{"id":25399,"date":"2003-01-09T14:35:28","date_gmt":"2003-01-09T20:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2003\/01\/09\/this-week-in-the-ecac-west-jan-9-2003\/"},"modified":"2010-08-17T19:55:21","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T00:55:21","slug":"this-week-in-the-ecac-west-jan-9-2003","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2003\/01\/09\/this-week-in-the-ecac-west-jan-9-2003\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in the ECAC West: Jan. 9, 2003"},"content":{"rendered":"
The schedule for ECAC West teams is naturally split into three distinct sections. First are the games from the start of the season up to the Christmas holiday. The second season begins with the New Year and carries through to the end of the regular season. The third season is what every team is playing for: the league and NCAA playoffs.<\/p>\n
With the holidays now behind us, the first season is completed. As the teams opened the second season this past weekend, let’s look back at some of the surprises of the first season.<\/p>\n
While Manhattanville has been rapidly building a strong program for the past three years, it is a surprise to find the Valiants at the top of the standings in the ECAC West halfway through the season.<\/p>\n
Manhattanville ended the first semester on a huge high by soundly defeating RIT. The Valiants had come close to beating RIT early last season, and outplayed the Tigers but lost in their first meeting this year. But the monkey finally was thrown off of Manhattanville’s back on December 7 in what might be the Valiants’ biggest win to date.<\/p>\n
“Beating Hobart and RIT in the same weekend was the biggest weekend in the history of our program,” said Manhattanville coach Keith Levinthal.<\/p>\n
Hustle and defense have been the keys to success. The Valiants are consistently winning the races to loose pucks, and outhustling opponents for a full 60 minutes each game.<\/p>\n
Manhattanville’s defense has been solid the entire first semester. In all but two games this season, the Valiants’ defense has limited its opponent to three goals or fewer. The stingy defense leads the ECAC West in goals against, and is ranked tenth in the nation, allowing only 2.36 goals per game.<\/p>\n
Even though RIT completed the first season with an 8-1-1 record, something most teams would be ecstatic about, the Tigers struggled through most of those games, playing with little desire.<\/p>\n
“I wasn’t real happy with how we were competing for most of the first half,” said RIT coach Wayne Wilson. “We needed to compete harder than we were competing. We have a lot more people who need to step up and be leaders, and not rely on the older players.”<\/p>\n
The Tiger whom most noted was All-American goaltender Tyler Euverman. He seemed to be fighting every shot, not playing like the rock-solid netminder that most RIT fans take for granted.<\/p>\n
“Right before the break, I wasn’t seeing the puck very well,” said Euverman. “But with the start of the second half of the season, I knew that I needed to put my foot down.”<\/p>\n
Elmira started the season with many question marks on defense and in goaltending. An extremely young corps of players took some lumps losing two opening contests to St. Norbert. But they started to come together as the first season progressed.<\/p>\n
A sweep of league foe Utica, and a big tie against arch-nemesis Plattsburgh, were important stepping stones. It appears that the Soaring Eagles have worked the kinks out and are ready to make some noise in the second half of the season.<\/p>\n
During the holidays, the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation announced the 2003 nominees for this prestigious award. For the first time ever, a student-athlete was nominated from the ECAC West conference.<\/p>\n
Bryan Isola, a senior assistant captain from Neumann, was among the list of nominees. Isola hails from Kennett Square, Pa., just a few miles west of the Neumann campus.<\/p>\n
The stay-at-home defenseman has contributed significantly to the Neumann team as it made its transition into the ECAC West.<\/p>\n
“He’s quite a young man,” said Neumann coach Nick Russo. “The program is starting to turn the corner, and it is due to him. You’ve seen the positive attitude on our bench and in the locker room, and I attribute that attitude in there particularly to Bryan Isola.”<\/p>\n
The Hockey Humanitarian Award is about much more than athletic performance on the ice. As described by the Foundation, “We want to acknowledge the accomplishments of personal character, scholarship, and the giving of oneself off the ice to the larger community as well.”<\/p>\n
Academically, he has excelled earning a 3.67 GPA majoring in Sports Management, and has been named to the Dean’s List five of his six semesters at Neumann. <\/p>\n
Isola freely gives his time and talent back to the community, both on campus and off. He has been a tutor with the school’s Academic Resource Center since he was a freshman.<\/p>\n
Last season, the hockey team held a “Knights Fight Illiteracy” book drive to benefit local Hispanic charities. Isola single-handedly collected over 500 books for the drive. He is also a leader in “Mission and Ministry,” an organization at Catholic-based Neumann that organizes activities like food drives to benefit local charities. Isola has also helped to organize volunteers to assist with Neumann’s annual “Senior Citizen Dinner Dance” each of his year’s at the college.<\/p>\n
“Bryan’s list of helping out is never-ending,” said Russo.<\/p>\n
In addition to his work with campus organizations whose effects are felt outside the school’s community, Isola also coaches youth hockey at a local ice rink.<\/p>\n
“He’s put up with all this nonsense with our team for four years, and has never lost his composure, which in and of itself is pretty humanitarian.” said Russo.<\/p>\n
This week marks the beginning of virtual tour of the ice rinks around the ECAC West. Each of the next six weeks, we will visit one of the rinks, tour the facility, and grade it in eight different criteria. <\/p>\n