Dartmouth Men Ready to Drop the Puck on 2015-16 Season

10/26/2015 11:24:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

The experts have already mapped out the 2015-16 college hockey season as it relates to ECAC Hockey. And in their expert analysis, this year's edition of the Dartmouth men's hockey program is flying under the radar, which is fine by everyone in Hanover.

A 10-member senior class is driven to make the best of the quality playing time that is now available following the graduation of eight key members of last season's team. Only the Redhawks of Miami can match that sizable a senior class this year, giving Dartmouth a veteran presence other ECAC Hockey teams don't have every time they step on the ice.

Those seniors are going to be crucial in providing leadership to the incoming Class of 2019 that features an even split of forwards and defensemen.

At the forefront of that class, wearing the captain's 'C' and shouldering the weight of offensive expectations is perhaps the most soft-spoken voice in the locker room, Brad Schierhorn. Playing wing on the top line as a junior, the Anchorage, Alaska, native finished the season second on the team with 10 goals and fourth in scoring with 23 points. Included in that figure were both of Dartmouth's goals in a 2-0 win over No. 1 Boston University in late November.

The Green and White's goaltending tandem is one that no other conference team can match. Both James Kruger and Charles Grant have held down the starting role for an entire season during their careers and both have had dominant stretches in those periods.

Last season, Kruger took the reins in the preseason and went on to boast the best goals against average (1.98) and save percentage (.926) by a Dartmouth goalie in 109 seasons. Grant was outstanding the spring before; the backbone of a Big Green team that was one of the hottest second-half squads in the nation and was only stopped by eventual national champion Union.

Both are back to push one another to be better, to give the team from Hanover a chance to compete with the best on a nightly basis.

The forward core boasts the depth and talent to send out any line in any situation with the belief that they can accomplish nearly anything.

Junior Grant Opperman and senior Nick Bligh can both agitate you with gritty play and beat you with timely scoring. The return of a healthy Tim O'Brien after missing most of 2014-15 with a leg injury gives the Green even more forward depth from a player who can both grind on the third line as well as score clutch goals usually reserved for the top lines.

Brett Patterson is perhaps the most versatile player in all of ECAC Hockey. Sacrificing stats and personal glory to move from forward back to defense when injuries decimated the blueline ranks in the past two seasons. His skating and puck handling abilities have made him invaluable moving through all three zones, quarterbacking a power play or just making the one extra pass that can spring a teammate out of the zone or to the far post.

Jack Barre stepped up his game and out of the shadows as a junior. He found ways to contribute offensively in 2014-15 that were not in his repertoire, using his size and strength to tip pucks in front and go hard for rebounds, while at the same time possessing the silky hands to score on a diving backhander in front of a national TV audience at UNH.

Sophomores Corey Kalk and Carl Hesler are some of the first players to the rink everyday, always ready to compete and represent this storied program. Expect these second-year forwards to be two of the biggest beneficiaries of the now-available ice time.

On the backend, the Big Green have a solid defensive core, anchored by seniors Geoff Ferguson and Ryan Bullock.

Ferguson is not afraid to go into the corners and be the only one to come out. His size makes him an imposing force in his own zone, but don't be surprised by what he can do with the puck at the other blueline as well. Bullock is a skilled, two-way defenseman, who combines a tenacious defensive ability in his own end with an excellent offensive skillset on the attack.

Juniors Josh Hartley and Brandon Kirk are also large, looming figures on skates and can use their size to keep attacking forwards to the outside as well as against the glass. Sophomore Timothy Shoup might be the player who resembles the prototype of what today's defenseman is supposed to look like: tall, but not huge; strong, but not overly muscular. Just a fast, smart player who is strong on his skates and is looking one step ahead of where he currently is.

The Class of 2019 also made an impact during the preseason as John Ernsting, Alex Jasiek, Kevan Kilistoff, Cameron Roth, Karan Toor and Connor Yau all made their debuts against the US National Team Development Program and Prince Edward Island.

The Big Green has a proud history in arguably the toughest conference in Division I, finishing in the top-5 of the league in 11 of the last 15 seasons.

ECAC Hockey is a great league and has proven a breeding ground for elite programs in the last half decade. All 12 teams have aspirations to hoist the Cleary Cup as league champion at season's end on the big sheet in Lake Placid.

The Big Green are ready for the puck to drop and eager to do their talking on the ice.