Oct. 10, 2001

WEST POINT, N.Y. - Last year, the Black Knights hit their stride in the second half of the season winning nine of their last 16 games to qualify for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) playoffs. This year, head coach Rob Riley is confident that Army can ride that momentum into the new season and start the year on a much more positive note.

Tinkering with different line combinations all year and battling injuries that depleted his defense, Riley found himself putting out fires rather than devising game strategies last season. He feels this year's squad will be much deeper, which will help him find the right chemistry earlier, and his defense will be much improved and more experienced. Riley has built this squad around the defense, which returns five starters, and goaltending.

"We need to come out the blocks playing great team defense," Riley said. "It's a much more comforting feeling to know that you are experienced at defense and goaltending. If your defense and goaltending are playing well, then you have a real good chance to succeed."

Army opens the 2001-02 campaign Friday night at 7 p.m. when they host Canada's Seneca College at Tate Rink. Seneca will be in town for two games, with the second following on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Goaltending
Army returns senior Scott Hamilton between the pipes. Hamilton was the workhorse a year ago appearing in 34 of the team's 35 contests. Hamilton enters this season as the No. 1 choice, but freshman John Yaros, out of the Eastern Junior Hockey League, will challenge for playing time.

Last year was Hamilton's first as the everyday goaltender after spending his first two years splitting time with Corey Winer. Hamilton's familiarity with the league and the competition with Yaros is something Riley hopes makes both of his netminders better.

"With the travel, the number of games in a season and the pressure of Division I hockey, you really need a lot of competition for that spot," Riley said. "For two years we had a competitive situation in goal. Last year we didn't quite have that, but I think we get that back this year."

Yaros, who led the New York Apple Core to four tournament championships, has displayed all the qualities that should make him an excellent college goaltender. With the increase in number of games and the extensive road trips every weekend of the season, teams with two solid goalies tend to be more successful.

"Based on what John did last year, we think he can come in here and push Scott," Riley said. "But Scott is pretty confident in his abilities. He has a lot of experience, and he has played in all the buildings in the league.

"I think Scott Hamilton and our defense will be the key to our success early in the year."

Defense
The defense suffered a big blow last year when Joe Carpenter went down with an injury in January. Winger Joe Dudek fell back to defense to help fill the gap, but the Black Knights' lack of depth at that position was a glaring weakness all year long.

As a result, Riley has bulked up his blue line with some tough incoming freshmen to complement the five starters that are returning. A unit which lacked numbers and was young last year, is now a year older and much more deeper.

Eric Joyce, Kevin Emore, Dudek and Mike McLean will guard Army's blue line. This unit, coupled with the duo of Hamilton and Yaros in net, should considerably reduce the number of goals allowed this winter. Last year, the Black Knights were outscored by their opponents for the first time since 1993. The experience returning, coupled with the talent of the freshmen, allows Carpenter and junior Josh Morino to move up to the forward lines and help with the offense.

"We have five experienced defensemen returning," Riley said. "From the freshmen coming in, we have added some depth, which we desparately needed. We now know what we have. We have a good mix of size and toughness. There is a lot of character there."

Joining Army's squad are freshmen Nick Cahill and Matt Field. Both come from a very competitive junior hockey league, while Justin Fagan and Tom McCarthy bring a great deal of size to the defense.

Joyce and Emore will most likely team up again this year. Riley will have to play with some different combinations among the other blueliner's, but the talent he has to work with should give him plenty of options.

Forwards
The loss of Mike Fairman is the most immediate concern of Riley and his staff. It is difficult to soften the blow of losing a 40-point scorer. However, some promising young guns could make the offense much more of a threat than opponents think.

"I don't think you ever replace somebody like Fairman," Riley said. "We don't have a lot of returning players with big numbers."

Much of the scoring responsibility will fall on the shoulders of returning seniors Nathan Mayfield and Tim Fisher. They finished right behind Fairman in scoring a year ago. Fisher had 36 points (17G, 19A) and Mayfield 28 (11G, 17A). The challenge facing Riley and his assistants will be to put together four lines from a returning group that only saw seven reach double figures in points.

"Chemistry is everything when you form lines. The quicker you can put lines together, the easier it is to coach. We learned last year that we need to be more patient early on to try to mesh as a team," Riley said.

The influx of young talent, six freshman forwards will be competing for a spot on the varsity roster, has the coaching staff excited about the possibilities. But it will take some time for the plebes to settle into their particular roles on the team.

"We have some good young forwards who will develop, but they do not want them to have the initial pressure to come out and score," Riley said.

The pressure will be on sophomores Alex Rogosheske and Chris MacLeod and junior Nic Serre. This trio showed a lot of potential last season, but most continue to improve if Army is going to score some goals. Two of the three forwards on Army's first line graduated last May. That leaves matters wide open up front for the Black Knights.

Gifted goal-scorers that may develop later in the season are Chris Casey and Chris Garceau. Both should bring an immediate impact to the forward lines. Mayfield's younger brother, Chad, is also among this year's recruiting class. The potential is there for this group, but it may take some time to develop. Others expected to contribute right away include: Chad Fifield, Tim Quinlan and Gabe Rehak. All three are along the lines of big, rugged bangers that can dig the puck out of the corners.

"We have a lot of pieces to the puzzle that we need to put together." Riley said.

Special Teams
Penalty-killing and the power play were disappointing for the Black Knights in 2000-01. Army ranked eighth in the league in both categories a year ago. Fairman was the main penalty killer and power play option. Riley and his staff will have to evaluate the returning talent to find the right combinations.

"Special teams are so very important. You look at the top four teams in the league and usually they are also the top four in power plays and penalty killing," Riley said.

"You try to identify the top five players and go with them on the power play. Then you try to find out who the six forwards and four defensemen are who can kill penalties."

Mayfield and Fisher will most likely be involved with the power play in some capacity. The penalty kill may take some more time to develop. Fortunately, the Black Knights are traditionally one of the least penalized schools in the NCAA year after year. In 2000-01, Army was 17th among least penalized teams.

The Schedule
The Black Knights played their best hockey at the end of last season, including a season-high four-game winning streak that started with a come-from-behind victory over Iona College on Feb. 3. All of that after managing just five wins before the new year. Army also scored impressive wins over Quinnipiac at home, 2-1 in an overtime thriller, and Canisius, 4-3, the very next night.

The Black Knights will need to be on top of their game again this year as the slate before them is quite challenging. The schedule is divided up into two 17-game sections. Army will play the top five teams in the MAAC from a year ago three times each, with two-game series' against the other league opponents. That includes three meetings with Mercyhurst College, last year's league champion who finished ranked No. 12 in the final USA Today/AHCA poll, and Quinnipiac University, who lost 6-5 to Mercyhurst in last year's MAAC championship game. Army's final four games are against the top three teams in the league.

Also on tap is a two-game home weekend series with Academy rival Air Force in December.

Army won seven straight league contests by one goal, and six points separated the sixth-place team from the ninth-place team. The competitiveness within the MAAC, coupled with Mercyhurst's impressive showing in the NCAA tournament, will only help improve the level of play as all 11 members have made steady improvements in the last four years.

Outlook
Army will rely on its defense to carry the load for much of the season. The Black Knights will not want to get caught in any shootouts. With two solid goaltenders and five returning defensemen, Army should be very stingy on "D." They have added much needed size and strength to the blue line, and the returning veterans will provide experience and leadership for the younger group.

Between the pipes, senior Scott Hamilton is the incumbent. He appeared in all but one game a year ago. Freshman John Yaros is a highly-touted goalie out of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) who should push Hamilton for playing time. Riley will most likely use the two in a platoon situation on weekend doubleheaders. Army could have arguably the best goaltending tandem in the league.

Offense will be the biggest question mark. Replacing Fairman's 40 points is the task at hand. Seniors Mayfield and Fisher are the two snipers Riley will look to immediately, while the progression of Rogosheske, Serre and MacLeod will also be closely monitored.