Season Preview

Season previews for teams

2003-04 WCHA Season Preview

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Two-time defending national champion Minnesota might come from the WCHA, but winning the league title is a whole different matter, it seems. Todd D. Milewski previews the conference’s 52nd session.

2003-04 Michigan Tech Season Preview

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You don’t enter college expecting to play for three different coaches in your four years. The NHL, maybe, but not college, where coaches get the time they need to try to rebuild a program that has lost its way. This season’s seniors at Michigan Tech, however, will be playing for head coach No. 3 as … Read more

2002-03 Fredonia Season Preview

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The Obvious When you are coming off a year in which you got less than two goals a league game and had the league’s worst power play at 10.8%, it’s fairly easy to spot what needs improvement. “Obviously, we need to score some goals to be there at the end,” said Fredonia coach Jeff Meredith. … Read more

2002-03 Buffalo State Season Preview

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Looking For More The Buffalo State Bengals achieved a first last year — a SUNYAC playoff spot. Now, they will be looking for more, such as home ice in the postseason and a winning record. It won’t be easy, as they lost 10 players, many of them key personnel, and their Western New York rival, … Read more

2002-03 Oswego Season Preview

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Strong Tandem Of the teams with strong goaltenders, Oswego may be in the best position of all. The Lakers have the best tandem in net, each of whom would probably start for any other team. Instead, they will most likely get to share the starting role, as they did last year. Senior Joe Lofberg comes … Read more

2002-03 Cortland Season Preview

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On The Right Path The 2001-2 season was a turnaround for Cortland, which finished tied for third place at 7-5-2 and sported an overall record of 14-11-4. The Red Dragons will be looking to continue on that road, as second year coach Tom Cranfield continues to put his mark on the team. “We’ll need to … Read more

2002-03 Geneseo Season Preview

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Lost A Lot Last year was a successful one for first-year coach Brian Hills. His Geneseo Ice Knights worked out early-season kinks, then went 11-7-2 for the rest of the year, finished tied for third, defeated Potsdam in the first round in a thrilling mini-game, and stretched Plattsburgh to a mini-game before losing. With that … Read more

2002-03 SUNYAC Season Preview

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The Year of the Goaltender may be here in the SUNYAC, and that’s despite the graduation of All-World Niklas Sundberg. Plattsburgh might be the favorite once again, but faces old and new at other programs will have something to say about that.

2002-03 Potsdam Season Preview

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A Change At The Helm In Potsdam’s 24 years as a varsity hockey program, the Bears have had only two coaches. John Horan led the team from club to varsity to playoff status while earning three SUNYAC Coach of the Year awards. Then, he stepped down from coaching (but remained employed by the school), and … Read more

2002-03 Brockport Season Preview

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It’s Been A While February 15, 2000, to be exact. That was the last time that Brockport won a league game. Since then, it has gone 0-25-3 in SUNYAC regular-season play (and 0-1-1 in the playoffs right after that last win). With that kind of streak, you set modest goals. Brian Dickinson told his players, … Read more

2002-03 Plattsburgh Season Preview

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No More Sundberg There is no beating around the bush. Niklas Sundberg is gone. One of the top goaltenders ever at Plattsburgh, and in Division III for that matter, has done his four years. Now, Plattsburgh needs to replace the two-time All-American who led it to a national championship in 2001. For now, that burden … Read more

Providence 2002-2003 Season Preview

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Providence coach Bob Deraney doesn’t want to look at 2002-03 as a whole new season but rather a continuation of the last one. And who can blame him? Providence closed out last season with a run through the ECAC East tournament that included an upset of eventual Frozen Four participant Niagara, followed by a 1-0 … Read more

Connecticut 2002-2003 Season Preview

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Fourteen sophomores and five freshmen make up the bulk of Connecticut’s ever-developing women’s hockey program. There are two juniors as well, and naturally, with no seniors, they’re both captains. Such are the circumstances Heather Linstad faces in her third year as UConn head coach, her second with a full recruiting class. “I wouldn’t have taken … Read more

New Hampshire 2002-2003 Season Preview

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Of the six coaches in Hockey East, five of them have been with their programs for at least two years. The only new guy in town is New Hampshire’s Brian McCloskey, who steps over from the associate men’s coach position to become just the third coach in the 25-year history of the women’s program. McCloskey … Read more

Boston College 2002-2003 Season Preview

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Boston College may have won just nine games last season, but those nine were the best output in the young program’s history. Now coach Tom Babson is expecting to make it to the next level. The goal of reaching the Hockey East playoffs by finishing in the league’s top four, he feels, is within reach. … Read more

2002-2003 Northeastern Season Preview

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Northeastern coach Joy Woog’s master plan for the inaugural Hockey East season is to emulate the growth of a successful team from the 2001-02 ECAC East season. No, it’s not last year’s Huskies, who started the year with 10 straight wins and finished 27-7-1. Rather, Woog wants to be like last year’s Providence team — … Read more

Maine 2002-2003 Season Preview

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Just three years ago, Maine was a six-win team. Today, the Black Bears are coming off back-to-back above-.500 campaigns, and coach Rick Filighera thinks his program can compete with anyone this year. “All of sudden, we show up a rink, we can win that game now, but we can also lose that game,” he said, … Read more

2002-03 RIT Season Preview

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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

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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