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FRESH PERSPECTIVE - Watertown Times, October 8, 2009
Traditional powers in the NCAA, Clarkson University and Michigan State will look to regain their stature among the top teams in the country after subpar seasons last year as they officially open the 2009-10 campaign this weekend.
The Golden Knights will begin their 88th season of play with their first-ever trip out to East Lansing to battle the Spartans at Munn Arena. Clarkson and Michigan State will face off at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, in a game to be broadcast by Comcast, and square off again on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
Guided by seventh-year head coach George Roll, associate coach Greg Drechsel, and assistant coach Jean-Francois Houle, the Knights will look to return to the form they displayed in 2006-07 and 2007-08 when they were one of the top teams in college hockey, claiming consecutive ECAC Hockey titles and making back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances before suffering last winter’s letdown.
Last season the Green and Gold were plagued by injuries and poor play, finishing with a 10-19-7 overall record, and tying for eighth in ECAC Hockey with an 8-10-4 league mark.
Along with using last year’s disappointment as incentive, the Knights will draw on the ECAC preseason coaches’ poll as motivation. A perennial power in ECAC Hockey since the league’s inception in 1961, Clarkson was picked to finish 11th in the 12-team conference, its lowest rating ever in the coaches’ preseason poll. The Knights, who have five NHL draft picks on this year’s roster, claimed their 10th league regular season title just two years ago.
Seventeen lettermen, including 10 who contributed to Clarkson’s 2008 ECAC Regular Season Championship and a victory in that year’s NCAA Tournament, will be counted upon to key the Knights’ turnaround. Another talented incoming class consisting of six recruits will also be asked to play a pivotal role. Clarkson will be led by junior captain Scott Freeman (Whitby, ONT) and assistant captains, senior Matt Beca (Mississauga, ONT) and junior Brandon DeFazio (Oakville, ONT).
Looking to put a frustrating off-season behind them, the Knights came out with a dominating effort this past Saturday night and skated to a convincing 6-1 exhibition victory over the University of Toronto before 2,640 fans at Cheel Arena. Freeman and DeFazio powered the Green and Gold’s offense with two goals apiece. Senior Tim Marks (Brownville, NY) and junior defenseman Bryan Rufenach (Cameron, ONT) chipped in the other goals. Rufenach and sophomores Louke Oakley (Whitby, ONT) and Julian Cayer (Longueuil, QUE) set up two goals apiece. Clarkson, which lead 6-0 through two periods, enjoyed an overwhelming 34-10 advantage in shots. There was a total of 109 minutes in penalties called in the game with Clarkson being whistled for 45 minutes on 17 penalties. The Knights finished 4-of-12 on the power play and killed off all 13 Toronto man-advantage chances.
National Champions in 2007, Michigan State fell to 10-23-5 last year and tied for 10th in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) with a 7-17-4 conference mark. Guided by long-time coach Rick Comley, now in his 37th year at the helm of an NCAA Division I program, including his eighth year with the Spartans, Michigan State is picked to place ninth in the CCHA’s preseason poll. The Spartans defeated Western Ontario 5-2 in exhibition play Monday night at Munn Arena.
The Series:
Clarkson and Michigan State will be playing for the 13th and 14th time in the series, but these will be the first games between the two long-time programs in 42 years and the first games ever in East Lansing. In their last meeting back on November 29, 1968, Clarkson gained a 3-1 victory in Potsdam. The Knights lead the rivalry 7-4-1 with all the games being played in Potsdam with the exception of one. The lone exception was the 1966 NCAA championship game when the Spartans defeated Clarkson 6-1 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, MN for the national title.
Quotes From the Coach:
"All in all, I thought it was a real solid effort on our part," stated George Roll about the Knights’ play against Toronto. "For 60 minutes, I thought we played pretty solid hockey at both ends of the ice. We used our speed to our advantage, and the work ethic was very good. Some of the areas of concern, the power play and the penalty killing, were both very good. We can take a lot of positives away from the game."
On the upcoming series against Michigan State, Roll remarked, "Both of us are coming off subpar years and are picked fairly low in our respective preseason polls. We both have something to prove. I expect it to be a high-intensity series with a great atmosphere. It is a great time for us to get on the road. We need to have the same mentality we displayed this past Saturday: that we are going to work hard for 60 minutes."
Knight Notes:
Clarkson is 3-3 in its official season-openers under head coach George Roll and is 8-8-1 against CCHA competition during the former Bowling Green standout’s six-year coaching tenure … After this weekend’s games at Michigan State, the Knights return home for three straight contests at Cheel Arena before hitting the road again for another long trip. Clarkson plays at Minnesota-Duluth on October 30-31 for its first games against the Bulldogs since the 1997-98 campaign ... The Knights open ECAC Hockey play the following weekend, playing at Quinnipiac and Princeton ... Five current Clarkson players have been selected in the NHL Draft - Bryan Rufenach (Detroit ‘07), Mark Borowiecki (Ottawa ‘08), Julien Cayer (Detroit ‘08), Nick Tremblay (Boston ‘08) and Paul Karpowich (St. Louis ‘08) ... Seven former Golden Knights are listed on opening day National Hockey League rosters - Chris Clark ‘98 (Washington), Erik Cole (Carolina), Craig Conroy (Calgary), Kent Huskins ‘01 (San Jose), Todd Marchant (Anaheim), Willie Mitchell (Vancouver) and Todd White ’97 (Atlanta) … Clarkson is receiving votes in the latest USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Poll.
