November 21, 2011
Utica's love affair
Successful Pioneers have grown accustomed to big crowds, winning hockey
by Matt Caputo/Correspondent
(photo: Jamie Callari/Utica College)
Over the summer, the Utica College men’s hockey team went on a European vacation that would have made Clark Griswold proud.
The Pioneers embarked on a four-game exhibition tour, visiting Germany, Italy and Austria, and playing professional opponents from each country. The Pioneers won all four of their games, besting the Landshut Cannibals (Germany) 4-3, the Vipiteno Broncos (Italy) 6-2, EV Fussen (Germany) 4-3 and ESV Kaufbeuren (Austria) 2-1.
Having visited France four years ago, Utica is now 7-1 all-time in international play after going 3-1 on the tour through France.
“It started in Europe about four years ago when we took a trip into France, but prior to that we’d taken a trip into Canada,” Pioneers head coach Gary Heenan said. “It’s something that our program wants to take advantage of and it adds to the experience that our guys have here at Utica.”
And what an experience it is.
The NCAA permits college teams to take part in an international exchange trip every three years, intended to expose the student-athletes to different cultures. It’s also an opportunity for college teams to compete against professional-level teams. Heenan felt his players gained a lot of valuable hockey experience during this year’s tour.
“We got a chance to learn some of the culture and see sights, but at the same time we got to play at a really good level of hockey; it was a great trip,” he added.
Utica is expecting a standout year from Tim Coffman, who totaled eight points during the tour. Coffman, the Pioneers’ senior captain, and junior forward Evan Chlanda both showed poise and capability against their seasoned opposition. Coffman collected three goals and five assists, while Chlanda registered two goals and five assists against their foreign opponents.
“Tim Coffman, our best player, our captain, was electric on the Olympic sheet,” said Heenan. “He’s got very good feet and good vision on the ice, and he seemed to just thrive on the Olympic ice surface. All four teams that we played against wanted to have conversations with him about the possibility of playing for them once he’s finished with us this year.”
The Pioneers then returned to Utica, N.Y., where they are surrounded by some of the best hockey fans in North America.
Utica has been a hockey hotbed for roughly 25 years, and the locals have adopted the Pioneers as their home team. In the past, the city has been home to numerous minor professional clubs at various levels: the Mohawk Valley Stars/Comets of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (1985-87), the Utica Devils of the AHL (1987-93), the Utica Bulldogs (1993-94) and Utica Blizzard (1994-97) of the Colonial Hockey League, the Mohawk Valley Prowlers of the United Hockey League (1998-2001) and the Mohawk Valley IceCats of the North Eastern Hockey League (2006-07).
“When you show up and you have 3,800 people coming to every game, that’s motivation right there. You’re always playing to win, but you basically have the whole city coming out to see you,” said Coffman, a native of Elverson, Pa. “It’s a huge hockey town; the fans know their stuff. It’s a great town to play in.”
Although there are whispers that Utica hopes to again someday house a pro club, the college team attracts the highest attendance in all of Division 3. Its following has led many minor professional leagues league to expand elsewhere.
Utica played an exhibition game against the Canadian Royal Military College the night before its season opener against SUNY-Brockport. The Pioneers routed their visitors from the north, 7-1. Despite winning big, Heenan felt his team came out flat against Brockport the next day and struggled to find a rhythm. Vacation was over.
“I actually asked the guys if they thought it would be important to play a game and actually jell as a unit, or if they thought we should stay away from it so we were fresh,” said Heenan, who is now in his 11th year as Utica’s coach. “Every member of our team chose to play the game. In hindsight, I’m not sure it was true.”
Still, Utica improved to 2-0 with a win over second-ranked Oswego State the following week. The Pioneers, ranked No. 13 in the country, made a huge statement be topping Oswego, 3-2, in front of 3,499 fans at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. They outscored the visitors 2-0 in the second period and sophomore goalie Nick Therrien stopped 26 shots to help Utica preserve a two-goal, third-period lead.
“A win like this (at home) is a big confidence booster,” Heenan said. “We showed great discipline and we worked hard on both ends. I'm really proud of our guys and I think we proved that we can play with anyone in the country tonight.”
Last year, Utica finished the season ranked 15th in the nation in the USCHO.com poll, the highest final ranking in the program's 10-year history. Last year’s Pioneers posted a school-record 17 victories against and finished their season with a loss to eventual NCAA tournament participant Neumann in the semifinals of the ECAC West conference tournament.
This year, there’s a feeling that the Pioneers have a shot at Wally World.
“I’d like to win the ECAC West and a national championship after that,” Coffman said. “If there was any year we were going to do it, it would be this year.”
Matt Caputo can be reached at feedback@nyhockeyjournal.com.
SMALL COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
Fredonia State senior Bryan Ross became the 16th player to reach 100 career points in the history of the Blue Devils’ ice hockey program last month.
Ross, a center from Livonia, Mich., notched two assists in Fredonia’s 4-1 season-opening win over Assumption at the Steele Hall Ice Arena, and had totaled six points – all on assists -- through the first four games of the year. Ross totaled 46 points in 28 games last season for the Blue Devils, becoming the 15th-leading scorer in program history.
During the 2010-11 season, Ross was an All-SUNYAC second-team selection and was the Blue Devils’ top scorer. His efforts helped the Blue Devils advance to play Plattsburgh State in last season's SUNYAC championship game.
Despite Ross’ accomplishments, the Blue Devils were still searching for their first SUNYAC win late last month. After two wins over Assumption, Fredonia only managed a tie against Brockport and lost to Geneseo.
Hare leads Lakers
Oswego State junior goaltender Andrew Hare helped the second-ranked Lakers record a sweep against sixth-ranked Elmira by scores of 7-3 and 6-2 last month.
In the opener, Hare played the final two periods, stopping 21 of the 22 shots he faced to help Oswego earn a come-from-behind win. In the second meeting with Elmira, he followed up that performance with 30 saves, allowing two power-play goals.
Hare suffered his first loss of the season, making 28 saves on 31 shots as his Lakers fell to Utica College on the road.
Quick start for Doust
Freshman Brian Doust has made a fast impression on Fredonia hockey fans. He scored his first two goals and had two assists over the first two games of the season n his way to being named SUNYAC Rookie of the Week.
Doust netted the first collegiate goal on a power play and added an assist in the Blue Devils’ 4-1 win over Assumption.
Inside position
Four SUNYAC programs started the 2011-12 season with an appearance in the USCHO.com preseason rankings.
Oswego State start ranked No. 2. The Lakers received 266 votes and three first-place votes, as defending Division 3 champion St. Norbert started the year at the top spot with 299 votes. Plattsburgh sits at No. 5 (214 votes), while Geneseo and Fredonia were the other SUNYAC schools listed in the poll; the Geneseo is 12th (73 votes) and the Blue Devils received six votes.
-- MATT CAPUTO
