Season previews for teams
“We’d like to be a pleasant surprise,” were the words from Canisius head coach Brian Cavanaugh. Now in his 24th season behind the Griffs’ bench, Cavanaugh has learned that it’s better to be cautiously optimistic than to set expectations that are hard to meet. “I think the players have their expectations,” said Cavanaugh, the dean … Read more
Brian Riley, who took the head coaching reins from his brother Rob at Army this summer, is not the only new thing at West Point this year. No, half the locker room is brand new to the U.S. Military Academy — all freshmen — after Riley cleaned house upon arrival this summer. Talk about the … Read more
Depending on where you’ve been for the past five or six months, a lot has changed in Atlantic Hockey. In essence, it became known that the league was somewhat a home for the “wannabes” of the college hockey world, though those who know the league well won’t find that a strange discovery. The summer brought … Read more
Just score more goals. That’s what American International coach Gary Wright wants his team to accomplish this season. A year ago, the AIC offense scored what Wright called an “anemic” 2.04 goals per game in league play, which easily ranked dead last. Combine that with a league-worst 4.04 goals against per game and there’s no … Read more
In the North Country, St. Lawrence will look to rebound from an inconsistent season to try and regain a slice of its former identity. “The big thing for this team over the last couple of years,” explained Saints coach Joe Marsh, “has been trying to get back into it. It is not done overnight. Often … Read more
When George Roll returned to Potsdam last season after six years at Oswego, the former Clarkson assistant realized that life had changed a bit since the mid-1990s. “Last year,” explained the Knights’ head coach, “I learned that the league had changed a lot and Clarkson had changed a lot since I was here. We had … Read more
It was a tough inaugural season for Union coach Nate Leaman in 2003-04. He saw his team jump out to one of the best records in the country only to go on an extended losing streak that sucked the life out of its early momentum. And while the Dutchmen did win seven of their last … Read more
One coach who ended the regular season with a grin was Colgate’s Stan Moore, who took over on an interim basis for Don Vaughan and guided the Raiders to the top spot. But after a Coach of the Year performance — his second such accolade in just three seasons as a head coach — Moore … Read more
After years of pleading and more than just a few rants from fans and media alike — not to mention players, coaches and administrators — a new ECAC was born during the offseason. Say hello to the ECAC Hockey League (ECACHL). Finally, at long last, we have a conference that is focused on hockey. The … Read more
So, yes, this is UVM’s final season as a member of the only Division I conference it has ever known. Not that the Catamounts are giving it much thought. “We’re really not concerned,” said head coach Kevin Sneddon, “about this being our last year. We are trying to make big strides with our program regardless … Read more
In a season when Rensselaer was expected to make very little noise, it did just the opposite en route to posting 22 victories in 2003-04. Regular-season champ Colgate was the only other ECAC team to break the 20-win plateau. “It was really the year prior to last where we got most of our experience,” explained … Read more
The Falcons tied opponents nine times last season, including six CCHA one-pointers. The near-misses — against opponents as diverse as Lake Superior State, Cornell, Union and Northern Michigan — would be enough to frustrate any team, but BGSU head coach Scott Paluch takes them as signs of improvement. He also takes encouragement for the Falcons’ … Read more
In a league that graduated a large class at the end of the 2003-04 season, the Mavericks are an anomaly with 20 veterans on the roster for the upcoming campaign. While that can be a positive — experience, maturity — these are the same Mavericks responsible for last year’s last-place finish. The kindest way to … Read more
“Youth is the strength of our hockey program.” So says first-year head coach Tavis MacMillan, and he’d better be right. The Nanooks welcome 11 rookies this season — almost half the team — after saying goodbye to a senior class that twice engineered home ice in the first round of the CCHA playoffs and brought … Read more
The 2003-04 season is one that Bulldog head coach Bob Daniels would like to put behind him. “It was a disappointing year … coming off the championship season. I don’t think we handled success all that well and I don’t think we got off to a very good start.” Last year’s record of 15-20-3 was … Read more
What can you say about a campaign that ended just one puckwidth away from a trip to Joe Louis Arena? “It was a very emotional season for us,” says Western Michigan head coach Jim Culhane. The Broncos had a wild ride in 2003-04, putting together an 8-2-1 midseason streak before running into Michigan, then — … Read more
Ask any coach in the league about Lake Superior State, and he’ll tell you that they play hard. They compete for 60 minutes, skate and execute well, take the body and finish their checks — and absolutely cannot find the back of an opponent’s net. Like any head coach, Frank Anzalone demands that his players … Read more
Chris Conner, Colin Murphy and Taggart Desmet broke onto the WCHA scene last season with a burst of offense not usually expected from Michigan Tech. It was the kind of statement new coach Jamie Russell wanted to see his team make. Russell, a former Tech defenseman, wanted to shake the Huskies out of their doldrums … Read more
Time does not speed up once you’ve won the national championship. It only seems that way. George Gwozdecky can attest. The Denver coach saw his summer reduced to a blur after the Pioneers won their first national championship in 35 years in Boston last April. “It was busier than I have ever experienced here,” said … Read more
Everything didn’t go perfectly for Wisconsin last season, but it’s hard to ignore how close it got to an unexpected breakthrough under coach Mike Eaves. The Badgers had trouble finding consistent offensive production and had subpar special teams. But the reason they were just an overtime goal away from the Frozen Four is the same … Read more