October 9, 2008
Part I: Hockey East Preview
by Matthew Conyers/CHN Reporter
Part I of two parts, looking into the Hockey East season.
Vermont
Coach: Kevin Sneddon
2007-08 Record: 17-15-7 (13-9-5 in HE) ?
How they finished: How long does it take for a new member of Hockey East to crack the top four of usual suspects and a make an appearance in the conference’s championship? Well, appearantly three years if you go by the standard Vermont set last year. In a commendable second-half turnaround, the Catamounts finished just one win shy of their first Hockey Championship and an NCAA tournament bid. If any team is eager to build off its last 20 games, it's Vermont. During the final leg of the season, Kevin Sneddon’s group was 13-6-1 with a five-game win streak mixed in. The biggest wins came at the tail end against Northeastern in the quarterfinals and Boston University in the program’s first ever HEA semifinal. Vermont beat Northeastern in three games and then went on to knock off BU 3-1. The Catamounts eventually were shut out by Boston College 4-0 in the final. If not for a rough three months, which saw Vermont go 4-7-6, it could’ve been a magical March.
Changes: The losses are few at Vermont this season and the program couldn’t be more enthustatic about it. Beyond the loss of steady goalie Joe Fallon, the causalities to graduation were just Slavomir Tomko, Reese Wisnowski and Mart Lutz. Overcoming the loss of Fallon will be difficult at the start but Mike Spillane has shown some promise backing Fallon the past two seasons. If the other departures don’t really ring a bell, don’t worry, they accounted for only 17 points last season. The freshman class could also pack some punch. New additions are Lance Herrington (Forward), Drew MacKenzie (Forward), Matt Marshall (Forward) and goalies John Vazzano and Rob Madore. Although Spillane has the experience, it's not a stretch to say he will be tested for the starting job.
Strength: Offense. The Catamounts return five players that had 20 or more points last season led by captain Dean Strong (8 goals, 12 assists) and Colin Vock (9 goals, 18 assists). Rounding out Vermont’s top three are talented playmakers Viktor Stolberg (10, 13), Peter Lenes (10, 12) and Corey Carlson (8, 14).
Weakness: Defense. With Fallon gone, the Catamounts will have to improve quickly on defense. Last season, Vermont surrendered 106 goals against -- 78 of those came in Hockey East competition. By the end of the season, Vermont ranked ninth in goals against in the league.
Outlook: Despite being ranked fifth in the preseason coaches poll, there is no reason to believe Vermont won’t contend again for a spot in the top four or better. "We need to be a much more consistent team from start to finish," said Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon. "Last year we didn’t deserve to go to the NCAA tournament because we had a very disappointing first half. Don’t get me wrong, part of the process for our young team was to learn from that tough start and that helped us become the team we were at the end. However, if you want to play in April, you have to be consistent throughout the season. Another area we’ve addressed in the off-season is finding more power-play production. If we can address those two key areas, we will set ourselves up for a successful season."
Maine
Coach: Tim Whitehead
2007-08 Record: 13-18-3 (9-15-3 in HE)
How they finished: Last season -- after making four of the last six Frozen Fours -- the Black Bears finally ran out of magic. Twice during the regular season, the Black Bears suffered winless streaks of more than seven games. In November and December last season, the Black Bears were 2-7-2. Still it got worse in January and February when Maine usually begins its charge for the postseason. Instead of running off consecutive victories, Maine dropped seven in a row for one of its worst losing streaks in the last 10 years. But all was not lost. The Black Bears did manage to regroup in their final six games winning all but one, including a 3-0 road victory against Vermont on March 1st. By closing with three straight wins, the Black Bears ended the year with their second longest win streak of the year. The run of wins, however, wasn't even good enough to get Maine into the Hockey East quarterfinals, and for the first time since Tim Whitehead took over, the Black Bears were done playing hockey by the first week in March. Maine found the record books twice last season -- it was shut out a record six times and held to one goal or less 13 times.
Changes: Not only is Maine a lot younger but considerably smaller after the departure of 6-7 goalie Ben Bishop, who signed with the St. Louis Blues. All joking aside, the fact of the matter remains -- Bishop's absence casts a long, dark shadow over the season. Maine lost 10 key players from the past season, including Billy Ryan, Brett Tyler, Tyler Ramsey and Andrew Sweetland. In total, 51 percent of Maine's goal production is gone. Freshman scorer Sweetland left for the pros after scoring eight goals, and leading scorer Wes Clark (10 goals) graduated. Junior center Kevin Swallow, who transferred from Dartmouth to Maine, should give the Black Bears a boost on offense. He scored eight goals and 14 assists in 32 games two years ago. Maine is also excited about the addition of Swedish freshmen Theo Anderson and Gustav Nyquist. Not only is the offense weaker, but so is the defense. Blueline staples Travis Ramsey and Bret Tyler are gone with the load now placed on senior captain Simon Danis-Pepin. Between Ramsey and Tyler, the Black Bears lose a great deal of experience that won't be regained quickly. Making matters worse Maine will have to integrate a new goalie into the system, whether it is popular junior Dave Wilson or freshman darling Scott Darling. Bishop's skates and sweater will undoubtly be difficult to fill -- he started in 75 percent of Maine's games the past three seasons.
"With Ben Bishop signing early with St. Louis, Dave Wilson and Scott Darling will have a great opportunity to earn ice time and help our team win games," Whitehead said.
Strength: Penalty kill. Despite low rankings in almost all of the major offensive and defensive categories, Maine once again managed to frustrate its opponents on special teams. While the power play sputtered for the first time since 2004-05, the penalty kill remained just as dominating as years past with a 86.8 percent rate, tops in the league. Although many of the main parts will be gone from a year ago, there's no reason to doubt a Whitehead-led unit. In Whitehead's eight years with the Black Bears, never has the penalty kill been outside the top tier of the league. Maine's defense shouldn't be overlooked either, despite the departures of Bret Tyler and Travis Ramsey. The Black Bears had the fewest goals allowed (92) out of any team in Hockey East.
Weakness: Offense. No matter what way you spin it, Maine's offense could be headed for a rough season. After scoring just 77 goals -- second last in the conference -- Maine said goodbye to its top six scorers. The top returning scorer? Senior defenseman Simon Danis-Pepin. The top returning forward, Jeff Marshall, had just five goals and six assists last season and behind him the other forwards scored a combined eight goals. As Maine enters the new season, the question is not who will replace Ben Bishop in net but rather who will score enough goals in front of Bishop's replacement for the Black Bears to actually stand a chance this season?
Outlook: It once was an unimaginable thought, but for the first time in 12 years -- with teams like Northeastern, Providence and Vermont all providing stiffer competition -- Maine appears headed for its second straight season without a playoff berth. The hope at this point for the Maine faithful is that goalie Scott Darling or Dave Wilson is the next great goalie in a long line of great goalies and that the offense finds a way to fix last season's futility. "With 11 freshmen joining our team this season, it will be exciting to see how quickly they can impact our team. In order for our team to be successful, we will need several freshman to step up with significant contributions."
Merrimack
Coach: Mark Dennehy
2007-08 Record: 12-18-4 (6-18-3 HE)
How they finished: The start was just what the Warriors wanted -- three straight wins against two stronger CHA opponents. Yet, the minute Merrimack touched the ice with Hockey East foe Boston College in the conference opener, it was the same old story. For Merrimack, despite a surprising 12-victories on the year, it was the fourth straight year it failed to make the Hockey East Quarterfinals. ... The lone bright spot on the back end of the schedule arrived Feb. 22-23 with a sweep of Providence. The sweep was Merrimack's third of the season -- the first two came over Bemidji State and Maine. Still, with just one senior and 22 freshman, the season was seen as a major step in the right direction for the Warriors. Fowards Rob Ricci, J.C. Robitaille and Matt Jones combined to score 38 goals, one more than the entire team scored the previous year. But more importantly, the Warriors became a difficult test for any of the top Hockey East teams.
Changes: After having its most successful season since 2002-03, Merrimack is eager to get back to the ice with almost the same entire group from a year ago. The only problem was that Jones decided to leave for a pro deal, right after last season -- putting a damper on what otherwise could've been a strength. And Ricci will be out the first couple of weeks after breaking a finger. Ricci led the Warriors in points (34) and assists (21) last year and played more than any other forward or defenseman. Nevertheless, eight of Merrimack's top nine scores are back. Along with Robitaille (10 goals, 6 assists), the Warriors are expecting big years out of sophomores Fraser Allen (11 points), Chris Barton (19 points) and Francois Ouimet (16 goals). The only player that left was senior Derek Pallardy but even then Pallardy had just six points all last year.
Strength: Defense. The Warriors' defense and goaltending looks to only get better after a record-setting year. Merrimack allowed 93 goals, the program's lowest total since joining Hockey East. "Goaltending should be our strength. Andrew [Brathwaite] was as good as anyone in college hockey the half of last year. Pat [Watson] has shown he can win games on his own, and Joe Cannata [coming in from the national program] is one of the elite young goaltenders in the country."
Weakness: Experience. This is still a team that hasn't been to the postseason in four years. No matter how many returning players are back, the Warriors still need to learn how to win the big games and take that next step as not just a good team but a legitimate playoff contender. "The best time of the year is March when the playoff begins. This needs to be our focus not just now, but in late Janurary and February when the routine of the season can wear on a person."
Outlook: It's only going to get better for Merrimack. The Warriors are improved and more experienced in every position. "I am excited about this year's team. We are looking for our returning players to make the type of progress Matt Jones and J.C. Robitaille made last season. Moreover, we feel we have addressed some of our glaring needs through recruiting."
New Hampshire
Coach: Dick Umile
2007-08 Record: 25-10-3 (19-5-3 in HE)
How they finished: For New Hampshire, it was the worst-case scenario. After running away with the Hockey East regular season crown, the Wildcats entered the NCAA tournament as one of the four No. 1 seeds and a popular pick to represent Hockey East in the Frozen Four. But for the fourth straight season, New Hampshire failed to make it out of the first round. This time the opponent delivering the fatal blow was eventual runner-up Notre Dame. Yet, the cracks in New Hampshire's armor appeared seven days earlier. In the Hockey East semifinals, New Hampshire allowed four unanswered goals by Boston College before eventually losing 5-4 in triple overtime. Yes, it can be argued that the Wildcats still fought valiantly with the Eagles in every single sudden death frame and in all fairness they did. But at the same time, New Hampshire should've never put itself in that position. With the game all but in hand, the Wildcats allowed Boston College to take over and control the play for too long. Beyond the Wildcats loss in the Hockey East semifinals and the disappointment in the NCAA's, there were few other blemishes on the schedule. New Hampshire swept season series against Maine, Massachusetts, Boston University and Boston College. After the first of the year, New Hampshire won all but four of its games. In January, February and March, the Wildcats were 15-4-2. One problem though, two of those losses came in the most important games of the season.
Changes: When it comes to discussing New Hampshire's biggest lost to graduation, there should be no argument. With all due respect to defenseman Brad Flaishans, forward Mike Radja and forward Matt Fornataro, the biggest void will be felt with the departure of Kevin Regan in net. Last season, Regan dominated like few other goalies in the country. He finished the year with a 23-8-1 mark and an impressive 2.20 goals against average. On offense, the Wildcats will need to patch up two big holes due to the graduation of Radja and Fornataro. The two star forwards combined for 89 of the Wildcat's points. Radja scored 19 goals and Fornataro had 18. Along with Regan, Flaishans and Fornataro, the Wildcats lose senior defenseman Craig Switzer, who started in every game. New Hampshire also adds freshmen Mike Borisenok, Matt DiGirolamo, Blake Kessel and Kevin Kevin McCarey. It is likely though that many of the newcomers will see limited time with 13 upperclassmen forwards returning.
Strength: In three of the last four seasons, New Hampshire has been ranked in the top five in offensive production. The past two seasons, it has been ranked no lower than fifth. Despite losing its top two scorers, the Wildcats should be able to pick up right where they left off. Back is freshman sensation James vanRiemsdyk (34 points), Jerry Pollastrone (29 points), Danny Dries (28 points) and Bobby Butler.
Weakness: Goaltending. Expected starting goalie Brian Foster played in just six games all season. The junior is coming in with a decent amount of solid hype and big expectations as a 2005 fifth round draft pick by the Florida Panthers, but there's no way Foster could or should be expected to carry the load immediately. As a butterfly goal with plenty of poise, Foster will make the big saves, but like any new starter there will also be road bumps.
Outlook: Don't expect last season's disappointment to set the Wildcats back too much. New Hampshire should be among the best in the league. "We are excited about this season and are ready to get things going. I think we have a solid team from top to starting with our captains Joe Charlebois and Greg Collins. Those guys will help lead a team that I think has a good balance between veteran players and newcomers," Umile said.
Providence
Coach: Tim Army
2007-08 Record: 14-17-5 (11-11-5 in HE)
How they finished: After overcoming a 1-5-1 start to the season, Providence got things together in a hurry. The Friars went 10-5-1 through January, and all appeared right. But shortly after the run of success, Providence hit a pair of speed bumps in the form of back-to-back sweeps by New Hampshire and Merrimack in the middle February. The setbacks were huge. Never again did Providence return to form and it showed. The Friars finished the year with a four-game losing streak. Although, Providence made it to the Hockey East tournament, it was quickly booted by Boston College after back-to-back 5-1 defeats in the quarterfinals.
Changes: The Friars lost just four seniors to graduation this May, but that doesn't lessen the blow. Two of those seniors are among the most household names in history Providence hockey history: forwards Jon Rheault and goalie Tyler Sims. Rheault was Providence's leading scorer last season with 17 goals and 14 assists, while Sims had been a fixture between the posts for the last four years. Sims concluded his career as a Friar with a 2.52 goals against average and a .907 save percentage in his final season. But it won't be the numbers Providence and its fans will miss the most, it will be the stability and game-changing skills Sims brought to the arena every night. As the Friars' long-term solution in net, Sims gave them someone they could relay on but also look to for leadership. Now, Providence will look for that goalie leadership from three players that have seen little to no time.
Strength: Leadership. "I'm entering my fourth year at Providence College and this is the best group of captains that've had," Army said. "I think they have a real good understanding of the culture that we are creating and they're truly an extension of our coaching staff in the locker room." It starts with defenseman Matt Taormina.
Weakness: Goaltending. The fiery Texan Tyler Sims is gone after four years as Providence's primary netminder. "I think we have good depth in net. None of the three goalies have played much at this level so the challenge is pretty obvious of them getting into a rhythm at this level of play," Army said. "However, we feel as though they bring a great deal of athleticism and talent to the position and will provide the goaltending that's necssary to be a good team."
Outlook: Depsite the absence of Jon Rheault, the Friars will put a skilled offense on the ice every night and that should help keep them in the middle of Hockey East. "I think we're deeper. There's no question we're faster and we have more skill throughout our lineup and because of that I think we have the resources to be a more productive offensive team," Army said.
