ECAC

HARVARD

Last Season Overalls: 24-5-4

Last Season ECAC: 16-2-4

Last Season ECAC Finish: 4

Nead Coach Ronn Tomassoni

Captain (s): Ben Coughlin

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Steve Martins (25-36-60)

Top Goalle (W-L-T-GAA): Tripp Tracy (12-3-2, 3.02)

Lost/Returning: 7/18

1

Harvard's offense is solid, as it lost only two forwards to graduation. The return of junior Brad Konik will also be a big plus.

Junior goalie Tripp Tracy will see most of the action in goal because of Aaron Israel's defection to the Philadelphia Flyers, but the increased workload should help Tracy get into a groove.

The defense lost three players to graduation, but the addition of some strong freshmen and the return of senior Michel Breistroff from the French national team should bolster the blue-line.

The defense is a question mark, but Harvard should be at or near the top of the ECAC come March. For more on Harvard, see page 1.

CLARKSON

Last Season Overall: 20-9-5

Last Season ECAC: 13-5-4

Last Season ECAC Finish: 2

Head Coach: Mark Morris

Captain(s): Brain Mueller, Patrice Robitaille, Marko Tuomainen

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Mueller (17-39-56)

Top Returning Goalies None

Lost/Returning: 6/17.

2

Clarkson always brings forth a solid hockey team from the Frozen North, and this year should be no exception.

The Golden Knights are solid on the blue line as they return six defensemen to their team, including Hobey Baker candidates Brian Mueller. Mueller is the quarterback on the power play and adds a lot to the offense as well as playing a solid defense.

The offense also returns many players and features Marko Tuomainen--this "Flying Finn" is a proven 20-goal scorer. In addition Claude Morin, who was Kent State's leading scorer the last three years, has transferred to Clarkson and is eligible immediately.

The only question mark for Clarkson will be in net, as the Knights lost goalie Jason Currie to graduation. There will be a three-way battle for the job among Jonathan Parrella, Dan Murphy and Kerry Blanchard, but if the offense and defense execute as they are expected to, then nobody should even be concerned about the goalie situation.

VERMONT

Last Season Overall: 15-12-5

Last Season ECAC: 10-6-6

Last Season ECAC Finish: 5

Head Coach: Mike Gilligan

Captain(s): Jason Williams

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Martin St. Louis (15-36-51)

Top Goalie (W-L-T-GAA): Tim Thomas (15-11-6, 3.06)

Lost/Returning: 4/23

3

Vermont should be right up there as long as the infamous sophomore slump doesn't hit the Catamounts.

Second-year forwards Eric Perrin and Martin St. Louis are coming off brilliant seasons and should lead the Vermont attack, along with senior Dominique Ducharme. Perrin and St. Louis are swift and crafty, having compiled 45 and 51 points last season.

Another sophomore--Tim Thomas--is as good a goaltender as there is now in the ECAC and will be counted on to keep opponents baffled. Thomas will be supported by seven returning defensemen.

This team just missed making the ECAC final four last year, losing to Brown in the third game of a best-of-three series, and should be much improved this year.

COLGATE

Last Season Overall: 14-17-2

Last Season ECAC: 10-10-2

Last Season ECAC Finish: 7

Head Coach: Don Vaughan

Captain(s): Ron Fogarty

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Mike Harder (21-25-46)

Top Goalie (W-L-T-GAA): Jason Gates (7-12-1, 4.30)

Lost/Returning: 7/20

4

The Red Raiders sure love to score goals--their 97 ECAC tallies was third best last year. However, the defense was on the soft side, allowing 90 goals against.

Naturally, they will go as far as their defense and senior Jason Gates and junior Matt Weder can take them. What will help the squad back on the blue-line is its experience--all eight defenders are back.

Captain Ron Fogarty and sophomore Mike Harder had solid offensive seasons last year for Colgate and can be expected to lead the attack again this year.

The Red Raiders are a squad that should surprise many a foe this year, as they haven't had too much success in the past. Last year was a turning point for the team, and they even handed the Crimson its first loss of the year in a 7-6 game last November.

RPI

Last Season Overall: 21-11-4

Last Season ECAC: 12-6-4

Last Season ECAC Finish: 3

Head Coach: Dan Frigden

Captain(s): Adam Bartell, Jeff Brick, Kelley Askew

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Brian Richardon (23-29-52)

Top Goalie (W-L-T-GAA): M. Tamburro (2-1-0, 1.79)

Lost/Returning: 6/16

5

The Engineers are almost always at the top of the standings come March, but they go into the 1994-95 campaign with some uncertainty in between the pipes.

Super-goalie Neil Little graduated last year, which leaves freshman Bryan Masotta and junior Mike Tamburro to fight for the starting job in net.

RPI has started off Dan Frigden's reign as head coach rather slowly with a 5-1 loss to Boston University and a 2-1 win over Merrimack. Former coach Buddy Powers abdicated in favor of the CCHA and Bowling Green.

The offense returns seven of its top ten scorers from last year, highlighted by Bryan Richardson, Craig Hamelin and Wayne Clarke. Nevertheless the loss of Ron Pasco, Xavier Majic and Brad Layzell will hurt up front.

The defense will be bolstered by three freshmen who stand over six-feet tall--Chris Aldous, Patrick Brownlee and Bryan Tapper. The youth will probably determine whether the Engineers can get to the ECAC Final Four.

UNION

Last Season Overall: 15-11-4

Last Season ECAC: 10-9-3

Last Season ECAC Finish: 6

Head Coach: Bruce Delventhal

Captain(s): Cory Holbrough, Chris Albert, Reid Simonton

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Chris Ford (20-15-35)

Top Goalie (W-L-T-GAA): Mike Gallant (10-9-2, 3.75)

Lost/Returning: 1/21

6

The Skating Dutchmen were the surprise team in the ECAC last year, finishing sixth--the first time they haven't finished last since making the jump from Division III to Division I four years ago.

Several freshmen (in class name only, as most are over 20 years old) led the team's revival, including 20-goal scorer Chris Ford. Luigi Villa and Mike Gallant will be back in net for Bruce Delventhal's squad.

Maybe Union won't fool many opponents this year, but the Dutchmen are still a good, experienced team nonetheless. And any team that has Kevin Sneddon '92 as an assistant coach has to get an extra does of respect over here.

BROWN

Last Season Overall: 15-13-4

Last Season ECAC: 12-7-3

Last Season ECAC Finish: 4

Head Coach: BoB Gaudet

Captain(s): Mike Traggio

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Ryan Mulhem (18-17-35)

Top Goalie (W-L-T-GAA): Mike Parsons (2-4-1, 4.38)

Lost/Returning: 7/24

7

The Bears were hit hard by graduation, goaltender Geoff Finch departure the most noteworthy. Finch started the past four years for Bob Gaudet, and now the coach will have to hope for a strong effort from junior Mike Parson. On the positive side, most of the defense is returning.

Brown will also have to fill in several young players up front with the loss of its entire front line: Kelly Jones, Mark Fabbro and Chris Kaban--a second team All ECAC player. Juniors Brian Jardine and Ryan Mulhern and senior Eric Trach will have big shoes to fill up front.

Brown has had much success in recent years, finishing fourth in the ECAC regular season standings. The Crimson eliminated the Bears in the ECAC semifinal last year.

All one can say about this year's squad is wait and see. If the new guys do well, then Brown should be right in the thick of things at the end of the season.

ST. LAWRENCE

Last Season Overall: 10-21-0

Last Season ECAC: 8-14-0

Last Season ECAC Finish: 10

Head Coach: Joe Marsh

Captain(s): Brian Kapeller, Tom Perry, Jeff Kungle

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Burke Murphy (20-17-37)

Top Goalie (W-L-T-GAA): Jon Bracco (4-4-0, 3.61)

Lost/Returning: 6/16

8

A tenth-place finish by St. Lawrence last season was a shocker up in Canton, N.Y. The Saints are almost always one of the top teams in the league, but injuries and inexperience killed them last year.

The team finished strong, falling to Harvard in a 5-4 overtime game in the regular season finale, but it couldn't get out of the preliminary round of the ECAC Tournament.

Sophomore Jon Bracco will have to be sharp in goal, as the youth movement continues for Coach Joe Marsh this year--there are only three seniors on the squad. Junior Burke Murphy is the top returning scorer for the Saints.

Todd Perry and Jeff Kungle are solid defenders and will have to take pressure off the netminders, as the offense is a big question mark.

CORNELL

Last Season Overall: 8-17-5

Last Season ECAC: 7-10-5

Last Season ECAC Finish: 8

Head Coach: Brian McCutcheon

Captain(s): TBA

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Mike Sancimino (12-18-30)

Top Goalie (W-L-T-GAA): Andy Bandurski (3-8-3, 3.74)

Lost/Returning: 2/24

9

The Big Red is hard to figure out. Cornell started the season very slowly last year, but finished strong before falling to Harvard in two hard-fought games in the ECAC quarterfinals.

The team has been rebuilding the last couple of years, and how well the young players have matured will be the key to the team's success this season.

The goaltending situation is a murky one even though two starting goalies are returning--Andy Bandurski and Eddie Skazyk. Coach Brian McCutcheon had trouble choosing between the two last season and even benched each one in the middle of several games during the stretch run.

Good goaltending and offensive production--the Big Red scored the third fewest goals in the ECAC last year--will be keys for the Big Red. Freshman Ryan Smart and sophomore Vinnie Auger are expected to carry a good chunk of the offense, while the defense should dole out a lot of punishment, sporting burly Jason Kendall and Dan Dufresne.

YALE

Last Season Overall: 5-21-1

Last Season ECAC: 5-16-1

Last Season ECAC Finish: 11

Head Coach: Tin Taylor

Captain(s): Richard Giroux

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Andy Weldenbach (12-13-25)

Top Goalie (W-L-T-GAA): T. Sullivan (4-15-1, 4.20)

Lost/Returning: 4/17

10

Ugly, ugly, ugly: that would be New Haven, that would be Yale, and that could describe the Bulldogs' season in 1993-94. Goalie Todd Sullivan is back and will have more pressure than anyone else on the team, let alone the entire ECAC.

Coach Tim Taylor '63, who is returning to Yale after leading the 1994 U.S. Olympic team, will have to find someone able to score. The Elis scored a pitiful 58 goals in 22 league games, as graduation hit the team hard two years ago.

Senior forward Andy Weidenbach was the team's top scorer with 26 points and will carry a lot of the scoring burden again this year, as will junior John Emmons--a U.S. National Team member--and senior Zoltan Kozic. Defenders Dan Brierley and Dan Nyberg need big year on defense.

Taylor didn't work wonders with Team USA, and he will probably need something close to a miracle on ice for his squad to advance past the first round of the playoffs.

PRINCETON

Last Season Overall: 10-15-3

Last Season ECAC: 7-12-3

Last Season ECAC Finish: 9

Head Coach: Don Cahoon

Captain(s): I. Sharp D. Scowby

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Ian Sharp (13-11-24)

Top Goalie (W-L-T-GAA): J. Konte (10-13-3, 3.38)

Lost/Returning: 4/24

11

The Tigers couldn't get out of the first round of the ECAC playoffs last year, and they might not even get into the playoffs this year.

Then again, they could be a darkhorse should their forwards light the lamp more than 6-4 times they did last year--a total that only Yale could have made look good.

Yes, their six leading forwards from last season are returning, and they will need to be productive for the Tigers to do well. Ian Sharp is a solid defensive forward, while J.P. O'Connor will carry much of the scoring burden.

The Tigers do have experience as well on defense, as seven upperclassmen are on the roster, but they will miss All ECAC Sean O'Brien. Junior James Konte should get the majority of time in goal, although senior Rod Yorke has seen some action in the past.

DARTMOUTH

Last Season Overall: 5-21-1

Last Season ECAC: 4-17-1

Last Season ECAC Finish: 12

Head Coach: Roger Demment

Captain(s): Dion Del Monte, Trevor Dodman

Top Returning Scorer (G-A-TP): Del Monte (11-18-29)

Top Goalie (W-L-T-GAA): Ben Heller (1-4-0, 6.73)

Lost/Returning: 8/19

12

Someone always has to finish last, and last year it was the Big Green. The 1992-93 campaign was a successful one for Coach Roger Demment, as Dartmouth made the playoffs for the first time in 13 years.

However, injuries and overall poor play contributed to an awful record in 1993-94. The defense is a major question mark, having allowed a league-high III goals against last season.

It is pretty much a given that the young goalie tandem of sophomores Ben Heller and Scott Baker and freshman Darik Buchar will see a lot of pucks heading their way again this year.

Senior Dion Del Monte is the top returning forward for Dartmouth, while junior Bill Kelleher should add to the offense (he had a strong freshman campaign but missed most of last year with a broken arm). If the defense can gel and the offense can stay healthy, then maybe the Big Green could sneak up into one of the final ECAC playoff spots in March.

- David S. Griffel is Assistant Sports Editor of the Harvard Crimson

- Graphics by Nancy E. Greene and Emmeline F. Hou