Volume CXXXIII, Number 11 November 30, 2001 f

Experience, dedication behind strength of men's hockey squad
ALISON L. McCONNELL
ORIENT STAFF

Tomorrow marks the first day of December, and we all know what that means. It's time for one of Bowdoin's favorite (albeit chilly) pastimes: ice hockey.

Mike Stevens '04 in last week's matchup with Johnson and Wales. (Henry Coppola, Bowdoin Orient)

The men hope to perform well in the 2001-2 winter season and are off to a strong start, with three wins already under their belts. St. Anselm (2-2), New England College (0-3), and Johnson and Wells (4-4) fell victim to the Bear attack in the last two weeks. "St. A's is a team that I have a lot of respect for, and New England won its league championship last year," head coach Terry Meagher said. "To come out [strongly] against them was a good feeling."

The team also played an exhibition match with the under-18 national team last week. Meagher said that the game was a chance to use the team's depth. "It was an opportunity for us to see what some people could do," he stated.
In recent NESCAC standings, the Bears's 3-0 record was good for first place and tied them with Colby, Middlebury, and Hamilton.

Upperclassmen returning to the Dayton ice dominate this season's roster. According to Meagher, the large number of returning players affects the team dynamic quite a bit. "We went from a very young team last year to a more mature, league-experienced team," he said. "With that goes a lot of intangibles-leadership, mentoring, ability to deal with close games."

A more experienced squad means a few other things as well. "Promise, at some point, must equal production," Meagher said. "We have high expectations for this group."

On the offensive line, the experience of captain Mike Carosi '02, Sean Starke '03, Andy McNerney '02, Bill Busch '02, and Adam Mantin '03, and others leads the way. "We feel that the line could be as prolific as any line in the league," Meagher said. "They're going to have a lot of people paying attention to them."

After three games, Starke and Carosi are tied in the team's points category with six apiece. Starke has scored four goals and two assists, and Carosi has totaled one goal and five assists.

David Rush '02, Brian Shuman '02, Ryan Seymour '03, Jared Porter '03, among several other upperclassmen, bring their defensive experience to the fore this winter, and are predicted to make important contributions. "[The defense is] probably the strength of the team," Meagher said.

This season's first-year class will see action as well. "I have confidence that we're going to have some solid people emerge from this class," Meagher said. "It's a wonderful set of young men who play hard."

Sophomore Michael Healey steps into the shoes of graduated goaltender Colin Robinson '01, and seems to be doing the job admirably thus far. "We have a lot of faith in Michael," Meagher said. "Colin played in big games; loved to take pucks and had a very strong desire to be the best he could in that position. I think Mike has learned from him; he's more assertive and wants to get it done."
Healey has allowed two goals in three games, a goals-against average that Meagher called "very good for the league."

Certain teams look as strong as ever in this year's league. "It's the usual suspects," Meagher said. "Middlebury, Norwich, Colby, Hamilton..."
The Bears look to Skidmore (1-2) and Massachusetts College (1-4) next, a schedule that may prove to make it a tough weekend. "Skidmore beat Williams last week," Meagher said. "Mass College has a whole new regime, so in a situation like that, you don't know what to expect. They're going to be sharp and ready to play."

This weekend also carries the weight of a potential 300th career win for Coach Meagher, who has notched 299 to date. He downplayed the distinction when asked. "I guess it's a sign of age," he joked.

"It's a time for reflection," he continued. "As anybody that is involved with education knows, it is a chance to work with young people who have passion and drive. This is a very special place; people put a lot of work into making our athletic programs strong, and I'm very grateful."

The Skidmore matchup starts tonight at 7:00 p.m., and Mass College visits for an afternoon game tomorrow with a 4:00 start.

Ditch all that last-week-of-classes anxiety and get over to Dayton this weekend, GO U BEARS!