All Time Record: N/A
All Time ECHA Record: N/A
ECHA Championships: 0
Last ECHA Championship Appearance: N/A
ACHA Championships: 0
Last ACHA Championship Appearance: N/A
Arena: Dahlgren Hall
Arena Phone: 410-293-2350
Arena Capacity: 1,000
Arena Dimensions: 200' x 85'
Head Coach: Rick Randazzo
Assistant Coach(es): Mike Fox, Pat Eliason, Brendan Curley
Manager(s): Steve Mankins (class of 2008)
2005-06 Record: 16-13-1
2005-06 ECHA Ranking: 5th
2005-06 ACHA Ranking: 17th
Mailing Address:
Navy Ice Hockey Club
101 Buchanan Rd.
Mail Stop 3A
Annapolis, MD 21402-5000
2006-07 Season Preview: Navy Aiming For Return to ECHA Finals,Possible Shot at National Tournament in Ohio
Navy’s ice hockey team enters the 2006-07 season with high hopes and a couple of question marks at key positions, questions that should be answered fairly early in a challenging season that will see the Midshipmen play essentially all of their games on the road. That scheduling oddity is the result of the conversion of Dahlgren Hall from an ice rink to a dining hall, combined with delays in the construction of a new McMullen Rink -- which eventually will sit directly opposite the U.S. Naval Academy golf course on Stansbury Point Road -- that won’t be completed until summer 2007.
When it’s done, McMullen Rink will be home for the Mids for years to come, starting with the 2007-2008 season. Even though Navy will play its 2006-2007 slate of games on enemy rinks or at community ice facilities close to the Naval Academy campus, eighth-year coach Rick Randazzo and his assistants remain upbeat about making another run at an Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association (ECHA) championship and a spot in the national finals.
“With the talent I see on this year’s team, we’re capable of winning the ECHA championship and going to the nationals,” said coach Randazzo. “But we have to play full-out hockey for 60 minutes every game to realize our potential. We’re not the type of team that can step on the ice and win just because we’re wearing Navy uniforms. We need a 100% effort from our guys every single game to be successful. With the senior leadership we have this year, I’m confident our fans will see that level of effort from us.”
The major reason fueling optimism entering the 2006-07 campaign is the fact that Navy returns practically everyone from last year’s squad that nearly captured the ECHA crown before being upset by Drexel in the championship finals. Only forward and inspirational leader Bill Knips, all-star defenseman Sam Kunst, and standout goaltender Ryan Dobie are missing from this year’s roster.
At the top of the list of returnees are senior forwards Kevin Krmpotich and Patrick Sullivan, who finished #1 and #2, respectively, atop the team’s scoring leaders last season. Krmpotich’s 17 goals and 31 points were tops for the Mids, while Sullivan’s 12 tallies and 30 points made him a close second. Both are capable of putting the puck in the net in key situations and winning games with their offensive skills.Krmpotich and Sullivan will be joined on Navy’s top forward lines by fellow senior and team captain Jay Alspach (14 goals a year ago), and junior Nick Schwob (12 goals and 8 assists in 11 games in the second half last season). If Alspach can produce double-digit goal totals again, and Schwob can match his 20-points-in-11-games scoring pace from last season, the Mids will be making a lot of enemy goaltenders miserable this season.
Also expected to be among the squad’s scoring leaders and defensive specialists on the forward lines are juniors Brian Gleason (6 goals, 5 assists last year), Andrew Stoner (4 goals, 4 assists), Derek Johnson, and Eric Smitley; plus a talented group of sophomores which include Nolan Anliker (13 goals and 10 assists), Charlie Daniel (7 goals, 10 assists), Jeff Martin, Jon Westerman, Alex Wallis, Charlie Hymen, Zach Williamson, and Aaron Erzinger. Of that group, only Wallis did not play for Navy a year ago, but he is talented enough to crack the lineup early in the current campaign.
Coming out of the pre-season tryouts, a trio of freshmen forwards was expected to make the club and see significant playing time at times during the season. That group includes Nick Hinkley (Orlando, Florida), Keegan Kinkade (Indianapolis, Indiana), and Calen Mims (Albuquerque, New Mexico). From that trio, Hinkley and Kinkade should see the most action and fit neatly into Navy’s top forward lines.
Defensively, the Mids are sitting pretty thanks to a bevy of backliners that include senior assistant team captains Joe Liles and Alex Sandroni, classmates Jim Doherty and much-improved Adam Sheppard, plus juniors Donnie Horner and Adam Shields and sophomores Matthew Gross and Matt Swezey. All four firsties are rock solid in their own defensive zone and know how to get the puck up to the forwards. They will anchor the defense and load lots of ice time, but their underclass counterparts will play key roles, as well.
Also expected to make significant contributions on the defensive side of the ice this season are freshmen Patrick Heitman (Imperial, Missouri), Chandler Brewer (Darien, Connecticut), and Andrew Ochalek (Milan, Michigan). Of that incoming plebe trio, Heitman is expected to have the best chance of breaking into the list of top six or seven defensemen that the coaches will dress for games.
If there is a question mark for the Mids entering the new campaign, it sits squarely between the two red goalposts that last year were so capably covered by Ryan Dobie. Junior Sean Ublacker (2.43 goals against average and .898 save percentage last season) will be given a shot at the starting spot, but he’ll be seriously challenged by incoming freshman Eric Anderson. Although it’s a bit unusual in the Navy system for a plebe to earn a starting nod in the nets, Anderson has both the credentials and quickness to break that trend. If he impresses early, it could mark the beginning of an outstanding four-year career for the Sartell, Minnesota native.Fellow freshman Jeremy Estevez (Grand Rapids, Michigan) should also see some time between the pipes this season.
All in all, the combination of experience, youth, speed, quickness, grit, toughness, and senior leadership should make the Midshipmen one of the teams to beat in the ECHA.
And wouldn’t an ECHA championship banner look mighty nice hanging inside the new McMullen Rink next season?
