Williams head coach Bill Kangas enters his 20th year at the helm
of the Ephs with high expectations, but is cautioning himself and
his players to be patient. "We need to build the right approach
– every practice and every game requires our best effort,
every time we step on the ice," said Kangas. "We want our players
to give everything they have, but to be patient because it will
take time to build this team up. If you have a good shift make the
next one better, if you have a bad shift don't let it become two
bad shifts in a row, make the next one better.
"Guys are playing in practice with an edge in a spirited and
positive way and that is something we can build on," he said. "Our
practices have been competitive, the intensity has been good and
just six days in we're putting lines together."
As a member of NESCAC, 19 of the Ephs 24-game regular season
schedule interlocks with games vs. ECAC East teams and all of those
games are important. "You can't take a night off in this league
with 19 games that count in the standings," he said. "Every league
game is equally important. We need to carry our confidence from the
ECAC East games into the NESCAC games and get the same results
there to make progress on getting into the playoffs and having a
first round home game. Right now our goal is to get to the
semifinals, because we haven't been there for a while."
A year ago the Ephs were 6-1-3 vs. ECAC East teams, best among
NESCAC teams, but that success did not translate to the ice in
games vs. NESCAC teams.
Kangas lost four outstanding leaders to graduation in forwards
Brandon Jackmuff, Steve Bruch, Greg Schultz and Will Bruce.
Jackmuff, currently playing professionally in Germany was the Ephs'
leading scorer last winter with 12 goals and 13 assists. Bruch
notched four goals and assisted on 11 while Schultz had two goals
and five assists. Bruce added five goals (four game-winners) and
one assist last season.
This quartet was responsible for 23 goals and 30 assists last
season, which translates to 32 percent of goals scored and 27
percent of the assists. "The biggest thing we lost with this group
was their experience and leadership on and off the ice," noted
Kangas. "In college to be successful you need strong senior
leadership. Those guys will be missed."
Getting off to a good start this winter is viewed as a key to a
successful season by Kangas. "Last year we started off 0-2 so
everyone here knows we want a better start," noted Kangas. "The
returning players remember that 0-2 start and they're anxious to
correct that this season — we’re working on trying to
establish a mindset that is emotionally and mentally tough.
"Philosophically we've made some adjustments in our game that we
believe will make us better. We're trying to mesh experience and
youth because overall we're pretty young as a team.
"I'm looking for the guys who want to lay it on the line every
practice and every game and do whatever it takes to make their
teammates and the team better," said Kangas.
"It all starts in the net," Kangas points out. "You need good
goaltending to have a winning team." Right now Kangas has four
goalies on the roster and he may just keep them all. "I know four
is a lot, but we have an opportunity here to make a lot of progress
for the future. All four of our goalies are competing hard," said
Kangas. "It's been very competitive so far. We may be a goalie by
committee team."
Experienced veterans Marc Pulde and Rick Redmond made progress
throughout the year in 2007-08. Pulde, a junior, played the most
minutes logging 1,214 between the pipes. He allowed 71 goals and
recorded a .909 save percentage, while posting a 3.51 goals against
average. Redmond, a senior, played in seven contests last winter
and totaled 311 minutes. He allowed 23 goals, recorded a .879 save
percentage and allowed 4.44 goals a game.
Backing up Pulde and Redmond are sophomore Rob Wilechansky and
first year Ryan Purdy. Purdy arrives on campus as the New England
Prep School League Goalie of the Year.
Along the blue line Kangas will rely on seniors Chris Fahey
(captain) and David Ramsay to set the tone. "We've got a good group
back with Ramsay and Fahey as the leaders," he said. Ramsay (2g,
6a) is an offensive defender while Fahey (2 assists) is more of a
true defender. "Chris is a guy we're going to count on for penalty
killing and to shut down a player – he has great reach and
knows how to use his stick… he uses his size and reach to
his advantage.
"We're working a lot on communication in the back because you play
defense as a team and you need players who can read the ice and
balance the game in your favor," stated Kangas. "The more the
players communicate the better they can function as a group.
Already we're working on one-on-one battles in practice."
Behind Ramsay and Fahey are sophomore Brian Malchoff (5g,
8a) and two standout rookies with a lot of experience under their
belts. "Brian is a good solid defender, but he can also rush the
puck forward through the neutral zone and get up on the
attack."
Kangas is excited about his new arrivals on defense. "Ryan Scott
understands gap control and uses his stick well and he comes to
Williams off a USHL junior championship season with the Omaha
Lancers," said Kangas. "He's a kid who knows how to win." Justin
Troiani was the Player of the Year in the Ontario Provincial League
where he was an offensive minded defender who is
multi-dimensional.
Another first year to watch is New England Prep School League
standout Stephen Maier who was the captain at Hotchkiss. Maier is
more of a traditional defenseman.
"We have depth on defense and we have some guys who have definite
strengths that will allow us to match up better," commented
Kangas.
Up front Kangas will look to forward Alex Smigelski who, though
only a junior, has been accorded captain's status. "I think Alex is
ready to have a breakout year as a leader and a player," said
Kangas. Smigelski was second on the team a year ago in goals scored
(9) and assists (12).
Ryan Young, a sophomore, who had a strong debut season last winter
when he finished third on the team in points (16) on 7 goals and 9
assists should add firepower. Sophomore Matt Masucci (3g, 6a) is
also expected to contribute in the offensive zone. "You can just
see how Ryan and Matt have matured from last season and how they're
moving around with an increased level of confidence."
Junior forward Andrew Lepore and Malchoff who finished fifth and
sixth on the Ephs in scoring last season return, giving Kangas four
of his top six scorers from last season to build an attack around.
Lepore tallied four goals and recorded 11 assists, while Malchoff
had 13 points on 5 goals and 8 assists.
"Seniors Matt Draheim (4g, 5a) and Brett Haraguchi (4g, 5a) are
both playing very hard right now which is great for our younger
players to see and feel as they're showing everyone that actions
speak louder than words," Kangas pointed out.
Kangas feels Lepore and Octavian Jordan (2g, 4a) are ready to
emerge on the offensive end. "These guys came on strong at the end
of the year and have the ability to step it up a notch," he
stated.
"We're pretty balanced as we have some scoring back, solid
goaltending and some good defenders," said Kangas looking ahead to
the season. "Everyone has to understand and embrace their role
– be patient – we won't score on every shift and we
won't stop the other team every time, either… look long
term. Work hard at getting better and better every time we hit the
ice whether it is in practice or a game."
"This year we want to play up-tempo, but under control," commented
Kangas. "We're looking for 60 minutes of intense and consistent
hockey. When you compete at your best you put yourself in a
position to win."
The Ephs will open their season at home on November 21st when they host NESCAC foe Tufts at 7:00 PM.
