For this year’s men’s hockey team, the key number could be one.
The Huskies lost only one senior, Jimmy Russo, from last year’s team, and return nearly an entire squad that’s a little bit older, a little bit stronger and, it figures, a little bit better. For a team that rode its talent as high as No. 7 in the national rankings last year before showing its youth with a second-half slide, that extra experience could make the Huskies dangerous.
It’s inspiring confidence in many, including the opposing coaches in Hockey East, who voted Northeastern No. 4 out of 10 in the preseason poll. The Huskies will feature a senior class led by captain Joe Vitale and a freshman class led by Montreal Canadiens third round draft pick Steve Quailer.
Perhaps most importantly, though, NU features a strong returning sophomore class and could see a big improvement in the games of forwards Steve Silva, Tyler McNeeley and Wade MacLeod; and defensemen Drew Muench, Mike Hewkin and Dan Nycholat.
“You hear about the sophomore slump garbage, and I don’t understand it,” said head coach Greg Cronin. “I think that Silva, McNeeley and MacLeod, and even Muench, Nycholat and Hewkin, are wired in a very unique way. They’re driven players and they’ve got a built-in second effort. They practice with a professional pace. Everything they do, to me, reflects their character and their conviction that they’re great players. I expect them to build on what they did last year with no reservations whatsoever.”
MacLeod recorded 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) and McNeeley notched 23 (11, 12) last year. Those two players, along with Silva (4, 10) were credited by Cronin for being the spark to last season’s success. They also make a group that Cronin said he expects to be a driving force for the team this year.
“I think that freshman class was really the catalyst behind the success we enjoyed last [year], because they came into roles that weren’t really expected of freshmen and they all did well,” he said. “That class is legitimate and it’s got substance to it.”
While McNeeley’s and MacLeod’s production will undoubtedly be important, another forward-heavy recruiting class from Cronin will have to pay dividends for NU to succeed, as well. Cronin called his incoming class one that “will actually challenge [last year’s] class for its production and its consistency right off the bat.”
Quailer will be chief among them to give reason for excitement about the freshman class. The NHL draft selection tied for his team lead in points last season for the United States Hockey League’s Sioux City Musketeers with 49. That tie was with another incoming freshman, forward Alex Tuckerman, who could play a large role for the team as well. Mike McLaughlin, one of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League’s top scorers last season, will also figure heavily into NU’s fate this year. Defenseman JP Maley and forward Matt Lipinski will be in tow, as well.
The Huskies’ success will, as always, rely largely on the play of goaltender Brad Thiessen. Now a junior, Thiessen followed up a stellar freshman campaign (2.48 goals against average, .921 save percentage) with a down season last year (2.64, .914), though now he enters the league as Hockey East’s most experienced goalie. He said he expects to be among the top goalies in the league this year.
“It’s no surprise anymore. It’s my third year in the league. I want to be the best,” he said. “That’s what I kind of want to look for this year, and to be able to grow into more of a leader on the team and to be able to help the younger guys out and bring the team to the next level.”
The Huskies will also feature a more senior-oriented team a season after Russo played the role of the lone senior, with eight on the roster. Vitale will captain the squad and could improve on his 35 points (12, 23) which were 10th in the league a season ago. Other important seniors will include defensemen Louis Liotti and Denis Chisholm and forwards Dennis McCauley and Ryan Ginand. Ginand’s production picked up last season after a move to center, and he said playing the role all season this year will help him contribute even more.
“Moving to center helped,” he said. “I think it brings more responsibility to myself, and that responsibility makes me play at a higher level.”
With all the returning players and infusion of talented freshmen, the expectations are high for this year’s Northeastern squad after last year’s second-half slide. Vitale said last year’s misfortunes are in the rear view mirror, and they’re excited to get on the ice and show people what they can do.
“I think everyone’s very positive. Last year, what happened, happened. It’s in the past,” he said. “We learned a lot from the way our season tapered off in the end, but we also learned a lot from the good things we did.
“We just take the positives from last year and learn from the negatives and move on. We’ve got a great core of guys coming back, a great senior class. We think we’ve got a bunch of good freshmen coming in. It’s a long season, a lot happens, so we’ll take it one game at a time.”
The Huskies will hold their annual Red vs. White scrimmage Saturday at 6 p.m. at Matthews Arena.
