{"id":29951,"date":"2008-10-04T16:09:17","date_gmt":"2008-10-04T21:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2008\/10\/04\/200809-clarkson-season-preview\/"},"modified":"2010-08-17T19:57:15","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T00:57:15","slug":"200809-clarkson-season-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2008\/10\/04\/200809-clarkson-season-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2008-09 Clarkson Season Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"
Offense<\/b><\/p>\n
The Knights lost some serious mojo in Zalewski (21-12-33), Dodge (12-14-26) and Cayer (10-12-22), not to mention Clitsome’s offensive bent (5-17-22). When Leggio is thrown in the mix, perhaps you can understand why this correspondent has referred to them as George Roll’s “Miracle Class.” <\/p>\n
And yet, while Clarkson finished second in the league in scoring last season, it was only seventh in overall scoring at 2.77 goals per game. The offense was both a strength and a liability, as it couldn’t come through for the Green and Gold in the out-of-conference matches. The Knights potted 28 goals in 12 non-con clashes in the regular season, and only scored two against St. Cloud and Michigan in the NCAA regional in Albany. <\/p>\n
But then came the NHL Draft. Four incoming Knights were picked by the boys in the Big Show, giving Roll and this year’s Potsdam icers a big jolt of credibility. <\/p>\n
“The entire class is going to make a strong impact on the program,” said Roll. Possessing a lot of skill and speed, “they can really get up and down the ice.”<\/p>\n
“This is the deepest team we’ve had, up front and on the blueline,” he stated.<\/p>\n
Between Beca (10-24-34), D’Alvise (12-17-29) and Guthrie (9-13-22), Clarkson has some veterans to give the opposition something to think about as well. <\/p>\n
“If I had to pick one guy up front [to break out this season], it would be Shea,” said Roll. <\/p>\n
“I think these are some guys in D’Alvise, [defenseman Tyrell] Mason (1-9-10), [defenseman Philippe] Paquet (1-3-4) and Beca for whom it’s their turn to step up,” challenged the coach.<\/p>\n
Defense<\/b><\/p>\n
For what it’s worth, Clitsome was the only Knight to step off the Clarkson blue line for good this spring. Three sentinels return after playing more than 30 games last year (senior Mason, soph Bryan Rufenach and senior Adam Bellows), and three of the other four returners played in more than 20 tilts (sophomore Tom Pizzo, senior Paquet, and sophomore Dan Reed).<\/p>\n
No wonder Roll is loving the depth of his roster; we haven’t even mentioned third-year Knight Jeremiah Crowe (17 games played in ’07-08) or incoming six-foot-one 19-year-old Mark Borowiecki (2008’s Central Ontario JHL Defenseman of the Year). The defense ought to give this team a lot of much-needed support early on, as the squad tries to redefine itself in the wake of the Miracle Class.<\/p>\n
Goaltending<\/b><\/p>\n