UMass Dartmouth finishes 15-7-3 overall, reaches ECAC NE tournament as #6 seed

(Dartmouth, MA) – A midseason stretch of 12 games without a loss helped UMass Dartmouth finish the regular season with a 15-7-3 overall record and the sixth seed in the ECAC Northeast Tournament with a 9-6-1 conference mark. The Corsairs’ post-season berth was their 19th consecutive appearance in Coach John Rolli’s career at UMass Dartmouth and 21st consecutive post season bid.

Seeded sixth in the ECAC Northeast Tournament, the Corsairs were eliminated with a 9-1 loss at third-seeded Curry College to close out the season.

After opening the 2002-03 season with a 3-2-1 record, UMass Dartmouth knocked off UMass Boston, 3-1, on Nov. 30 to start a 12-game unbeaten streak. Beginning with the win over UMass Boston, the Corsairs won 10 games and tied two more to go from a record of 3-2-1 to 13-2-3 overall. In the midst of the streak, UMass Dartmouth knocked off Curry College, 6-5, to spark a 6-0 record within the ECAC Northeast. With five of UMass Dartmouth six top scorers and both goaltenders expected to return next season, it would appear the Corsairs are well position for next season.

The Corsairs’ leading scorer for the 2002-03 season was junior forward and assistant captain Chris Dussault (Billerica, MA). In 25 games, Dussault scored 13 goals, second best on the team, and added a team-high 19 assists for 32 points. He also led the Corsiars with five power-play goals and scored four game-winning goals, tied for third in the ECAC NE. Junior forward Scott Gallagher (Billerica, MA) was second in team scoring with 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points. He added four power-play and three game-winning goals, tied for 5ith in the ECAC NE.

Among the Corsairs other top scorers were junior forward Shawn Sheehan (Medford, MA) with 10 goals, 15 assists for 25 points followed by senior forward and assistant captain Jared Spencer (Arlington, MA)(9-15-24). Junior Matt Beck had a team-high15 goals plus eighth assists for 23 points, while sophomore Scott Trahan (Chelmsford, MA) finished at 6-15-21. Senior Mike Bill (Mound, MN) was seventh in scoring with a goal and 14 assist for 15 points, tied for 12th among ECAC NE defensemen.

The goaltending tandem of junior Ryan Grant (Burlington, MA) and sophomore Kevin McGowan (Hingham, MA) proved solid throughout the season. Grant played in 14 games, posting a .873 saves percentage and a 3.56 goals against average, 9th overall in the ECAC NE. Grant had a 7-4-2 won-loss-tied record, facing 371 shots and making 324 saves. McGowan appeared in 13 games for the Corsiars, posting 2.83 goals against average, fifth in the ECAC NE, and a .878 saves percentage. McGowan was 8-3-1 overall, facing 278 shots with 244 saves. As a group, the Corsair goalies had a 3.24 GAA and a .874 saves percentage.

For the 2002-03 season, UMass Dartmouth averaged 4.72 goals per game to rank 9th in the ECAC Northeast and allowed only 3.28 goals per game, third best in the conference.

At season’s end, a pair of Corsairs were named to the 2003 ECAC Division III Men’s Northeast Ice Hockey Academic Team. Sophomores Stephen Davos (Tewksbury, MA) and Ian Seaver (Ludlow, MA) represented the Corsiars on the squad which comprised 57 student athletes with at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.