Rene LeClerc is preparing for his final season behind the Southern New Hampshire University bench. The likeable coach, who also played for SNHU, will hand the reins over to assistant Ken Hutchins next year.
When asked how his team looks this year, LeClerc didn’t ponder long for the answer. “Our strength is going to be up front this year. We’ve got Brandon Hammermeister, Dominic DiMarzo, Chet Riley, Joshua Douglas, and Evan Williams back. That gives us two lines, including Jon Frey, who will be stepping in. It gives us good balance.”
Frey is the only freshman of the group, and he comes to SNHU from Cushing Academy. The others made up four of the top five point producers last year, with Hammermeister leading the way overall with 14-27–41 in 25 games, and DiMarzo leading the way with 16 goals in 27 games.
On defense, seniors Kyle Bousquet and Ken Burlage are back. “They give us two solid seniors, they’re good bangers, play solid defense, and occasionally rush the puck.” LeClerc said. Senior Dominic Cavallaro and sophomore David Carroll will be asked to provide some veteran leadership to a group of younger players, such as freshmen Matt Sayer and Kent Honeyman.
In goal, look for sophomore Matt Courchesne to lead the way. The sophomore played a lot of minutes late last year. He’ll be competing for more minutes with sophomore Jeff Steer, and freshmen Carmine Vetrano.
