SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A road trip greets the Skidmore Ice Hockey team as the Thoroughbreds begin their 40th season on Friday, taking on Cortland at 7 p.m. The Thoroughbreds will look to continue the momentum of an impressive finish last season and an encouraging preseason campaign.
The Thoroughbreds return 18 players from last season's squad that finished 4-1-1 in the regular season and finished with a dramatic 3-2 double overtime loss at third-seeded Babson in the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Quarterfinal – the longest game in Skidmore hockey history.
Leading the charge are seniors
Corey Morgan,
Adam Moodie, and
Max Hegge. Moodie and Hegge looks to lead the forwards this season. Moodie was second on the team with five goals last season, with Hegge adding five assists. Morgan is a defender with an appetite for scoring. He led all Thoroughbred defensemen with 10 points last season (three goals, seven assists) and has 32 points entering his senior season.
Offensively, Skidmore returns seven of their top eight scorers from last season. Sophomores
Brandon Borges and
Matt Muzyka made for a solid 1-2 combo last season. Borges led the team with seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points in 2017-18, with Muzyka finishing right behind with 14 points (five goals, nine assists). Fellow sophomore
Paul Vella also provided the assists with 11 points on 10 assists.
Tim Allen fought through injuries midway through last season, but still finished third in scoring with 13 points via four goals and nine assists.
Skidmore's offense looks to be even more balanced this season, with the top scorers joining juniors
Matt Wolf,
John Litscher, and
Owen Campbell, sophomore
Misha Mrotchek, and newcomers
Callahan Johnson,
Jeff Kirkwood, and Avery and
Will Steele. Kirkwood arrives at Skidmore after spending the past two seasons at UMass Dartmouth, and will look to make an instant impact along with Johnson and the Steele brothers.
Skidmore brings in a young, but talented defensive group this season. Along with the veteran Morgan, juniors
Sam Loizeaux and
Jason Lem, and sophomores
Tyler Hall and
Jake McCarthy return to give the Thoroughbreds much needed experience and talent.
Reid Russell,
Austin Rook, and
Kyle DelMaestro all arrive from their junior programs and will have a chance to earn major minutes right away as rookies.
The goaltending unit is an experienced bunch, led by two-year starter, junior
Brandon Kasel. After earning starts with solid play as a rookie, Kasel started 23 games and finished with a solid .908 save percentage, winning five contests. Sophomore
Brian Kowalski earned a few starts later in the season and was solid in each one, going 1-1-2 overall with a .929 save percentage and a 2.74 goals against average. Two of those four starts were against ranked opponents. Fellow sophomore
Danny Lassman is a capable goalie who can make an impact when called upon.
The Thoroughbreds will compete in 25 regular season matchups, including the aforementioned season opener at Cortland, including 13 at Saratoga City Rink. Skidmore's schedule features four opponents that were ranked in the final USCHO.com and d3hockey.com national rankings of the season, as well as a revamped, 18-game New England Hockey Conference schedule.
Skidmore's home opener is Nov. 10
th against Buffalo State (7 p.m.), on Alumni and Senior Day. Busses will be available to pick up students 30 minutes before each home contest at Case Center.
