Season Preview: Clarkson Begins New Era
Written by Clarkson Sports Information
With the 90th season of Clarkson University Hockey beginning this fall, there is a renewed sense of optimism for one of college hockey’s winningest programs. By hiring Casey Jones as the Golden Knights’ new head coach, Clarkson will look to begin the process of returning to the success that generated 20 NCAA postseason appearances, five ECAC Hockey Tournament titles, 10 league regular-season championships and 69 winning seasons for the Division I team in Potsdam, NY.
The Green and Gold’s most recent success came during the
2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns when Clarkson was regarded as one of
the top programs in the country by winning over 20 games both
seasons, posting consecutive ECAC Hockey titles and making
back-to-back showings in the NCAA Tournament. Three consecutive
losing seasons, however, have taken some of the luster away from
the Knights.
Named this past May as the 11th head coach in Clarkson’s
illustrious history, Jones along with first-year Golden Knight
assistant coaches Phil Roy ’00, a standout defenseman for the
Green and Gold in the late 1990s, and Andy Jones, inherits a
program that has plenty of potential to reach the upper echelon of
Division I and vie consistently for ECAC Hockey titles.
The Knights, under out-going coach George Roll, showed signs of
turning things around in 2010-11 and posted Clarkson’s best
record in three years with a 15-19-2 overall record. Twenty
lettermen return from last year’s team and with the addition
of eight promising recruits, Clarkson has the potential to
challenge for one of the top spots in the ECAC this year.
“I have spent a lot of time going over our roster and
familiarizing myself with our current players and the
incoming recruits,” stated Jones, who was part of the
Knights’ success in the 1990s when he served as an assistant
coach for the Green and Gold from 1993-95. “I believe we have
a lot of pieces in place to be an exciting team to watch and look
forward to putting a product on the ice that will be very
competitive. The goal of our team every year will be simple, win a
championship. And this year will be no different as we try to
find the right balance that will allow us to compete at the top of
the ECAC and nationally. I will expect our players to put forth the
effort that will be required to be a very tough team to play
against. I am extremely excited about being back behind the Golden
Knights’ bench and can’t wait to get the season
going!”
Jones will certainly accumulate a number of frequent flier miles
as he guides Clarkson through an ambitious schedule, which will
consist of plenty of air travel. Included in the Golden Knights'
journeys during the 2011-12 campaign will be a pair of lengthy
trips outside the contiguous United States, travel to Southwest
Florida, a visit to Maine and another appearance in Lake
Placid.
"We really have an interesting non-league schedule this
season,” stated Jones. “We have fantastic opportunities
to showcase Clarkson hockey throughout a number of different
regions. The schedule lines up pretty well. We have a nice, long
trip to get the coaching staff and team acclimated to each other,
and a stretch of non-league play that will give us a good
assessment of our team prior to the start of the highly competitive
ECAC Hockey campaign. We are looking for good challenges to gauge
ourselves for what we need to do to be where we want to be at the
end of the year, and I think this year’s schedule provides us
those opportunities.”
Clarkson, led by senior captain Jake Morley (Ogdensburg, NY) and
assistant captains, grad student Nick Tremblay (Candiac, QUE) and
sophomore Ben Sexton (Kanata, ONT), officially opens the
36-game season with its first ever trip to America’s 49th
state. The Green and Gold will play at the University of
Alaska-Anchorage in the Kendall Classic on October 7-8. The Knights
begin their 21st campaign at Cheel Arena on October 14 with a
two-game series against Sacred Heart University. ECAC Hockey action
starts for Clarkson when it hosts rival Rensselaer in Potsdam on
November 4 for the first of six straight conference games.
2011-12
Clarkson Schedule
2011-12
ECAC Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll (CU picked 11th)
GOAL:
Coming off a record-breaking year when he set the new Clarkson
mark for saves in a season (1,053), Paul Karpowich (Thunder Bay,
ONT) is poised to enjoy a banner senior campaign. A 2008 NHL Draft
selection of the St. Louis Blues (7th rd, 185), Karpowich has been
the Green and Gold’s mainstay between the pipes the past
three years and is closing in on Clarkson’s all-time
career save mark. He has been busy in the Knights’ crease,
accumulating 2,643 saves since 2008, and is just 733 away from
breaking the program’s all-time record. With a young
defensive corps in front of him, Karpowich should get plenty of
opportunities to set a new standard this winter. Clarkson’s
MVP in 2010-11, he has started 90 of the 93 games and posts a
career .906 save percentage, a 3.13 goals against average and 30
wins.
Senior Richie LaVeau (Arlington Heights, IL) and junior Cody Rosen
(Kingston, ONT) will battle for the number two position on the
Knights’ depth chart. LaVeau, who has played in 24 career
games, saw limited time last season and played in 69 minutes
through three games. Rosen, who also saw action in three games last
year, made his first career start in a 2-1 loss to Air Force
(11/26) in first round of Denver Cup, making a career-high 32 saves
on 34 shots. He is a 2010 NHL Draft selection of the NY Islanders
(7th, 185).
DEFENSE:
With the early departure of last year’s captain and the
graduation loss of three veterans, there are numerous holes to be
filled on the Clarkson blueline. Fortunately for the Knights there
will be plenty of competition to earn one of the starting six
positions. Ten players, including five newcomers, will battle for
playing time on defense, helping to ease the loss of Mark
Borowiecki, who signed on with the Ottawa Senators organization
following his junior campaign. Tom Pizzo, Dan Reed and Bryan
Rufenach are also gone from the program after four years of
patrolling the Knights’ backline.
Juniors Nik Pokulok (Vaudreuil-Dorion, QUE), who scored four goals last season, and Andrew Himelson (Monroe, NY) are the veterans on the Knights’ young defense corps. Sophomores Alex Boak (Norwood, NY) and David Pratt (Napanee, ONT) are Clarkson’s leading returning offensive producers from the blueline with nine points (2-7) apiece in 2010-11.
Freshmen Samuel Labrecque (Granby, QUE), Kevin Tansey (Hammond,
ONT), J.D. Carrabino (New Canaan, CT), James Howden (Edgeley, SASK)
and Kevin Struempfler (Lincoln Univ, PA) will have the opportunity
to make an impact right away. Sophomore Chase Fuchs (Severna Park,
MD), a walk-on candidate last year, will also be looking to gain
playing time.
Labrecque is an offensive defenseman who recorded 27 points and 15
goals, including eight power-play tallies, through 47 games
with the Nanaimo Clippers in the BCHL. A highly-touted
prospect who was included on the NHL Central Scouting 2011 Final
list of North American skaters, Tansey, who provides a physical
presence on the blueline, was an all-star defenseman in the CJHL
for Cumberland last season. Howden was the top scoring
defenseman for the Notre Dame Hounds with 35 points (13-22) in the
SJHL last year. Carrabino and Struempfler tied for the scoring lead
among defenseman for the Springfield Pics last winter with 29
points apiece.
FORWARDS:
Thirteen veterans return upfront for the Knights, including three
of last year’s top four scorers, who help the Green and Gold
post their highest goal total in three years. Three freshmen will
add to Clarkson’s depth and should challenge the
letterwinners for playing time.
Allan McPherson (Kinburn, ONT), who is Clarkson’s top returning scorer, enjoyed a solid freshman campaign with 23 points, including 15 assists and a game-high three game-winning goals, and trailed only Brandon DeFazio (26 points) on the Knights’ scoring chart.
Jake Morley (7-15) and Nick Tremblay (9-12), a 2008 NHL pick by
Boston (6th rd, 173), rounded out Clarkson’s 20-point scorers
last season with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Morley shared the
playmaking lead with McPherson, while Tremblay tallied a team-high
four power-play markers.
Seniors Louke Oakley (Whitby, ONT), Corey Tamblyn (Bobcaygeon,
ONT), one of the fastest skaters in the league, and Julien Cayer
(Longueuil, QUE), a 2008 Detroit NHL Draft selection (5th rd, 151),
will be counted upon to increase their production after recording
15 (3-12), 12 (4-8) and 8 (3-5) points, respectively last
season.
Junior Adam Pawlick (Utica, NY) has recorded 19 career points
(12-7) through his first two years and has the potential to make a
bigger impact up front. Classmate Matt Wilson (Liverpool, NY) will
be striving for more playing time after skating in just three games
last winter.
Sophomores Matt Zarbo (Grand Island, NY) and Ben Sexton, a 2009
NHL pick by Boston (7th rd, 206), should be impact players
offensively after solid rookie campaigns. Zarbo netted 14 points
(6-8) and a team-best +6 plus/minus rating through 28 games and
endeared himself to Clarkson fans after scoring three goals in a
pair of wins against North Country rival St. Lawrence. Limited to
just 12 games because of injuries, Sexton never realized his full
potential last season, but possesses all the tools necessary to be
a dominating presence at both ends of the ice. Despite his limited
playing time, he still produced five goals and eight points.
With a year of experience under their belts, Will Frederick
(Allison Park, PA), Jarrett Burton (Echo Bay, ONT) and
Mike Garlasco (Mahwah, NJ) should have productive sophomore
campaigns and be reliable two-way players. Frederick skated in 32
games and posted 11 points (2-9), while Burton played in 30 games,
chipping in three goals and five assists. Garlasco played in 16
games and recorded a goal and three assists.
Due to the loss of DeFazio, Scott Freeman and Lauri Tuohimaa to
graduation, the three incoming freshman have the opportunity to see
significant playing time. Patrick Marsh (Oakville, ONT), Joe Zarbo
(Grand Island, NY) and Mitch Zion (Manotick, ONT) bring with them
solid numbers from their junior teams and will push the Clarkson
veterans for regular roles up front.
Marsh was a top offensive threat in the OJHL, scoring 98 points on
41 goals (team-high) and 57 assists through 49 games for the
Burlington Cougars. The younger brother of Matt Zarbo, Joe Zarbo
played in all 50 games during the regular season for OJHL Champion
Wellington and was the Dukes’ second-leading scorer with 62
points, including a team-high 33 goals. Zion was limited to 45
games during the CJHL regular season because of an injury, but
still put up good numbers as Cornwall’s fifth-leading scorer
with 47 points on 18 goals and 29 assists.
