October 27, 2009
ECAC Preview 2009-10
by Avash Kalra and Matthew Ruffini/CHN Reporter
Brown
Head Coach: Brendan Whittet
2008-09 record: 5-23-5 (3-15-4 ECAC)
Key Returnees: Sean McMonagle F Sr,. Jordan Pietrus F Sr,. Dan Rosen G Sr,.Devin Timberlake F Sr,. Aaron Volpatti F Sr,.
Key Losses: Matt Vokes, Mike Stuart, Eric Slais, Matt Palmer, Ryan Garbutt
It has been a rough stretch for Brown the past five years, as the program has not seen much success since the 2004 season. In the past two years combined, Brown has won a total of 11 games. Last year, Brown won back-to-back games only once, and during three different streaks last year, the Bears lost or tied in eight straight games.
However, new head coach Brendan Whittet hopes to bring Brown back to its glory days. Whittet, a Providence native and Brown alumnus, was hired in August and must quickly get acquainted with his players to figure out what he is working with.
“My goal is to bring excellence back to Brown,” Whittet said. As far as how he plans on changing the culture and attitude of his players, “We have to make our players think about standards and to be driven, we have to change the work ethic and expect to win.”
The Bears do have a solid core of players with Pietrus, Timberlake and Volpatti, and goalie Dan Rosen is very talented. Although Whittet hasn’t seen his players in game action, he is excited about his players. “I see a group of guys who really want to succeed. I’m very happy with the make-up of this team.”
Clarkson
Head Coach: George Roll
2008-09 Record: 10-19-7 (8-10-4); Finished 9th and lost to Union in ECAC tournament first round
Key Returnees: Scott Freeman (F), Matt Beca (F),
Key Losses: Shea Guthrie (F), Chris D'Alvise (F)
Following a 25-win season in 2006-07 and a 22-win season in 2007-08, last year's win total for Clarkson plummeted to 10 — the lowest number of wins in a season in George Roll's coaching career.
Said Roll, "Everyone associated with the program was pretty disappointed with the way the year went last year. Once the season ended, from the get go, they've been pretty focused and worked hard over the summer."
The Golden Knights lose two of their top three scorers from a season ago in forwards Shea Guthrie and Chris D'Alvise. Now, potential offense may have taken another hit because of controversy regarding two incoming recruits, Jordan Ciccarello and Patrick McEachen.
The two have been charged with sexual misconduct related to alleged encounters with a 16-year old girl who was attending a hockey camp at Clarkson.
Roll had no comment about the latest developments, citing ongoing legal investigations, but indicated that the players have been suspended from the team — though not necessarily permanently.
The potential distraction comes for a team that is looking to return to the form it showed in its previous pair of 20-win seasons, each of which culminated in the ECAC championship and an NCAA tournament appearance.
Colgate
Head Coach: Don Vaughan
2008-09 Record: 12-8-7 (6-11-5); Finished 10th and lost to Quinnipiac in ECAC tournament first round
Key Returnees: David McIntyre (F), Austin Smith (F), Brian Day (F), Francois Brisebois (F), Charles Long (G)
Key Losses: Nick St. Pierre (D), Peter Bogdanich (F)
Colgate entered the 2009-10 season having played seven consecutive overtime games at the end of last season, with the Raiders going undefeated in all but two of them. Unfortunately, those two came in the first round of the ECAC tournament against Quinnipiac, resulting in a series loss that ended the Raiders' season.
Those seven games were a microcosm of Colgate's entire season, as the Raiders set the NCAA record for most overtime appearances in a single season, with an incredible 19 extra-time sessions. Colgate's six overtime victories also set a new NCAA Division I record.
Fast forward to this fall — which has included two overtime games already in Colgate's first four contests — and the Raiders haven't forgotten about all the overtime work they put in a year ago.
Said assistant coach Brad Dexter, "Instead of playing passive, I think we played to win all those games, and our team got comfortable playing in those tight, high intensity situations. In this league, every game is a one goal victory or loss, so our guys are really comfortable playing in pressure situations.
"I sense tremendous disappointment from last year, but I think they took a lot from last year and really benefited from all those tight situations."
Leading the way for Colgate is all-star forward David McIntyre — whose accolades and reputation continue to grow. McIntyre was a preseason firs team all-ECAC selection and a College Hockey News first team all-American selection. Last year, Pefferlaw, Ont., native scored 21 goals and 22 assists en route to being named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award.
Always a target for opposing coaches and defenses, McIntyre was drafted in the fifth round of the 2006 draft by the Dallas Stars and is one of six NHL draft picks on the 2009-10 Raiders roster.
Said Dexter, "We have more depth than we've had in a number of years."
Colgate was picked to finish ninth in the league by the ECAC Hockey Writers and Broadcasters Association and seventh in the Coaches poll.
Cornell
Head Coach: Mike Schafer
2008-09 Record: 22-10-4 (13-6-3); Finished 2nd, lost to Yale in the ECAC championship game, lost to Bemidji State in NCAA Midwest Regional Final
Key Returnees: Riley Nash (F), Colin Greening (F), Ben Scrivens (G), Blake Gallagher (F), Brendon Nash (D)
Key Losses: Evan Barlow (F), Michael Kennedy (F), Jared Seminoff (D), Tyler Mugford (F)
Cornell fans remember well — but not fondly — the summer of 2006, which featured the early departures from the Big Red by defensemen Sasha Pokulok and Ryan O'Byrne and goaltender David McKee. That series of losses was so devastating that coach Mike Schafer mentioned it again in his recent comments to the media.
"It takes a while to recover from that," he said.
This summer, with the Cornell program arguably in a similar position, coming off an NCAA Regional Final appearance, things went a little bit better for Schafer and Cornell. After being courted all summer by NHL offers, highly regarded forwards Riley Nash and Colin Greening decided to return to Ithaca for another year, another chance at an elusive championship.
Nash, a first-round NHL draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers, led the team in scoring last season with 13 goals and 22 assists, while Greening, an Ottawa Senators draft selection, tallied a team-high 15 goals. Arguably the most formidable power play pairing in the league, Nash and Greening also combined for 11 power-play tallies last season.
Quipped Schafer, "Our biggest recruiting actually took place on campus throughout the summer, to make sure that our guys that had some opportunities to leave for pro hockey returned. And all those guys returned.
"When you have a first-round NHL pick, there's always some pressure to leave college and begin your career. Riley wants to play in the NHL badly, but he just felt that another year of getting stronger [would help]. Becoming a dominant player at the college level is a goal that he has."
Last season, the Big Red fell to Yale in the ECAC championship game and subsequently fell to cinderella Bemidji State in the NCAA quarterfinals, with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line. The nucleus of last year's Cornell team returns this year, led of course by Nash and Greening — and also by senior goaltender Ben Scrivens, the latest in the long lineage of players to mind the net for Cornell.
Scrivens finished in the top 10 in the nation in save percentage, goals-against average and win percentage last season. He will also have an opportunity to avenge a loss from two seasons ago — one in which he uncharacteristically allowed five goals in a 6-3 loss to Boston University in a game played at Madison Square Garden.
The storied programs meet again on Nov. 28, again at the World's Most Famous Arena, in the continuation of their rich rivalry. For Cornell, the game will be an early season opportunity to match up against the defending national champions.
"We have high expectations within our hockey team to give ourselves an opportunity, much like we did last year," said Schafer. "You always want to get to your league championship, get into the NCAAs, and do well."
Dartmouth
Head Coach: Bob Gaudet
2008-09 Record: 14-14-3 (11-9-2); Finished 6th and lost to Rensselaer in ECAC tournament first round
Key Returnees: Jody O'Neill (G), Evan Stephens (D), Adam Estoclet (F), Doug Jones (F), Scott Fleming (F)
Key Losses: Rob Pritchard (F)
"We want to win a championship here, and we're going to go after it."
So says coach Bob Gaudet, as he looks to take the Dartmouth program that he has helped resurrect over the past decade and return it to a level above its subpar season a year ago. In fact, last March, Dartmouth's season came to a screeching halt when Rensselaer scored a first-round ECAC tournament upset in Hanover.
"We showed a level of tenacity, a level of diligence that let us claw our way to the top half of the league last season," said Gaudet. "I liked the way the team competed. At the end of the season, we got beat by an RPI team that did a great job, but our guys were really disappointed with the finish. The kids left with a bitter taste.
"One of the things that we are most proud of is the development of our players over the course of their years here, and I think we'll see that with this season. The guys are bigger and stronger, and we're excited to get going."
Last season's Dartmouth team also featured a majority of scoring from its younger players — players who of course not become veterans for the Big Green. Five of the top six scorers last year were freshmen or sophomores.
Said Gaudet, "At this point last year, I didn't have much of an idea about our team because we had graduated a big class, had a very young team. This year, we're a bit more experienced. I think we've got some key guys coming back who had breakout years last year — last year's sophomore class, this year's junior class. And our goaltender, [sophomore] Jody O'Neill."
Highlighting this year's junior class for Dartmouth is defenseman Evan Stephens, who was named to the coaches Preseason All-League team this fall. Stephens led the Big Green in scoring by a defenseman last year (19 points) and finished fourth overall on the team in scoring.
And adding to the mix for Gaudet's squad are three sets of brothers on the team — Gaudet's own sons Joe and Jim, the Walshes (Nick and Dustin) and the Goggins (Mike and Connor). Mike, the younger Goggin, enters his rookie season with the Big Green after being drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He was also named to the 2009 New England Prep School All-Star Team.
With a strong mix of upper- and under-classmen, Gaudet sounds cautiously optimistic and looks to pursue basic goals as the ECAC season gets underway.
"We've got to continue to try and do the simple things well," said Gaudet. "I'm big person on process, and if we just play hard and to the best of our abilities, we'll be fine.
"This is an extremely difficult league, and the ECAC is the best its been from top to bottom, maybe ever. "
Harvard
Head Coach: Ted Donato
2008-09 Record: 9-16-6 (9-7-6); Finished 5th and lost to Brown in ECAC tournament first round
Key Returnees: Doug Rogers (F), Alex Biega (D), Michael Biega (F), Matt McCollem (F)
Key Losses: Jimmy Fraser (F), Brian McCafferty (D)
Harvard returns its top seven scorers from a year ago and looks primed for a potential return to the elite of the league. This comes on the heels of last year, which ended in a stunning upset by Brown in the first round of the ECAC tournament — an anomaly for a program that has reached the ECAC championship game in six of the last eight seasons.
Leading the way for the Crimson are captain and pre-season All-American Alex Biega and fellow senior Doug Rogers — neither of whom has ever missed a game while at Harvard.
Last season, Biega became the first defenseman in more than 20 years to lead Harvard in assists and ranked second among ECAC defensemen in league scoring, and joining the elder Alex this season are brothers Michael (a junior) and Danny (a freshman) — in what should make for a family atmosphere in the home locker room.
Said coach Ted Donato, "I think we have three brothers who have the opportunity to have a huge impact for us. I'm excited for the talent that they bring, but also because they're very good people and they bring a level of character to our team."
A familiar face also returns for Harvard this year — junior Kyle Richter, who rejoins the team after sitting out the entire 2008-09 season due to personal reasons. He will be looking to regain his form from two seasons ago, when he was named the Ken Dryden Award winner as the ECAC's Goaltender of the Year.
In that 2007-08 season, Richter led the league in goals-against average (1.82) and save percentage (.935) in league play.
"Obviously, last we checked, Kyle was the Goalie of the Year in our league," said Donato. "He had a very good season and was a very big factor for us. Can he return to the form he was at two years ago? We like to think he can. Is it going to take some time? I think there's a good possibility of that."
He will compete for the starting role with junior Ryan Carroll, who played well for the Crimson last season — particularly in a late-season stretch that helped them finish in the top half of the league standings.
Harvard welcomes a freshman class of eight rookies, a class that Donato predicts "has a chance to be a big impact, in all stages of the game." Among the group of newcomers is highly-touted Louis Leblanc, a 2009 first-round NHL draft pick of his hometown Montreal Canadiens. Classmate Alex Fallstrom was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the fourth round.
Of Leblanc, Donato commented, "[He] comes in as a highly touted prospect — great offensive skills, a player with great speed and tenacity. I think that he'll be able to make an immediate impact for us."
Princeton
Head Coach: Guy Gadowsky
2008-09 record: 22-12-1 (14-8-0 ECAC)
Key Returnees: Jody Pederson D Sr,. Mark Magnowski F Sr,. Cam MacIntyre F Sr,. Zane Kalemba G Sr,.Tyler Beachell F Sr,.
Key Losses: Brett Wilson, Brandan Kushniruk, Lee Jubinville
Princeton followed up its strong 2007-08 season with another successful campaign last year. The Tigers were nearly unbeatable in the beginning of the season, winning 13 of their first 15 games. The Tigers struggled a bit down the stretch but made it all the way to the ECAC semifinal where they eventually lost to Cornell. Still, Princeton made the NCAA tournament for the second straight year but lost in the first round in devastating fashion, when it blew a two-goal lead in the final minute to Minnesota-Duluth before losing in OT.
The Tigers had a strong team all around, but two players received most of the attention — and it was well deserved. Lee Jubinville and Zane Kalemba had outstanding seasons last year and helped the Tigers go as far as they did.
Losing Jubinville will no doubt be a huge loss to the Tigers.
“He was a great two way player, you can’t replace someone like him, our forwards will have to step up in his place,” said coach Guy Gadowksy.
The good news for Tiger fans is that Kalemba will be back and should be even better this year according to Gadowsky.
Said Gadowsky, “We have been young on defense and goaltending for awhile, but now we are getting older and that should help”.
With tough losses to end the season in the NCAA tournament in back to back years for the Tigers, Gadowsky wants his team to learn from those experiences and use them heading into this season.
“We can’t dwell on the past but we shouldn’t forget either.”
If the Tigers can put together a third solid season in a row, there is no reason to think they won’t be at the top of the ECAC and fighting for a spot in the tournament again this year.
Quinnipiac
Head Coach: Rand Pecknold
2008-09 record: 18-18-3 (9-10-3 ECAC)
Key Returnees: Jean-Marc Beaudoin F Sr., Dan Clarke G So., Brett Dickinson D Jr,. Greg Holt F Sr., Eric Lampe F Sr., Brandon Wong F Sr,. Scott Zurevinski F So.
Key Losses: Mike Atkinson, Bud Fisher, Bryan Leitch, David Marshall, Mark Nelson, Matt Sorteberg.
The Bobcats began their 2008-09 season strongly as they went 9-6-1 in their first 16 games. During that span, Quinnipiac had some signature wins against conference opponents such as Union and St. Lawrence. They also did well in non-conference play as they defeated Merrimack and Air Force to win the UConn Invitational.
However the second half of the season was not as kind to the Bobcats, as they finished the year 7-9-2 and were knocked out of the ECAC playoffs in the second round by St. Lawrence.
The Bobcats enter this season with some serious questions marks on the offensive side and also in net. The Bobcats lost the nation’s leading scorer in Bryan Leitch and head coach Rand Pecknold knows his offensive production will be hard to replace.
“This was a great senior class," said Pecknold. "We lost a lot of good players”.
If the Bobcats are going to succeed this year, certain players will have to step up.
Said Pecknold, “Lampe and Beaudoin have been great players for us, but we will need them to step up even more. And Scott Zurevinski is a player we expect to contribute more.”
The Bobcats have 13 incoming freshmen, and some of those players will have to step up and contribute right away if the Bobcats are to survive in the tough ECAC.
Another glaring issue for the Bobcats is goaltending, with Bud Fisher gone.
“We have Dan Clarke and two incoming freshman goalies," said Pecknold. "I’m not sure who’s going to be the starter, but we need one to step up and win the job."
This season looks to be a rebuilding one for Quinnipiac, and with many young faces in the lineup, only time will tell if they are ready for the challenges that await them.
Rensselaer
Head Coach: Seth Appert
2008-09 Record: 10-27-2 (6-15-1); Finished 11th and lost to Cornell in ECAC tournament quarterfinals
Key Returnees: Charles Polacek (F), Patrick Cullen (F), Tyler Helfrich (F), Allen York (G)
Key Losses: Matt Angers-Goulet (F)
Rensselaer skates into the new season having engineered a late-season playoff run that may have changed the attitude and approach of coach Seth Appert's squad. With a stunning first-round upset of Dartmouth in the first round, the Engineers played unlike the hapless team that won only two if its first 20 contests to start the season.
Said Appert, "Obviously we've had some struggles the last couple of years, and we gained a great deal of insight and knowledge about what it takes to win, how hard it is to win. [In the playoffs last season], we had nine freshman or sophomore forwards playing, four or five freshman defensemen, and a freshman goaltender.
"Those guys gained an appreciation for how difficult it is to win, and now we add to that a really good summer in the weight room and a very good freshman class. That puts us in the position to have a little bit of success."
Despite winning only six league games last year, Rensselaer is picked to finish in eighth place in the league by the coaches' poll. Led by a strong junior class of forwards, can the Engineers indeed start to turn things around for a program that hasn't seen the 15 win mark in any of the last five seasons?
"That's something we're going to try to prove," said Appert. "We are very day-to-day focused. Making a winning program is a really difficult, long process. At the end of the year, you focus on things that you can do every day to make yourself a winning program, and that's what I'm going to try and impress upon our players."
As is often the case in the ECAC, solid defensive play and goaltending goes a long way to making a "winning program." Despite struggling defensively for much of the season, Rensselaer turned things around in its playoff series against Dartmouth, highlighted by then-freshman goaltender Allen York stopping 58 of 61 shots in a weekend sweep.
York, evidently unfazed by boisterous opposing crowds, then made 32 saves the following weekend to shut out Cornell in Game 1 of the ECAC quarterfinals in Ithaca, N.Y. — before the Engineers ultimately dropped the next two contests to end their season.
St. Lawrence
Head Coach: Joe Marsh
2008-09 record: 21-12-5 (11-7-4 ECAC)
Key Returnees: Alex Curran F Sr,. Derek Keller D Sr., Mike McKenzie F Sr,. Alex Petizian G Sr,. Travis Vermeulen F Sr,.
Key Losses: Kevin Devergilio, Shawn Fensel, Matt Generous, Brock McBride, Zach Miskovic, Casey Parenteau, Jared Ross.
St. Lawrence was a pleasant surprise to most people last season with the record they posted, finishing in fourth place in the ECAC. The strong defensive core for the Saints has been the primary reason for their success. This season, that core is no longer together, and that will pose a new challenge to the Saints and coach Joe Marsh.
The Saints made it all the way to the ECAC semifinal game before losing to Yale. In this year’s coaches poll, the Saints are predicted to finish near the bottom of the standings.
“The players know what the poll is all about, and we could use it as motivation,” Marsh said.
Ultimately, the Saints' success will come from how well they execute Marsh’s system.
Said Marsh, “We have to be sound defensively. We're not going to put up big offensive numbers. If we are going to play an aggressive forecheck, our forwards have to contribute on defense.”
This year’s team is going to have to make up for the defensive players they lost, such as Fensel, Generous and Ross.
“We had four senior defensemen who played every single game and helped generate lots of offense," said Marsh. "Hopefully we won’t have to rely on Alex (Petizian) to make 50 saves every night.”
Marsh is also excited about his incoming players, saying, “We had seven seniors leave this past year, but I’m excited about this group.”
One freshman forward Marsh is excited to see is Kyle Flanagan.
“He is a local boy and a very dynamic player," said Marsh. "We probably lack the big name recognition of players, but we have guys who have played an awful lot, guys who have been go-to guys for a long time. So we have some experience here. For us, we're going to have to be really, really strong defensively."
Union
Head Coach: Nate Leaman
2008-09 Record: 19-17-3 (9-11-2); Finished 8th and lost to Princeton in the ECAC tournament quarterfinals
Key Returnees: Corey Milan (G), Adam Presizniuk (F), Mario Valery-Trabucco (F), Jason Walters (F), Stephane Boileau (F)
Key Losses: Matt Cook (F), Lane Caffaro (D)
Union won 19 games a season ago, its highest mark since it became a Division I program in 1991-92. The Dutchmen also overcame what had become a significant obstacle in recent years — winning a playoff game. Coach Nate Leaman's squad knocked off Clarkson in the first round of the ECAC tournament last year, and the series win was the first step in a brand new direction for the Union program.
A first step that has been a long time coming.
Said Leaman, "Last year was the first year we really established the culture of the program. And it's been a big work in progress for our staff and our players. It's up to this team to now work to take our program to the next step."
Last season, goaltender Corey Milan and the Dutchmen kept 90 percent of their opponents' shots out of the net, and that's a number that Leaman is hoping to improve entering this year with an eight-man defense that includes seven freshmen and sophomores.
"We're going to need some big saves in some games early, with our young defensive corps," said Leaman. "We know that there's going to be some breakdowns, probably some freshman mistakes out there. And that's where you need a good goalie.
"Your goalie is your most important player, and I also think that having a great goalie is the same as having a 50-goal scorer. Because if that guy steals a save each game, that's as good as scoring one the other way. We'll have to have some good goaltending early, and Corey will be the guy we will lean on."
Still, despite the question mark surrounding the Union defense, the offensive corps promises to be dynamic. Last season, seven Dutchmen scored 20 or more points during the season — a Union record. Six of those seven return, including junior Adam Presizniuk, who set the school record with 38 points. And, continuing the family theme in the ECAC this year, junior forward John Simpson will be joined by brother and freshman Wayne Simpson.
Said Leaman, "We'll have the most solid set of forwards that I've had here in my seven years, so I think we'll have the ability to put the puck the net."
Union is off to a great start to the season and has indeed been scoring the goals as Leaman predicted. In their opening weekend, the Dutchmen scored 10 goals in a weekend sweep of Maine.
Yale
Head Coach: Keith Allain
2008-09 Record: 24-8-2 (15-5-2); Won ECAC Championship and lost to Vermont in NCAA East Regional Semifinal
Key Returnees: Mark Arcobello (F), Broc Little (F), Sean Backman (F)
Key Losses: Alec Richards (G)
Last season, Yale boasted the league's best offense, won a program record 24 games, and cruised to its first league championship by winning 13 of its last 15 games.
Well, now the news gets worse for the rest of the ECAC.
The Bulldogs — the preseason favorite to win the league by both the coaches and the ECAC Writers and Broadcasters Association — return 15 of their top 16 point scorers from its title-winning team and boast a mature squad that features 14 upperclassmen.
Needless to say, that would explain the high expectations and the national preseason recognition for coach Keith Allain's squad entering the 2009-10 campaign. What does Allain himself think of being picked to finish first?
"Well I think this is the same group that picked us to finish seventh last year," quipped the fourth-year head coach, before continuing, "No. The games are played on the ice."
Among the returnees for Yale are prolific scorers Sean Backman, Mark Arcobello, and Broc Little — all of whom scored over 30 points last season. Backman, the one time league rookie of the year, will now look to help the Bulldogs repeat as champions in his senior year. Last March at the ECAC Championships in Albany, N.Y., Backman tallied a hat trick in the title game against Cornell and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Backman enters the season with 56 career goals, which places him ninth on Yale's career scoring list.
Again, for the other 11 teams in the league, the news continues to worsen. If one can imagine it, the Bulldogs may in fact be adding considerable offense to this year's team, thanks to the addition of highly-touted freshman Andrew Miller, who led the United States Hockey League in scoring last year with 82 points in 58 games for the Chicago Steel. Miller was ultimately named the top junior hockey player in the nation.
As dynamic as the offense is expected to be in New Haven this winter, the sole question for the champs is that of their starting goaltender — which is of course no small concern for a team playing in a league with traditionally strong goaltending. While Yale's offense may be able to carry the Bulldogs to an extent, Allain's team will also have to find ways to win low-scoring defensive duels against the likes of Zane Kalemba (Princeton) and Ben Scrivens (Cornell).
With the graduation of Alec Richards, Yale returns senior Billy Blase (who was the team's regular starter two seasons ago) and junior Ryan Rondeau. Blase certainly has more experience, but Rondeau managed a 4-1 record in limited action spelling Richards last year. Also competing for the starting role are a pair of freshmen — Alabama native Jeff Malcolm and California native Nick Maricic.
Said Allain, "We'll spend a good deal of our preseason determining [who our starting goaltender will be]. We have four young men who will be fighting for that position. I think it'll be quite a competition."
Yale opens its season on Halloween night at Princeton and hosts its home opener on November 13 against Cornell.
