The Brown Bears will open their season next Saturday, November 4 at home
against the Harvard Crimson. This game will give an early indication of
how good these two highly touted ECAC teams really are. Brown-Harvard
is the oldest college hockey rivalry in the United States.
 
Brown was defeated by the University of Acadia (N.S.) 4-3 in an
exhibition game played at Meehan Auditorium last Friday. Brown led
for most of the game, but was victimized by two Acadia goals in the
final two minutes.
 
 
SEASON PREVIEW
 
The 1995-96 Bears will be essentially a veteran squad, although
newcomers will be given a fair opportunity to make the team. Brown
lost only four regulars from last year's squad, which won the Ivy
title and finished second in the ECAC. Among the players Brown will
have to replace is co-captain Mike Traggio, a rugged defenseman who
received ECAC's Best Defensive Defenseman Award in both his junior
and senior seasons, and who was a First-Team All-ECAC and All-Ivy
selection last year. Other graduated players included Second-Team All-Ivy
defenseman Pat Thompson (currently playing for the Canadian National
Team), and forwards Eric Trach and Tony Martino.
 
The Bears will play a very hard schedule, which includes games against
five Hockey-East opponents: Maine, Northeastern, Merrimack, Lowell
and Providence. Early road trips to Colgate and Cornell, and to
Clarkson and St. Lawrence will be a tough early test for the Bears.
 
GOALTENDERS
 
The goaltending situation is potentially competitive, although it
looks like senior Mike Parsons (1994-95 First-Team All-Ivy) will
once again be the number one goaltender. Mike is a very intelligent
young man, and his intelligence shows in the way he approaches his
goaltending tasks. He does not make too many spectacular saves
because he is seldom out of position. He is a technically sound,
fairly conservative goaltender, who does not roam too much, reads plays
very well and has excellent concentration.
 
Parsons may have played too many games games last year. He started in
twenty-five of Brown's twenty-seven regular season games, and appeared
to be a bit tired towards the end of the regular season and during the
playoffs.
 
Brown fans will probably see junior Brian Audette and sophomore Jeff
Holowaty more often than they did last year. Both are capable
goaltenders, who will only get better as they gain more experience.
Audette, who was impressive during the playoffs, will probably see some
early season action. Holowaty has played well whenever called upon,
although he will probably still play behind Parsons and Audette.
 
DEFENSEMEN
 
The nucleus of the defense are senior co-captain Charlie Humber, and
sophomores Jimmy Andersson (1994-95 Ivy-League Rookie of the Year and
ECAC All-Rookie selection), D.J. Harding and Bob Quinnel. Despite
lacking a strong shot, Andersson is a very good offensive defenseman.
He has excellent skating and passing skills, and moves the puck from
his end extremely well. Harding is as solid a defenseman as one
will find in the Ivy League. He has a low, accurate shot from the
point, and plays a sound positional game. The coaching staff chose not to
play Quinnel last year (as a 21-year old freshman he only had three
years of eligibility). There was never any question, however, that
Quinnel would be able to contribute. He combines strength with
finesse, and, with his good shot from the point, may be one of the
solutions for Brown's power play woes. Quinnel and Harding were the
two best defensemen against Acadia. Humber is a finesse player, who
provides experience and stability to the defense. He can also play
forward, and may be moved to left wing if the Brown offense sputters.
 
Of the five remaining defensemen, Bill McKay seems to have nailed down
the fifth spot. This creates a competitive situation for the final
slot among seniors Ron Smitko and James Mooney, junior John Churchward
and freshman Tom Ryles. Although Smitko and Mooney are more experienced,
Ryles, who like Andersson comes to Brown from the Dubuque Fighting Saints
of the USHL, will probably see some early season action and be given
the opportunity to show how well he can perform at the collegiate level.
 
FORWARDS
 
Co-Captain Ryan Mulhern (1994-95 Ivy League Player of the Year) is the
heart of the Brown offense. Mulhern is one of the best power forwards
in Division I and a potential All-American. Unlike many other top
offensive players in the league, Mulhern is also an outstanding defensive
player, who sacrifices his offensive statistics in order to do his
job defensively. Although he is one of Brown's best penalty killers,
he will probably see less action in that capacity this year, in an effort
to keep him fresh for key offensive situations.
 
For Brown to do well, however, other offensive players must have good
years. Senior Brian Jardine, a deft passer and playmaker, will once
again be counted upon to generate offense. Unlike the past couple of
seasons, he probably will not play on the same line as Mulhern, except
on the power play. For the moment, Mulhern has been paired with sophomore
Brent Hoiness at left wing and freshman Jade Kersey at center. Like
Bob Quinnel, Hoiness sat out last year because of the three-year
eligibility rule. Hoiness is an excellent offensive player, with size,
skating ability and a heavy shot. Once he adjusts to the college game,
he will help remove some of the pressure from Mulhern. Kersey is a very
good skater and possesses excellent passing skills. He also appears to
have what is known as very good "hockey sense." Right now Kersey is the
only freshman who has cracked the starting lineup. He looked impressive
against Acadia, playing with the confidence of a veteran.
 
The all-junior line of Scott Bradford, Mike Noble and Rob Merrill looked
good against Acadia. Bradford and Noble returned from the summer in
excellent shape. They are very good skaters, with an excellent attitude.
Bradford was a pleasant surprise last year, scoring ten goals after
having gone scoreless as a freshman. He is a skilled player, who plays
with a lot of intensity, and is great both in the locker room and the
bench. Noble, who shares Bradford's intensity and work ethic, gives an
honest effort every shift. Merrill is one of Brown's biggest forwards,
and has the potential to be a good goal scorer. Like Bradford and Noble,
Merrill plays a physical game, and is a very good bodychecker.
 
The coaches expect juniors Mike Flynn and Marty Clapton finally to
realize their potential as Division I players. Clapton is a big
kid who can stickhandle and really shoot the puck. He scored a
spectacular goal against Princeton in the playoffs, stickhandling
through the Princeton's defense before unloading a heavy shot that
caught the Princeton goaltender by surprise. Unfortunately it was
only Clapton's fourth goal of the season. Clapton is capable, however,
of being a fifteen-goal scorer. Flynn has been unable to cash in on the
many opportunities he generates with his speed. He is definitely capable
of being a ten-goal scorer (he scored only two goals last season) and
has the playmaking skills to be a twenty-assist man.
 
Other forward regulars include sophomores Damian Prescott and John
Direnzo, and senior Steve Kathol. Prescott had a good pre-season
and played well against Acadia. He seems to be coming into his own.
Direnzo is a clever stickhandler, who will only get better with
experience. Kathol had a good sophomore season, but was used mainly in
a reserve capacity as a junior. He is a good defensive foward with some
scoring touch.
 
Other upperclass forwards include senior Scott Humber and sophomore
Brian Crowley, both of whom saw limited action last year. Freshmen
include Paul Giblin, Adrian Smith and Dustin Sventy. Giblin, a standout
at Hothckiss, is the most likely candidate from this group to see
some early season action. He made a positive impression on the
coaching staff during the pre-season, and was reportedly very close
to being part of the exhibition game lineup.
 
Against Acadia the lines were Hoiness-Kersey-Mulhern, Noble-Bradford-
Merrill, Direnzo-Flynn-Jardine and Kathol-Prescott-Clapton. With
the coaches still looking for the right combinations, the lines
may be changed before the Harvard game.
 
Brown was picked in the various polls to finish anywhere from third
(Hockey News) to sixth (ECAC coaches). In my estimation, Brown has
the potential to be a top four team. (I voted Brown fourth in the
Hockey-L poll behind Colgate, Clarkson and Vermont.) In order for
Brown to be a contender, however, Brown has to get better offensive
production from the forwards, be more consistent defensively and
play with more intensity than was the case against Acadia.
 
Luiz F. Valente
 
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