Tigers Plan Their Run
Fall 2006
ECRHA December 6th, 2006 at 11:31PM February 7th, 2007 7:31AM
Going into the 2006-2007 season, there was plenty of talk regarding the Towson University Roller Hockey Program. After their most successful season, 2005-2006, the expectations were high coming into the 2006-2007 campaign.
Following a long, grueling training camp, a shaky showing at the ECRHA
pre-season event was the last thing the club had expected. The
Division I team, coming off a Final Four appearance at the NCRHA
National Championship last year, ended up with a 3-1-0 record after
pre-season play. The three wins came against Division III
schools,
Nassau
and Suffolk Community, and also against Division II SUNY Stony
Brook, who happens to be coached by Joe Tamburino, older brother of
Towson
â??s DI captain, Jim Tamburino. The one loss came in a very surprising game against a hungry Division II team,
Westchester
University
. The wake-up call reminded
Towson
to be ready to play every single shift in every single game.
The B Division team, â??farm teamâ?, left the pre-season event with a
disappointing 1-1-1 record. An early loss to a solid SUNY Buffalo
team and a tie on Sunday against Cornell (DII) also served as a wake-up
call. The win against
Rutgers
was a successful come-from-behind effort, allowing the team to
head home with a win under their belt. However, both teams left
Feasterville with results lower than expected.
One month later in
Lemoyne
,
PA
, the club began to get back on track. The Division I team started the regular season with a 3-0-0 record, defeating
Maryland
,
Pittsburgh
and
Delaware
in convincing fashion. Throughout the weekend, the Division I team outscored their opponents 23-8.
The story was very similar for the B Division team. Three wins
over West Chester,
Temple
and
Delaware
gave the B Division team a 3-0-0 regular season record, scoring twenty-seven goals and only allowing seven against.
The club then traveled to
Long Island
,
NY
for exhibition games and for possible recruitment of future
players in the local area. The homecoming for some of the Towson
Roller Hockey players was spoiled by some tough opponents. With
the Division I team scheduled to play against
Nassau
again, and the 5 time defending DI National Champions,
Lindenwood
University
, the weekend would be anything but easy.
Nassau
started the weekend by handing the Tigers a startling 4-3 loss
with only four seconds remaining in regulation. Next on the
schedule was the Lindenwood Lions. Though the game had been hyped
up by many people across the country, for
Towson
, it became one to forget.
The Towson Tigers B Division team faced the Lindenwood B Black team
first.
Towson
jumped on the Lions early, only to blow a 4-1 lead and leave the
rink with a 5-5 tie. Next up for the Tigers was a game against
DIIâ??s Vermont Catamounts, where the Tigers showed flashes of
brilliance, but unfortunately lost by the score of 6-3. On
Sunday, the Tigers faced the 4-time defending National B Division
Champs, Lindenwood B Gold, resulting in a disappointing loss.
For the third weekend in a row, the Tigers were in action again.
The Division I team opened with a solid 10-3 win over
Penn
State
in
Feasterville
,
PA.
Next up was the UMD Terps. The Tigers won handily
12-2 and followed up with a 5-1 win over UConn. On Sunday, the
Tigers faced the Scarlet Knights from
Rutgers
, where the Tigers captured their seventh straight regular season victory by the score of 5-3.
For the most part, the B Division team had similar success. They
started the weekend by beating
Penn
State
7-4. Next up was a challenging contest against Division
II school and 2006 NCRHA DII Final Four, SUNY Brockport. In
arguably the most well-played game by
Towson
â??s B team in their clubâ??s history, the Tigers shut out the
Golden Eagles 4-0, displaying all types of promise for the
future. Unfortunately, the Tigers didnâ??t repeat the next morning
against Rutgers, who defeated
Towson
5-2. The Tigers B team, however, ended the weekend with a hard fought 6-4 victory over B Division standout,
Drexel
University
.
The Tigers finished the Fall Semester with a 7-0-0 Division I regular season record and 10-3-0 overall record, along with a 5-1-0 B Division regular season record and 7-4-2 overall record. As the Tigers continue to practice and prepare for the remainder of the season, the future looks hopeful for the club. Several players have put forth tremendous efforts and have displayed traits of leadership that can take Towson Roller Hockey the furthest it has ever gone.
Though
all of the B teamâ??s players have contributed one way or another, the
play of linemates Joe Oâ??Brien and Zach Siskind, the defensive presence
of Dan Stewart and Cory Twibell, the dedication and hustle of Jason
Goodman and Brandon Holley, along with Stuart Miller filling in for the
injured Cory Greenberg, are all key components to the teamâ??s success.
The
Division I team has been sparked by Josh Steinâ??s two-way game, doing
his usual part of offensive scoring, along with killing penalties and
playing a defensive and responsible role. Rookie freshman Ryan
Cowdell has filled in nicely, pairing up with Stein on forward,
displaying a solid effort every single shift in each game and
practice. Junior Keith Huffman seems to improve each game
defensively and is a key component to the reason why
Towson
â??s DI team has only given up seventeen goals in seven games.
Huffman is also second on the team in assists with nine. As
far as goaltending, Grad students Mike Burke and Matt Vensel, along
with rookies Brian Scott and Josh Willen,
Towson
seems to be secure. Overall, the DI team is receiving
great efforts all around and the team plans to continue to improve
throughout the season.
The Tigers club will next travel to