As with the start of the 2003-'04 season, the Wisconsin Badgers will open the 2004-'05 campaign with a team they know very little about. Last year it was Quinnipiac, this year it is the Mercyhurst Lakers, from a small east coast conference called Atlantic Hockey. However, as the Badgers found out a season ago, teams from this conference are certainly not pushovers, and Mercyhurst will not be a cake walk.
\We'll do the same thing that we do for every team,"" Head Coach Mike Eaves said. ""We take a look at their systems play, and so we give our guys what we think they're going to do.""
Mercyhurst returns 19 starters from last year's 20-14-2 club that finished second in conference. It was the fifth straight year that Head Coach Rick Gotkin guided the team to the 20-win plateau.
Offensively, Mercyhurst is basically loaded. Of the 15 players that scored at least 10 points last year, 13 are back for this season. The only significant loss is former forward Mike Carter and his 37 points (11 goals 26 assists).The dynamic senior duo of David Wrigley (18 goals 18 assists-36 points) and Rich Hansen (12g-24a-36pt) will be looked upon to lead this young and very talented group.
The junior class is no slouch either, with two forwards in Shane Reynolds and Erik Johnson, who each tallied 26 points last season. Mercyhurst's real offensive weapon is its depth. Unlike most smaller conference teams, the Lakers can roll four lines of very good players.
""We won't get into individuals as much as how they fore-check and what their penalty killing is like,"" Eaves said. ""But, for us as a coaching staff, it's very easy to get us back in the routine and get the guys in a routine.""
The unquestioned leader of the Lakers blue line is T.J. Kemp, who was voted as the Atlantic Hockey Conference's Best Defenseman last season. Kemp, 5' 11' senior, is excellent on both ends of the ice, tallying 26 points last season. This is coming a year after a stellar 11-goal sophomore season. Kemp is joined by two other juniors Jamie Hunt and Pat Henk. Hunt a 6' 2' defenseman racked up 19 points last year while the 5' 9' Henk put up 13.
The only thing that might hold the Lakers back this season is their goaltending. Junior Andy Franck backstopped 14 wins last season, but lacked the consistency of a true number one goaltender. His .903 save percentage and 3.25 GAA are not all that impressive considering how weak the talent is at the bottom of the Atlantic Hockey Conference.
Junior goaltender Jordan Wakefield was even less impressive, sporting only a 6-6 record with a .908 save percentage and 3.19 GAA. Wakefield however recorded Mercyhurst's only shutout last season, a 9-0 drubbing of America International last December.
Mercyhurst should be a contender this season, especially in Atlantic Hockey. However, their success will be determined by their goalie play against the power conferences of college hockey. The national scene has taken notice of this talented club as they are receiving votes in the USCHO.com/CSTV poll. The Mercyhurst Lakers should not be overlooked by the more talented Badger squad, or an upset could be in the making. early in the season.
