For Immediate Release
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007					

HOCKEY TEAM LOOKS TO REPLICATE STRETCH RUN NEXT SEMESTER

NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA– In each of the last two seasons, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s hockey team has gone where they’ve never gone before.

This year, the Corsairs are trying to win the championship in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Northeast and return to the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the third consecutive season, while replacing almost all of the forwards and a top defenseman who played key roles in their ascension in the last two seasons. “The first half for us has been a period of adjustment,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach John Rolli. “At this point, we’re still adjusting to our lineup. We lost a lot of key players, and one of our players this year who has had to make a considerable adjustment is (senior forward) Jeff Grant (Burlington, MA/Austin Prep). Jeff is going from playing with two veteran wingers who he had played with for the previous 59 games to playing with freshmen. ‘

Grant, last year’s leading scorer with 25 goals and 29 assists in 54 games, has five goals and two assists in eight games this year and trails a pair of freshmen on the Corsairs’ scoring list. Forwards Joe Hill (Newburyport, MA/Valley Jr. Warriors-EJHL) and Jason Stahl (Londonderry, NH/Valley Jr. Warriors-EJHL), Grant’s new line mates, lead the team in scoring with 12 and nine points in the first eight games, respectively. While that bodes well for the future, UMass Dartmouth is still working on solidifying their lineup for the rest of the year.

“We’ve only used one line consistently in our first eight games, and only one pair of defensemen has played together every single night,” said Rolli. “We’re still undecided among four or five forwards for our last three spot, and two or three defensemen to fill our last spot in the lineup. This is an adjustment for us, as opposed to the last two seasons, when our lineup was virtually set, and we went with it each and every night.”

Despite the uncertainty, the Corsairs have already accomplished a lot, being one of only two undefeated teams in the ECAC Northeast after first semester with a pair of wins against two perennial playoff teams, including a victory at Curry in early December. “We finished the semester with only 17 goals against, which is a very good mark,” said Rolli. “We’re still focusing on defense first, and we have gotten stellar goaltending from (junior) Jeff Green (Medway, MA/Valley Jr. Warriors-EJHL), whose career record is now 37-5-2.”

With their recent success has come a role reversal: UMass Dartmouth’s hockey team has gone from being the hunter to the hunted. “Since we were ranked in the top 10 nationally in the pre-season poll and selected to win the ECAC Northeast, our game is a big game for every one of our opponents,” said Rolli. “Prior to our past success, the roles were often reversed.”

The challenge is certainly a formidable one, but one that the Corsairs will meet head on. “In the Times-Argus Tournament, which is recognized as one of the top Division III in-season tournaments in the country, we will face 11th-ranked Norwich and either St. Olaf or ninth-ranked Babson,” said Rolli. Five of our first six games at the beginning of the semester are on the road, but eight of the last 10 are at (the Stephan) Hetland (Memorial Ice Arena-UMass Dartmouth’s home rink.) If we can keep our head above water until we start playing the bulk of our schedule at home, it will be important for us.”

UMASS DARTMOUTH HOCKEY