College Hockey:

NESCAC Season Preview

We are still more than a month away from Christmas and all of the good New England hockey fans have been patiently waiting for their conference season to begin after enduring daily looks at the box scores from every other league in the Northeast, including the newly formed MASCAC conference.

The wait is over: Friday night begins what will likely be the most hotly contested and tight race in the NESCAC conference in years. And considering how close the standings have been — and how playoff positions have shifted right up until the final day of the season for the last five seasons in a row — that is a noteworthy statement.

In keeping with the holiday theme, many coaches are very thankful that the season is getting underway as nearly three weeks of practicing has teams with the fever (not Swine flu) to play a real game against somebody, anywhere! There are lots of new faces in the league this year, so coaches are anxious to see what the pieces look like on the ice and start the process that will improve the level of play from November right through February. And beyond.

The theme from all of the coaches has been optimism, as one would expect with everyone sitting with a 0-0-0 record right now. Most are happy with what they have seen over the multiple practice sessions as well as liking the all important team chemistry that brings the new and old players together in the new puzzle that starts every season.

I really dont believe things will be much different than the past few seasons, said Connecticut College head coach Jim Ward. It may be the most competitive season we have seen with virtually everyone having the ability to finish near the top of the standing. Everyone wants to get off to a good start early, earn some points and find the consistency needed to be competitive every night. It will be a lot fun and it all starts with some great conference games this weekend.

So, here we go again. Get ready for the rollercoaster action to begin starting on Friday night; its going to be a very exciting season. This year like most others will really challenge anyones prognostication abilities — but heres my best effort at figuring it all out.

Amherst Lord Jeffs

2008-2009 Overall Record: 22-5-1
2008-2009 League Record: 16-2-1
2008-2009 League Finish: First
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: First

All-American goalie Cole Anderson returns to lead Amherst in search of back-to-back NESCAC titles (photo: Tim Costello).

Team Overview: You cant expect to replace a player like Jeff Landers with just one guy so we will be looking for the entire group, particularly upfront, to find those goals and points that he produced last year, said head coach Jack Arena. We are young on the defensive side but also have Cole [Anderson] back which should help cover up for a few mistakes while things get settled.

Special Teams: The Lord Jeffs have built a reputation for an excellent power play and penalty kill rankings as last years numbers will attest to. This season will be no different as Arena will be looking for production from a number of people, including captain Keith Nelson who takes over as the leader on the power-play unit hoping to improve on his 26 points from last season.

Players to Watch: Junior goalie Cole Anderson (1.51 goals against average, .954 save percentage), along with his teammate Jonathan LaRose, were nothing short of spectacular last year and gave Amherst the best goaltending tandem in the country. LaRose has left school, so the burden will fall to Anderson to backstop an inexperienced defense early. If he can come anywhere close to last years numbers, Amherst will be in position to repeat last years title run.

Summary: Last season saw the Lord Jeffs win their first NESCAC championship based on great goaltending, strong defense and timely scoring. This years formula for success will need to see an uptic in offense from a talented group of forwards — including Ted Vickers, Mark Colp and Eddie Effinger — that can take some pressure off the defense.

Middlebury Panthers

2008-2009 Overall Record: 19-7-1
2008-2009 League Record: 14-4-1
2008-2009 League Finish: Second
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Second

Team Overview: I really like what I have seen from this group, starting out in practice this month, head coach Bill Beaney said. We wont score as many goals as we did last season and based on personnel will have a more traditional Middlebury look focused on being solid in the defensive end of the ice. We have a lot of new players this year and we are excited about what they can do on the ice.

Senior captain John Sullivan leads a young Panther squad looking to play in their 11th consecutive NESCAC title game (photo: Tim Costello).

Special Teams: Captain John Sullivan and freshman phenom Martin Drolet return as the top scorers from last years team and will be expected to continue to produce numbers on the power play along with Charles Nerbak and Ken Suchoski.

Player to Watch: Sophomore goalie John Yanchek hopes to build on a solid freshman season that saw him go 12-1-0 with a 2.56 GAA. A return to the 3-2 forecheck system will help Middlebury continue the teams reputation for solid goaltending and tight defensive play.

Summary: The Panthers lost several key players to graduation but have added some talent to build on their reputation for aggressive defense, team speed and opportunistic offense. Scoring goals may be a challenge for this team but if the back-end is solid, they wont need much to continue the programs winning ways.

Williams Ephs

2008-2009 Overall Record: 15-9-2
2008-2009 League Record: 12-5-2
2007-2008 League Finish: Third
2008-2009 USCHO Prediction: Third

Team Overview: I really like our team, said head coach Bill Kangas. We have some key players back from last season which should help us and the experience some of our young guys had filling in for some of injured players last season should help us with our balance upfront. We have two solid goaltenders and three good lines so we should be able to compete every night.

Special Teams: The special teams will really need a boost on the power play and the return of a healthy Alex Smigelski should help the Eph production. Limited to only 17 games last season, Smigelski had eight goals and five assists. Look for those numbers to improve with a full season of opportunities.

Players to Watch: Sophomore defenseman Justin Troiani returns to lead the defense for Williams. Last season, he was a key on both ends of the ice, chipping in six goals and five assists from the blueline.

Williams goaltender Ryan Purdy will backstop the Ephs towards their first conference title (photo: Tim Costello).

Summary: Willia