2001-02 Men's Ice Hockey Outlook

 Trinity College

The Trinity College men’s ice hockey team looks to build on an impressive 2000-01 season in which the Bantams posted a 15-7-2 mark. The Bantam’s tied for third place in the NESCAC side of the ECAC East Conference with a 12-4-1 record. Head Coach John Dunham (347-256-21) enters his 28th year as the Bantams mentor with high expectations for the upcoming season.

The Bantams’ strength continues to be its goaltending and its defense. Senior Geoffrey Faulkner (Westerville, Ohio), who had a 2.62 GAA, a .912 save percentage, and a 13-7-2 record last season, returns for his third year as the starter in goal and has proven to be among the league’s best. Freshman Douglas Kisielius (Park Ridge, Ill.) is a talented newcomer who provides depth at the position.

The defense corps, led by four seniors, is experienced and talented, both offensively and defensively. Michael Sayre (Keene, N.H.), the team’s quickest and most mobile defender, returned to form after an injury limited him to two games as a sophomore. Martins Lans (Carnikava, Latvia), a highly skilled puck handler and passer, keys the power play, and Brian Fenwick (Birmingham, Mich.) finished fourth on the team in scoring with 12 goals and seven assists in 2000-01, flourishing on the blue line and in front of the net on the power play. Matt Brown (North Reading, Mass.), who joined the Bantams after playing two years in Hockey East at Northeastern, proved to be an invaluable addition to this group. Sophomores Sean Doherty (Kennebunk, Maine) and Colin Wilson-Murphy (Southboro, Mass.), and strong freshman prospects Bob Gillon (Greenwich, Conn.), Zach Wiegand (Tucson, Ariz.), Ben Gott (Laguna Niguel, Calif.), and Andris Kozlovskis (Riga, Latvia) bolster this group.

Up front, the Bantam’s project to be more talented than a year ago. The senior group is led by co-captain Matt Greason (North Bridgton, Maine), the Bantams leading scorer with 13 goals and nine assists last winter and a second team All-NESCAC player. Co-captain Jeff Griffin (Wethersfield, Conn.) had five goals and 10 assists last season and Mark Colwell (Canton, Mass.) added six goals and five assists. Both are excellent two-way forwards, while Ryan Beale (Hingham, Mass.) is a proven defensive specialist.

Junior forward Greg O’Leary (Reading, Mass.), who had nine goals and 12 assists as a sophomore, is a solid offensive performer, and classmate Andrew Halder (River Edge, N.J.) anchored the checking line over the second half of the season. Sophomores Dan Gyllstrom (Hudson, Mass.), Steven LaBrie (Springfield, Mass.), Thomas Pierandri (Ridgefield, Conn.) and Kevin Dmochowsky (Cedarburg, Wisc.) were all major contributors in their first year. The rookie group that includes freshmen Jeff Natale (Hamden, Conn.), Ryan Stevens (Concord, N.H.), Joe Ori (Niles, Ill.) and Kevin Hathway (Thomaston, Conn.) and sophomore transfer Timothy Joncas (Branford, Conn.) has the potential to contribute quickly.

Coach Dunham is optimistic about the team’s prospects for 2001-02. "Our team is built around our goaltender and our experienced and deep group of defensemen. These are the foundation to any successful hockey team," says Dunham. "In the long run, the key to our success will be the development of more creativity by our forwards and their ability to score consistently against top level opponents."