Logo courtesy of TCNJ Ice Hockey
The College of New Jersey Lions hockey club is already off to a good start for the 2009-2010 season. Playing their first game of the season on Saturday September 19th against the Gettysburg Bullets in York, PA the Lions were victorious by a score of 7-6. Though he missed most of last season due to injury, junior forward Vinny LaRosa dominated the game scoring 5 goals throughout the night, including 2 on the power play. The Lion’s 2 other goals came from senior forward Scott McClintic, while senior goaltender Zyon Zate turned aside 39 of 45 shots.
The Lion’s first home game of the season will take place on Saturday September 26th at 9:30 P.M. versus the Monmouth Ice Hawks, a Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association rival. TCNJ plays all of their home games in the Loucks Ice Center at Lawrenceville Prep. Directions can be found at the TCNJ hockey website. During the year they are scheduled to play 29 games, 14 of which are on home ice and 16 are against MACHA rivals.
Included in their league are teams representing Lafayette College, Monmouth University, Penn State University, Princeton University’s Division II club, Rider University, Rowan University, Saint Josephs University (Philadelphia), Seton Hall University, Temple University, University of Maryland – Baltimore County, and the University of Pennsylvania.
During the 2008-2009 campaign the Lions finished 4th in the MACHA with a record of 9-6-1. The team enjoyed great success in non-league play, going 12-3 against opponents from the Super East, ACCHL, and GNCHC to finish with a 21-9-1 record on the season.
The team will be under the guidance of General Manager Les Schriber for the second year in a row. Prior to joining the organization Schriber has spent the last 18 years in various coaching and administrative positions in college hockey. He was instrumental in founding the ice hockey team at Rider University, where he coached for 7 years, and in founding the Mid Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association, where he is currently serving as president. Schriber also has two links to the recent Stanley Cup winning Pittsburgh Penguins as he played one year of junior hockey with Bill Guerin as a member of the Springfield Pics and Schriber was the coach of Mark Eaton for one season of summer league hockey while Eaton was home from the University of Notre Dame.
Calling the shots on the bench will be newly hired head coach Joe Cucci, a native of Glen Ridge, NJ. He joins the club after playing 4 years of NCAA Division-I hockey at Bentley University in Waltham, MA. Most of his high school hockey was played at Avon Old Farms School where he was a 2-year captain, an All-Founders league selection, was part of a team that won the Division 1 New England Prep School Championship, was a two-time winner of the Brian Leetch Award as Avon’s Top Defenseman, and was honored as Connecticut’s Top Defenseman by Hockey Night in Boston. During his only year of high school hockey in New Jersey he was a member of a state championship team with Hudson Catholic High School and was voted hockey “Newcomer of the Year” by the Newark Star-Ledger.
Joining Cucci will be assistant coaches Thomas “Pops” Ryan and Jim Meissner. “Pops” Ryan, a recent hire himself, brings to the team almost 50 years of experience both playing and coaching. Growing up in Brooklyn during the 1960’s, Ryan was pitted against former NHL stars Nick Fotiu and Joe Mullen. Prior to joining the coaching staff of TCNJ, “Pops” was coaching a pee-wee team at Flyers Skate Zone in Pennsauken, NJ; one which had accomplished 36 game unbeaten streak and skated to a Grundy Cup Tournament championship.
Jim Meissner is entering his 4th year with the team. The Buffalo, NY native has held numerous coaching positions in both the youth and high school hockey ranks along with serving as a head instructor for the Bobby Glantz International Power Skating Schools from 1997 to 2001.
Leading the way on the ice this season are forwards Scot McClintic (Skillman, NJ) and Elie Klein (Warren, NJ) who finished 1st and 4th in the overall point totals for players in the ACHA’s Division-II. McClintic was the Division-II national scoring champion tallying 72 goals and 49 assists for 121 total points. Klein managed to score 48 goals and assisted on 59, giving him a total of 107 points for the year.
According to Schriber, Scot McClintic is described as having fantastic hands and an arsenal of moves. “Scot plays well away from the puck and is always in a position to take a shot or set up a teammate.” He describes Elie Klein as deceptively fast and also having some nice moves. Schriber also adds that McClintic is the Lion’s third link to the Stanley Cup winning Penguins as he was a teammate of Sidney Crosby while attending the Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Faribault, MN during the 2002-2003 hockey season. The boarding school which is well known for having a strong ice hockey program has also churned out NHL players Zach Parise, Ty Conklin, Joe Corvo, Ryan Malone, and Kyle Okposo among others.
Other players to watch include Vinny LaRosa, a junior out of Brick, NJ who missed most of last season due to injury. Vinny is known for being a very fast player and being an all-around smart hockey player. Freshman Matt Asaro of Tinton Falls, NJ is expected to become dominant as an offensive defenseman type once he gets used to the speed of the college game.
The position of goaltender will be shared amongst three players this season. Senior Zyon Zate returns to the team after seeing limited action in prior seasons due to internship commitments which were required for his pursuit of a degree. Joe McCarty also returns to the team after playing 16 games during the 2008-2009 season. The third goalie in the rotation is newcomer Justin Zegel, a transfer student with NCAA Division-III hockey experience at Stonehill College.
For a schedule of The College of New Jersey’s games and a complete roster please visit their website.
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