chipped in with double-digit goals as well, three of whom (Adam Presizniuk, Kelly Zajac and Jeremy Welsh) are back for more.

Coach Nate Leaman, who Union opportunistically signed to a contract extension this offseason, also had two solid goalies in the stable in now-senior Corey Milan (2.06 goals-against average, .917 save percentage) and sophomore Keith Kinkaid (2.48/.912).

The assets

Without question, this year’s Dutchmen look strongest where it matters most: between the pipes.

“I would probably have to say goaltending,” Leaman said of his team’s biggest strength. “I feel that we’re very solid in net, returning two goaltenders who have played a great deal.”

Up front, Union faces a challenge to replace Valery-Trabucco, Jason Walters (16-24–40) and the offensive production of blueliner Mike Schreiber (8-21–29).

“I think our depth at the forward position will be similar to last season,” Leaman said. “I don’t know if we have one guy that’s going to completely carry us, like we did with Mario last year; certainly Adam Presizniuk has that capability and has shown throughout his career as he consistently puts up 30 points a year, but I think our depth and our lines … are going to be one of our strengths.

“We have a lot of leadership on this team. We have six senior forwards and a senior defenseman, so I really like the leadership and the character that we have within our team. I think the only difference is that Mario was really a go-to guy last year; he scored 19 goals in 22 ECAC games, and we won’t have that one kind of gun.”

The weak links

The more tangible issues have already been addressed, in how Union will have to replace the talented offensive abilities that left campus with a sheepskin last spring. But beyond that, Leaman is greatly concerned with the mental and emotional demands of his squad.

“The greatest concern is, I think, getting back to the form that we’ve been in the past two years, and playing with a lot of detail in our game,” he said, and not letting the lingering enjoyment of last year’s success potentially spoil this year’s opportunity.

Prediction

There are questions, to be sure, but I am confident that Union is indeed a program on the rise. If Presizniuk & Co. can pot the biscuit with some consistency, the wins should pile up the same as last year. The Dutchmen no longer bear the weight of postseason failures … the time to capitalize is now.

Harvard hopes similarities to last year’s team are few

By Brian Sullivan

October 4, 2010

Last year

Harvard looked to be on solid ground after Game 1 — a 5-3 win at highly regarded Dartmouth. The footing got a tad more treacherous shortly thereafter, as the Crimson fell off the map with an 0-8-2 tumble.

The Ivy took three W’s in a row and tagged on a tie in mid-January, but that was the last consecutive point streak the Crimson achieved in the regular season. Harvard staggered to the finish line on a 2-9-0 skid, surrendering a first-round home series in the process and generating little optimism for the road trip to Princeton.

Instead, the Crimson stunned the host Tigers 4-2 and 3-0, advancing on to Round 2 at archrival Cornell. The Ithacans promptly suffocated their Cambridge colleagues by an 8-1 two-game aggregate, leaving Harvard to ponder over what went so right, and then so wrong in the postseason.

The assets

For starters, coach Ted Donato’s crew won’t have to endure a five-game road trip to open the season. This year, Harvard commences with two games at the Bright Hockey Center — albeit against Union and Rensselaer — before a four-game road swing.

“I don’t think there will be that many similarities” between this year’s product and last, Donato said. “Our schedule will allow for a little bit more lead time coming into the season, and it’s a little bit more reasonable … out of the gate.”

The alumnus-turned-coach also likes the roster from top to bottom, and doesn’t feel that his lineup will be too adversely affected once the inevitable bumps and bruises begin to appear.

“I think we’ll have some good depth up front. We’ll have depth in offense, and our goaltending should be very solid,” he said.

“I think the biggest difference [from last year] is that we’ll have a little bit more balance through the middle of our lineup as far as experience goes,” Donato added. “Last year, I think on a lot of nights we were dressing nine or 10 forwards that were freshmen and sophomores; this year, that won’t be the case. It’ll be more like nine or 10 forwards who will be sophomores or juniors, and that will certainly be helpful to us.”

One thing Harvard will rely on is a breakout season or four out of a large group of slowly maturing strikers.

“We feel that there’s a big group of guys that can make a step forward; we’ll need that, but we’re very excited and optimistic going into the season,” Donato said.

The weak links

While potential is great, it’s meaningless if it never blossoms.

“We’re still very young, so inexperience is definitely a challenge for us. I think we’re counting on our freshman class from last year taking a big step forward,” Donato said. “Secondly, I think on defense we’ll have some inexperience, because we’ll [only] return three guys out of eight who have seen a substantial amount of games.”

Losing your top scorer and league rookie of the year is never a good thing, either, as Montreal product Louis Leblanc elected to jump ship and sign with his hometown team, the Canadiens.

“We were certainly excited at one time about Leblanc coming back, so that hurts,â€ Donato said. â€œI think RPI, you could argue they lost three of their top four scorers, so I think there’s a lot of change. I think [the league is] wide open.

“I like our blend, I like our level of talent, but I think it’s going to take a little bit of time to jell.”

Prediction

Oh, how do you solve a problem like ~~Maria~~ Harvard? The program has been undeniably disappointing for two years running, and the Crimson can’t bear a third consecutive nine-win season. The big killers have been prolonged winless streaks — both last year and the season prior — and that’s something that a consistent, diligent team will never endure. Harvard has the manpower and talent to be a threat, but fool me twice, shame on me: I tagged the Crimson as a fifth-place team two years ago, and fourth last year. Consider me a full-blown skeptic now; this is not a bye-quality team.

Hungry Yale banks on depth in hunt for ECAC Hockey repeat

By Brian Sullivan

October 4, 2010

Last year

Yale topped the 20-win mark for the second season in a row, a feat the program had accomplished only once before, between 1984 and 1986. A seven-game winning streak entering the regular-season finale appeared to portend big, big things for these Bulldogs … but a last-day loss at local rival Quinnipiac proved more prescient. Brown hit New Haven and took the bookends of the three-game second-round series, denying Yale a shot at an ECAC repeat.

The Bulldogs regrouped in time for the NCAA regional in Worcester, and stunned most of the nation in downing powerhouse North Dakota 3-2. The team’s performance the following night, however, wasn’t quite so glorious: Eventual national champion Boston College pinned five goals on starting goalie Ryan Rondeau, two more on backup Billy Blase and another deuce on third-string Jeff Malcolm. A 3-2 BC lead ballooned to 6-2, but Yale’s unstoppable offense wouldn’t quit.

Now 6-4, BC scored three more in a row to extend the lead to 9-4 with only a dozen minutes to play. Yale matched with three goals in 5:06 late in the third period, but the deficit was simply too great. An irrepressibly dynamic, fluid, high-pressure offense couldn’t compensate for awful goaltending.

The assets

The large majority of Yale’s team returns from last year’s oh-so-close experience, as the graduating class included two forwards, two defensemen and a goalie. There is every indication that the Bulldogs will be as lethal as they were the last two years, and even hungrier.

Brian O’Neill, Broc Little and Denny Kearney alone contributed 55 goals, 27 of those off Little’s magnificent blade. Once you get past the big scorers, the supporting cast still managed to chip in 50 goals as a whole.

“The depth of our forwards” is Yale’s big strength, according to coach Keith Allain. “I think we went into last season with high expectations, and we didn’t achieve our ultimate goal. I think that desire to achieve our ultimate goal is what will motivate us as the season goes on.”

The weak links

Allain, himself a former goaltender, never seemed to find the right guy to claim Yale’s crease last year. Not one of his four netminders could muster strong back-to-back games, and the inconsistency was blinding once the team hit Worcester.

The Elis won a number of games last year on the simple fact that they could score faster than their opponents. While exciting and dramatic, it’s not championship hockey… and this team is so, so close to being a championship-type team. A reliable goaltender is a desperate — yes, I said it, desperate need for this program in the here-and-now.

“We have a great deal of confidence in our goaltenders,” Allain said. He’s either seen a monumental improvement in one or more of his keepers, or he’s putting on an optimistic face until his team takes the ice.

Elsewhere, Mark Arcobello and Sean Backman combined to score 36 goals and 71 points, and were two of Yale’s Big Five super-strikers. One elite scorer is easy to focus on and shut down. Two is a bit more difficult. Three is harder still … but it’s not impossible. Five, though? Five is as close to impossible as another collegiate team can get. How the “supporting cast” steps up and accounts for the loss will make a huge difference to this team.

Prediction

This team is good enough to win the league, without a doubt. How close, however, can Yale come to replicating last year’s sensational production? Will the defense and goaltending demonstrate marked improvement? This isn’t a cakewalk; there are other teams out there with legitimate shots at No. 1 … but it’s Yale’s spot to lose. Without some serious adjustments, they just might do that, too.

Dartmouth hopes experience will prevent another rough start

By Brian Sullivan

October 4, 2010

Last year

Dartmouth didn’t respond to an exciting, offensively dynamic fifth-place run in 2008-09 quite the way most prognosticators had imagined. Instead of improving on a scintillating combination of chemistry and youthful energy, the Green fell apart almost literally from Day One.

Dartmouth lost its first six games — all of the league variety — and the three-game winning streak that followed ultimately proved to be a dead-cat bounce. Hanover Hockey finished in 10th place, allowing the third-most goals against despite middle-of-the-road offensive production. The Big Green took host Quinnipiac to a rubber game in the first round, but the scoring never materialized in a 2-1 season-ending defeat.

“I think the second half of last year, we came into our own a bit … especially the last quarter of the season, down the stretch,” seasoned coach Bob Gaudet said of a team that went 3-0-2 in its last five regular-season contests. “That was the competitiveness of our team; we had a team that really battled. Battled every shift, and it didn’t always work out for us … but I liked where our team kind of evolved to. Now, we’re trying to get our team to start off at a higher level — to come out of the gate and learn those lessons a bit earlier.”

The assets

Thompson Arena welcomes back Dartmouth’s top nine scorers from last season, including the electric Scott Fleming, Adam Estoclet and Evan Stephens. When the team seemed so young and inexperienced during its stunning run two years back, it’s now a seasoned squad that has seen the league from very disparate points of view.

“One of the biggest things that we have now is experience. We have nine seniors on our team,” Gaudet said. “I feel like our leadership is going to be excellent. We have that group of seniors but we also have a big group of juniors as well.”

The coach also expressed great confidence in his side’s ability to stay strong in spite of potential challenges: “We’re deeper at every position than we have been in many many years,” he said.

The weak links

Dartmouth’s biggest worry isn’t the unknown — it’s the been-there, done-that. A disastrous start last year more or less doomed the team to a perpetual state of catch-up and frustration, and that sense of desperate imbalance led to inconsistency in all areas of Dartmouth’s game.

“I don’t think we’re going to be [worse] in any area, to be honest,” Gaudet said. “We had a rough start last year … but a lot of that is that we play in a very good league and we play a very tough schedule, and we have to be ready right out of the gate.

“That’s where I think the experience is going to help us, and also the depth. I don’t think we’re going to be weaker in any area.”

Prediction

This is a team with a lot to prove, but a lot of weapons, too. Dartmouth kind of epitomizes the state of ECAC Hockey as a whole this year: With any given team, you can imagine feast or famine with so little effort. The Big Green just happen to be the team with the most potential, but all unproven. I’ll peg the Green for a first-round home series, but a bye may be a stretch.

After topsy-turvy season, Quinnipiac builds around goaltender

By Brian Sullivan

October 4, 2010

Last year

When Quinnipiac rocketed out to a 12-1-0 start, it looked as though the Bobcats could cruise their way right into the NCAA tournament.

Apparently, that sentiment was felt too deep in the locker room as well, as the Q-Cats dozed their way into a 1-11-2 slump and finished the year only two games over .500 … and an even 11-11-0 in ECAC Hockey.

That said, Quinnipiac did manage to dispatch with pesky Dartmouth in three games, and even took Game 1 of a second-round road series at Union — in quintuple-overtime, no less. The home-standing Dutchmen bounced back with great fortitude in 3-1 and 2-1 games to end QU’s season.

The senior trifecta of Brandon Wong, Eric Lampe and Jean-Marc Beaudoin led the charge, each scoring more than a dozen goals and more than 34 points. (Wong’s 19-22–41 set the pace.) Goalie Dan Clarke earned the lion’s share of the netminding minutes, playing 34 games and maintaining respectable 2.52 goals-against average, .913 save percentage figures.

The assets

Long a tale of great woe in Bobcat Country, Quinnipiac may have finally found a worthy goalie in Clarke. The sophomore may have surrendered four-plus seven times last season, but he also held opponents to two goals or fewer in 20 outings … including a six-game string of such outstanding performances, all against ECAC opposition, to boot.

Coach Rand Pecknold declared it too early to tell how this edition of Hamden Hockey will shine, but early signs indicate that goaltending might finally be in capable hands.

Also of note, while the firepower lost to graduation is extreme, it could’ve been worse, according to an e-mail from Pecknold:

“Scott Zurevinski was offered the [rookie] maximum by the Vancouver Canucks and turned them down to return for his junior year. He will [most likely] sign next summer and not be back for his senior year. He had multiple other teams interested and prepared to offer, but he made it clear he wanted to do one more year at Quinnipiac. He will be our captain this year.”

The weak links

Losing your top three scorers? That’s a problem, especially when they’re as prolific as Wong/Lampe/Beaudoin were. All were 100-point scorers in their respective QU careers, and adding Greg Holt, the Bobcats bid adieu to four of their five 10-goal scorers from last season (now-junior Zurevinski was the other, with 16).

So, yeah. Big, big shoes to fill there; thereâ€™s really no other way to say it.

Prediction:

Quinnipiac has been a high-flying, fast-paced, run-and-gun kind of team ever since joining ECAC Hockey (though it probably was prior, too). It will be surreal to see the Bobcats without the likes of Wong, Lampe or Beaudoin, but such is life. Who will step up and score the big goals? Pecknold will coach his offense to play the same way it has always played, but the question isn’t the strategy, it’s the ability … and that’s a tremendous question mark in central Connecticut today.

If the defense — which returns 100 percent intact — can support Clarke, and vice-versa, the Q should at least have a fighting chance of keeping its head above water until the snipers get comfortable. At first blush, I had foreseen a long, hard season for the Bobcats, culminating in a depressing first-round road series … but maybe I’m selling them short. Quinnipiac has never been anyone’s idea of a defense-first program, but maybe this is its opportunity to evolve a bit.

ECAC Hockey prepares for another crazy ride in 2010-11

By Brian Sullivan

October 4, 2010

The whole point of a playoff series, as opposed to individual games, is to insure — to a certain extent — that the better team actually wins, right? It’s a solid attempt to diminish the number of “fluke” advancements by teams that simply got lucky.

So how does one explain Team A, at 8-17-4, upending Team B (17-15-4) in three games on the road? Or, for that matter, Team C (10-18-4) downing Team D (19-7-3), also at Team D’s joint? What about Team E, with only three wins and 21 losses on the year, taking to the road and sweeping anybody?

Rensselaer returns Hobey Baker Award finalist Chase Polacek, but other key departures could make offense a challenge for the Engineers (photo: Melissa Wade).

If you hadn’t already figured it out, Team A, Team C, and Team E are all the same team: the Brown Bears. And to answer the question of how does this happen?

Why, elementary, my dear reader. This is ECAC Hockey.

One-time (and in some cases long-time) bottom-dwellers like Union, Brown, Yale and Princeton are making noise. Harvard, Dartmouth and Clarkson have seen better days. It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world out there, and it is my distinct pleasure to join you once again on this crazy ride that we call the college hockey season.

Must be this tall Â» to ride. Please keep your hands inside the car at all times; not recommended for the pregnant or fragile. All aboard! Next stop, Atlantic City!

Teams are listed in order of predicted finish. Click on a team’s name to see its individual preview.

1. Yale

Nickname: Bulldogs
Head coach: Keith Allain (72-49-12 in four years at Yale)
2009-10 record: 21-10-3 (15-5-2, first)
Departed: F Mark Arcobello, F Sean Backman, G Billy Blase, D Thomas Dignard
Back for more: Sr F Denny Kearney, Sr F Broc Little, Jr F Brian O’Neill
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 1st
2010-11 media poll: 1st
Why: The Bulldogs don’t lose much, their goaltending can only improve, and even a significant step down from last year’s output would still be monstrously frightening.

2. Colgate

Nickname: Raiders
Head coach: Don Vaughan (284-268-65 in 17 years at Colgate)
2009-10 record: 15-15-6 (12-8-2, fourth)
Departed: F David McIntyre, F Jason Williams, F Ethan Cox
Back for more: Sr F Francois Brisebois, Sr F Brian Day, Jr G Alex Evin, Jr F Austin Smith, So F Robbie Bourdon
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 5th
2010-11 media poll: 4th
Why: If the goaltending holds, the Colgate offense could really let loose. Think Yale Lite.

3. Union

Nickname: Dutchmen
Head coach: Nate Leaman (112-117-31 in seven years at Union)
2009-10 record: 21-12-6 (12-6-4, third)
Departed: D Mike Schreiber, F Mario Valery-Trabucco, F Jason Walters
Back for more: Sr G Corey Milan, Sr F Adam Presizniuk, Jr F Kelly Zajac, So G Keith Kinkaid, So F Jeremy Welsh
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 3rd
2010-11 media poll: 3rd
Why: This is a tough one, because the graduated players were critical. That said, this is still a developing program, which equates to gradual but consistent improvement.

4. Dartmouth

Nickname: Big Green
Head coach: Bob Gaudet (187-184-47 in 13 years at Dartmouth, 280-326-78 in 22 years overall)
2009-10 record: 10-19-3 (7-12-3, 10th)
Departed: D Peter Boldt, F Joe Gaudet
Back for more: Sr F Adam Estoclet, Sr F Scott Fleming, Sr D Evan Stephens, Jr G Jody O’Neill, So G James Mello
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 6th
2010-11 media poll: 6th
Why: I believe that the young fifth-place team we saw two years ago is what this team should have been last year, too. Great potential is maturing in Hanover, and it’s time for the Green to get on board or get out of line.

5. Cornell

Nickname: Big Red
Head coach: Mike Schafer (297-158-53 in 15 years at Cornell)
2009-10 record: 21-9-4 (14-5-3, second)
Departed: F Blake Gallagher, F Colin Greening, D Justin Krueger, D Brendon Nash, G Ben Scrivens, F Riley Nash (Sr)
Back for more: Sr F Joe Devin, Sr F Patrick Kennedy, So D Nick D’Agostino
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 2nd
2010-11 media poll: 2nd
Why: Where will the offense come from? How close can the new goalies come to filling Scrivens’ sizable shoes? But that said, this is Cornell: “Mediocre” isn’t in the vocabulary.

6. Rensselaer

Nickname: Engineers
Head coach: Seth Appert (49-85-18 in four years at Rensselaer)
2009-10 record: 18-17-4 (10-9-3, sixth)
Departed: D Erik Burgdoerfer, F Paul Kerins, F Jerry D’Amigo (So), F Brandon Pirri (So)
Back for more: Sr D Bryan Brutlag, Sr F Chase Polacek, Jr G Allen York, So F Marty O’Grady
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 4th
2010-11 media poll: 5th
Why: Rensselaer looks to be another program on the rise, but this year may mark a hiccup in its natural progression of improvement. There’s a big, big void where some scorers used to be, and replacing offense is no easy task at this level.

7. Harvard

Nickname: Crimson
Head coach: Ted Donato (91-89-20 in six years at Harvard)
2009-10 record: 9-21-3 (7-12-3, ninth)
Departed: D Alex Biega, D Chad Morin, F Doug Rogers, F Louis Leblanc (So)
Back for more: Sr F Michael Biega, Sr G Ryan Carroll, Sr G Kyle Richter, Jr F Alex Killorn, So F Conor Morrison
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 7th
2010-11 media poll: 10th
Why: Harvard always has talent, and so I always pick them high. This year, I’m not jumping the other direction … I’m just feeling a little more cautious. This is the supreme “middle-of-the-pack” team, that could go hard in any direction. Ergo, I pick the safest route, and pick them to finish around the league average.

8. Clarkson

Nickname: Golden Knights
Head coach: George Roll (115-123-31 in seven years at Clarkson, 221-185-45 in 13 years overall)
2009-10 record: 9-24-4 (4-15-3, 12th)
Departed: F Matt Beca, F Jeremiah Crowe, F Tim Marks
Back for more: Sr F Brandon DeFazio, Sr F Scott Freeman, Jr D Mark Borowiecki, Jr G Paul Karpowich, So F Adam Pawlick
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 12th
2010-11 media poll: 12th
Why: The team still has a lot of talent, but it’s been utterly stifled by two down years. This year could mark the rebirth of the Golden Knights, if they can keep their wobbly legs beneath them out of the gate.

9. Princeton

Nickname: Tigers
Head coach: Guy Gadowsky (88-96-13 in six years at Princeton, 156-185-35 in 11 years overall)
2009-10 record: 12-16-3 (8-12-2, eighth)
Departed: F Dan Bartlett, G Zane Kalemba, F Cam MacIntyre, F Mark Magnowski, D Jody Pederson
Back for more: Sr F Matt Arhontas, Sr D Taylor Fedun, Sr F Mike Kramer, Jr F Marc Hagel
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 10th
2010-11 media poll: 9th
Why: Last year’s team struggled mightily with injuries, but this year’s team likely will come out of the gate struggling with confidence. The stalwart goalie is gone, and there is little resemblance to the NCAA contender of two years back.

10. Brown

Nickname: Bears
Head coach: Brendan Whittet (13-20-4 in one year at Brown)
2009-10 record: 13-20-4 (6-12-4, 11th)
Departed: D Sean McMonagle, F Jordan Pietrus, G Dan Rosen, F Devin Timberlake, F Aaron Volpatti
Back for more: Sr F Harry Zolnierczyk, Jr D Jeff Buvinow, Jr G Mike Clemente, Jr F Jack Maclellan, So F Chris Zaires
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 11th
2010-11 media poll: 11th
Why: Baby steps turned to thunderous stomps through the ECAC playoffs last spring; can the Bears build on it and reach double-digit wins?

11. Quinnipiac

Nickname: Bobcats
Head coach: Rand Pecknold (301-201-47 in 16 years at Quinnipiac)
2009-10 record: 20-18-2 (11-11-0, seventh)
Departed: F Mike Atkinson, F Jean-Marc Beaudoin, F Greg Holt, F Eric Lampe, F Brandon Wong
Back for more: Jr G Dan Clarke, Jr D Zach Hansen, Jr F Scott Zurevinski, So F Jeremy Langlois
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 8th
2010-11 media poll: 8th
Why: If Clarke can hold firm and the defense can win some low-scoring games early, this prediction may wind up looking positively idiotic. That said, QU has never been a defense-first team, so my pick is ultra-cautious.

12. St. Lawrence

Nickname: Saints
Head coach: Joe Marsh (455-377-67 in 25 years at St. Lawrence)
2009-10 record: 19-16-7 (9-8-5, fifth)
Departed: D Jeff Caister, D Derek Keller, F Mike McKenzie, G Alex Petizian, G Kain Tisi, F Travis Vermeulen, F Brandon Bollig (Jr)
Back for more: Sr F Aaron Bogosian, So F Kyle Flanagan, So D George Hughes
2010-11 coaches’ poll: 9th
2010-11 media poll: 7th
Why: With all due respect to Marsh, the program and its fans, this summer marked a disastrous flight of talent out of Canton. It’s a long road to hoe for the Saints.

Defense, goaltending again in spotlight for Cornell

By Brian Sullivan

October 4, 2010

Last year

Another year, another strong run out of Cornell.

The Big Red won five of its first six games and never looked back en route to its second straight 20-win season, and the first with a single-digit loss total since 2005-06. Senior netminder Ben Scrivens took home the Dryden Award as the league’s top goalie, and with little surprise — the Red allowed 15 fewer league goals (43) than ECAC Hockey’s second-best defense (Rensselaer, with 58).

Cornell then sliced through Harvard, Brown and Union to win the conference tournament in Albany, but upon returning to the same sheet six days later, found a vastly different result in the form of a 6-2 NCAA tourney throttling by New Hampshire.

Another year, another summer of “what if” in Ithaca.

The assets

It’s Mike Schafer’s Big Red wrecking crew. They’re gonna make you pay.

Regardless of personnel, Cornell will always be a solid defensive team. The program may have parted ways with Justin Krueger (plus-17), Brendon Nash (18 points in 33 games) and Scrivens (1.87 goals-against average, .934 save percentage), but trust me, Cornell will once again be among the league leaders in stinginess.

“I think our goaltending and our defense are going to be our greatest strengths initially, in the sense that five guys back and two pretty good freshmen on defense … we expect them to be very, very mobile,” said Schafer, who promptly dispelled any notion of a goaltending letdown.

“Mike Garman is probably one of the best-kept secrets in college hockey,” he said of the junior, no longer waiting in the wings. “He’s improved dramatically over the course of two years, but he also had a great starting point: He was able to beat out [last year’s Denver star] Marc Cheverie for a job in junior hockey, and since then, he’s improved a tremendous amount. [With local frosh Andy Iles], I believe we have one of the best goalie tandems in the country, but we obviously haven’t had the chance to prove it because of Ben Scrivens.”

The weak links

There is no question that for as strong and consistent as Cornell is as a program, it lost a nautical ton of talent this summer. Much of the void will be felt up front, where the team’s top three scorers — and their 43 goals — disappeared with the late-winter frost.

“We have a lot of guys who are capable of offensive production, but have never really been put in that role or been depended on for that role,” Schafer said. “Guys like Locke Jillson, John Esposito, Patrick Kennedy, Joe Devin, Sean Collins — you go through a bunch of guys that are proven offensive guys, as far as you see in practice … that they can score and make plays, but in a critical aspect of a game when you’re down a goal, or you need a goal, or your power play is out and the pressure’s on them to score, they have to rise to that occasion and they’re all excited because it’s a great opportunity for them. But as a coach, you’re excited to see which one of those guys, or which group of those guys are going to step forward and capitalize on that opportunity and become an offensive leader for us.”

The trio of Riley Nash, Blake Gallagher and Colin Greening also embodied a three-year run of quality power-play performance, one that tallied 20 of Cornell’s 32 PPGs last year.

“We don’t have a seasoned power play,” Schafer said.

That’s another reason why it all comes down to defense in western New York.

“You have to be solid defensively no matter what, because in times like these when you’re waiting for your new guys to prove themselves offensively, you can still win,” Schafer said. “It’s a building block of having good success, but at the same time when … you’re waiting for those guys to grow up, waiting for those guys to mature, to show more poise offensively, you can still win by being really solid defensively.”

Prediction

Never, ever bet against the Big Red. It may look like a down year on paper, but it will still be in the mix for a bye when March rolls around. It may not get it, but it’ll be scratching and clawing, the big bear’s breath hot on the heels of anyone ahead of him.

Colgate targets consistency, limiting mistakes in quest to improve

By Brian Sullivan

October 4, 2010

Last year

At one point, Colgate was a respectable 7-5-4. Then, just like that, a four-game slide put the Raiders a deuce under .500.

But they bounced back with nine points in six games, followed by an opportunistic three-game winning streak to close out the regular season that secured the ‘Gate a first-round bye.

The Raiders ran into a steaming St. Lawrence squad that lay Colgate flat in straight sets, terminating the 2009-10 campaign just as hopes were escalating for a deep playoff run. The Raiders featured four strikers who tallied double-digits in the goal column, led by Brian Day’s 21. Three of those players averaged over a point a game, with Austin Smith leading the pack with 16-25–41 in 36 games.

Goalie Alex Evin was serviceable, but failed to muster much personal momentum. His best weekend was a three-point effort against Robert Morris in late January, and only followed a win with a tie or better four times in nine opportunities.

The assets

Colgate returns eight of its top 10 scorers from last year, including its top three goal-scorers. The six departing seniors accounted for a little more than 20 percent of the team’s goals last year, despite the class consisting of five forwards and a goalie (Charles Long). This leaves the blue line entirely intact, and we can only presume that the defense will improve on its mediocre goals-against average (70 goals against in league play last year, tied for sixth).

“Consistency of effort and good team defense” are expected to be Colgate’s strengths this year, coach Don Vaughan said in an e-mail. “We had a tendency last year to make untimely and costly defensive mistakes. We are working to limit those things this year. A young defense with a year under its belt should help, but this will take commitment from everyone on the ice.”

Vaughan also believes that as opportunistic as his team was in wresting a bye late last winter, it can be equally perspicacious in assessing high-leverage moments within games.

“I believe we will once again be a good transition team,” he wrote. “This Raider team will have much better situational awareness. We will be better at recognizing and understanding when momentum is likely to swing in a game and look to take advantage of that moment.”

The weak links

David McIntyre was a special player, and even though he wasn’t on top of Colgate’s scoring charts last season, he was always in the mix. His graduation will leave a playmaking void, especially on special teams.

“Our special teams play needs to improve,” Vaughan wrote. “It is something we will be working on a lot in the early going. We really need to simplify things both on the penalty kill and power play. Our skilled players to must buy into that line of thinking.”

Evin also must prove that he has the mental and physical stamina to play a complete season. ECAC fans have been blessed in recent years with the Kalembas, Richters, Scrivens, Leggios, and now the Kinkaids and so forth who have proven to be monuments of strength of focus and mental durability; one such goaltender was Colgate’s own Mark Dekanich. Can Evin stack up against such a lucid local legend?

Prediction

The Raiders perpetually fly under the radar, even in their own league. They skate in the shadows of their travel partner Cornell, and rarely enjoy the attention borne of major streaks, skids or scandals. But that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve some credit: Colgate finished fourth last year in a pennant-chase-type race to the wire, and they did it with pizazz. They’ve been painfully inconsistent in recent years, which doesn’t help dispel their “who the heck are they?” reputation, but be on the lookout for the Raiders. This is a bye-worthy crew.