January 27, 2012
Model of consistency
Plattsburgh is again rubbing shoulders with the top teams in Division 3, but that's hardly a surprise with Bob Emery behind the bench
by Matt Caputo/Correspondent
Senior center Kyle Kudroch
Plattsburgh State coach Bob Emery isn’t saying much.
The Cardinals, the defending SUNYAC champions, began the new year with an 8-2-3 overall record and, despite that less-than-perfect mark, are ranked No. 3 in the country in the USCHO.com poll, Oswego, Utica and Elmira are all in the top 10. It’s a nice distinction, but Emery would rather focus on the season as it unfolds.
“I think our season is getting better as we go along; I would say we’re improving, but the ultimate goal is to peak in March,” he said. “We had 13 new guys on our team this year and we knew we were going to suffer some type of growing pains.
“Our record is OK; we only have only one game that we would really like back. We just feel that we can only control the next game. We’re always trying to get better, day-in and day-out, with the hope of showing and proving that in the next game.”
For Emery, success is derived from a program that is built on hard work and the idea that his players are all equal in his eyes. The defending SUNYAC champs posted a 20-8-1 record in 2010-11, claimed their 20th conference title and appeared in their 19th NCAA tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals. However, Emery stressed that his teams are not led by a single skater.
Now in his 23rd season behind the Plattsburgh bench, Emery has guided teams to two national championships and made 15 NCAA tournament appearances, including nine trips to the Division 3 semifinals. While at the helm of the Cardinals, Emery has won 13 SUNYAC championships and coached 17 All-Americans. He is winningest coach in the program's storied history with a 485-154-49 career record, and his .741 winning percentage ranks among the top five all-time in the NCAA. At the start of this season, he ranked fourth among Division 3 active coaches with 485 victories.
“We don’t have a first line and we don’t have a fourth line, and that gives us a great balance,” Emery said. “The program is based upon discipline and hard work and we have to summon leadership and bring those two things every time we play for us to be successful.”
It’s that kind of structure and dedication that Emery has gotten used to during his life in hockey.
A 10th-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1982 NHL Draft, he went the NCAA route and was a Hockey East All-Star and alternate captain by his senior year at Boston College. During his four years at BC, the Eagles made three NCAA tournament appearances and won the Beanpot in 1983.
After college, Emery was invited to the Canadiens’ training camp. He later hooked on with the Quebec Nordiques organization and played for their AHL affiliate, the Fredericton Express, for one season. He ended his professional career with the Boston Bruins' minor league affiliate, the AHL’s Maine Mariners, in 1987-88.
During his very first season as Plattsburgh's head coach in 1989-90, the Cardinals (22-10-3) earned the SUNYAC title on Geneseo’s home ice after blanking Fredonia, 6-0, in the semifinals and edging the host Knights, 5-4, in the championship game.
Emery’s rich experience has helped define the program’s place among the best in the country. Even still, he’s cautious about estimating how this team stacks up to last year’s championship squad.
The attack has been balanced, if not relentless. Sophomore forward Nick Jensen (5-7-12), senior center Kyle Kudroch (5-4-9) and senior forward Vick Schlueter (5-3-8) all share the team lead in goals. But the backbone has been defense, with the team allowing just 24 goals in its first 13 games.
“I’m not so sure we’re jelling, but I think we’re getting better and we’ve done a great job defensively, keeping out opponents from getting a lot of goals,” said Emery. “I’d like to see us be more opportunistic because our team works so hard. I’d like to see us get a little more payoff.”
The Cardinals opened the season with three straight wins, besting Morrisville, Potsdam State and Fredonia State. The day after their win over Fredonia, they played at Buffalo State and lost by a score of 4-3.
In the PrimeLink Great Northern Shootout hosted by Middlebury College, the Cardinals fell to top-ranked Norwich, 3-0. The Cadets scored a goal in each period and sophomore netminder Parker Carroll stopped all 12 shots he faced to lead the team’s first shutout win over Plattsburgh since 2000. But the Cardinals haven’t lost since.
Besides building a winning record, Emery has also been a part of the greater growth of the hockey culture at Plattsburgh. The annual Cardinal Classic is a New Year’s weekend tournament of quality teams at Stafford Ice Arena, the 1,924-seat barn is part of the Plattsburgh State Fieldhouse.
Utica, Castleton State and Babson were all part of the 2011 field. In the first round, brothers Alex and Nick Jensen combined for five points as Plattsburgh shut out Babson, 5-0. It advanced to the final to play then-No. 3 Castleton (11-2-0, 7-1-0 ECAC East) and beat it, 2-1. The results vaulted the Cardinals up to No. 3 in the national rankings.
“If you’re ranked high in the poll, I don’t think it helps you as much as it helps your opponent get ready for you, physically and mentally,” Emery said. “I’m not a big fan of it. I don’t care where we are in the poll, it only matters how you finishing in March. If you’re high in the poll and you’re doing well, teams just get real fired up to play against you.”
Matt Caputo can be reached at feedback@nyhockeyjournal.com.
