OPENING FACE-OFF: Colgate opens its 79th season this weekend with a pair of road games versus in state foes – Niagara and RIT. Friday's match-up at the Dwyer Center versus the Purple Eagles is the first of what could be three potential meetings this year. Niagara and Colgate play a home and home series this year and could meet in the second game of Notre Dame's Shillelagh Tournament outside Chicago. Saturday, the site shifts to Blue Cross Arena as Colgate and RIT will play for the first time since October of 2007. The Raiders also take to Lewistown the dubious streak of having played seven consecutive overtime games in a row dating back to last season. Colgate comes into the season ranked seventh in the league's preseason poll by the coaches and ninth by the media. The Raiders return 18 lettermen from last year's 12-18-7 squad including 78 percent of its goal scoring; 69 percent of its total points and 79 percent of its power play goals.
ON THE TUBE: Saturday's game at Blue Cross Arena versus RIT will be broadcasted by Time Warner Sports Cable out of Rochester (Channel 26). Syracuse is expected to pick up the game live. Gene Battaglia will handle play-by-play duties while John DiTullio will provide color commentary.
MEET THE HEAD COACH: Don Vaughan is in his 17th year at the helm of the Colgate Raiders. The 1984 graduate of St. Lawrence enters the campaign as the program's all-time winningest coach with a 269-253-59 mark. On February 16, 2008, he became the all-time winningest coach with his 252nd victory as Colgate blanked Union 8-0. On November 11, 2007, the President of Colgate, Rebecca S. Chopp, announced the creation of the Donald F. Vaughan Endowed Coaching Chair for Men's Hockey.
IN SEASON OPENERS: Colgate is 42-33-3 all-time in season openers. The Raiders have posted wins in four of their last six openers. The victims include Ferris State (5-4) in 2004-05; UMass-Lowell (6-2) in 2005-06; Sacred Heart (6-2) in 2007-08 and UMass-Lowell (2-1) in 2008-09. Colgate had back-to-back season opening ties at Nebraska Omaha (5-5) in 2002-03 and at Northeastern (3-3) in 2003-04.
THESE DATES IN COLGATE HISTORY: Colgate hasn't played a single game in its hockey existence on October 9 or 10.
SERIES RECORDS: When Colgate and Niagara meet Friday evening, it will be the 10th time the two schools have clashed on the ice. The series to date is deadlocked at 4-4-1 with the Purple Eagles winning the last two meetings. The two schools met three times in the 2006-07 season. Colgate defeated Niagara 2-1 at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester on October 12, 2006; then proceeded to post 3-1 and 3-2 wins over the Raiders in Troy, N.Y. and Hamilton respectively. Seven of the nine meetings have been determined by one or fewer goals, while three have gone into overtime. Both teams are 1-1-1 against each other in overtime games.
When Colgate and RIT play Saturday, it will be the eighth such meeting with the Raiders holding a 6-1 advantage. Only one of the previous meetings have been determined by one goal as Colgate prevailed over the Tigers 6-5 in the second game of the 2007-08 campaign. The Raiders are 2-0 all-time versus RIT in Rochester. This will be the first meeting between the two schools in Rochester since a 6-2 Colgate victory over the Tigers back in the 1982-83 season.
SCORING HISTORY: Only two players on the current roster have posted points versus Niagara, while six have at least one career point versus RIT.
Niagara
David McIntyre (3 Games, 1 assist, 6 shots)
Jason William (3 Games, 1 assist, 9 shots)
Ethan Cox (3 Games, 6 shots)
RIT
David McIntyre (1 Game, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 3 Points, 2 Shots)
Brian Day (1 Game, 2 Goals, 0 Assists, 2 Points, 6 Shots)
Francois Brisebois (1 Game, 0 Goals, 2 Assists, 2 Points, 2 Shots)
Jason Williams (1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 2 Points, 2 Shots)
Ethan Cox (1 Game, 0 Goals, 1 Assist, 1 Point, 4 Shots)
Kevin McNamara (1 Game, 0 Goals, 1 Assist, 1 Point, 1 Shot)
Wade Poplawski (1 Game, 0 Goals, 1 Assist, 1 Point, 1 Shot)
EXIBITION GAME IN BRIEF: Robbie Bourdon scored twice while David McIntyre and Ethan Cox each posted three-point evenings as Colgate rallied from a one-goal deficit in a 6-3 victory over the University of Waterloo, last Saturday. McIntyre's three-point performance came in the form of a goal and two assists, while Cox collected three helpers in the win. Colgate outshot the Warrior 42-27. The Raiders used all three goalies with Bryan Bessette (5 saves) in the opening period; Alex Evin (7 saves) in the second and Charles Long (12 saves) in the third. Colgate trailed 1-0, but recovered to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.
PRESEASON HONORS: David McIntyre has been named a pre-season first team all-ECAC Hockey honoree by the coaches and media. In addition, the senior has been named as a preseason first team all-American by Inside College Hockey and once again named to the all-College Hockey News first team.. In 2008-09, McIntyre finished with 21 goals and 43 points, both ranked among the leaders nationally. His point total was the highest for a single season since Andy McDonald's 58 in 1999-2000. He was a first team all-league honoree; a finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, a first team AHCA/Reebok Eastern All-American, a first team all-American by Inside College Hockey and was a selection to the all-College Hockey News team. In addition, McIntyre is one of 20 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for men's ice hockey.
GETTING DRAFTY: Colgate has six NHL draft picks on its 2009-2010 roster. David McIntyre was drafted in the fifth round of the 2006 Draft by the Dallas Stars. Last year, his rights were traded twice in the matter of two months and now stands property of the New Jersey Devils. Corbin McPherson (New Jersey, 3rd, 2007), Brian Day (New York Islanders, 6th, 2006), Austin Smith (Dallas Stars, 5th, 2007), Jeremy Price (Vancouver Canucks, 4th, 2009), and Thomas Larkin (Columbus Blue Jackets, 5th, 2009) round out the Raiders' draft picks.
WELCOME BACK TO FAMILIAR FACES: Colgate returns two veteran defensemen who suffered season ending injuries last year. Junior Wade Poplawski sustained a torn ACL in the 12th game of the year at Colorado College, while redshirt sophomore Kevin McNamara missed the entire season due to hip surgery. McNamara played 42 games as a freshman in 2007-08.
NUMBER CHANGES: The only player that changed jersey numbers from the 2008-09 season is Matt Firman. The sophomore, who wore 17 last season, will wear 15 this year.
O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: David McIntyre and Ethan Cox were selected to serve as the team captains for the 2009-2010 season, while Wade Poplawski and Brian Day were chosen as assistant captains.
BLUELINE SHUFFLE: Colgate will have a revamped defense for the 2009-2010 season. Don Vaughan's squad lost five defensemen to graduation that combined to play close to 600 collegiate games. With the return of Corbin McPherson, Wade Poplawski and Kevin McNamara, the Raiders have 132 games of collegiate experience. Newcomers will need to make an impact on the blueline this season.
THE STREAK: Colgate enters the 2009-2010 campaign having played seven consecutive overtime games which dates back to the end of 2008-09 season. The Raiders went 3-2-2 down the stretch in these games – the two losses coming to Quinnipiac in a best of three series in a first round ECAC Hockey Tournament clash in Hamden, Conn. The streak began at home with a 2-2 tie versus Union on February 20. Colgate would go on to beat Rensselaer (2-1); tie Brown 3-3 in Providence and then upset #11 Yale (3-2) in front of a national TV audience in New Haven all before the meetings with the Bobcats. Quinnipiac won the opener 3-2; then Colgate rallied from a two-goal deficit late in the game for a 5-4 victory to force a third game. The Bobcats prevailed 4-3 in the final game of the series.
MORE ON OVERTIME: Colgate took the University of Minnesota out of the record books in one category – overtime appearances in a single season. During the 2007-08 season, the Gophers broke a then national record with 16 overtimes in 45 games. Fast forward a season later, Colgate bested U of M's mark by three. The Raiders tied the record on March 1, 2009 with a 3-2 overtime victory at 11th-ranked Yale. In the first game of the opening round of ECAC Hockey Tournament, Colgate eclipsed the record in a 3-2 loss at Quinnipiac. All three games versus the Bobcats went longer than the prescribed amount. The previous single-season overtime record at CU was 10 set twice, most recently in the 2007-08 season. The Raiders had six overtime victories, which tied the NCAA Division I record for a single season.
SHOULD OVERTIME HAPPEN: If it happens, eyes need to focus on two of Colgate's best ever goal scorers in overtime in David McIntyre and Austin Smith. McIntyre is tied for second all-time with three over-time game winners. He needs one more to tie Jon Smyth for first. One of McIntyre's goals lifted Colgate by Clarkson in the third and final game of an ECAC Hockey quarterfinal as the Raiders advanced to the Final Four as the seventh seed. Smith is tied for sixth having scored two overtime winners as a freshman last season versus Lake Superior State and Quinnipiac. McIntyre has six overtime points (3 goals, 3 assist) and five of them came last season. The only game he didn't record a point in a game winner was Colgate's 5-4 victory over Quinnipiac in the second game of the three-game series.
David McIntyre (6 points on 3 goals, 3 assists)
Ethan Cox (3 points on 3 assists)
Austin Smith (2 points on 2 goals)
Brian Day (2 points on 2 assists)
Francois Brisebois (1 point on 1 assist)
Kevin McNamara (1 point on 1 assist)
CLOSE SHAVES: One can quickly figure out with 19 overtime games, Colgate had an abundance of close outcomes. That would be an understatement. In the 37-game season, 25 of these contests were decided by one or fewer games as the Raiders posted a 9-9-7 mark. One can make the argument that 27 games were decided by one goal, if not for an empty net goal in the closing seconds that pushed the margin to two goals.
OH BROTHER: Charles and Christian Long are the first set of brothers to play for Don Vaughan at the same time. They hail from Cleveland Heights, Ohio and played junior hockey for the Brockville Braves of the CJHL. Charles and Christian have played three years together at different levels including helping St. Edwards High School to an Ohio State High School title.
LENDING A HELPING HAND: Brian Day tallied 10 of his season's 13 assists in the last 11 games. He was held without an assist only twice in this stretch. The sophomore had a six-game stretch in which he tallied at least one helper and that started in front of friends and family at Harvard, February 13. Day posted a season-best two assists, including helping on the game winner as Colgate upset #11 Yale 3-2 in overtime. He assisted on David McIntyre's second goal of the game to give Colgate a 2-1 overtime victory over Rensselaer in the home finale.
FEW SHORTIES ALLOWED: Colgate is one of four schools that have allowed the fewest short handed goals in the country. The Raiders were the next to last Division I program to allow a shorthanded goal in a 5-4 overtime loss to Yale. Only Brown went longer into the season without allowing a short handed goal than Colgate. Bemidji State, Princeton, and Northern Michigan were the only programs to allow one shorthanded goal all season.
2008-09 IN SEASON HONORS: Colgate got its first ECAC Hockey player of the week, February 9 in David McIntyre as the junior posted two goals and two assists in games versus Princeton and Quinnipiac. Bryan Bessette was also named the rookie of the week following his 33 save performance in his collegiate starting debut against Quinnipiac. Charles Long and Austin Smith are the only other Raiders to gain a weekly award this year. After posting his first collegiate shutout and turning aside 51 of 53 shots, Long was named the New England Hockey Journal's ECAC Hockey Player of the Week on November 12 for his work at Quinnipiac and Princeton. Earlier this season, the junior was tagged as ECAC Hockey's first goalie of the week after his 21-save effort in a 2-1 victory over UMass Lowell in the season opener at Starr Rink. Smith garnered the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week, January 5 for his efforts in Florida and Vermont. The freshman had seven points in four games, including scoring a pair in a victory over Maine and posting a season-high three points against nationally-ranked Vermont.
