Conn College Men's Hockey 2013-14 Preview

2012-13 Review 
7-14-3 Overall
3-12-3 NESCAC (9th in NESCAC)


Stats:
Overall  (Conference Rank)                   Conference Games (conf. rank)
Offense: 2.33 G/GM (9th)                              Offense: 2.11 G/GM (10th)

Defense: 3.58 G/GM (7th)                             Defense: 3.78 G/GM (8th)

Power Play: 15/86 -20.6% (7th)                     Power Play: 7/58 -12.1% (9th) 

Penalty Kill: 59/82 - 72.0% (9th)                   Penalty Kill: 40/59 - 67.8% (10th)

After a sweep of Tufts in early February, Conn College sat in seventh place and in the driver's seat for a NESCAC playoff spot. The Camels then lost their final four games to end up in ninth and on the outside looking in at the NESCAC playoffs for the fourth straight year. In the regular season finale, the Camels took conference champion Bowdoin to OT. Needing a win to make the NESCAC playoffs, CC pulled their goalie and lost on an empty-net OT goal. For Ted Steinberg's full 2012-13 season review, click here.

2013-14 Preview
Key losses (all stats for 2012-13)
Dawson Luke (D) (24 GP: 7-8-15) 
Sean Murray (F) (17 GP: 3-3-6)

Key Returners (all stats for 2012-13)
JC Cangelosi (F, '16) (23 GP: 5-15-20)
Keith Veronesi (F, '14) (24 GP: 9-10-19); 2013-14 co-captain
Mike Sinsigalli (F, '14) (24 GP: 4-9-13); 2013-14 co-captain
Tim DiPretoro (F, '16) (23 GP: 9-5-14)
Kevin Reich (D, '14) (20 GP: 1-5-6)
Mike Petchonka (G, '14) (13 GP: 729 min., .868 Save%, 4.20 GAA)
Tom Conlin (G, '16) (13 GP: 701 min., .917 Save%, 2.65 GAA)

Key Recruits 
Brian Belisle (F, '17)
Jeff Celniker (F, '17)
Greg Liataud (D, '17)

Conn College had a disappointing end to the 2012-13 season, when they thought they would finally snap their postseason drought. In order to finally get the playoff monkey off their back, they'll need to do score at a better clip than last year's 2.11 goals per game, last in conference play. They return almost the entire team from last year, including the highest scoring line (Veronesi, Cangelosi, DiPreToro).

They'll also need some more consistent goal-tending. After splitting time with Mike Petchonka , then freshman Tom Conlin staked claim to the starting job this season with a .930 save percentage and 2.43 goals against average over the last seven conference games. If you sprinkle in some production from the seven man freshman class, the Camels should make a push at a playoff spot.

Predictions/Projections: Everyone from our preseason poll to the WordPress Blog, D3Hockey.com (D3H) and USCHO projects Conn College to finish 9th in the conference standings. The D3H computer projections like the Camels a little better, placing them at 36th out of 79 teams, ahead of Colby, Tufts and Hamilton. This is probably in large part due to the computer projections heavily weighting returning player's contribution.

Out of Conference Schedule The Camels non-NESCAC schedule is split up into two three game blocks in November/December and January. They kick off the OOC schedule at home with a tough match-up against nationally ranked Utica on November 30th before traveling to Massachusetts to play Salem State (projected to finish 44th in D3Hockey.com projections) the next day. The following Tuesday they travel to the suburbs of NYC to play Manhattanville (24th D3H) of the ECAC West.

The Camels ring in the new year with a matchup against the lone D-III Indepedent school, SUNY Canton Kangaroos, (76th D3H) on January 4th, before traveling to upstate New York to play a young but talented Oswego (17th D3H) team that has gone to back-to-back national title games. They finish up non-conference play by mid-January with a match-up against Curry (50th D3H).

Song for the Season The Camels haven't made the NESCAC playoffs the past four seasons, but they have the most returning players of any team in the 'Cac, who they hope have found a home on the ice. Note: The founding members of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah went to Conn College in the late 90s.
Clap Your Hands -Say Yeah - "Home On Ice"