Men's Hockey Takes the Ice Without Beaney at Helm

Author: Andreas Apostolatos

The Middlebury's men's hockey team expects to find itself in contention to win the NCAA Division III championship this year despite the absence of Coach Bill Beaney, who is taking a year off for personal reasons and to assist the College in its fundraising efforts. Neil Sinclair, who has been an assistant coach for the past three seasons, will serve as interim head coach this winter.
After beating Trinity to win the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title last season, the team managed to reach the semifinals of the 2002 NCAA Division III tournament, where it lost to Norwich.
Despite the coaching alteration, Middlebury will continue to stress a defensive brand of hockey that has characterized Panther teams during the extent of Beaney's tenure. Sinclair admitted that there will be subtle differences in terms of coaching style, but insists that the overall coaching strategy and philosophy will be unchanged.
"Things under Coach Sinclair are very similar to playing under Beaney," commented team captain Rob Chisholm '03. "Coach Sinclair has been here for years and all of the players know and respect him very much. He is a very capable coach who will make sure we are ready to play at the highest level. While we will certainly miss Beaney and his experience behind the bench, we don't anticipate his absence being a major obstacle for us this year."
One obstacle the team will face is making up for the loss of seven players who graduated in 2002. Among the departed are three first-team All-Americans: defenders Ryan Constantine '02, Matt Dunn '02 and goalie Christian Carlsson '02. Six of the seven graduates played defense or goalie, which leaves ample room for new leaders to emerge on defense since the Panthers seek to emphasize puck control and team defense.
"We are going to need guys to step into leadership roles who have not been used to doing so in the past," said Sinclair, who served as athletic director at Middlebury Union High School before becoming an assistant coach three years ago. "Luckily, in our seniors we have a very capable group to fill the defensive void," he said.
The Panthers will call upon some of the seven first-years to contribute on a regular basis. Replacing the All-American Carlsson in goal will most likely be first-year Jen-I Chen.
The good news is that Middlebury returns its top four scorers, Chisholm, junior assistant captains Adam Foote '04 and John Dawson '04 and junior Kevin Cooper '04, who was a second-team All-American last season.
While the Panthers will certainly be serious contenders for both the NESCAC and NCAA Division III championships, the team insists on taking one game at a time.
"Our biggest challenge will be learning to play one day at a time and not focusing on end goals like championships," said Chisholm. "People around here expect a lot out of Middlebury hockey teams. We use those expectations to our advantage by demanding the most from each other but it will be essential to our success that we focus on improving daily and not get caught up in talk about ultimate results. They will take care of themselves."
Middlebury opens its season on Nov. 22, when it plays host to Skidmore. On Nov. 29, the Panthers will face their first big challenge when they play Norwich in the opening round of the Primelink Great Northern Shootout, before returning home to host the United States under-18 team. The Panthers will not face their biggest NESCAC rivals, Bowdoin and Trinity, until January.
Friday's opener against Skidmore is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Kenyon Arena.