UMass and Providence this Weekend

Hello all, my name is Chris Fohlin, I cover Clarkson men’s hockey for the Clarkson Integrator, USCHO.com, and the Sports Information Department at Clarkson University. I started the Clarkson Men’s Hockey Podcast for the 2006-07 season and it is now in its second season (07-08). Brett has been kind enough to invite me to contribute to this blog as both he and Ron are quite busy these days. I'll try to post previews and recaps to help out--perhaps some in-game updates as well. Please check out The Knight Report for the men's hockey podcast, as well as more blog posts regarding previews, recaps, and other thoughts.

As for this weekend...

The Golden Knights face-off against UMass and Providence this Friday and Saturday, respectively. UMass picked up a 6-0 exhibition victory over Trois-Rivieres this past Sunday, their only game to date. Providence has yet to skate in competitive play this season and will have already played St. Lawrence on Friday coming into Saturday's match-up with Clarkson.

Friday's goaltender (UMass)

Who will be in net for the Minutemen on Friday night is the big question. Last year's stellar netminder Jon Quick jumped to the NHL (LA Kings) after falling to U Maine in the NCAA Regional final last season. Sophomore Dan Meyers and freshman Paul Dainton each registered thirty minutes in Sunday's exhibition game with Trois-Rivieres. UMass does have another freshman goalie on the roster in Matthew Gedman but he did not see ice time.

Who to Watch

UMass
Keep an eye on UMass' sophomores Will Ortiz (forward) and Martin Nolet (defenseman). Ortiz picked up two assists in UMass' exhibition game while Nolet tallied one goal and two assists. For those that do not recall, Ortiz also assisted on the lone goal in last season's overtime victory against the Knights in the NCAA Regional playoffs.

Providence
As far as the Friars go, look for senior right-wing Jon Rheault and junior center Nick Mazzolini to be the go-to guys for Providence. Rheault and Mazzolini were the top point-producers last season and will look to pick up where they left off.

Predictions

Clarkson 3, UMass 1
With their 3-2 loss to St. Lawrence still fresh in their minds, look for the Knights to take advantage of the Minutemen's inexperience in net. The Knights will score "only" three goals as their front lines continue to gel. Senior captain Nick Dodge registers his second tally of the young season on another assist from freshman standout Scott Freeman.

Clarkson 4, Providence 0
The Friars went 10-23-3 last season but picked up victories over the likes of St. Lawrence, Boston College, Maine, and New Hampshire--go figure. Providence did fall to Clarkson 6-1 to begin the season, however, and ended with a sweep at the hands of New Hampshire (4-0, 6-0). Clarkson stands tall in net while Freeman picks up his first collegiate goal and senior Steve Zalewski his first of the season.