The Broadcaster’s View – Playoff Push Starts Now

January 22nd, 2011

Jordan Kuhns
VilleHockey.com Webmaster
Team Broadcaster

The Marauders started their season with hopes of this being the year.  Going into the second semester of play and the final stretch of games, the team is the third seed in the Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference’s Western Division with a 7-3-1 record, good for 15 points.

The Marauders have played 11 games, but their closest competition, Scranton University, has 12 points through 10 games.  It will be crucial to win a good majority of the games ahead to have a good standing in the playoffs.  Muhlenberg is undefeated with ten wins, and Kutztown is in second place with 15 points.  It will be tight, but if you look at the competition ahead, the playoffs should be attainable for the Marauders.

This would be their second trip to the postseason dance in as many years behind this experienced core of players looking to make a statement.

Last year, Millersville upset Muhlenberg in the first round to fall to Scranton in the second round in a close 2-1 tilt.  This year, the playoff spectrum looks a lot different, but the Marauders are in the mix once again.

A look at some standouts on the team:

Captain Evan Miller, the senior, is being Evan Miller.  And by that, I mean that Miller is scoring goals with reckless abandon.  This year he has 18 goals and 11 assists for 29 points.  His career high of 25 goals is in reach.  His philosophy as captain has energized this team into a consistent force.  He stresses “never be satisfied”, no matter what the score.  And this team has taken that energy and moved forward, winning most of their games in the GNCHC.

Mike Carpenter is having a tremendous junior season with 14 goals and 16 assists in GNCHC play.  Carp, as they call him, has six powerplay goals and a few hat tricks to go along with that play.  He’s a consistent force on the ice, and his consistent play (and frequent fist pumping) will be a big key to the Marauders’ success coming up.  Carpenter has recently eclipsed the century mark in points with 103.

Transfer student Kyle Hench has been a source of consistent goal scoring for the Marauders.  His two goals were the deciding factor in the rough-and-tumble win against the Bucknell Bison.  Hench seems to be always in the right spot for a rebound, and will continue to get the goals.

On the defensive side of the puck, look no further than sophomore Chris Collins, who has had a resurgent sophomore season for the Black and Gold.  Collins, an alternate captain for the Marauders this season, has 4 goals and 13 assists for 17 points.  Collins is not just a good offensive defenseman, but he has played extremely solid defense, and has made great passes on the powerplay.  The big dude has been a good find for Marauder recruiting.

Defenseman Sean Nielsen is poised to be a star on this Marauder team in the future.  In his first season, the roving defenseman (who sometimes seems like a forward) has oozed confidence with 6 goals and 9 assists, good for 15 points.  He’s always involved in the play, eager to take slapshots and beat defenders with dekes that several GNCHC players wish they could pull off.  Look for Nielsen’s slapper to be an important part of the Marauder push to the playoffs.

Game recaps will be available postgame (I promise) after every game, including quotes from the players.  Highlights will be available for some of the games coming up as well.  Stay tuned to VilleHockey.com for the latest information on your Millersville Marauders.  Also, be sure to follow @MUIceHockey on Twitter, and go to www.youtube.com/millersvillehockey or www.youtube.com/rhnielsen68 for highlights of earlier games.

Marauders Complete Weekend with Two Wins

December 5th, 2010

Story Coming

Millersville Falls to Kutztown University, 5-4

November 17th, 2010

Still Undefeated: Marauders tie LaSalle, defeat Rutgers over weekend

November 8th, 2010

Story coming…

Marauders’ Relentless Shot Barrage Stuns UPENN

October 22nd, 2010

Jordan Kuhns
VilleHockey.com Webmaster
Team Broadcaster

The Ivy League came into Millersville turf for two straight weekends.  And for two straight weekends, the Ivy League didn’t know what hit them.  The Marauders fired over 55 shots towards UPENN  goalie Andrew Layne, and crushed the Quakers 8-1.

Mike Carpenter, after returning from a week-long team leave, made his presence known with not only the first goal of the game, but a hat trick in this game as well along with 3 assists for 6 points.  Captain Evan Miller added two more and an assist to this game, as the Marauder offense kept blasting shot after shot.

The game started with a bang.  After a penalty kill to Kyle Hench’s interference minor, the top line furiously forechecked with shot after shot, and on the third rebound given up by Andrew Layne, Mike Carpenter shoveled it past the down-and-out goaltender for the 1-0 lead.  Just a few minutes later,  on a Carpenter shot breaking down the wing, Miller easily deposited the rebound driving to the net to make it 2-0.

The rattled Quakers took a bad hooking call, and defenseman Sean Nielsen rushed 3-on-2, splitting the D and going top shelf on Layne to make it 3-0.  That was the freshman’s third goal of the season.

After an absolute wave of shots, it took an absolute snipe-job by Bobby Snyder to break Layne to make it 4-0, his first goal of the season.  Towards the end of that period, Joe Vendetti (wearing Garth Bolin’s jersey) received a 5 minute major and 10 minute misconduct, the the Marauders killed that, and a second penalty off almost effortlessly moving into the third period.

In the second and third periods, the Marauders seemed to continue some penalty troubles, but after the refs saw it the Marauders’ way with a powerplay of their own, Mike Carpenter won the draw forward and performed a slick backhand maneuver, the 45th shot of the game, to elude Layne’s pad and make it 5-0.

With just 5 minutes left, Marauder goaltender Bryan DeMarco’s shutout bid was ruined by Chris Schiavetta, who sniped a shot on the left wing top shelf, to give the Quakers very little life.  Miller lauded his goaltender.

“Bryan stood on his head again, had another good game,” said Miller.  “When he came up big, he saved us in a couple of situations.”

It didn’t take long for the Marauders to get angry and respond.  After some furious chances, including a resounding pad stop on Miller, Carpenter found a loose puck in front and backhanded it past Layne to make it 6-1.  Just seconds later, Dave Rothrock found a puck behind the net and wrapped it past Layne to make it 7-1.

Miller capped off the scoring with his second goal of the game on a snap shot to the top shelf.  It was set up by a nifty drop pass from Carpenter.

“It was a good game, we came out in the first period hard,” said  Miller.  “Carp was clicking tonight, it was good to have him back.”

Coach was really happy with the effort.

“We’re really working together and working hard,” said coach Scott Edwards.  “I really got them to buy into the program I have here, and we’re believing in each other.”

The team will get this weekend off, but the weekend after that, the Marauders will take on the Lasalle Explorers at Regency Ice Rink.  Another tough GNCHC opponent is ready to battle, but Miller knows what the team has to do.

“They are always close games,” said Miller.  “But if we bring our intensity like we did [during the game], we’ll dominate.”

Coach Edwards couldn’t be more pleased with the effort within GNCHC play as well, warning future opponents.

“We’re undefeated in the league right now, and our goal is to stay that way for a long time.”

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Be sure to follow the Marauders on Twitter (www.twitter.com/@MUIceHockey), and watch highlights and other feature interviews on YouTube (www.youtube.com/MillersvilleHockey)

Marauders Never Look Back in Rout of Princeton

October 18th, 2010

Jordan Kuhns
VilleHockey.com Webmaster
Team Broadcaster

The Millersville Marauders exerted their dominance of the Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference over the weekend as the team routed the Princeton Tigers 13-4.

The Marauders got some prime scoring chances before finally, the Marauders’ transition play created several odd-man rushes.  Chris Collins, Evan Miller, Zach Juliano and Kyle Hench all scored within eight minutes of each other to give the team a quick 4-0 lead, all of them coming on 3-on-2 and 2-on-1 chances.  Juliano’s tally was set up on an exquisite one-handed pass by senior forward Pete Scottoline.

The team didn’t stop.  Chris Reinhart, Chris Collins, Joey Crothers and Evan Miller scored in the second period to keep the Marauders up by a considerable margin.  Miller’s goal came just seconds after Princeton scored a powerplay goal, keeping the team’s spirits high.

In the third period, Sean Darrah, Brendan Lutz, Kyle Hench, Evan Miller and Sean Nielsen capped the Millersville scoring, with captain Miller capping off a hat trick with a goal while two-men shorthanded.  It was the exclamation point on the dominant win.

The Marauders will stay at home, taking on UPENN at Lancaster Ice Rink, Friday at 7:00PM.

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Be sure to follow the team on Twitter @MUIceHockey, and to watch highlight videos and other specials on our YouTube channel (youtube.com/MillersvilleHockey)!

Evan Miller Shines as Marauders Sweep Weekend

October 5th, 2010

Jordan Kuhns
VilleHockey.com Webmaster
Team Broadcaster

If the GNCHC ever needed a welcome to what the captain of the Millersville Marauders had to bring in his senior year, Bucknell University sure felt it over the weekend.

Evan Miller was absolutely dominant in the Marauders’ first test against the Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference, scoring all four goals in a 4-3 victory against the Bucknell Bison.  His final tally, the game winner, was with only a few seconds to play.  Flashing back about a year against Kutztown, Miller scored a shorthanded goal with 56 seconds left in the 3rd, giving the Marauders a 3-2 victory.

Just another day at the office for Mr. Miller.

“I feel pretty good with my performance this last weekend.  I’m glad to have gotten on the score board,” the captain said.

Miller did not stop there though, as the Marauders plowed through St. Joseph’s University by a score of 4-3.   He was the first to score on the powerplay as his longtime linemate and alternate captain, Mike Carpenter set him up for one of his two assists on the day.

Center Zach Juliano and defenseman Sean Nielsen also got on the board in the first period, giving the Marauders a quick 3-0 lead in the first period, all within the span of 3 minutes.  But the team just knew it wasn’t over then.

“I take our motto from [Evan] Miller, ‘don’t be satisfied’,” said defenseman Gaetan Juliano.  “When we were up 3-0, that’s all he said in the locker room.”

Brian Newman’s powerplay goal cut the lead to two, but it was Chris Reinhart’s first goal of the season, a powerplay tally, that gave the Marauders their three goal lead right back.   St. Joe’s was not done in that period, striking twice within a minute to make it a one goal game.

But senior goaltender Brian DeMarco was tremendous in the final frame, stopping all of the shots that were fired his way, and sealing the victory away for the Marauders.

“I’m really happy about the wins and impressed by the team’s performance,” said Miller.  “If it wasn’t for everyone on the bench working hard for 60 minutes we would of came up short in both games. The team showed a lot of heart this weekend.”

This weekend was decided improvement over Millersville’s showing against Rider last weekend.  The Marauders were able to get scoring from other sources, including “Bing”, Zach Juliano.

“I loved seeing him get his first goal in a Millersville uniform,” said older brother Gaetan, otherwise known as “Google”.  “He’s been working hard all year and throughout the summer training and I knew his hard work would pay off.”

Miller believed it was a decided improvement in all facets of the game.

“Our first weekend against Rider really exposed our team’s inexperience. Everyone was still knocking the rust off and they took advantage of it,” said Miller.

“It was a huge weekend for the team. Battling back from a disappointing 0 and 2 start against two quality teams has really changed team morale,” Miller added.

“We’re ready to prove what we can do. We got some momentum.”

The Marauders now improve their overall season record to 2-2, and are now 1-0 in GNCHC play with their victory against Bucknell.

The Marauders will now stay home for the rest of the month of October, with their next game on Friday, October 8th against The College of New Jersey at 7 PM, skating on Regency Rink ice.

Marauders Fall Back-to-Back

September 30th, 2010

Jordan Kuhns
VilleHockey.com Webmaster
Team Broadcaster

Clearly a transition period for the Millersville Marauders, the Rider Broncs took advantage of their scoring opportunities early and often and defeated the Ville in back-to-back games, losing 4-0 and 6-4.

In game one, DJ Nork got the Broncs off to a quick start scoring on a slick cross-ice feed just a minute in.  The Marauders seemed to have early pressure, but Rider came back, and proceeded to score two straight goals, ending the 1st period down 3-0.

In a scoreless second that saw a chess match of penalties, the Marauders were beginning to build momentum with a few powerplays.  But Rider’s forecheck kept the Black and Gold in check, keeping them completely off the board.

In the third period, Frank Garvey scored his second powerplay goal of the game to seal the Marauders’ fate in this largely one-sided affair.

“It all starts with mental frustration.  We lost our mental focus,” said defenseman Gaetan Juliano.

The team was largely angered by the start of the game, but felt that it wasn’t all bad.

“We need to put 60 minutes together,” said senior forward Pete Scottoline.  “We have a lot to build on for the next few games.”

In the second game, the Marauders came home to Regency Ice Rink in Lancaster looking for revenge.

The team got off to a great start, with Dave Rothrock capping off a tremendous rush with a forehand-backhand deke that beat Rider goaltender Andrew Nalbone, giving the Marauders the lead.

But Rider’s quick-strike offense, led by Greg DiPiscali and another two goals from Garvey, gave the Broncs a 3-1 lead going into the second period.

The Marauders found their legs and Rothrock got right back on the board for Millersville with another nice move in the goal crease.  Him, along with his linemates Scottoline and Zach Juliano, all ended up with two points.

Rider continued to show their offensive strength, responding right back to make it 4-2.  Chris Collins’ backhand deke on a 2-on-1 rush brought the Marauders to within one, but Rider once again found a way to end the 2nd 5-3 in favor of the Broncs.

Newcomer forward Brendan Lutz received a pass intended for alternate captain Mike Carpenter in the high slot and blasted a slapshot, his first goal of the season, to respond in this topsy-turvy affair.

Rider’s Conor Dragone put the nail in the coffin towards the end of the game, creating a 6-4 margin, and after that, a massive scrum ensued.  When the dust settled, forwards Rothrock, Scottoline, Sean Darrah and defensemen Chris Reinhart and Jake Bongiovanni ended up with 10 minute misconducts.

Darrah received a one-game suspension from the ACHA for instigating conduct off of the bench.

“The first game was chaotic, but we came together as a team in game two,” said head coach Scott Edwards.  “We were 100% better from game one into game two, and we were more dominant.”

The powerplay over the two games came up dry, but the penalty kill picked up where they left off last year, with only Garvey’s two powerplay goals in the two games the only ones scored.

“We gave 100%,” said captain Evan Miller, who had an assist in game two.  “There’s no letdown after this one.”

“Our powerplay needs to be better, but I think everyone was trying to prove themselves, and was a bit too excited.”

The Marauders will look to get in the win column by traveling to Bucknell University on Saturday, and finishing out the weekend against St. Joe’s University on Sunday.

This Is Our Year

September 19th, 2010

Big Season Ahead for New-Look Marauders

September 18th, 2010
The team huddles at practice on September 17. (photo courtesy Jordan Kuhns)

The team huddles at practice on September 17. (photo courtesy Jordan Kuhns)

Jordan Kuhns
VilleHockey.com Webmaster
Team Broadcaster

The mantra around the locker room is one that is echoed by many.

“This is our year.”

The Millersville Marauders ended their season in defeat to the Scranton Huskies in a well-fought game that saw them lose by a score of 2-1.  However, during the season, elements of their game were remarkably inconsistent, and the team saw their record jump up and down until they finally grabbed the final playoff spot in the Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference.

The leadership core of the Marauders wanted more, so they went with experience: they hired Scott Edwards as their new head coach.

Edwards has been around the block.  He has been involved with the game of hockey for 40 years as a coach and referee at the collegiate level.  In his analysis, he feels as if the team’s lofty expectations are real and attainable.

“I’m very optimistic,” said Edwards of the upcoming season.  “We have a really good bunch of guys coming in that are really meshing already, playing well together.”

This upcoming season, there are significantly more rookies and new players on the team than in years’ past, but coach Edwards does not see that to be an issue.

“We definitely have some really solid transfer students,” said Edwards.  “The freshmen have a good head on their shoulders, they’re aware of the ice, and they’re really fitting in.”

Alternate captain Mike Carpenter agreed.

“The new guys are really impressive,” said Carpenter.  “Our defense is so much better and deeper than last year, and we’re going to have three, four solid offensive lines to put out there.”

Last year, it seemed as if scoring was very top-heavy, with co-captains Evan Miller and Mike Carpenter taking a lot of the goal scoring duty.  But this year, coach Edwards believes differently.

“We’re going to probably have around 23 to 27 committed and talented players coming in,” said Edwards.  “The talent is really high.”

“We have a heavy load of new players, and they’re meshing, and I’m really pleased all around,” echoed Edwards

With a new coach comes a new vision.  The old, one-dimensional attack of past years is gone.  In comes a more focused and balanced hockey attack plan with an experienced coach at the helm.

“We’re really concentrating on our breakout, our neutral zone, and our offensive zone play,” said Edwards.  “I’m a very aggressive coach, not a laid-back type.  So there’s going to be a lot of pressure.”

But there’s one thing that Edwards looks for that’s no X-and-O strategy.

“The most important thing on the whole team is we need to be a family, we need to back each other up and we’re going to play smart hockey.”

So with this excitement comes the beginning of a new season.  Carpenter believes that with the proper mindset, this team could potentially do something special.

“C.W. Post better look out,” Carpenter said of the GNCHC champions of last year.  “Because if we do things right, we can be unstoppable.”

Those words will be put to the test starting Friday the 24th, with the opener of a home-and-home against Rider University.

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For up to date information, follow the team on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/MUIceHockey!