The season to date has seen several ups and downs for St. Michael’s in the NE-10, but with this weekend’s sweep of games with Post, the Purple Knights earned a quarterfinal round bye which means hosting a semifinal round game and a chance to play for the league championship for the second time in two years. While the opponent for Saturday is still to be determined from Tuesday’s quarterfinal action [now know they will face SNHU, a 4-1 winner over Post], the Purple Knights are preparing for a late season run that starts with great practices this week.
“It is really not a cliché,” said head coach Damian DiGiulian. “We are just worried about today’s practice. We cannot control who we play on Saturday, but we can be as prepared to execute on the ice against any opponent with some continued good practice and focus up to Saturday’s game. It does not matter if it is SNHU or Franklin Pierce or St A’s, at this point anyone can step up and play a great game and beat you. We are only focused on what we can impact and that is our preparation for Saturday.”
Over the course of the season, St. Michael’s has experienced more than a few highs and lows that included a 7-1-0 start to the season; an eight-game losing streak; the loss of their top line center, Zach Taylor, for six weeks and even the breakdown of not one but two buses on a single road trip to close out the regular season against Post. Despite the trials and tribulations, the team finished their final seven games with a 6-1-0 record that helped them earn second place and a first round bye in the conference tournament.
“Every season has its challenges and we saw ours earlier in the year,” noted DiGiulian. “I am very proud of the very competitive non-league schedule we play and while the results were not always there for us the challenge to make our team better was clearly part of the dynamic. We had guys step up in Zach Taylor’s absence and are a better team now with their play and his return. Netminder Cole Manahan got an opportunity in goal and took advantage of it. He has been playing great for us down the stretch and gives us a chance to win. David [Ciancio], Case [Kantgias] and TJ [Beaver] have given us a very dynamic defensive group that contributes heavily on both ends of the ice with strong offensive numbers and helping a great penalty kill.”
With assistant coach Brent Truchon supporting the goaltenders, second-year coach and primary assistant, Lilly Holmes gets credit for the defensive play and penalty kill which she manages in-game and off the ice through practice and film work. A former D-I player for the University of Vermont, Holmes is believed to one of only two primary assistants (Kim Weiss – Trinity) at the D-II/III level and she brings a great deal of experience and energy to her work with the team.
Brent has been here awhile and is great in relating to all our goaltenders not only at the game and position level but the life level as well,” stated DiGiulian. “Lilly has been outstanding in her first year being full-time with the team. Last year she was a part-time coach as she was still playing at UVM, but this year she does it all for us with managing the defense, our penalty kill, recruiting and film work. The guys all relate well to her as a former player and the level of detail she brings to the ice from her experience at UVM. She has been a terrific asset and has energized our staff as well.”
A look at the leading scorers for St. Michael’s shows the presence of two key defensive players who figure prominently in the offensive zone and power play. Juniors David Ciancio (8G – 11A – 19 Pts; -4) and Case Kantgias (13G – 10A – 23 Pts; -3) have combined this season for 21 goals and 21 assists and five game-winning goals between them as key contributors to the Purple Knights playing winning hockey.
“David is one of our captains and plays in all situations for us while Case has a pure skating ability that sets him apart and enables him to join the offense easily,” said DiGiulian. “Add in TJ Beaver who has stepped up his offensive game and Gabriel [Gagnon] and we have a solid defensive group that plays a 200-foot game without losing their defensive edge.”
Last season, the Purple Knights lost the championship game to St. Anselm in the NE-10 final. The ability to host the semifinal on Saturday gives this year’s seniors another chance to go out with a win and hopefully one more that would earn them the NE-10 title.
“It would be special for this group of seniors who all started their careers her at St. Mike’s in the lost pandemic year,” said DiGiulian. “There are no guarantees in any season, but we earned the bye and a chance to play in front of our fans on Saturday. If we can win that game, the only game we care about right now, then I think it would be great for this group to get another chance to capture a title. But first things first, we need to have a good practice.”
