Men's Hockey Eager to Get the 2003-04 Season Started

Sept. 23, 2003

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With the start of the 2003-04 hockey season a little over a month away, head coach Len Quesnelle and the Tigers are eagerly anticipating the season and the chance to start anew following last year's tough season.

2003-04 Outlook

With a new season comes the chance to start over again and that is just the right medicine for the Princeton men's hockey team. After a disappointing 2002-03 season, the Tigers are eager to get the new campaign started.

Despite what their record might show, the Tigers came to play every night, but were seldom able to score that timely goal, get that big save in net, or kill off that penalty to change the flow of the game. Princeton entered the third period tied 14 times during the 2002-03 season and went 0-13-1 in those games. The Tigers lost nine games by one goal and 11 contests were one-goal games before a late empty-netter extended the margin.

All this information leads to three areas that the coaching staff began to address as soon as the season ended and have implemented for 2003-04: team defense, increased leadership, and greater experience.

"We are putting team defense first this season, more so than anyone has ever done before," says head coach Len Quesnelle. "This will start from our strong group of defensive defensemen and needs to continue with every person on the ice, regardless of position." At the close of the 2002-03 season, unlike in the past, the Tigers did not vote for the next season's captains. Hoping to create an abundance of leadership, Quesnelle left the task of building leadership to his players over the summer.

"We hope, that by not voting for a captain, we gave several players the opportunity to lead over the summer and as we get ready to return to the ice for official practices," says Quesnelle.

Naturally the senior class will be looked to provide leadership.

"The seniors are are most experienced guys, they have been through the most and have the most to share with the younger guys; as that class goes, so will the team," says Quesnelle. "But that being said, I want leadership coming from all three returning classess and after our first two weeks of practice, we will see who the team's leaders are, and make them the captains, whether they are seniors, juniors, or sophomores."

A final key for the coaching staff will be the increased experience of the team.

"All of our returning players have accumulated a great deal of experience over their careers," says Quesnelle. "There were a lot of tough lessons learned along the way, but that experience is what will make us more prepared this season."

"With 17 underclassmen, it is easy to see where our depth comes from," continues Quesnelle. "I thought that the sophomores had a good year as freshmen. They were given the opportunity to contribute and they took advantage of it. We will look to this year's freshmen to do the same."

Forwards (Returning - 12, Lost - 3, Newcomers - 5)

If the Tigers plan on improving their position in the ECAC, they will have to step up goal production. Last season, Princeton averaged exactly two goals per game, and almost a third of the goals came from just two players. To increase their scoring output, the Tigers will look to the top scorers of last season to continue at that pace. Additionally, the younger players who were given the chance to play a season ago need to step up and become top scorers.

"I think that we have a good balance up front," says Quesnelle. "We have the right mix of size, speed, skill and strength to produce offensively."

A look at the Tiger offense can not begin without mentioning senior Chris Owen. Owen had a breakout year in 2002-03, leading Princeton with 17 goals and 23 points. Owen spent much of the season on the wing of center Mike Patton, who led the Tigers with 13 assists and also tallied 23 points. He also ranked second in goals with 10.

"Obiously, as our returning point leaders, Chris and Mike will be looked to continue their strong seasons and contribute to the team," says Quesnelle.

Seniors Dan Hursh and Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer will hope to add to the offence output with strong seasons. Hursh scored four goals last season, all coming in consecutive ECAC games, while Fouladgar-Mercer will look to rebound from a difficult 2002-03 season in which he struggled through an injury.

The trio of juniors Tommy Colclough, Marc Hounjet and Neil Stevenson-Moore, will be a strong class that will fit well into the Princeton offense. Stevenson-Moore is the only Tiger upperclassman to post double-digit point totals in each of his years at Princeton. Colclough and Hounjet both returned last season after missing the 2001-02 campaign. Colclough battled through injuries to bring his intense style of play to 23 games. Hounjet was in and out of the lineup and played in nine games.

Princeton's sophomore forwards all were given the chance to play last season and they all contributed and will be a key part of the offense for the upcoming season. Dustin Sproat led all the freshmen in scoring with three goals and eight assists. Patrick Neundorfer and Sebastian Borza each tallied four goals in their first seasons, while Mark Masters and Brian Carthas played solidly all season long.

Entering into the mix will be five freshmen. Two of them, Colin Koch and Ian McNally were originally members of the Class of 2003, but deferred a year. Koch, a big defenseman from Vermont with good tight-area skills, deferred for a year while he rehabbed an injury, while McNally, a clever and quick forward from Guelph, Ontario, spent the year preparing mentally and physically for a return.

The Orange and Black will also welcome three true freshmen forwards in Grant Goeckner-Zoeller, Darroll Powe and Kevin Westgarth. Goeckner-Zoeller, a native of Los Angeles, has very good hands, is a strong playmaker and has good on-ice vision and had a great season for Sioux City in the USHL last season. Powe spent last season in Nepean and brings a very good fundamental and physical game to the ice. Westgarth, who joins his older brother Brett on the team, will have a big-time physical presence on the ice this season.

Defense (Returning - 6, Lost - 1, Newcomers - 3)

More important than scoring more goals is limiting the opponent from scoring, which will be Job 1 for the Tigers this season. With a new emphasis on team defense, the defensive corps will look to set the tone early in the seaosn.

"I really like the pieces we have returning on defense," says Quesnelle. "We have a strong set of defensive defensemen who will set the tone at one end of the ice, and we have a strong set of guys who know how to step in and create off the rush to help set a tone at the other end of the ice."

Leading the way for the Tigers will be seniors Steve Slaton and Matt Maglione. Both recorded double-digit point seasons in 2002-03. Slaton brings a physical brand of play to the the ice, while Maglione, Princeton's lone NHL draftee, ranked third on the team in scoring and is solid at both ends of the ice.

Juniors Jesse Masear and Luc Paquin are both key members of the defense, but shine at opposite ends of the spectrum. Masear is a defensive specialist, while Paquin's strengths lie in the transition game and in the offensive zone.

Sophomores Seamus Young and Brett Westgarth were both key members of the defensive unit last season. Young played in all but two games and registered nine points. Westgarth skated in 27 games, and despite only scoring once, he made it count as it knotted up the game in a 2-2 tie at Colgate.

Goaltending (Returning - 2, Lost - 1, Newcomers - 1)

No team can be successful without a solid goaltender between the pipes and the Tiger coaching staff hopes that an additional year of experience for returning goaltenders, junior Trevor Clay and sophomore Eric Leroux, will help fortify the Princeton goal.

"Goaltending was a big unknown for us going into last season," says Quesnelle. "Losing a four-year starter left us with a lot of question marks. This year we are going to see who is prepared to take the Number 1 job as soon as we get on the ice."

Clay and Leroux will compete for the job at first, and in time, freshman B.J. Sklapsky will play into the mix. Last season Clay was in net for all three Princeton wins, and made over 40 saves to claim each one of them. Leroux saw some action early in the season, then played regularly down the stretch and performed very well in his final three starts, dropping a 2-1 decision to Cornell, and then two close games to Brown in the ECAC playoffs.

Sklapsky comes to the Tigers from Saskatchewan. His role early will be to push both Clay and Leroux in practice, and in turn elevate his game as well.

"Trevor and Eric are more prepared now then they were a year ago," says Quesnelle. "The spotlight is on them to perform and B.J. will be waiting in the wings.

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