Nov 15, 2005
By Ted Ryan
Free Press Staff Writer
The numbers from the 2004-05 St. Michael's College men's hockey season were not what the Purple Knights coaching staff expected:
Records of 8-16-2 overall and 7-14-2 in ECAC East;
An average of 5.5 goals allowed per game;
Over 25 minutes per game spent in penalty boxes;
A penalty-killing success rate of 72.2 percent.
"It was a tough year last year coming off winning the Northeast-10 and we really didn't do as well as we expected," coach Lou DiMasi said as he prepared for his 24th season.
The Purple Knights had strung together three straight championships -- in ECAC Division II in 2002-03 and the first Northeast-10 title in 2004 -- before stumbling last year. In the aftermath of that season, DiMasi, top assistant Chris Davidson and new captains Alex Watts and Jonathan Perez set out to revamp the Knights' attitude.
"Some games we'd get down a goal or two and we'd get the 'Here we go' attitude," explained Davidson. "Now, it's 'Never quit,' and the players all understand that's not just on the ice but off the ice. You're here for 90 minutes (for practice), not 89."
Through preseason and Saturday's first game against Stonehill, the Purple Knights are responding, Davidson said.
"We practice in the morning from 7:30 to 9:30 and they work so hard, by the time 9 o'clock rolls around, we give them the last half-hour to work on personal skills," Davidson said.
"We really like the mix. They work hard and they've responded," DiMasi said. "We're excited. We're looking at the veterans and all the hard work over the past two years start to pay off a little bit."
In the 5-4 loss to Stonehill, DiMasi said, "We came to work and we realized we had to work harder. That game will come back to help us down the road."
Davidson said the Knights had been practicing so long that they were not sharp at the start but added, "The second half of the game, we were in it and doing well. Then, Sunday against Carleton, everything came together. We scored 10 goals, gave up three and stayed out of the box compared to the other team."
Davidson said he believes St. Michael's should compete in the ECAC East but acknowledged defense and penalty killing must be better.
"Our defense is more mature and more seasoned," Davidson said. "Hopefully that will attribute to getting way ahead of last year as well as the commitment mentally; commitment to our own end and transition is the path to offense."
Offensively, the Knights return 80 of the 95 goals they scored last year. Jared Silver (17-26-43), Erik Caron (13-19-32), Watts (14-14-28) and Derek Girouard (13-11-24), who could be primed for a breakthrough season, are proven scorers. Perez (6-12-18) should be more productive after a couple of seasons dealing with nagging injuries. Freshmen Chris Healey and Ryan Mero are expected to contribute quickly. Quentin Williams will move over from defense and he and Mike Ciardullo could provide a boost.
David Mullins and Nick Dancey are the stalwarts on defense, where DiMasi and Davidson can look to a deep group that includes Spencer Williams, Andy DiMasi and freshmen Bryan Dodge and Brian Hopper.
In goal, Davidson said, "Derek Jackson and Erik Smith are juniors and should be hitting their stride. They're pushing each other to get better." Either could claim the No. 1 position.
So with new talent, a new attitude and a renewed dedication, what can the Purple Knights expect to accomplish?
"The obvious goal would be to win the Northeast-10 and I feel we have the team to do that," Davidson said, " and a top five ECAC East finish; I feel we can do that, too."
Contact Ted Ryan at 660-1855 or tryan@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
