With four of last season's top five scorers returning, there is little doubt the UMass Dartmouth's ice hockey team will score plenty of goals this season. On defense and especially in goal, however, Coach John Rolli's Corsairs will have to fill in some gaps as UMass Dartmouth prepares to defend its second ECAC North/Central/South Championship in three years.

Coming off a 24-3 season, the most victories by a Corsair team since 1989 and their third straight ECAC Central title (13-1 last year), UMass Dartmouth lost nine players from last year's roster. But Rolli isn't too worried because by reshuffling his lineup and adding a few new names to the roster, the Corsairs appear to have enough talent to be in position to defend their title.

"Unquestionably, the strength of this team is at forward, where we feel we have the potential to score a lot of goals this season," said Rolli (12th season, 225-51-5). "We've got three balanced lines that can score and that is going to produce plenty of excitement for the fans."

One of Rolli's line combinations includes both of last season's top scorers in senior captain and winger P.J. Schneider (Plymouth,MA) and junior center Craig Hardy (Everett, MA). They will be joined on the other wing by Robert Granara (Medford, MA) (6-14-20), giving the Corsairs a line that combined for 41 goals for UMass Dartmouth last season. Schneider (19-19-38) was a First Team New England Hockey Writer and ECAC Central All Star last season and Hardy (16-22-38) led the Corsairs with 4 game-winning goals.

The Corsairs second line is centered by senior Glenn Martin (Westport, MA), last year's second-leading scorer (17-19-36) along with sophomore Mike Doherty (Stoneham, MA) and junior transfer Jason Cormier (Waltham, MA) at the wings. Cormier played 22 games for the University of Massachusetts Lowell last season before transferring to UMass Dartmouth.

Returning to the Corsair lineup after a one-year absencee, sophomore center Steve Barkus (Quincy, MA) (13-13-26 in 1993-94) will play between wingers junior Marc Salvi (Cheshire, MA) (14-15-29) and sophomore Jarrod DiBona (Weymouth, MA). In only 15 games as a sophomore last year, DiBona demonstrated a scorer's touch with 12 goals and 11 assist for 23 points.

It's on defense and in goal that Rolli will be making some personnel moves early in the season. Losing three starting defensemen from last season has forced Rolli to make some adjustments, moving junior Shawn Richmond (Newburyport, MA) from forward to defense this season. Also new to the defensive alignment this season are two new players with plenty of ice hockey experience. Former UMass Dartmouth football player Jaime Chase (W. Barnstable, MA) is a fifth-year senior, who played ice hockey at Barnstable High School and sophomore Kayne Beaudy (Melrose,MA) is a transfer from Elmira College, who played high high school hockey at Matignon High School in Cambridge.

The newcomers will be joined by an experienced group of defenders who all saw considerable action last season. The returning veterans are led by ECAC All-Star sophomore Roland Demers (Peabody, MA) (4-10-14), junior Dan Hemenway (Weymouth, MA) (3-2-5) and junior Brett Flint (Danvers, MA) (0-4-4).

"We certainly have some holes to fill and we're hoping that maturing players will be able to provide us with quality play and allow us to position our selves to challenge for another ECAC title," said Rolli.

The most noticeable loss for the Corsairs is the departure of Kevin Kelly, a three-time New England Hockey Writer's all star, who was an ECAC All Star in each of his four seasons and twice named ECAC Central Player of the Year. Stepping into the void in goal will be senior Shawn Grenier (E. Taunton, MA), who posted a 5-1 record with a 2.86 goals against average in 11 games last season. His career marks after three seasons with the Corsairs are 13-4-0 with a 2.91 goals against average and 3 shutouts.

"We're replacing a great player with a very good one and only time will tell if he too is a great one," said Rolli about Grenier. "He's bided his time, waiting for this chance. "We feel he is the best player we have who is replacing someone that we lost from last year."

Having won their sixth ECAC title since 1983 last season, Rolli and his Corsairs know the rest of the ECAC North/Central/South will be looking for them again this season. With nine seniors returning, Rolli says Assumption College will be one of the ECAC Central teams he expects a challenge from along with Tufts and St. Michael's.

"We recognize that people will be gunning for us coming off our third straight ECAC Central championship," said Rolli. "But we're anxiously waiting for the beginning of the season and we are cautiously optimistic."

After opening with Curry College Saturday, November 11, UMass Dartmouth heads right into the teeth of its scheduled with a rematch the following Tuesday against last year's ECAC North/Central/South finalist Fitchburg State on the road. The Falcons graduated only three players from the team that was beaten by UMass Dartmouth 5-1 at Hetland Arena to capture the ECAC Tournament championship last season.

Home games against Bentley College, New Hampshire College, and Tufts along with road games at Stonehill College, Suffolk University, Quinnipiac and New Hampshire College make up the first half of the Corsairs' season. UMass Dartmouth will break for the holidays after the December 16 game against Southern Maine in New Bedford.