Williams releases 2013-14 men's hockey roster

Williams has posted its 2013-14 men's hockey roster on their website. The Ephs carry a short roster, with nine freshman joining 15 returning players for a total of 24 players. The only two omissions from the returnees are sophomores Taylor Carmola  and Mike Erickson, neither of whom played a large role with the Ephs last season.

Up front, the defending NESCAC runner-up will return two of its top three scorers from last season in junior forward Peter Mistretta  and senior forward Nick Anderson. Mistretta was the team's leading scorer when he suffered a season ending concussion in early February and finished second on the team in scoring (14-6-20) despite missing the final seven games of the season. His 14 goals led the team, with Anderson's 8 goals (8-12-20) in a distant second. A healthy return from  Mistretta would go a long way in helping the Ephs get back to the NESCAC title game.

Anderson will co-captain the team with fellow senior Paul Steinig. If the Ephs roster is correct, Steinig will be switching from defense to forward for his final season in the purple and gold. The captains roster will be rounded out by the assistant captains, senior forward Tucker Dayton  and junior defenseman Dave Jarrett.

While the Ephs return two of their top three scorers, they are the only two returning in the top five and the Ephs lost 41% of their overall offensive production from last season. A strong recruiting class that includes forwards  George Hunkele (Lawrence Academy) and Alex Hagerty (Delbarton), as well as high scoring Minnesota defenseman Frankie Mork (Holy Angels) should help ease the offensive pain.

But Williams success recently has not been predicated on lighting the lamp. The Ephs were only sixth in the conference in scoring (3.00 goals per game in league games) last season but first overall in defense (1.94 goals allowed per game in league games). The blueliners that helped achieve that include a sophomore class of  Zander Masucci, who won the Ephs "Rookie of the Year" award last season, as well as Greg Johnson, who just participated in the Dallas Stars summer camp in July.

Junior defenseman Brian McNamara may only have three points in two collegiate seasons, but he has developed into a rock-steady stay-at-home defenseman. Brian, who earned the Ephs Most Improved Player award for 2012-13, will be joined on the Ephs by fellow blueliner and brother James McNamara (Choate). James won a Midget Tier I national title on the Neponset Valley River Rats along with fellow freshman Hunkele. Along with Mork and McNamara, the defensive neophytes include the NESCAC's approximation of Zdeno Chara, 6'5" Greg Zaffino (St. Paul's School). Intrigue in Zaffino led to his inclusion on NHL's Central Scouting "2012 NHL Entry Draft Players to Watch". 

Last, but certainly not least, are the Ephs net-minders. That conference best 1.94 goals per game average had a lot to do with now junior goaltender Sean Dougherty, who earned Team MVP and Second Team All-NESCAC honors in 2012-13. Dougherty (who was also First Team on our 'Cac All-Irish Team last St. Patrick's Day) will be backed up by sophomore Noah Klagg and senior Sam Kurland. 

Read More: Williams Athletics -- 2013-14 Men's Hockey Roster