After a disappointing 1993-94 season, the men's hockey team is looking to improve last year's 5-21-1 record starting this Saturday when Dartmouth takes on Boston College.
This year's team is made up of eight top 10 scorers from last year, including co-captains Dion Del Monte '95, a center, and Trevor Dodman '95, a defender.
Both players have been key members of the team. Del Monte was second on the team scoring list last year with 11 goals and 18 assists and Dodman came in ninth with three goals and nine assists.
Also returning this season are Patrick Turcotte '95 and Bill Kelleher '96, both of whom suffered injuries last year. Turcotte broke his left wrist, missing last year's final seven games, and Kelleher broke his arm in the fourth game of the season.
Out of the team's 25 players, seven are freshmen: Charlie Retter, Jeremiah Buckley, Bob Cancelli, Brian Fleming, Shaun Peet, Jon Sturgis and Dave Whitworth.
Fleming, a former center from Belmont Hill School in Belmont, Mass. is happy to be on the team and was impressed with the talent he was encountered at tryouts. "Tryouts were tough," he said.
Retter, a left wing from Toronto, Ont., agreed with Fleming, "Yeah, they put us through the ringer," he said. "There was a lot of tough competition at the tryouts."
With a grueling schedule of practices -- which last at least three hours a day every Monday through Thursday -- and games every Friday and Saturday night, the team should be in good shape for its upcoming games with some of the top teams in the nation.
"We've been practicing a lot so far this year," said Kelleher. "We've tried to get into the best shape possible for this season by working hard in the pre-season.
"Boston College is a tough team to play, but we've got some great forwards and a great defense which should make the game very exciting. We're all looking forward to it," he said.
The team has changed its attitude somewhat since last year by focusing attention on short term goals rather than the end result of the season.
"We're not setting any long term goals," said Owen Hughes '97, last season's rookie of the year. "We're just going to take it one day at a time."
On Friday night the Big Green will warm up the ice in an exhibition game against Williams and on Saturday they will take on Boston College at 7 p.m. Both games will be held in Thompson Arena.
