Patterns are meant to be broken.<\/p>\n
For the third year in a row, after years of relative stability, a number
\nof coaching changes occurred in the SUNYAC.<\/p>\n
In Potsdam, Aaron Saul replaced Glenn Thomaris, who left the school.
\nEarl Utter left Morrisville and took a job coaching the women’s team at Cortland,
\nanother SUNYAC school. Brian Grady replaced him. Speaking
\nof Cortland, Tom Cranfield took a different job within the athletic
\ndepartment, and an experienced veteran, Joe Baldarotta, was hired.<\/p>\n
However, one pattern was broken — Geneseo was not<\/i> among the
\nschools that changed coaches. Chris Schultz becomes the first returning
\ncoach for the Ice Knights in four years.<\/p>\n
Oswego has been following a pattern in recent years. You know it: win
\nthe SUNYAC regular season title, get upset at home in the conference
\nplayoffs, miss out on a chance to go for the national championship, and
\nhave disgruntled fans call for the head of coach Ed Gosek.<\/p>\n
However, that pattern, too, was broken. After completing the first two parts
\nof the above pattern, Oswego this time got an at-large bid to the NCAA
\nplayoffs. They then ran the table and brought home the national
\nchampionship. I predict USCHO.com fan forums will be much quieter this year. . . .<\/p>\n
Speaking of Oswego winning the national championship, it is the third
\ntitle won by a SUNYAC team in the past 16 years
\n(Plattsburgh in 1992 and 2001). ECAC West fans love to crow about how
\ntheir league is better than the SUNYAC. Yet, during that time span, the
\nnumber of national championships their members have won is exactly zero.<\/p>\n
Then, there is my personal pattern. Every time a Division III national
\nchampionship final has gone to overtime, I have been in attendance.<\/p>\n
However, the pattern was broken last year. While Oswego was scoring the
\nwinning goal in overtime in Wisconsin, I was sitting at home in New York.<\/p>\n
As for the upcoming season, expect the pattern of Oswego and Geneseo to
\ncontinue to be the top contenders. Plattsburgh certainly cannot be
\ncounted out, but they had to do some more rebuilding than anticipated.
\nFredonia will be difficult to predict, but they certainly will always be
\ntough to beat.<\/p>\n
Speaking of rebuilding, Brockport will continue the momentum of the
\nmassive effort begun four years ago. Meanwhile, Cortland
\nand Potsdam will undergo some major rebuilding efforts this year, but
\nare probably a year away from seeing results. Morrisville will be
\nentering the SUNYAC and will struggle as they continue to make the
\ntransition from a junior college program.<\/p>\n
And Buffalo State will continue to improve by leaps and bounds.
\nThey have added a lot of depth to their team. Thus, expect them to move
\ninto the realm of top contenders in the SUNYAC.<\/p>\n
It used to be the North Country trip to Potsdam\/Plattsburgh was the most
\nfeared trip in the SUNYAC. That pattern may be broken as the most treacherous voyage may now be the long bus ride to the far western reaches of
\nNew York State, where offenses may be left behind.<\/p>\n
One pattern that is sure to continue is another exciting, close year of
\nSUNYAC hockey that’s bound to go down to the last weekend of play to
\ndetermine playoff spots and seeding.<\/p>\n
So, without further ado, my predictions:<\/p>\n
Coach:<\/b> Ed Gosek, fifth season overall and at Oswego (78-25-11)
\n2006-7 overall record:<\/b> 23-3-3
\n2006-7 SUNYAC record:<\/b> 11-1-2
\n2006-7 SUNYAC finish:<\/b> First
\n2007-8 Predicted finish:<\/b> First<\/p>\n
“When we had our exit interviews and end of year meetings, we asked them
\nto come back with three things: keep in shape, stay focused, and return
\nhumbled and with humility.”<\/p>\n
It is no surprise that Oswego coach Ed Gosek spoke those words. Though
\nhe was talking about his players, it is as close to a self-description
\nas you will get out of Gosek.<\/p>\n
No one has ever doubted Gosek exudes class. What some — or to be more
\naccurate, what some impatient fans who forgot what all the previous
\ngreat coaches failed to do — doubted was whether Gosek could lead the
\nLakers to a national title. Well, you can’t doubt that either after
\nOswego won two thrilling overtime games on the championship weekend to
\ntake home the golden trophy.<\/p>\n
“They’re self motivated,” Gosek said of his players maintaining focus
\nfor a new year. “They got a little taste of it. With that taste, I
\nthink they liked it. They want to have another successful season. They
\nknow it’s going to be tough to repeat.”<\/p>\n
It will be easier knowing virtually the entire team returns. The losses
\nare minimal in numbers, but not in talent.<\/p>\n
“We didn’t lose numbers, but we lost quality,” Gosek said. “[Ryan]
\nWoodward was another coach, an extension of the coaching staff. When
\nsomeone needed to be called out, he was willing to do it. Sometimes,
\nit’s better when it comes from a fellow player than the coaching staff.”<\/p>\n
Defenseman Ryan Koresky and forward Trevor Gilligan also graduated.<\/p>\n
Returning are now five seniors and 14 juniors. If a team was ever set
\nup to repeat, this is it. Just take a look at those upperclassmen. It
\nall starts with goaltender Ryan Scott who like Gosek quieted his critics
\nwith a great playoff run.<\/p>\n
The team’s top five scorers (Brendan McLauglin, Ryan Ellis, Peter
\nMagagna, Garren Reisweber, and C.J. Thompson) from last year all return,
\nall of whom got double digit goals, with McLaughlin on top scoring 24
\ngoals and 31 assists in 29 games.<\/p>\n
And, if anyone knows how to grab a game by the horns and single handedly
\nwin it for his team, it’s Reisweber who scored the goal that sent the
\ntown of Oswego into delirium.<\/p>\n
Defensively, Oswego returns Rich Zalewski, Francois Gagnon, Tyler Lyon,
\nTyler Laws, and Mike Novak.<\/p>\n
Gosek isn’t going to rely on his incoming freshmen, but they still can
\ncontribute when called upon. They include forwards Chris Laganiere,
\nJosh Chamberlain, Tyler Sgro, and Joe Hall and defenseman Stephen
\nMallaro. They also have senior forward Joel Kitchen who transferred in
\nfrom Canisius College.<\/p>\n
“We’re going to need time to see how they do,” Gosek said. “They can
\nall play. We expect returning players to lead the way. What you get
\nout of the new players is a bonus.”<\/p>\n
The season starts out tough: a home-and-home with Elmira, home games
\nagainst Plattsburgh and Potsdam, and on the road at Geneseo and Brockport.<\/p>\n
“Our schedule is a tough schedule,” Gosek said. “You start out with
\nthose six games, and it will quickly tell us where we stand.”<\/p>\n
With determination, humbleness, and humility — and a ring — Oswego
\nalready stands mighty tall.<\/p>\n
Coach:<\/b> Chris Schultz, second season overall and at Geneseo (16-10-0)
\n2006-7 overall record:<\/b> 16-10-0
\n2006-7 SUNYAC record:<\/b> 10-4-0
\n2006-7 SUNYAC finish:<\/b> Second
\n2007-8 Predicted finish:<\/b> Second<\/p>\n
Stability returns to Geneseo. After three different head coaches in
\nthree years, Chris Schultz is sticking around for a second season.<\/p>\n
However, he is going to have to deal with a huge change in his lineup.
\nAll-American Mitch Stephens, the leading scorer for the Ice Knights all
\nfour of his years, graduated. As did linemate Mike MacDonald, second in
\npoints last season. Those are two huge pair of skates to fill.<\/p>\n
Other graduates include Tyson Terry, Mark Schwamberger, Brett Bestwick,
\nand Steve Jordan, all players who were major contributors to the
\nexplosive recent success seen at Geneseo, which included two consecutive
\nSUNYAC championships.<\/p>\n
Good thing for Schultz he does have a number of top players who are
\nstill wearing the Geneseo sweater. They include double digit goal
\nscorers Trent Cassan and Mathieu Cyr as well as Sebastian Panetta, Casey
\nBalog, Dan Brown, and Phil Rose. They also add transfer Kevin Galen, a
\nhuge addition as he was the third leading scorer for Plattsburgh last year.<\/p>\n
They also have a lot of talented blueliners returning such as Chris
\nKestell, Steve Sankey, and Jeff MacPhee. Added to that corps is Casey
\nSmith, another transfer from Plattsburgh.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most important returnee is Derek Jokic who has more than
\nadequately carried on the strong goaltending set by Brett Walker, being
\nnamed to the first team All-SUNYAC last year.<\/p>\n
As for the freshmen, Allan Charbonneau will add size to the defense. Up
\nfront, Andrew Rygiel will most likely play on the line with Cassan and
\nCyr. The top newcomer may be Daniel Sullivan who scored 89 points in just 55
\ngames last year for the Ottawa Jr. Senators.<\/p>\n
The early schedule may be in Geneseo’s favor. They open up with two
\ntough games at Neumann, but they are non-conference affairs.
\nAfterwards, they have a home-and-home against Morrisville. Then, they
\nget into the heart of SUNYAC play with four games that are certainly not
\ngimmes, but at least they — Buffalo State, Fredonia,
\nOswego, and Cortland — are all at home. –.<\/p>\n
If Geneseo jumps out to a good start, they will prove to themselves and
\neveryone else they are capable of regrouping after losing last year’s strong
\ngraduating class.<\/p>\n
They will also show that stability behind the bench does have its
\nadvantages.<\/p>\n
Coach:<\/b> Nick Carriere, third season overall and at Buffalo State
\n(23-26-3)
\n2006-7 overall record:<\/b> 12-12-2
\n2006-7 SUNYAC record:<\/b> 6-7-1
\n2006-7 SUNYAC finish:<\/b> Fourth
\n2007-8 Predicted finish:<\/b> Third<\/p>\n
Buffalo State made a major step forward last year in Nick Carriere’s
\nsecond year behind the bench. They hosted their first ever home playoff
\ngame that gained so much attention the president of the school attended
\namidst perhaps the largest crowd in Bengals’ hockey history.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, it ended in bitter disappointment after a thrilling
\ndouble overtime fight.<\/p>\n
“Last year we had a good year and that left the guys hungry, losing in
\nour own rink in double overtime with so many opportunities to win,”
\nCarriere said. “I think that still sticks pretty deep in our guys
\nstomachs. As we begin to understand in Division III what it takes to
\nwin some games, our guys get hungrier and hungrier.”<\/p>\n
They lost just two top players to graduation from last year, third
\nleading scorer Mike DeMarco and goaltender Sean Sheehan. However,
\nSheehan is a major loss as he was responsible for stealing many games
\nfor Buffalo State throughout his career.<\/p>\n
Entering this year, netminding will be the biggest question mark.<\/p>\n
“We haven’t figured that out,” Carriere concedes. Kyle Gunn-Taylor has
\nthe inside edge, but “Travis Moore will have an opportunity, and we’ll
\nsee how it goes.”<\/p>\n
While goaltending might be a question mark, albeit an important one, the front lines will not be. Returning are Jason Hill, D’Arcy Thomas, Johnny Duco, and Travis Whitehead. Add to that talented forwards Nick Petriello and Kerry Barchan as well as Utica College
\ntransfer Nick Lynch.<\/p>\n
“Those two [freshmen] guys right there compliment goal scorers on their
\nlines,” Carriere said. “We are a little deeper than we were last year
\nin scoring.”<\/p>\n
Joe Curry, Shareef Labreche, and Paul Gagnon will help fill out the
\nlineup. Defensively, Jeff Mok, Mike Ansell, and Cody Cole will be the
\nkey components.<\/p>\n
The Bengals have been heading in the right direction ever since Carriere
\ntook over. As he continues to bring in his players and fine tune his
\nsystem, it may be time for Buffalo State to be competing amongst the
\nleaders in the league.<\/p>\n
“We have some little nooks to work out,” Carriere said.<\/p>\n
Those little nooks may translate to large crowds being a regular
\npresence. And the president of the school just may want to get herself
\na permanent seat.<\/p>\n
Coach:<\/b> Bob Emery, 19th season overall and at Plattsburgh (397-133-42)
\n2006-7 overall record:<\/b> 14-8-6
\n2006-7 SUNYAC record:<\/b> 6-4-4
\n2006-7 SUNYAC finish:<\/b> Third
\n2007-8 Predicted finish:<\/b> Fourth<\/p>\n
There was a lot of sister kissing going on last year at Plattsburgh.
\nThey had six ties, the most in Bob Emery’s 18-year tenure as head
\ncoach. One reason for so many deadlocks is not being able to convert when it
\ncounted.<\/p>\n
“We want to try and take advantage of our goal scoring opportunities,”
\nEmery said of the improvements he wants to see. “Territorially, we do
\nwell, but we have to finish off the chances we get.”<\/p>\n
For Plattsburgh, all those lost points resulted in a disappointing third place finish, once again out of a bye position for the third year in a row They easily got past Brockport and Geneseo in the playoffs before losing to streaking Fredonia in the finals.<\/p>\n
Another reason Plattsburgh did not attain the success most expect was
\nsubpar goaltending.<\/p>\n
“Second, get the timely saves,” Emery said of the other improvement goal
\nfor this year. “Stats can be misleading as far as goaltending is
\nconcerned. You have to get the right save at the right time.”<\/p>\n
Chris Molinaro returns in net, but Karl Helgesson, a disappointment last
\nyear, does not. Dennis Harrsch, who saw very limited action last season is also back.
\nFreshmen Simon LeBlanc and Bryan Hince will be given an opportunity to
\ngrab the number one slot.<\/p>\n
Most of the team returns for the Cardinals as they lost only two players
\nto graduation, Ryan Busby, the second in team scoring last year, and
\nShane Remenda. However, also gone was their leading scorer, Pier-Luc
\nBelanger, who did not return to school after his stellar freshman year
\nand Kevin Galen who transferred to Geneseo.<\/p>\n
That means Nick Rolls, Riley Hill, and T.J. Cooper are some of the
\nplayers who are back.<\/p>\n
“We have a well balanced team,” Emery said. “No superstars. The
\nclosest we have to an All-American is Nick Rolls.”<\/p>\n
The freshmen line of Eric Satim, Kyle VanDermale, and Ryan Clarke have
\nbeen impressive in preseason.<\/p>\n
Losing some top players and dealing with another young team could cause
\nsome stumbling during the season.<\/p>\n
“In the past, when we had a young team, and this year we have a young
\nteam, playing tough games early on the road has hurt us,” Emery said.
\n“But, if you can get off to a good start and head home, the pressure is
\noff, and it’s an advantage.”<\/p>\n
The first three games start out easy and at home — Morrisville twice
\nand Potsdam. But then, they play five tough ones on the road: Oswego,
\nCortland, Buffalo State, Fredonia, and Elmira.<\/p>\n
That first month of play and how well they convert their chances and get
\nthe timely saves will go a long way in determining the type of season
\nPlattsburgh attains.<\/p>\n
Coach:<\/b> Jeff Meredith, 20th season overall and at Fredonia
\n(281-199-47)
\n2006-7 overall record:<\/b> 15-10-5
\n2006-7 SUNYAC record:<\/b> 5-7-2
\n2006-7 SUNYAC finish:<\/b> Fifth
\n2007-8 Predicted finish:<\/b> Fifth<\/p>\n
Predicting what Fredonia is going to do is like figuring out whether
\nParis Hilton is going to wear underwear. You just never know.<\/p>\n
They finished fifth last year, losing four of their final five regular
\nseason games including the finale against Buffalo State at home,
\ncausing them to lose home ice in the playoffs. Then they turned around
\na few days later and beat Buffalo State in double overtime, shocked
\nOswego in overtime, and stunned Plattsburgh in regulation time to win
\nthe SUNYAC championship. All on the road.<\/p>\n
“The thing to do is to work to be better every day,” Fredonia coach Jeff
\nMeredith said about keeping the playoff run momentum going. “Obviously,
\nwe hit our stride at the right time.”<\/p>\n
Fredonia lost a lot of key players — Kyle Bozoian, Scott Bradley, Kraig Kuzma, Joe Muli, Wil Barlow, and Don Jaeger — which could cause them to get off to
\na slow start. <\/p>\n
“We lost six guys that were big parts of our program that played 600
\ngames,” Meredith said.<\/p>\n
At least the Blue Devils’ top scorer last year, Neal Sheehan, returns
\nbrining over 100 career points to the table. Steve Albert, Colin
\nSarfeh, Bryan Goudy, and Matt McKeown also return.<\/p>\n
Some of the new players they will have to rely include Jordon Oye,
\npossibly their top freshman. Andrew Hess, a 6’6″ forward, will start out playing with veterans James Muscatello and Adam Haberman.<\/p>\n
“That’s a pretty strong line,” Meredith said.<\/p>\n
Alex Morton and defensemen Chris DeBruyn and Steve Rizer will make
\ncontributions.<\/p>\n
The goaltender situation is completely opposite. Last season, four
\nfreshmen competed for the job.<\/p>\n
“It’s settled where a year ago it was not,” Meredith said of the job in
\nfront of the net. “I think it’s strong. We got Pat Street and Kevin
\nAmborski, two guys that can win hockey games, and they did last year,
\nKevin down the stretch and Pat Street early in the year.”<\/p>\n
“We got some things to teach them,” Meredith said of his young team. “I
\nthink the way to top it is to just get better every day, understand how
\nhard we have to compete in this league.”<\/p>\n
Expect Fredonia to get off to a slow start but finish strong and give
\nanyone they face in the playoffs fits. If that turns out to be wrong . . .
\nwell . . . start deciding on Paris Hilton’s wardrobe.<\/p>\n
Coach:<\/b> Brian Dickinson, 13th season overall (75-200-29) and 10th
\nseason at Brockport (61-152-23)
\n2006-7 overall record:<\/b> 7-12-7
\n2006-7 SUNYAC record:<\/b> 3-5-5
\n2006-7 SUNYAC finish:<\/b> Sixth
\n2007-8 Predicted finish:<\/b> Sixth<\/p>\n
Four years ago, Brian Dickinson had a plan.<\/p>\n
“We almost hit rock bottom,” he recalls. “We basically gutted the
\nteam. We went out and got 18 freshmen that year that we thought would
\nturn us around. We have 12 of them left.”<\/p>\n
After the first year for that huge recruiting class, Dickinson took a
\nsabbatical for a year, and it set the plan back. He returned last
\nseason, and was rewarded with Brockport’s first playoff appearance in a
\nvery long time.<\/p>\n
Now, those 12 left are entering their final year.<\/p>\n
“To our seniors credit I think the light went on last May before we
\nleft,” Dickinson said. “They all understand that they got 25 games
\nleft, and if they don’t make the most of it they will look back and say
\ndid I really let a good opportunity to help turn that program around
\nslip by.<\/p>\n
“We really got to feed off the leadership of our seniors. If they just
\ncontinue to work hard, they have the talent to compete with a lot of
\nteams especially in our league. Our schedule is set up with eight of
\nour first 11 at home and five of our first seven league games at
\nhome. Hopefully, we can generate some excitement here on campus and get
\nmore people in the seats. Certainly, when we have a better than average
\ncrowd, our guys feed off that and have had success over the last year,
\nand hopefully we’ll build off of that.”<\/p>\n
A key senior to watch is Chris Koras who was last year’s leading scorer
\nwith only two goals but 19 assists.<\/p>\n
“Koras is a monster this year,” Dickinson said. “He’s focused. He
\nwants to get physical. He wants to get it done. He worked really hard
\nover the summer. When they see him working hard and taking the body and
\ndoing all the little things, they all follow, and we’ll need him to
\ncontinue that.”<\/p>\n
Other key seniors will be Gordon Pritchard, Steve Seedhouse, Rick Gates,
\nJason Dolgy, Chris Brown, Tony Marinello, and Steve Wowchuck. Also,
\ndon’t forget Dave McNab who transferred from Plattsburgh halfway through
\nlast season. In goal, it will mostly be sophomore Todd Sheridan with
\nsenior Greg Van’t Hof called upon often to provide Sheridan a rest.<\/p>\n
Though the Golden Eagles will rely heavily on their upperclassmen, there
\nare a few freshmen that could contribute such as Gentry Zollars and
\nJustin Noble.<\/p>\n
“Gentry is a great fit. I really like what he brings,” Dickinson said.
\n“Justin is a natural goal scorer out of the Midwest Junior League that
\nwe hope once he adjust to the speed of our game mentally will produce.”<\/p>\n
Dickinson’s long range plan panned out last year. Now, he hopes he can
\ntake it to the next level. They have 25 games left to make it reality.<\/p>\n
Coach:<\/b> Aaron Saul, first season as head coach
\n2006-7 overall record:<\/b> 5-19-1
\n2006-7 SUNYAC record:<\/b> 3-10-1
\n2006-7 SUNYAC finish:<\/b> Eighth
\n2007-8 Predicted finish:<\/b> Seventh<\/p>\n
Last season was a huge disappointment for Potsdam which resulted in a
\nlast place finish. Glenn Thomaris left and the school hired Aaron Saul,
\nwho was an assistant coach at Potsdam before holding the same job at
\nElmira. Saul then brought in another former Elmira player, Darcy
\nPettie, to be his assistant coach.<\/p>\n
Saul cleaned house in Potsdam. Some players did not make the cut from
\ntraining camp. Twelve freshmen are on the team as only four seniors — Greg Lee, Lance Smith, Vince Tarantino, and Rob Barnhardt — were kept.<\/p>\n
“They’ll have to show the way for the young guys, how to compete and
\nplay every night,” Saul said.<\/p>\n
Three of the new players are transfers, all forwards: Lindsey Boulter
\n(Northland), Nick Carelli (Morrisville), and Peter Vaisanen (Neumann).<\/p>\n
As for the freshmen, keep your eye on forward Fraser Smith, as he may be
\nthe best of the lot. Add in Spencer Noyes, Kevin MacLellan, and Colin
\nMacLennan and those four will make an impact right away.<\/p>\n
The forwards will be led by returning veterans Connor Treacy, the team’s
\nsecond leading scorer last year, and Luke Beck. Missing of course is
\nRyan McCarthy who graduated last year, as did Adam Gebrara. Pat Lemay
\ndid not return. That’s a trio that will be sorely missed.<\/p>\n
Defensively, it will be mostly returning players who see the playing
\ntime. Smith and Tarantino will anchor the defense with Steve
\nCornelissen and Jeff Zatorski playing significant roles. Four freshmen
\nwill round out the blueliners.<\/p>\n
All of this is moot if Potsdam doesn’t solve their goaltending woes,
\nwhich was the worst in the league last year.<\/p>\n
“Our goaltending is probably the position we improved the most,” Saul said.<\/p>\n
Thanks to Thomaris who left behind Rick Miller, a prized recruit. He
\nhad to sit out last year due to his junior hockey participation. If he
\nlives up to his anticipated potential, Potsdam’s fortunes could take a
\nquick reversal this year.<\/p>\n
The Bears will have to overcome an unfavorable schedule. They open the
\nseason on the road for the first seven games, five of which are SUNYAC
\ncontests. Then, after returning home for a pair against Morrisville,
\nthey head back on the bus to the Babson Tournament.<\/p>\n
“Definitely a tough task,” Saul admits. “But with many new faces, it
\ngets a team to know each other better when they are all together on the
\nroad. I think we need that for a young team.”<\/p>\n
Surviving that stretch will be hard enough, never mind trying to avoid
\nfalling into a big hole.<\/p>\n
“We have nowhere to go but up,” Saul said. “Our goal is just to put
\nPotsdam back on the map and make the playoffs and hopefully surprise a
\nfew teams along the way.”<\/p>\n
Anything can happen. But only if the goaltending improves.<\/p>\n
Coach:<\/b> Joe Baldarotta, 16th season overall (265-171-38) and first
\nseason at Cortland
\n2006-7 overall record:<\/b> 8-14-3
\n2006-7 SUNYAC record:<\/b> 3-8-3
\n2006-7 SUNYAC finish:<\/b> Seventh
\n2007-8 Predicted finish:<\/b> Eighth<\/p>\n
Last season, Cortland started out with some promise thanks to a 3-0
\nstart. This was due to the standout play of freshman goaltender, Ben
\nBinga. However, it was soon discovered that Binga had a hot streak, and
\nthis sort of hot streak was not conducive to providing the team with a
\nhot streak.<\/p>\n
At the end of the season, coach Tom Cranfield decided to turn his
\ninterim assistant athletic director job into a permanent one and stepped
\naway from the bench. Cortland then surprised everyone by hiring a big
\nname: Joe Baldarotta from Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Baldarotta’s
\nreputation as well as a national championship in 1993 instantly raised
\nCortland’s status.<\/p>\n
The hard task of raising Cortland’s performance as well as
\nrespect on their own campus now begins.<\/p>\n
“I’d love to get us some recognition somehow,” Baldarotta said. “We
\ndon’t play in front of big crowds. I’d like to get us a nice fan base
\nthat we’d like to be Cortland’s team and have them rally around us. I
\nthink you do that by being a hard working blue collar team and have some
\nclass. I think we’re starting to get that message across and our kids
\nare buying into that.”<\/p>\n
Baldarotta’s system is going to be all about the team, not the individual.<\/p>\n
“You know what, right now we have a real solid team as a team,” he
\nsaid. “I really don’t want to say too much about individuals right now.
\nI need them to first learn to play as a unit. We even took the names
\noff the jerseys so it is not as individual. We want to play as a team.”<\/p>\n
That team is made up mostly of players returning from last year. The
\nbiggest loss was Buddy Anderson, the team’s number four scorer last
\nyear. Top returnees include top scorer Barry McLaughlin, Nick
\nCatanzaro, Gerard Heinz, Zach Dehm, Frank Rizzo, Frank Shackford, and
\nNick Egan. <\/p>\n
Only four freshmen are listed on the roster, defensemen Brent Fallon, Joe Leonard, and Justin Porpora and forward Jarrett Gold. Also new on the team is sophomore defenseman Craig Cole who transferred from Fredonia.<\/p>\n
It will initially be a tough road for Baldarotta and the Red Dragons.
\nHe did not have much time to bring in his own players, and he will need
\nto adjust to a new team not used to winning and a slightly different
\nstyle of hockey.<\/p>\n
Even though Baldarotta did change hockey worlds by moving from east to west, he
\ndid move from one diary state to another. Whether he prefers Wisconsin
\nor New York cheese, he does acknowledge there are some differences.<\/p>\n
“There is a difference between western and eastern hockey,” Baldarotta
\nsaid. “I know there are little subtle nuances, and I have to learn the
\ndifferences. I’m really happy to be here. I really like it out here,
\nand I really like the way the kids are responding to me. It’s been a
\nreally good experience.”<\/p>\n
Wonder how he will feel the first time Binga blows up. . . .<\/p>\n
Coach:<\/b> Brian Grady, first season as head coach
\n2006-7 overall record:<\/b> 7-10-0
\n2006-7 SUNYAC record:<\/b> NA
\n2006-7 SUNYAC finish:<\/b> NA
\n2007-8 Predicted finish:<\/b> Ninth<\/p>\n
Morrisville showed that success at the junior college level does not
\nimmediately translate into success at the NCAA level. They had moments
\nduring the season, but overall consistency was lacking which resulted in
\na losing season. More importantly, only two of their wins were against
\nfuture SUNYAC opponents while three of those victories were against another
\nnew program, Becker. A pair of victories against Plymouth State rounded
\nout the win column.<\/p>\n
Transitions are never as easy as they appear. And, to top it off, their
\nlongtime coach, Earl Utter, decided to leave before the transition was
\ncompleted, which means the players now need to transition to a new coach
\nwho is transitioning to his first head coaching job.<\/p>\n
“It’s a tough challenge in every way, shape, and form,” new coach Brian
\nGrady said. “The whole university is still in a phase moving from a
\ntwo-year school into a four-year institution. New programs are added
\nall the time. It seems like a new building is going up every year.<\/p>\n
“Athletically, recruiting is going to be one of the biggest challenges
\nfor us. We’re excited about it. We really pounded the pavement for the
\nfirst few months.”<\/p>\n
The top recruit from that pavement pounding may turn out to be Rob
\nSgarbossa. A lot will be expected from him offensively while he is also
\na top defensive forward.<\/p>\n
Dave Schultz is a big, strong forward with a powerful shot. Caylin
\nReikoff may end up winning the goaltending duties especially since
\nTravis Moore did not return, though Brett Freese did.<\/p>\n
A key skater returning is Evan Kernohan, who played forward in junior
\nhockey but has transitioned to defense for the Mustangs. The team’s
\nleading scorer from last year, Matt Damskov, is back along with Joseph
\nHerman, Andrew Alarie, Stefan Carnegie, Keith Williams, Brent Quinn, and
\nSamuel Forget.<\/p>\n
“We have established the opportunity that the players are going to earn
\ntheir jerseys in practice every single day,” Grady said. “To this
\npoint, I think we really established a great work ethic and intensity
\nlevel.”<\/p>\n
This is the second year of Morrisville’s transition to the NCAA. This
\nmeans that they now will compete in the SUNYAC as a member, but will be
\nineligible for the playoffs since they cannot compete in the NCAA
\npostseason. Ultimately, then, they are the de facto season long spoilers.<\/p>\n
“We want everyone to leave the rink and say, ‘Man, that team plays
\nhard,'” Grady said. “We’re playing spoiler all year long. Our guys are
\nrelishing the role of the underdog.”<\/p>\n
Underdog spoilers during a transition. This could be interesting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Patterns are meant to be broken. For the third year in a row, after years of relative stability, a number of coaching changes occurred in the SUNYAC. In Potsdam, Aaron Saul replaced Glenn Thomaris, who left the school. Earl Utter left Morrisville and took a job coaching the women’s team at Cortland, another SUNYAC school. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[322],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n