November 17, 2007
Great Plains Weekend Preview
Second GPCIHL event weekend looms as teams battle for position before semester break
by James Lambert
ST. PETERS, Mo. - The Great Plains Collegiate Inline Hockey League wraps up the first semester of competition this weekend at Matteson Square Gardens Triplex, in the second league event of the 2007-08 season.
The first weekend (Nov. 3-4) provided many highlights. Defending national champion Lindenwood improved its win streak to 83 games with three victories, including a 7-3 defeat of new DI contender UMSL, who finished 3-1 in its first weekend as a Division I team.
A Lindenwood-UMSL rematch (Sun., 4 pm) headlines the upcoming weekend, but there are intriguing matchups up and down the schedule. Here’s a look at two of the weekend’s pivotal games.
ST. CHARLES CC vs. ST. LOUIS CC - MERAMEC
Saturday, 1:00
The St. Charles Cougars and Meramec Magic will renew their rivalry at 1:00 Saturday. The Great Plains’ two Division III (community college) squads each finished the opening weekend with 3-0 records.
Third-year forward Gus Maloney tore it up for the Cougars last weekend. Maloney, who led the ’07 DIII national champion Cougars in goals and points, now ranks second in GPCIHL DI/III with 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists). Fellow third-year vet Ryan Covington, who spent his first two years on the B Division Cougars, took advantage of his first chance to play for the varsity by matching Maloney’s team-high six goals. True freshman Brent Propp also netted six last weekend.
Last season, SCC goaltender Kevin Hesemann led the Cougars to the national championship, and finished the season with a 13-2 record and an awesome .912 save percentage.
Just three skaters return from last season’s national championship team: Maloney, and forwards Mike Herbert (4g-2a-6pts) and Ryan Maxwell (0-4-4). Newcomers Propp (6-0-6), Justin Wheeler (2-6-8), Sean Daft (3-3-6), and Todd Hoeferlin (2-1-3) are clearly a fast, versatile, hardworking group, fully capable of carrying the Cougars all the way back to the top.
St. Charles’ high-scoring opening weekend wins came at the expense of Mizzou (5-4), Illinois State (10-5), and Illinois (14-6).
Meramec won some low-scoring contests last weekend. Second-year forwards Mike Flieger (3-4-7) and Casey Molly (5-0-5) led the Magic offensively.
Molly’s pair of shorthanded goals were the difference in Meramec’s 3-1 season-opening win over UM-Rolla. Flieger and Molly each scored shorthanded goals in the 4-3 win over Illinois. Freshman Pat Wuennenberg led the Magic with two goals and an assist in the 6-3 win over Middle Tennessee State.
TRUMAN STATE vs. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Sunday, 1:00
Truman State (2-0-1) seemed the odds-on preseason favorite to claim the Great Plains Division II championship. But after the Bulldogs’ 5-5 opening-weekend tie with Missouri State, it appears that the DII race is up for grabs.
The Washington University Bears (3-0-0) made a statement last weekend, and currently sit in first place in the division. Second-year goaltender Craig Markovitz gave up just two goals as a new-look Wash U squad, now coached by former defenseman Matt Riordan, put up impressive offensive numbers as well.
Senior forward Andrew Stern (7-6-13) now leads GPCIHL DII in scoring. Freshman John Harvey (Darien, Conn.) and veteran Alex Tint scored six goals each, and freshman Daniel D’Amico (Coppell, Tex.) also made an instant impact with seven points in his first collegiate weekend.
Having lost stars Tommy Paskvan, Jim Jost, and Zane Truman, Wash U nonetheless has a lineup bursting with talent and versatility. The Bears’ 14-deep group of skaters appears capable of competing for the league title and a Nationals berth, backstopped by their veteran goaltender, Markovitz, who posted an eye-popping 0.67 GAA and .967 save percentage last weekend in wins over Western Kentucky, Western Illinois, and Southeast Missouri State.
Truman State will offer Wash U its first major challenge of the season. The defending regular-season champs return seven of nine skaters, plus star goaltender John Pecher, from a team that at one time last season had won 18 straight games and was ranked second nationally.
Senior captain Dane Moody needs seven goals to reach 100 for his career. Moody, who led the nation with six shorthanded goals last season, combined with junior Jim Dougherty to put up 21 points in three games during the opening weekend.
Towering sniper Drew Vandas, mighty mite Ronnie Gentile, and nasty agitator Jon Watson give coach Joe Nedelec a variety of weapons at forward. Newcomers Zach Rohne and Nick Blechle have fit right into the lineup as well.
Gentile, one of the most underrated players in the league, has scored in each of his last 11 regular-season games, with two hat tricks and an amazing 19-10-29 statline.
Excluding his 11-game GPCIHL breakout, Gentile’s career numbers are merely respectable: 20-16-36 in 38 games.
But now that his scoring streak has carried over to the new season, with five goals and nine points in just three games, including a team-high two goals in the 5-5 tie with Missouri State, it’s a good bet that Gentile’s emergence is for real.
FAB FROSH
PJ Tallo (UMSL/McCluer HS) leads GPCIHL DI with nine assists and 13 points.
David Rey (Mizzou/Howell Central) is tied for the league lead with seven goals.
John McGuinness (Lindenwood/Yaphank, N.Y.) has put up four points (2-2).
Michael Inouye (Lindenwood B Gold/San Jose, Calif.) leads GPCIHL B with 14 goals and 19 points.
John Harvey (Wash U/Darien, Conn.) is tied for fifth in GPCIHL DII with 9 points (6-3).
Brent Propp (St. Charles/Howell Central) is tied for the team lead with six goals.
Ben Pecher (Kansas State/SLUH) leads the team with four goals.
Brett Larkowski (SEMO/Wentzville Holt) leads the team with four goals.
Daniel D’Amico (Wash U/Coppell, Tex.) has put up seven points (4-3).
Zach Rohne (Truman State/CBC) has put up five points (3-2).
FAN ITINERARY
Want to swing by the rink for a few hours here and there just to catch the best games? Here’s a guide to the weekend’s showcase matchups.
SATURDAY
11:00 – Lindenwood vs. UM-Rolla: LU juggernaut faces gritty Miners, who will be playing their third game of the morning due to a scheduling quirk.
12:00 – Illinois vs. UMSL: High-flying Tritons meet their new DI rival, the Fighting Illini.
1:00 – St. Charles vs. Meramec: DIII rivals clash for the first time in ’07-08.
3:00 – Saint Louis vs. Wash U: Wash U will try to take care of business and set the stage for Sunday clash with Truman State. SLU, the '07 DII national runner-up, is rebuilding, but should only improve.
4:00 – St. Charles B vs. UMSL B: SCC and UMSL are tied for second place in GPCIHL B; this is the best B Division matchup of the event.
SUNDAY
11:00 – Lindenwood vs. St. Charles: New-look Cougars will see how they measure up with the Goliath of college roller hockey. Last season, SCC pushed LU to the brink twice.
12:00 – Illinois State vs. Meramec: Could be a nailbiter; on paper, this one is dead even.
1:00 – Truman State vs. Wash U: First place in GPCIHL DII may be on the line in the biggest DII game of the first semester so far.
3:00 – Illinois vs. Illinois State: Will be a pivotal matchup in the GPCIHL DI race; each trying to finish first semester on a high note.
4:00 – Lindenwood vs. UMSL: Rising Tritons take another shot at the mighty Lions.