College Hockey: Back In The Saddle, Part II - Division III Preview
Oct. 27, 2005 — The beginning of the college hockey season is a time for coaches, players and fans to assess what was lost and what was gained in the off-season. In Part I of my Division III Season Preview, I looked at plusses and minuses for the top eight schools in the USCHO Division III Preseason Poll . Part II covers numbers nine though fifteen, plus a few other teams to watch in 2005-2006.
9. Oswego
Poll: 99 points
Last Season: 18-6-3; SUNYAC regular season champions; lost to Plattsburgh in the SUNYAC Quarterfinals
First Game: Friday, Oct. 21 at Utica
Oswego fans are going to need their scorecards for the first part of this season. Seventeen new players are on the Laker’s roster.
“Seventeen is a big number,” agreed Oswego coach Ed Gosek. “We skated with 11 freshman on Friday and 10 on Saturday.”
The Lakers split their season opening series with Utica, with each team winning on the other’s home ice.
“Overall I’m pleased,” said Gosek of his new-look squad. “On Friday, we did a lot of things we can be pleased with. Saturday was a different story. The intensity level wasn’t where I’d like it to be. That’s something the younger players have to get used to. There are no days off in college hockey.”
The young team will reply on the experience of senior captain Jocelyn Dubord who brings 104 career points into his final campaign. Also back is sophomore goaltender Ryan Scott, who was the SUNYAC Rookie of the Year last season.
While Gosek thinks his team will need some time to gel, the rest of the league thinks the Lakers will repeat as regular season champions, voting Oswego No. 1 in the SUNYAC preseason poll.
“We appreciate it, but we lost 13 guys,” Gosek said. “It’s an honor and good for the school and good for recruiting. But I don’t think we’re a championship team at this point. I think we can be, but we have a long way to go.”
10. Bowdoin
Poll: 83 points (1 first place vote)
Last Season: 17-6-3; Lost to Middebury in the NESCAC championship game
First Game: Friday, Nov. 18 at UMass-Boston
The consensus among the coaches that I’ve talked to so far this season is that the Polar Bears, who were within a goal of making the NCAA tournament, are going have another run at it this season. One went so far as to pick Bowdoin as the No. 1 team on his ballot for the USCHO Division III Preseason Poll.
“Bowdoin’s going to be right there at the end of the season,” said Middlebury coach Bill Beaney. “They look like they’re going to be very strong.”
The Polar Bears return four of their five top scorers, including senior Adam Dann, who led the team in points (28) and was second in goals (14) last season. All-NESCAC defenseman Nate Riddell is gone, but the rest of the blueline corps returns virtually intact, including Colin Hughes, who scored 20 points as a freshman last season.
Bowdoin will once again look to senior goalie George Papachristopoulos to lead the way. Papachristopoulos played all but 54 minutes in net for the Polar Bears last season, accumulating a 2.56 GAA and a .902 save percentage.
11. Babson
Poll: 76 points
Last Season: 20-5-3; Lost to New England in the ECAC East championship game
First Game: Friday, Nov. 18 vs. Colby
The Beavers have undergone a resurgence under second-year coach Jamie Rice, posting 20 victories last season for the first time since 1992 and leading the nation in power play efficiency. Rice likes what he sees again this season, but expects a dogfight in the ECAC East.
“We have a wide open league this year,” he said. “At least six teams can lay claim to the title.”
Babson sports the senior trio of trio of defenseman Tom Sullivan, forward Johnny Kim and goaltender Craig Weiner. Sullivan (30 points last season) was All-ECAC East and All-American. Kim had 42 points to lead the team in 2004-2005 and was All-ECAC East. Weiner was named the ECAC East Goaltender of the Year after going 13-4-1 with a .902 save percentage and a 2.32 GAA.
“It was nice that some guys were individually recognized, and rightly so,” said Rice. “But the strength of our team is that we have a lot of guys that can chip in.
“We don’t have a big roster, but we have a lot of depth. You can’t focus on one or two players or one line. We have a lot of guys that can beat you.”
12. Geneseo
Poll: 72 points
Last Season: 18-7-4; SUNYAC champions; lost to Trinity in the NCAA Quarterfinals
First Game: Saturday, Oct. 15 at Potsdam
Geneseo alumnus and former Division I assistant Jason Lammers returns to his alma mater for his first head coaching job, inheriting a team that won the SUNYAC title last season.
Lammers came on board in mid-August, after departing coach Brian Hills had already finished recruiting for the season.
“I like this team,” said Lammers. “Brian Hills did an awesome job recruiting.”
The departure of Brett Walker left a huge hole in net. Lammers hopes to fill it with a trio of young goaltenders. So far sophomore Derek Jokic and freshman Jeff Pasemko have seen action though Geneseo’s first three games.
The good news is that most of Geneseo’s big guns up front and on the blueline are back, including captains Matt English and Michel Bond.
“English and Bond are great players and great leaders,” said Lammers. “We have high expectations for them and for our program. We expect to finish among the top teams, and there are a lot of very good teams in our league.”
13. Wisconsin-River Falls
Poll: 44 points
Last Season: 17-9-2; Lost to Wisconsin-Superior in the NCHA Semifinals
First Game: Friday, Oct. 28 vs. Wisconsin-Eau Claire
The poll voters may have underrated the Falcons. On paper, they’re looking good with seven of their top ten scorers back, as well as a fair number of defenseman and both starting goaltenders.
“We’re all geared up and ready to start,” said coach Steve Freeman, now in his tenth season behind the UWRF bench.
“We feel confident that we’ll be a decent team, especially by the second half of the season.”
Freeman is especially pleased with his goaltending.
“I’m very comfortable with what we have in net,” he said. (Dan) Meneghin and (Andy) Scanlon are two of the top goaltenders in the league. Plus we’ve got a freshman, AJ Bucchino, that’s going to contribute too.”
A strong netminding corps will help offset some losses on defense.
“Our defensive corps took a significant hit from departures, but we’re excited about our returnees and new players,” said Freeman.
Up front, expect sophomore TJ Dahl and senior Aaron Degerness to lead the way. Dahl had 30 points in his rookie season, and Degerness chipped in 25.
14. New England College
Poll: 40 points
Last Season: 18-12-0; ECAC East champions; Lost to Middlebury in the NCAA Semifinals
First Game: Friday, Nov. 18 at Skidmore
The Pilgrims were last year’s Cinderella team, making it all the way to the NCAA semifinals after starting the season 2-6 and finishing fourth in the ECAC East. NEC won’t be sneaking up on people this season, as the Pilgrims return essentially intact.
Twenty-seven players are expected to return including last season’s super rookie Mike Carmody, who tallied 45 points in his freshman campaign.
“New England was one of the best teams we saw all season,” said Babson head coach Jamie Rice. “And Carmody was one of the top players in the league.”
Also back is goaltender Scott Gray, who took over the starting job in January last season and went 15-5 with a 2.77 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
“There are several teams capable of winning the (ECAC East),” said Rice. “And New England is right up there.”
15. Plattsburgh
Poll: 35 points
Last Season: 18-13-0; Lost to Geneseo in the SUNYAC championship series
First Game: Friday, Oct. 21 at Elmira
Last season was a lackluster one for the Cardinals, at least by their standards.
“We measure our success by winning championships,” said coach Bob Emery.
Plattsburgh didn’t win a title last season, hovering around the .500 mark for a large part of the season before putting things together, salvaging its season with an upset of archrival Oswego in the SUNYAC semifinals. As a result, the Cards came close to making the NCAA tournament, losing a hotly contested championship series to Geneseo.
Which Cardinal team will take the ice this season? The perennial powerhouse, or the team that was mediocre though most of last season?
“I have no idea,” said Emery. “I can’t tell you about my team yet. We have 12 freshmen and have only played one game. Our goal is to get better and hopefully get home ice in the playoffs and then see what happens.”
Instead of naming traditional captains, Plattsburgh is going with a “leadership group” of seven players.
“I thought we lacked leadership last season,” Emery said. “We expect this group to set an example and provide that leadership on and off the ice.”
With almost half the team consisting of new faces (thirteen players who were on last year’s roster are gone), Plattsburgh will rely heavily on veterans like senior Dave Friel (20 points last season) and junior Ryan Busby (30). Craig Neilson (2.75 GAA, .887 save percentage) returns for his final season in net.
Others to Watch:
A few other squads that I expect to make an appearance in the poll this season are:
Utica – The Pios lost a ton to graduation but look like they’ve reloaded up front. If Adam Dekker can repeat his goaltending performance of last season, Utica should be in the hunt again.
Curry – The Colonels lost 70% of their scoring, but have a nice mix of returnees, rookies and transfers. Nice enough to make them the favorites again in the ECAC Northeast.
Wisconsin-Stevens Point – While I don’t expect them to finish first in the NCHA, look for the Pointers to improve on last year’s .500 season. The entire defensive corps is back, and UWSP looks like it will be better up front. If the Pointers can get better goaltending than they did last season, watch out.
Bethel – The Royals narrowly missed knocking out St. Thomas in the MIAC playoffs last season, and return almost intact from a 17-9 season.
St. Anselm – The Hawks are Division II, and therefore ineligible for the poll. A pity because they have the talent to be ranked this season, and could finish at or near the top of a very competitive ECAC East.
Next Week – The return of the regular D-III weekly column, 2005-2006 edition.
