Rival Dartmouth Gets Nod in Preseason Predictions

Unlike the hotly contested battle between Vice-President Al Gore and Governor George W. Bush in the 2000 Presidential campaign, there is nothing but consensus as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) women's hockey coaches get ready for the 2000-01 season: Dartmouth will be tough to beat.

The Big Green, which beat Harvard three times last season, returns its entire roster from a team that surprised everyone last year in reaching both the conference finals and the AWCHA Final Four. This year, Dartmouth is expected to be one of the four teams invited to the first-ever women's hockey NCAA tournament.

After Dartmouth, however, the ECAC appears to be a crapshoot. The traditional powers have all lost at least one key contributor--either to graduation or to the U.S. National Team--while upstart programs such as Niagara and St. Lawrence could still be too young to challenge for the conference title.

The good news for Harvard is that everyone, save Dartmouth, will in comparison have a relatively inexperienced roster. But the unanswered question is which one of those teams will step up to the plate this year. Here is the official forecast, according to the preseason coaches' poll.

1. Dartmouth

Dartmouth clearly had potential last year. The Big Green (21-12-0, 17-7-0 ECAC) defeated Harvard, the defending national champion, three times, including an overtime victory in the ECAC semifinals. With everyone back this season, Dartmouth's rosy outlook knows no bounds.

1. Dartmouth

While the Big Green lacks a flashy scorer, it prides itself on an aggressive defense and an offense that capitalizes on its opportunities. Physical blueliners like junior Correne Bredin (11 goals, 35 assists) and senior Liz Macri (9 g, 22 a) anchor the rugged defense, while sophomore forward Carly Haggard (24 g, 17 a) is the speedster who likes to score on the breakaway.

If anyone on the Big Green is a superstar it is either Bredin, the highest scorer in the conference among returning defensemen, or Haggard, who led all ECAC rookies in scoring last season. But Dartmouth Coach Judy Parish Oberting has plenty of scoring options, including the senior forward trio of Jen Wiehn (18 g, 18 a), Lauren Trottier (15 g, 18 a) and Kristina Guarino (12 g, 16 a). Juniors Kim McCullough (13 g, 19 a) and Kristin King (12 g, 16 a) provide even more depth at forward.

2. Brown

The defending conference champions were hit very hard by graduation and by the U.S. National Team.

2. Brown

The Bears (25-4-3, 19-2-3) lost netminder Ali Brewer, last year's Kazmaier Award winner, and three leading scorers to graduation. Then all-everything defenseman Tara Mounsey--a gold medallist in 1998--decided to forego her senior season in Providence to train with the national team for the 2002 Olympics. All of this means that Brown, by far the most veteran team in the conference last season, is now one of the ECAC's least experienced squads.

The big question marks for Brown will be on defense, where the Bears were used to relying on Brewer and Mounsey to frustrate opposing offenses. Brown Coach Digit Murphy will probably give the early nod to sophomore goaltender Pam Dreyer, but rookie Katie Germain may also see some time between the pipes.

Senior Cara Gardner (0 g, 11 a) will attempt to fill Mounsey's Olympic-sized shoes when she joins the team after Brown's field hockey season ends. Sophomore Cassie Turner (0 g, 9 a) and junior Emily Sigman (2 g, 8 a) also saw time on the ice last year.

This year's leadership will come from senior forward Kathleen Kauth (9 g, 10 a), but the bulk of the offense should come from the sticks of sophomore Kim Insalaco (10 g, 17 a) and senior Chistina Sorbara (10 g, 15 a). Murphy will also expect junior Krisy Zamora (12 g, 9 a) and heralded freshman Krissy McManus to contribute on offense.

2. Harvard

Brown and Harvard finished tied for second place in the preseason poll. Please see related story Page ??.

4. Northeastern

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the off-season was in Boston, where longtime Northeastern Coach Heather Linstad left the Huskies to start a Division I program at Connecticut. Joy Woog, who has a year of head coaching experience at Sacred Heart under her belt, has replaced Linstad on an interim basis this season.

The bad news for Woog is that the Huskies (22-9-3, 15-6-3) lost Hilary Witt, a perennial Kazmaier nominee and the fourth-leading scorer in the conference last year, as well as Brooke White, who followed Brown's Mounsey to the National Team. The good news is that the emphasis never has been on offense at Matthews Arena.

The heart and soul of Northeastern this season will be senior goaltender Erika Silva, who finished third in the ECAC with a 1.63 goals-against-average (GAA) and fourth in save percentage at .931. Silva's skills forced four overtime games last season, but she will need to be even more reliable between the pipes in 2000-01.

That's because she can no longer count on veteran defensemen like Jennie Setaro and Erine Metcalf. The most experienced blueliners this season are sophomore Kim Greene (7 g, 17 a) and junior Erica Archambeau (4 g, 8 a). They will have to bear down in the defensive zone if the Huskies expect to go deep in the playoffs this season.

Junior forward Brooke Whitney (12 g, 22 a) will take over for Witt and White as the designated goal-scorer this season. Like White, Whitney was invited to the U.S.A. Hockey Festival in Lake Placid this summer, and now she is the Huskies' only legitimate scoring threat. Seniors Lisa Giovanelli (17 g, 10 a) and Collen Coen (10 g, 9 a) should also see plenty of shifts at forward.

5. New Hampshire

Nobody ever thought this could happen in Durham, but it looks like 2000-01 will be a rebuilding year for powerhouse UNH. This should not be a surprise, however, given that the Wildcats (24-10-0, 17-7-0) have lost four of the conference's top 13 scorers to graduation.

With the likes of Carisa Zaban, Samantha Holmes, Tina Carrabba and Melissa McKenzie no longer terrorizing ECAC defenses, UNH Coach Karen Kay will have to rely on sophomore goaltender Jen Huggon to keep the Wildcats competitive. As a rookie last season, Huggon finished fifth in the ECAC in both GAA (1.99) and save percentage (.922).

The challenge will likely fall on the shoulderpads of senior forward Michelle Thornton (12 g, 17 a), who is coming off of an ACL injury but should be ready to play when the season starts. With the departure of Kelly McManus, who transferred to Boston College, Thornton is the only proven scorer on the team.

To make matters worse, UNH lost its top two defensemen from last season-- Kerry Maher to graduation and Brandi Kerns to an ACL injury that has forced her to sit out the season as a medical redshirt. Kay will have to hope that her freshmen blueliners can make the transition to college hockey quickly.

6. St. Lawrence

After setting a school record for wins last season, the Saints (18-15-1, 11-12-1) return their entire roster this year and have a shot at hosting a quarterfinal game this year.

The bulk of St. Lawrence's offense comes from a top forward line consisting of three talented seniors-- Caroline Trudeau (17 g, 16 a), Nicole Kirnan (12 g, 19 a) and Stacy Bourdrias (14 g, 14 a). But the Saints don't lose much on the second line, which features a trio of sophomores in Amanda Sargeant (15 g, 14 a), Chera Marshall (13 g, 11 a) and Shannon Smith (8 g, 15 a).

Flanagan has a plethora of bodies to choose from for goaltender. Seniors Emily Stein and Caryn Ungewitter platooned between the pipes last season, but expect rookie Rachel Barrie and sophomore Shari Bryska to compete for time in the net as well.

St. Lawrence is not quite as deep at the blueline, where juniors Meghan Maguire (3 g, 14 a) and Colleen Coakley (2 g, 6 a) will see plenty of minutes.

7. Providence

The Friars (20-10-3, 14-7-3) will have a very different look in 2000-01, especially from the perspective of the Providence crease, where the absence of netminder Sara DeCosta will be a welcome relief to the rest of the ECAC.

DeCosta bypassed her senior season to train with Mounsey and Ruggiero on the U.S. National Team. With her reliable pads between the pipes last season, Providence was able to shut out high-scoring Harvard in Cambridge, and in the playoffs the Friars played Dartmouth to a scoreless tie at Hanover until the Big Green finally managed a goal in double overtime.

Without DeCosta, Providence will have to increase its scoring production to return to the playoffs this season.

Providence Coach Bob Deraney can look to an experienced set of forwards to provide more offensive numbers this season. The Friars return their top six scorers from last season, including senior Jess Tabb (26 g, 15 a), junior Kim Mathias (13 g, 17 a) and sophomore Jenn Butsch (13 g, 9 a).

Senior blueliner Holley Tyng (1 g, 5 a) will be the Providence anchor in the defensive zone. But the real quagmire for the Friars is the race to replace DeCosta. Crystal Nicholas, a transfer from national champion Minnesota, highly touted rookie Amy Quinlan and junior Brigid Keady all will compete to be the Providence netminder.

8. Niagara

If Niagara does not make the conference tournament this March, the 2000-01 season will have been a disappointment for the Purple Eagles (17-13-3, 10-13-2). Not bad for a program in just its third year of Division I hockey.

With everyone back from last year's squad, Niagara's bench is so deep that Coach Margot Page said she might have to cut a few veterans to make room for nine recruits. The Purple Eagles should have more experience and talent this season, and they could become a legitimate contender for the title when tournament time rolls around.

Page should expect plenty of offensive production from a pair of sophomore standout forwards, Valerie Hall (19 g, 17 a) and Candice Ceelen (16 g, 18 a), as well as junior forwards Brooke Bradburn (18 g, 14 a) and Stephanie Romain (11 g, 18 a). Jennifer Goulet and Lindsay Vine are two of the rookies who could make an impact offensively this year.

The key to Niagara's defense will be junior goaltender Tania Pinelli, who was fifth in the ECAC with a 2.12 GAA last season. Pinelli may leave the squad for a few stretches to play for the Canadian National Team.

Pinelli will rely on juniors Barbara Prall (2 g, 11 a) and Julie Forsyth (5 g, 3 a), the most experienced blueliners, for help in the defensive zone. Talented sophomore defenseman Linda Groff (5 g, 10 a) should also see plenty of minutes.

9. Princeton

Once the U.S. National Team decided to raid the ECAC of its top defenseman, it managed to do a thorough job. Princeton's standout blueliner Annamarie Holmes will join Mounsey and Ruggiero in training for Salt Lake City this season.

That leaves Princeton (11-13-5, 9-12-3) with only two players who scored more than ten goals for a team that failed to make the playoffs last year.

The one reliable Tiger scorer is junior forward Andrea Kilbourne (18 g, 20 a), who is deadly on the breakaway. Kilbourne's talent was held somewhat in check last year only because opposing teams were able to key in on her defensively, which means she will need sophomore forward Nikola Holmes (13 g, 13 a), Annamarie's sister, to prove herself as a legitimate scoring threat.

Princeton Coach Jeff Kampersal expects the Tiger offense to be deeper this season with the addition of rookies Lisa Rasmussen, Gretchen Anderson and Susan Hobson.

But the blueline will look severely depleted, where Kampersal will miss the services of three-year captain Dani Holtschlag in addition to Holmes. Junior Aviva Grumet-Morris (1 g, 13 a) is the only experienced veteran, and freshman Angela Gooldy will be expected to play a major role in the defensive zone early in her collegiate career.

Sophomore Sarah Alquist and rookie Megan Van Beusekom will battle for the starting job in goal.

10. Cornell

Cornell returns nearly its entire roster from a squad that finished three points shy of the eighth and final playoff berth last season. But the Big Red (13-14-1, 98-14-1) needs to prove that it has improved before it can start thinking about the postseason in 2000-01.

The talented core for the Big Red is at the forward position, where senior Erica Olson (15 g, 7 a) and junior Jenel Bode (11 g, 11 a) are the most reliable goal scorers. Mullins will also expect production from senior Danielle Bilodeau (8 g, 11 a) and sophomore Murao Lindsay (5 g, 13 a).

Senior Patricia Kemp (1 g, 4 a) is the leader of a veteran defensive unit that includes sophomore Brooke Bestwick (2 g, 9 a) and junior Eva Nahorniak (2 g, 5 a). Behind the blueliners, sophomores Liz Connelly, Sanya Sandahl and transfer Kristin Perry will platoon at goaltender.

11. Boston College

Boston College (6-22-2, 1-21-2) will try to jump out of last place with nearly its entire roster back for another season.

The leaders of the Eagles are senior forwards Jen Buckley (14 g, 10 a) and Lisa Molvar (12 g, 7 a). They can expect some help on offense from Kelly McManus, a transfer from New Hampshire.

Sophomore Genevieve Richardson (3 g, 8 a) will anchor the BC defense, while junior Sharon Van Tuyl will take over between the pipes now that Christy Nentwig has graduated.

11. Maine

Maine's chances to rise out of the cellar were hurt by the transfer of Kira Misikowetz, last season's leading scorer. The Black Bears (6-19-2, 3-19-2) will look to junior forwards Andrea Keller (11 g, 11 a) and Raffi Wolf (15 g, 6 a) for goal-scoring. Senior blueliner Kelly Nelson (4 g, 4 a) will lead the defense while junior Amanda Cronin will start between the pipes.

13. Yale

The Elis (6-22-1, 2-22-1) will be hard-pressed to overcome their 13th-place prediction this season. Senior forward Lisa Meyers (11 g, 6 a) is the only Bulldog who scored more than ten goals last season, and junior netminder Katie Hirte, who was forced to make 851 saves last year, will be tested early and often between the pipes.