Quinnipiac College Sports Information Office
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Quinnipiac Ice Hockey Announces 1998-99 Recruiting Class
 - Ten Newcomers Head to Hamden for Inaugural Division I Season -
 
July 16
Hamden, Conn. - The Quinnipiac ice hockey team will welcome a talented group
of 10 newcomers for their inaugural season of competition in Division I and
the newly formed Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Hockey League.
The Braves+ 1998-99 recruiting class features six stars from junior leagues,
two transfers from Hockey East members and two prep school standouts.
        "We are very pleased with our recruiting for this year.  We landed a
trio from the USHL and a pair from the BCHL.  Those are two of the best
three Junior A leagues in North America.  We+ve added size and toughness in
Dan Ennis, Neil Breen, Mike LaRocca and Todd Bennett.  We+ve also added
several players who can contribute on our special teams, and added depth in
goal with Jim White and Dan DiLeo," said fifth-year Quinnipiac Head Ice
Hockey Coach Rand Pecknold.  "Several of our players were heavily recruited
by CCHA, WCHA and Hockey East schools.  We are also very excited to have
Shawn Mansoff waiting in the wings for next season.  Look for Breen and Ryan
Olson to anchor a line that will electrify the MAAC next year."
 
        Freshman forward Neil Breen (Spokane, WA/Omaha Lancers [USHL]) joins
the Braves after three years with the Omaha Lancers of the United States
Hockey League (USHL).  The 5+11", 195-pound forward was considered one of
the strongest players, pound-for-pound, in the league.  He rated fifth in
the USHL in scoring (56 games, 27 goals, 38 assists, 65 points) and added 15
points in the playoffs as the Lancers won the league crown.  As the team
captain, Breen more than doubled his scoring output (from 28 points) while
cutting his penalty minutes from a team-high 147 to only 48.  He also played
in the 1998 USHL All-Star Game and netted an assist.
        "Neil is tough, tenacious and he can score.  He is one of the best
players coming out of the highly touted USHL this year.  We feel very lucky
to get a player of Neil+s caliber and leadership abilities," said Pecknold.
 
        Freshman defenseman Dan Ennis (Kitimat, BC/Penticton Panthers
[BCHL]) compiled nine goals and 36 assists (45 points) in 53 games for the
Penticton Panthers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) last season.
The 6+3", 220-pounder earned all-Star honors as one of the team+s top two
defensemen and netted 11 points in leading the Panthers to a second-place
finish in the BCHL playoffs.  Ennis recorded six goals and 13 assists (19
points) for Penticton in 1996-97.
        "At 6+3", 220 pounds, Dan is an imposing figure on the blue line.
He also has the skill to match and is great on the power play," said
Pecknold.
 
        Freshman forward Ryan Olson (Pincher Creek, AB/Merritt Centennials
[BCHL]) earned all-Star honors after ranking 13th in the BCHL in scoring (60
games, 31 goals, 47 assists, 78 points) in 1997-98.  Olson rated second on
the Merritt Centennials in scoring and added a team-leading six points in
three playoff games.  The 5+10", 175-pounder dramatically increased his
scoring output after netting just 17 points in 57 games for the Centennials
in 1996-97.  He also dropped his penalty minutes from 96 to 68.
        "Ryan has a great work ethic and can finish.  Along with [fellow
recruit] Neil Breen, he will be one of the top freshman forwards in the MAAC
next season.  Ryan is an excellent two-way hockey player," said Pecknold.
 
        Freshman defenseman Mike LaRocca (Cranston, RI/Waterloo Black Hawks
[USHL]) returns to the East Coast after a successful season in the USHL.
The 6+1", 215-pounder netted two game-winning goals and compiled 14 points
in 53 games for the Waterloo Black Hawks, which produced Quinnipiac
all-American Chris Cerrella and Chad Poliquin just one year ago.  He rated
third among defensemen in scoring.
        "At 6+1", 215 pounds, Mike can intimidate opponents.  He has good
skill and skating abilities and will contribute as a freshman," said
Pecknold.
 
        Freshman defenseman Kris Harris (Sandy Creek, N.Y./Dubuque Fighting
Saints [USHL]) joins the Braves after three years in the USHL.  Harris was
nominated by the Dubuque Fighting Saints for the prestigious Curt Hammer
Award last season after compiling two goals and 10 points in 53 games while
continuously volunteering in the community.  The 5+11", 180-pounder will be
reunited at Quinnipiac with former Saints teammate Jed Holtzman as well as
former Waterloo teammates Chris Cerrella, an all-American, and Chad
Poliquin.  Harris started his USHL career with the Waterloo and was traded
to Dubuque early in the 1996-97 season.  A member of the Select 17 USA
Hockey Team in 1995, Harris was considered an excellent one-on-one defender
and one of the most underrated defensemen in the USHL.
        "Kris is very steady on the blue line.  He moves the puck well and
has an excellent feel for the game," said Pecknold.
 
        Freshman defenseman Todd Bennett (Litchfield, NH/Walpole [EJHL])
honed his skills with Walpole of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL)
last season.  The 6+1", 210-pounder is a speedy and strong two-way player.
        "Todd can play both defense and forward.  He has good size and very
good wheels.  Todd is a very aggressive player who will not shy away from
physical play," said Pecknold.
 
        Freshman forward John Delorenzo (Hauppauge, NY/Northwood) is a
product of prep power Northwood.  The 5+10", 175-pounder will be expected to
contribute on both ends of the ice for the Braves.
        "John will be a great defensive forward at the college level, but he
can also contribute offensively," said Pecknold.
 
        Freshman goalie Jim White (Coventry, RI/Loomis-Chaffee) starred at
Loomis-Chaffee in 1997-98.  The 5+10", 170-pounder should challenge for
playing time in his rookie season.
        "Jim has great potential between the pipes.  He will push starter JC
Wells for playing time," said Pecknold.
 
        Junior forward Shawn Mansoff (Edmonton, AB/UMaine) and junior goalie
Dan DiLeo (Locust Valley, NY/UMass) each bring valuable Division I
experience in Hockey East.  Mansoff, who will be eligible in the fall of
1999, transfers from Maine, where he split time at defense and forward.  He
compiled nine goals and 14 points in 48 career games for the Black Bears.
The 5+11", 205-pounder had topped 20 goals in each of his two seasons in
Canadian junior hockey leagues prior to enrolling at Maine in 1996-97.
        DiLeo transferred to Quinnipiac from Massachusetts last winter and
will be eligible at the conclusion of the fall semester.  A product of
Cushing Academy and the USHL, DiLeo features quickness and a strong work
ethic.  He appeared in one game in each of his one and one-half seasons for
the Minutemen and was named to the Hockey East all-Academic team as a
freshman.
        "Shawn and Dan are both quality hockey players who have competed in
Hockey East.  They will have a great impact both on and off the ice.  Their
experience at that level will help Quinnipiac as we make the transition to
Division I status," said Pecknold.
 
        The 1997-98 Quinnipiac ice hockey team (19-3-1) set a school record
for single-season winning percentage (.848) and finished with the second
most victories in program history behind the 1986-87 squad which netted a
22-7-1 mark.  The Braves led Division II in scoring offense (7.22
goals/game), scoring margin (4.96 goals/game) and power-play-percentage
(31.5%), while rating second in scoring defense (2.26 goals/game) and
winning percentage (.848) and third in penalty-killing percentage (.849).
Quinnipiac led Division II in scoring defense (2.89 goals/game) and
penalty-killing percentage (.859) in 1996-97.  The Braves opened the 1997-98
season with a school-record, 10-game winning streak and added another
nine-game win streak later in the season.
 
        Quinnipiac College is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational
institution located in Hamden, Conn., 1 = hours from New York City and 2 =
hours from Boston.  The College has approximately 230 full-time faculty and
enrolls 3500 full-time undergraduates and 2000 graduate students in its
Schools of Business, Health Sciences, Law and Liberal Arts.  Quinnipiac is
rated #11 among all northern regional universities in US News and World
Report+s 1998 edition of America+s Best Colleges.  Quinnipiac sponsors nine
men+s and nine women+s varsity sports, and will begin NCAA Division I
competition in all sports in the fall of 1998 as a member of the Northeast
Conference.
 
 -Q Sports-
 
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