2002-03 RIT Season Preview

It seems like every preseason RIT fans are talking about losing an All-American to graduation. Jamie Morris, Pat Staerker, Steve Toll. A look at the ’02-’03 preseason shows nothing different, as RIT tries to find a way to replace three-time first-team All-American and 2002 AHCA College Division Player of the Year Jerry Galway. “Obviously Galway … Read more

2002-03 Manhattanville Season Preview

This year is when life gets interesting for the Manhattanville hockey team, its coach Keith Levinthal, and its fans. Manhattanville’s fourth recruiting class enters this year as freshmen. Over the past three years, the team has had a taste of some success and some frustrations. The Valiants reached the ECAC West championship game once (2000), … Read more

2002-03 Elmira Season Preview

It has been five long years since the Soaring Eagles have been invited to the NCAA tournament. Elmira’s last trip to the Big Dance was in the ’96-’97 season, when they lost a two game series to St. Johns in the quarterfinals. That ties the longest such stretch in school history, which first occurred back … Read more

2002-03 Utica Season Preview

Last year was a learning experience for the Pioneers, as they started from nothing and quickly built a team people noticed. Gary Heenan’s theme last season was that his team of freshmen needed to gain maturity and learn to play like sophomores and juniors in order to achieve their goal of making the playoffs. The … Read more

2002-03 ECAC West Season Preview

Not long ago, the ECAC West was in trouble. Left with a barely-functional membership of four, the league’s future was cloudy. Those days are past now. With a solid base to build on, the conference’s partisans look forward to a healthy 2002-03 season. Scott Biggar takes us onto the ice.

2002-03 Neumann Season Preview

Last year was Neumann’s rookie season in the ECAC West. After playing an independent Division III schedule for three seasons, the Knights stepped into league play and received an eye-opening reception, getting thoroughly thumped in most of their contests. “It couldn’t get any worse than last year,” said Neumann coach Nick Russo. “I say that, … Read more

2002-03 Hobart Season Preview

Adding depth is the name of the game this year for Hobart. The Statesmen played all of last season with only 14 forwards and six defensemen. Luckily for Hobart, the team didn’t suffer a lot of injuries during the season, and made it through without the bench shrinking too much. Head coach Mark Taylor is … Read more

2002-03 Mercyhurst Season Preview

Optimism abounds at Mercyhurst, where preparations are well under way for the program’s fourth season. Head coach Michael Sisti’s first recruiting class comes into its senior season having won 61 games; the group makes up half of the team’s 24-player roster. “It’s been a fun ride,” Sisti said. “It’s been fun watching them grow and … Read more

2002-03 Findlay Season Preview

After a 9-4 exhibition win over Windsor on Sept. 28, Findlay head coach Adam Brinker knew his young team still had some work to do. “We saw a lot of early-season mistakes,” Brinker said. “They were mistakes that are typical of young teams. But we’ve had a couple of weeks to correct those things. I … Read more

Minnesota Maintains First In USCHO.com Poll

Minnesota used a convincing 7-2 victory over Ohio State in the annual Hall of Fame Game, held this year at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, to continue its dominance of the top spot in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll. The Gophers earned 24 of the 40 first place votes, and finished with … Read more

2002-03 North Dakota Season Preview

North Dakota opened its inaugural season by splitting a pair of exhibition games at Manitoba; the games summed up what head coach Shantel Rivard had said of her team beforehand. “We have a young, inexperienced team,” she said during training camp. “Our fitness level is good and we’re putting in a lot of hard work. … Read more

2002-03 Wayne State Season Preview

Competition is the name of the game for Wayne State this year. When few women’s teams carry more than 23 players, the Warriors will start the season with 28 players on the roster, a move head coach Tom O’Malley hopes will improve his team. “It’s created some interesting competition in training camp,” he said. “When … Read more

2002-03 Niagara Season Preview

After reaching the NCAA Frozen Four last season, Niagara returns 15 players and brings plenty of optimism for success to the 2002-03 season. First off, however, they have to find a way to replace a couple of big holes. The Purple Eagles lose just six letterwinners but four are significant. Gone are all-time leading scorer … Read more