THE SKINNY

Some college hockey observers would say that the events of the 2011-12 season were a big step for ECAC Hockey member schools in starting to rebuild some credibility with regard to the league’s national perception. Union made the biggest statement by advancing to the Frozen Four and Cornell was a couple of shifts away from meeting them there. Colgate’s Austin Smith turned in one of the great individual campaigns we’ve seen in college hockey in recent seasons and should have won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Even better news possibly awaits this year. Many of last year’s strongest teams should maintain their standing among the nation’s elite and others could make an even greater impact on the national scene. Here’s a look at what we expect to see in ECAC Hockey for 2012-13.

BREAKTHROUGH TEAM

We’ll be keeping an eye on Dartmouth this year. More on the main reason for that later, but it’s not just a one-man show. This was a team that dealt with some injuries and inconsistencies last year, but with those tribulations came some important on-the-job training for a young and talented roster. The likes of freshmen Tyler Sikura, Brandon McNally and Eric Neiley posted productive freshman campaigns, and sophomores Eric Robinson and Matt Lindblad tied for third in scoring. People in the program really like the size and potential of incoming goaltenders James Kruger and Charles Grant, who will be in the mix with veteran Cab Morris.

PRESSURE TO PERFORM

Cole Bardreau

Cornell is well-positioned for a big season and got a tremendous boost in last year’s fortunes from a dynamic freshman class. With an additional year of experience and a return to health for Brian Ferlin, this group of Big Red sophomores will be relied upon to take a leap forward and carry a bigger load this year. Joel Lowry, John McCarron and Cole Bardreau are the headliners in that group on offense and Joakim Ryan played a big role on the blue line. Avoiding a sophomore slump will be good news for the Big Red.

PRIMED FOR A FALL

There’s bound to be a fall in Colgate’s fortunes, but we’re not projecting it to be that drastic. When you lose two-thirds of the best line in the league to professional hockey (and it was a reasonable expectation that both Austin Smith and Chris Wagner would get at least a cup of coffee in the show this year, if, you know, the NHL actually existed). The loss of star power at the top of the list will be tough to cope with, but there’s a solid supporting cast returning and we think the Raiders will get a first-round home playoff series, but a top-four spot is a bit of a reach.

TOUGHEST ACT TO FOLLOW

Harvard’s seniors have a tough burden to meet in replacing the role that Alex Killorn played for the Crimson last year. He was the best big-game player in the league, with 20 points in his last 13 games down the stretch to lead Harvard to a top-four finish and berth in the ECAC Hockey championship game.

BEST PLAYER

Dustin Walsh

Let’s call it Austin Smith 2.0. A senior forward is back whose talent has never been a question, but has never really earned a spot as one of the best players in the league. That changes this year, as Dartmouth’s Dustin Walsh is healthy and poised for a big season. He was off to a red-hot start last year before a season-ending injury ruined a promising start. In eight games he had 10 points, after turning down overtures from the Montreal Canadiens the previous summer. This time around, provided he plays a full season, Walsh will be among the top-10 Hobey Baker finalists. Dartmouth was picked seventh by the coaches and 10th by the media in the preseason polls. Those same groups were wrong about Harvard last year (I was not), and we’re projecting Dartmouth to take on that role this year.

IMPACT NEWCOMER

He’s a newcomer to ECAC Hockey but brings a pretty impressive resume from his days in the CCHA. Bowling Green-transfer Jordan Samuels-Thomas led the Falcons in scoring in his first two years with the Falcons. He sat out last year after transferring and is in the fold for the Quinnipiac Bobcats this year. His sophomore year at BG produced nine goals and 21 points, backing up an 11-goal, 25-point effort as a freshman and he is an NHL draft property of the Winnipeg Jets.

UNSUNG PLAYER

It’s hard to recall a player who has consistently played at such a high level and is an all-league performer through an entire career with less notoriety than St. Lawrence’s Kyle Flanagan. Here’s a guy who hit the 100-career-point mark during his junior year, was a co-MVP for the Saints as a sophomore and is a two-year team captain. He’s averaged a point-per-game throughout his career and is incredibly consistent. He’s an All-American and Hobey Baker candidate as a senior, but we projected that prior to his sophomore year.

MARK IT DOWN
Three things you can take to the bank in ECAC Hockey this season

• Not many people will miss Atlantic City as the league’s championship-weekend venue. It was probably worth the experiment, but it didn’t work out. Credit to those people who were thinking outside of the box and tried to make something better, but this wasn’t it. Albany and Lake Placid are better options.

• Union will be just fine. The Dutchmen graduated important seniors Kelly Zajac and Nolan Julseth-White, and leading scorer Jeremy Welsh signed a pro contract following last year’s Frozen Four appearance. But there’s a lot of talent back in Schenectady …

• … continuing that thought, we’ll assert that at least one ECAC Hockey team will make the Frozen Four for the second year in a row. The most likely candidate is Cornell, but the strength of Union and Harvard can’t be overlooked.

STEVEN SUMMERHAYS
Notre Dame
Jr. | G | Anchorage, Alaska

Steven Summerhays

His Statistics: A combined 50 saves in the Fighting Irish’s wins over Maine and Nebraska-Omaha at the Ice Breaker Tournament in Kansas City, including 22 stops in Friday’s 1-0 shutout of the Black Bears.

His Impact: As was mentioned in our CCHA season preview, as Notre Dame’s goaltenders go, so go the Irish. Based on Summerhays’ performance in a pair of one-goal wins at the season-opening Ice Breaker, the Fighting Irish appear to be in pretty good shape. He made T.J. Tynan’s third-period goal stand up in the victory over Maine, then made 28 saves in the finale against UNO. In his last seven starts dating back to last March, Summerhays has a 5-2-0 record, a 1.22 goals against average, a .959 save percentage, and three shutouts.

His Runners-Up: Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota; Mat Bodie, Union; Ben Meisner, American International; Kevin Roy, Northeastern

Penn State freshman forward David Glen cemented his name in Nittany Lions athletics lore with his goal 38 seconds into overtime to give his team a 4-3 win—the first varsity hockey victory in PSU history—over American International in front of nearly 5,400 fans at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Saturday. “It was pure excitement,” the Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, native said following the game. “I’m really happy for the opportunity to be part of such a big moment in school history.”

WCHA referee Peter Friesema is in a world of trouble after making an off-handed remark about a bomb to an Alaska Airlines ticket agent at Anchorage’s Ted Stevens International Airport late Saturday night. Friesema, who was in town officiating the Alaska Anchorage Kendall Hockey Classic, was detained by authorities; the airport was evacuated and shut down for three hours. According to the Anchorage Daily News, Friesema pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, but state and federal officials still could bring felony charges against him.

What Happened: We like round numbers as much as the next person, so congratulations to New Hampshire coach Dick Umile and Colorado College Scott Owens for collecting milestone victories this past weekend. Umile picked up career win no. 500 Friday against St. Cloud State—he’s the sixth active coach to reach that plateau—while Owens earned his 300th career win that same night against Clarkson.

What We’re Watching: Not long after Nebraska-Omaha launched its varsity hockey program in the mid-1990s, the old Civic Auditorium became one of the rowdiest venues in the sport. Then the Mavs moved to the sparkling, new CenturyLink Center in downtown Omaha and the home-ice advantage wore off.

According to Sunday’s Omaha World-Herald, if UNO chancellor John Christensen and athletic director Trev Alberts have their way, the Mavs will soon be on the move again—to a 7,500-seat, on-campus venue that will house the school’s hockey, basketball, and volleyball teams. The two will make their pitch to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents later this month. Alberts says the project, estimated to cost $65-80 million, will be privately funded.

What the …?: This line from the Sunday blog entry of Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Roman Augustovitz, who handles the Gopher hockey beat.

It was not a great Saturday night for WCHA teams. They were 3-4-2 … That won’t help conference teams in the all important PairWise ratings at the end of the season.

Yes, someone referenced the computer rankings before Halloween, before 11 teams have even played a regular-season game. Please hit me in the back of the head with a burlap sack filled with doorknobs.

@DeMike3316: Jared DeMichiel

Crazy I used to sleep in U of Michigan bed sheets when I was little, luckily I went to RIT

@SMadolora: Shane Madolora

tigers eat wolverines for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Ex-RIT goaltenders DeMichiel and Madolora—two guys familiar with knocking off heralded foes—were quick to sing their praise to their alma mater following the Tigers’ 5-4 overtime win at Michigan Thursday.

JOE WILSON
Colgate
So. | F | North Syracuse, N.Y.

Joe Wilson

Key Statistics: As a freshman in the 2011-12 season, Wilson finished third on the Raiders in scoring with 23 points coming on 10 goals and 13 assists. One of his goals came short-handed and three were game-winning goals.He had a plus-12 rating.

What He Does: Wilson was awarded a tremendous opportunity during his freshman year and spent most of the second half of the season playing on a line with Hobey Baker finalist Austin Smith and dynamic sophomore centerman Chris Wagner. That trio proved to be one of the best and most productive lines in the country. Wilson was especially productive in the second half of his freshman year. He had 16 points in his last 17 games, after posting just eight points over his first 21 collegiate contests.

The Bigger Picture: The bad news for Wilson and the Raiders is that his two running mates, Smith and Wagner, have moved on to pro hockey. Wilson and senior defenseman Jeremy Price are back as the team’s leading returning scorers after both posted 23 points last year. Colgate won’t be able to rely on its highly-productive scoring duo from last year, but the likes of Wilson, Price, Robbie Bourdon, John Lidgett and Matt Firman can lead a more balanced scoring attack this season.

With the onset of the 2012-13 college hockey season upon us, the prognostication is in full swing as conferences release their preseason coaches and media polls. Here are the results.

Atlantic Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points
1. Air Force (8), 112
2. Niagara (3), 101
3. Mercyhurst, 89
4 (tie). Bentley, 87
4 (tie). RIT, 87
6. Holy Cross, 74
7. Connecticut, 65
8. Robert Morris (1), 61
9. Canisius, 38
10. Army, 30
11. American International, 20
12. Sacred Heart, 19

CCHA Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points

1. Notre Dame (7), 105
2. Michigan (2), 100
3. Western Michigan (2), 97
4. Miami, 78
5. Ferris State, 67
6. Ohio State, 66
7. Michigan State, 56
8 (tie). Bowling Green, 43
8 (tie). Northern Michigan, 43
10. Alaska, 31
11. Lake Superior State, 29

CCHA Preseason Media Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points

1. Michigan (50), 903
2. Western Michigan (25), 825
3. Notre Dame (9), 765
4. Ferris State (3), 626
5. Miami, 622
6. Michigan State, 528
7. Ohio State, 438
8. Northern Michigan, 389
9. Bowling Green, 264
10. Lake Superior State, 232
11. Alaska, 150

ECAC Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points

1. Union (8), 118
2. Cornell (3), 110
3. Harvard (1), 98
4. Quinnipiac, 93
5. Yale, 77
6. St. Lawrence, 61
7. Dartmouth, 58
8. Rensselaer, 46
9. Colgate, 45
10. Clarkson, 41
11. Princeton, 25
12. Brown, 20

ECAC Hockey Preseason Media Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points

1. Union (18), 343
2. Cornell (11), 330
3. Harvard, 293
4. Quinnipiac, 246
5. Yale (1), 236
6. St. Lawrence, 159
7. Clarkson, 155
8. Colgate, 148
9. Rensselaer, 144
10. Dartmouth, 140
11. Princeton, 108
12. Brown, 41

Hockey East Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points
1. Boston College (9), 90
2. UMass Lowell, 74
3. Boston University, 73
4. New Hampshire (1), 63
5. Maine, 56
6 (tie). Northeastern, 44
6 (tie). Providence, 44
8. Merrimack, 38
9. Massachusetts, 35
10. Vermont, 23

Grand Forks Herald WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, team (first-place votes)
1. Minnesota (11), 121
2. North Dakota (1), 110
3. Denver, 91
4. St. Cloud State, 90
5. Wisconsin, 70
6. Minnesota Duluth, 69
7. Colorado College, 56
8 (tie). Nebraska Omaha, 51
8 (tie). Michigan Tech, 51
10. Minnesota State, 37
11. Bemidji State, 31
12. Alaska Anchorage, 15

94X WCHA Preseason Media Poll
Place, team (first-place votes)
1. Minnesota (24)
2. North Dakota (1)
3. Denver
4. Wisconsin
5. Minnesota Duluth
6. St. Cloud State
7. Colorado College
8. Nebraska Omaha
9. Michigan Tech
10. Minnesota State
11. Bemidji State
12. Alaska Anchorage

Tyler Sikura

TYLER SIKURA
Dartmouth
So. | F | Aurora, Ontario

His Statistics: He tied for Dartmouth’s team lead in scoring as a freshman with 25 points on 11 goals and 14 assists. Two of his goals came on the power play and three were game-winning goals.

What He Does: Sikura was a bit of a surprise for the Big Green as a freshman. The coaching staff knew it had a good player, but his scoring ability stood out in his rookie campaign. He brings excellent stick skills, great hands and solid hockey sense that help him make creative offensive plays. He finished the year with eight points in his last six games.

The Bigger Picture: Dartmouth’s season was affected by injuries to major contributors throughout the lineup, and as a result a nine-member freshman class was relied upon to log lots of important minutes. It meant opportunities for some, and Sikura certainly took advantage, as did others. Five of Dartmouth’s top-six scorers return as sophomores or juniors this year.

Dartmouth associate head coach Dave Peters on the strong ending to Sikura’s season: “At the end of the year we had him on a line with Matt Lindblad and Eric Neiley and that was definitely our top line. They did very well all the way through the playoffs.”

Ben Sexton

BEN SEXTON
Clarkson
Jr. | F | Kanata, Ontario

His Statistics: Sexton is Clarkson’s leading returning scorer after posting 29 points last year as a sophomore. More impressively, he hit that mark in just 27 games. That followed a similar situation in his freshman year, when injuries limited him to just 12 games played, but he had eight points.

What He Does: Sexton is a creative player in the offensive zone and has also shown the ability to perform well in defensive roles and on special teams. Most importantly, he makes his teammates better. He is adept at setting up and scoring goals and the Golden Knights are a better team when he’s in the lineup.

The Bigger Picture: One of the biggest keys to Clarkson’s potential success this season is to keep Sexton on the ice. He suffered a head injury in a game against Bentley and missed 12 contests late in the first semester last year. His presence makes a difference. In the 12 games he missed, Clarkson was 4-6-2. In the 27 he played? 12-11-4. He was elected team captain headed into this, his junior season.

Clarkson radio play-by-play announcer Bob Ahlfeld on Sexton’s captaincy: “Leadership is the biggest intangible that he brings. He really stands out in that role among his class. You can see that people defer to him, and it was evident right away going back to that first trip to Omaha (when the current juniors were freshmen).”

Max Novak

MAX NOVAK
Union
So. | F | Oak Ridge, N.J.

His Statistics: Novak appeared in 34 of Union’s 41 games last year during his freshman year and had nine goals and five assists for 14 points. His nine goals ranked fourth on a high-scoring Union roster, and he had a plus-7 rating.

What He Does: The Union coaching staff expected a lot from Novak during the recruiting process because of his versatility. His skill set and attributes made him an excellent candidate to play in a scoring or checking role. He was a lineup regular, primarily as a fourth-line center, but his playmaking and scoring ability showed in his first year. Novak is and will continue to be a center for Union, but can also contribute on both wings and is smart and responsible in all three zones.

The Bigger Picture: Novak showed a knack for exciting debuts in his rookie season. He scored two goals in the season-opener against Army, he scored a goal in the team’s ECAC Hockey quarterfinal playoff series opener against RPI, another goal in the team’s ECAC Hockey championship weekend semifinal against Colgate in Atlantic City, and the team’s first goal in their NCAA Tournament run in a first-round victory over Michigan State. Not too shabby for a fourth-liner.

Union assistant coach Joe Dumais on his expectations for Novak this season: “He was consistent for us in a fourth-line role last year and had nine goals. He has a chance to move up the depth chart at center this year and can take on a greater offensive role.”

Jeremy Langlois

JEREMY LANGLOIS
Quinnipiac
Sr. | F | Tempe, Ariz.

Key Statistics: Langlois led Quinnipiac in goal-scoring in each of the last two seasons. As a sophomore in 2010-11, he scored 18 goals. He backed that up with a 17-goal junior season in 2011-12 with a career-high 26 points. He scored seven power-play goals and three game-winning goals last season.

What He Does: For even the closest followers of ECAC Hockey, this trivia question is a difficult one – Who has the most career goals among returning ECACH players headed into the 2012-13 season? It’s Jeremy Langlois, who has totaled 43 goals in his career. (Daniel Carr and Wayne Simpson of Union are tied for second with 40 each.) He has been a durable forward. Langlois played 35 of 40 games for Quinnipiac as a junior, and when he missed those five games last season due to injury, it marked the first time he was left out of a lineup in his three-year career. He returned from that injury ahead of schedule to help contribute in the playoffs in a limited role, because he was battling a shoulder problem.

The Bigger Picture: Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold raves about Langlois’ compete level and that he brings a consistent work ethic to almost every shift. That has allowed him to perform at a high level as an offensive contributor, but also to take on a bigger defensive role. Langlois has transitioned from playing the wing as a freshman to his current role as a center, where he has gained an understanding of the defensive zone. He makes good defensive reads, helps out defensemen down low, and gets his stick into passing lanes. Along with that growth, Langlois is one of the team’s top faceoff men and the best penalty-killer on the Bobcats roster.

Quinnpiac head coach Rand Pecknold on Langlois’ versatility: “I really expect that he’ll be one of the top forwards in the league. He just keeps getting better and better. Offensively he’s always a threat and has a knack for scoring, but he also might be the best defensive center I’ve ever coached.”

RYAN JACOBSON
Brown
So. | F | Greenwood Village, Colo.

Ryan Jacobson

Key Statistics: Jacobson ranked second overall in scoring for Brown as a freshman with 21 points on 12 goals and nine assists. He played all 32 of Brown’s games on the season, and posted a +3 rating in his freshman campaign, for a team that was outscored by 22 goals on the year.

What He Does: In his freshman year, Jacobson showed a knack for getting to the net and brought an energetic style to the Bears. He utilized his footspeed and tenacity as keys to his success. Jacobson scored in streaks, and really got hot through portions of December and January where he posted six goals and 12 assists over an eight-game stretch. Not surprisingly, Brown was playing some of its best hockey of the year at that time, and went 4-2-2 in that same span.

The Bigger Picture: It’s not a surprise that a freshman had some success, but he wasn’t a consistent point producer throughout the year. That mirrored Brown’s season which was full of ups and downs that saw big wins against quality opponents mixed in with some difficult stretches. Jacobson is the only one of Brown’s three leading scorers returning for the 2012-13 season, as Jack Maclellan (30 points) and Bobby Farnham (21 points) were lost to graduation. A steady year for Jacobson could help Brown’s overall team gain some consistency for the upcoming campaign.

Brown head coach Brendan Whittet on his team’s up-and-down nature in the 2011-12 season: “There’s times where we look very dynamic and we look like a team that’s cohesive and on top of it. And there’s other games we just look like we’ve never played. Some of it is understanding how to win, the will to win that it takes. I think, unfortunately, when you lose it breeds losing and when you win it breeds winning.”

MARSHALL EVERSON
Harvard
Sr. | F | Edina, Minn.

Marshall Everson

Key Statistics: Everson ranked third on Harvard’s roster last year with 33 points, and tied for second on the team with 13 goals. A little less than half of his points (16-of-33) came on the power play, as he saw time on the top unit of one of college hockey’s most potent man-advantage units. Everson was also good at even strength, and had a +9 rating on the year.

What He Does: Everson has good size to go with soft hands and a real knack for making plays in the offensive zone. His timing and ability to read developing plays makes him dangerous, and he has enough skill to turn those opportunities into legitimate scoring chances for himself and his linemates. He prospered as a member of the Crimson’s top line with Alex Killorn and Alex Fallstrom for most of the season.

The Bigger Picture: It was a breakout junior year for Everson, who totaled just 15 points in his first two years before posting 33 points last season. His senior linemate, Alex Killorn, had a tremendous season and was a difference maker as an individual for a team that got hot during the second half of the year. The Crimson finished 9-4-4 over their last 17 games and advanced to the championship game of the league tournament in Atlantic City. There’s enough talent and scoring depth returning for Harvard that Everson won’t need to match the monster season that Killorn contributed last year, but as a senior, Everson can really make an impact on the steady mindset in the locker room that helped Harvard last year. If the Crimson can get off to a faster start than they have in recent seasons, they’ll be in the mix for one of the top spots in ECAC Hockey and a potential return to the NCAA Tournament.

Everson’s evaluation of what was going right for Harvard during the second half last season: “We just concentrate on not being too high or too low. Throughout the year we’ve had these situations where we’ve been down maybe going into the third and you just have to have that will and determination to get back into the game. I think the fact that we’ve been able to do that multiple times this year shows the character of the guys in the locker room.”