by Jim Mullins
Assistant Director
Sports Information
November 8, 1999

UMass Dartmouth hope to be back in ECAC Northeast tourney picture again

(Dartmouth, MA) - For UMass Dartmouth and the other teams competing in the ECAC Northeast, the brass ring at the end of the season is a little brighter this season. Beginning with the 1999-2000 season, the ECAC Northeast post season champion will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Ice Hockey championship tournament.

"Instead of the ECAC Northeast being a regional tournament, now we get a chance to compete at the national level," said UMass Dartmouth ice hockey coach John Rolli (16th season, 313-67-10) "It's really a big step up for our conference and for our hockey program at UMass Dartmouth."

In Rolli's 15 previous season, the Corsairs have been among the top collegiate teams in New England, evidenced by their 15 consecutive post season berths and six league championships. With the automatic NCAA bid at stake for the ECAC Northeast champion, the season ahead takes on an entirely new light.

UMass Dartmouth will return 15 starters from a team which posted a 20-5-3 overall record and tied for first in the ECAC Northeast with a record of 14-1-2. One goal was all that separated the Corsairs from the league championship last year, as UMass Dartmouth dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to Fitchburg State for the 1998-99 championship.

One season later, Rolli and the Corsairs have a few key positions to fill with newcomers and returning starters from last year, but they also return a goaltending tandem which is as good as any in New England.

Senior goalies Ryan Sloper (Billerica, MA) and Louis Weimann (Burlington, VT) will return for their final season with the Corsairs. Sloper, who will serve as team captain this season, posted a 10-2-3 record with a shutout and a 3.53 goals against average last year. Weimann, an assistant captain this season, finished 10-3 with a pair of shutouts and a 2.17 goals against average. Weimann was an Honorable Mention on the ECAC Northeast All-Star team as a junior and was also a Division III New England Hockey Writers All-Star choice.

"Sloper and Weimann are going to be counted on even more heavily than last year because of the large number of underclassmen in our starting lineup," said Rolli, who will be joined by assistant coaches Ken Whitten, Shawn Tavares and David Delfino.

On defense, the Corsairs will have to fill the void left by the graduation of Jon Ruel after last season. Rolli has a solid crop of young defensemen ready for the challenge including freshman Nick Domenici (Concord, NH), sophomores Sean Young (Waltham, MA) (5-15-20), Bruce Warren (Framingham, MA) (2-2-4), Jamie Carroll (Bridgewater, MA) (0-6-6), Chris Anderton (Weymouth, MA) (0-2-2) and junior Nick Siciliano (W. Springfield, MA) (1-4-5). Rolli also said freshman Jeff Del Rossi (Melrose, MA) will also be challenge for playing time on defense.

"We're still very young with a junior, four sophomores and two freshmen on defense," Rolli said. "Certainly the catalyst on defense will be Young, who transferred last year in the middle of the season from Norwich."

Despite the loss of ECAC Northeast Player of the Year Jamie DiBona, UMass Dartmouth returns four of its six top scorers from a year ago. The Corsairs' checking line will feature three seniors, Chris Cunningham (Brockton, MA) (8-5-13), John DeFazio (Cranston, RI) (7-8-15) and Chris O'Reilly (Belmont, MA) (11-12-23), a trio Rolli will use opposite opponents' top scoring lines.

Two sophomores and senior will make up the scoring line. Sophomores Tom Brown (Framingham, MA) (14-19-33) and Chris Carboneau (Falmouth, MA), (6-19-25) along with senior assistant captain Jim Egan (Billerica, MA) (18-24-42), accounted for 38 goals and 59 assists last season and Rolli is hoping for more production from them this season.

The Corsairs' third line will consist of three sophomores, Nick Slatkavitz (Franklin, MA) (1-7-8), Anthony Tavalone (Franklin, MA) (3-4-7) and Dave Osis (Braintree, MA), while the fourth line will include sophomore John Simard (Newburyport, MA), freshman Matt Cruikshank (Townsend, MA) and freshman Jared Spencer (Arlington, MA), a Boston Herald All-Scholastic at Arlington HS last season.

"We feel we have a good checking line in our first group and we've got a good scoring line with our second line," Rolli said. "I also think our two freshman on the fourth line should have good rookie seasons for us."

The Corsairs season begins with a very difficult stretch of nine games during the first semester with only one of them played at Hetland Arena in New Bedford. Among the tough non-conference challenges UMass Dartmouth will are the U.S. Air Force Academy Invitational Tournament in Colorado Springs, Colorado Dec. 10-11 and a trip to the Southern Maine Invitational during the second week of the season.

The Corsairs home opener will take place December 1 when Fitchburg State comes to town for a renewal of the annual rivalry with the Corsairs. UMass Dartmouth will make a return visit to Fitchburg State on January 29.

"The addition of the NCAA bid will help with our exposure and also help in recruiting," said Rolli. "It will also help in scheduling some non-conference opponents who in the past weren't interested in playing us. "

Ranked second in the ECAC Northeast Coaches' poll prior to the season, the Corsairs will open their league schedule at Lebanon Valley College on November 13, following their non-conference season opener against the University of Scranton.

As a result of the NCAA automatic bid for the ECAC Northeast champion, the season schedule had to be moved back a week to accommodate both tournaments. Coach Rolli and the Corsairs are hoping they will still be playing ice hockey when the post season tournaments roll around the NCAA tournament brass ring is on the ice for the taking.