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Somebody forgot to tell colleges that summer is the hockey off-season.
The summer has been busy for college hockey, with the MAAC dissolving and redeveloping, and especially for the ECAC, with its top goalie leaving school and the coaches moving like a carousel.
MAAC washed into Atlantic
The former 11 team Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference lost two of its core members when Iona and Farfield decided to drop their Division I men’s hockey program. With only nine teams remaining, the MAAC was dissolved, and the nine remaining schools decided to create an independent hockey league, called the Atlantic Hockey League.
The major question looming on the horizon is if the new Atlantic Hockey League will retain the MAAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The four established independent leagues—the ECAC, CHA, WCHA, and CCHA—all receive automatic bids.
The nine teams remaining in the Atlantic Hockey League are American International, Army, Bentley, Canisius, Holy Cross, Mercyhurst, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, and Connecticut.
Big Red has a big hole
Cornell junior David LeNeveu signed a multi-year contract with the NHL’s Pheonix Coyotes, forfeiting his final two years of college eligibility.
LeNeveu was honored after the 2003 season with the Ken Dryden Award as top goalie and was a first-team All-ECAC pick. A 2003 Hobey Baker Award finalist, LeNeveu was named ECAC tournament MVP and was a first-team All-American. The ECAC Co-Player of the Year, the sophomore goalie standout, led the Big Red to the Frozen Four for the first time in 23 years.
LeNeveu was drafted by Pheonix in 2002 in the second round, 46th overall. Earlier in the off-season, the Coyotes were unsure whether they would negotiate with the Big Red goalie.
“David is one of the top young goaltending prospects in the world,” commented Phoenix Coyotes general manager Mike Barnett. “He has enjoyed an outstanding two years in a top program like Cornell and we are confident that he has the skills to develop into an NHL goaltender.”
The Coyotes have been having some goaltender troubles in recent years. Their top goalie, Sean Burke, has been plagued with injury, and their other two goalies, Zak Bierk and Brian Boucher, are not top NHL goaltenders.
Over his career at Cornell, LeNeveu posted a goals against average of 1.29 and a save percentage of .938. He had a record of 35-9-2.
The Big Red is in a sticky situation. Their two remaining goalies, senior Todd Marr and sophomore Louis Chabot, have only five games of experience between them. “One door closes for the program with David moving on, but another has quickly opened for our two returning goalies,” remarked Big Red Head Coach Schafer. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for these two young men to step up and continue the tradition of goaltending excellence at Cornell.”
Catamounts land their “Dutch”man
Vermont’s search for a head coach has come to an end. They searched the country and decided to stay in their league. The University of Vermont named former Union Head Coach Kevin Sneddon to be only their third head coach in their storied history.
Sneddon will follow Mike Gilligan, who retired as the Catamounts head coach after 19 years. Gilligan will remain with the team as a consultant and a fund raiser.
The 33-year-old Sneddon is leaving his post at Union where he has been for five years. He was a member of Harvard’s 1989 national championship team and led the Skating Dutchmen to their first home-ice playoff berth in the team’s history.
Sneddon beat out candidates such as Brown’s Head Coach Roger Grillo, Atlanta Thrashers’ Assistant Coach Tim Bothwell, and two-time Division III national championship Coach Mike McShane.
“[Sneddon] is an exceptional young man who has already accomplished a great deal in his career,” said new Vermont athletic director Bob Corran. “We are confident he will provide vision, leadership, and a strong sense of values to our men’s hockey program.”
