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| With Chris Wells behind the bench, and a talented roster of returners and newcomers, SLU is ready to build on their second place finish from a season ago (Jack Lyons) |
The 2016-17 season was a breakthrough for the Saints, as they returned to the NCAA tournament and finished with 26 wins and two of the top five scorers in the country. In 2017-18, the Saints will again be a top ECAC team, picked to finish second behind only the defending national champion Golden Knights, and they return most of the team that held the top spot in the PairWise for much of the season and did not lose until December. They also bring in a strong recruiting class.
The Saints only graduate three players, but all three played incredibly important roles for SLU. Brooke Webster was always an offensive leader for SLU, but her 57 points last season was third best in the nation. She centered the top line along with Hannah Miller and Kennedy Marchment, which finished as the most productive line in the country with 161 points. Kirsten Padalis was the anchor of the defense which was sixth best in the country last year and Alex Moore was a fixture on the defense.
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| Junior Justine Reyes is a breakout candidate, and possesses a knack for scoring big goals (Jack Lyons) |
While those losses are big, there are plenty of returning players who can shoulder more responsibility, and the one player I have my eye on as a candidate for a breakout season is Justine Reyes. As a rookie, she scored the overtime game-winner in game three of the 2015 ECAC tournament series against Princeton that sent SLU back to the championship weekend for the first time since 2012, and she improved on her 20 points from her rookie season with 23 as a sophomore.
She presumably will step up to the top line with Miller and Marchment, but coach Wells could also choose to leave her on the second line, which could lead to more favorable matchups, as the opposition would be foolish not to ice their top defenders against Miller and Marchment. Reyes also had three power play goals last year and five game winning goals, quietly flying under the radar while the top line attracted all the attention. She's also remarkably consistent, strong in all three zones, and does a good job of staying out of the penalty box. She won't lead the team in scoring, but her ability to show up on the scoresheet when it matters most will be important for the Saints as they look to replace two of their top five scorers.
In addition to their returning players, the Saints bring in a strong recruiting class that includes a junior transfer from Mercyhurst, Rachael Smith. Smith was the fourth leading scorer for the Lakers last year with 19 points, but she put up 29 points as a rookie, and a change of scenery might be just what she needs to regain that scoring touch. She could be a candidate to play on the top line with Miller and Marchment, and that would certainly translate into more point for Smith. She put up a pair of assists in two games against the Saints last year, and had five power play goals in her two seasons with the Lakers.
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| Rachael Smith, a transfer from Mercyhurst, will be looking to regain her scoring touch with the Saints (USCHO) |
The other newcomer I'm particularly interested in is Skylar Podvey, a defender who was previously committed to Ohio State. She's a puck-moving defender who had 43 points in 53 games over her last two seasons at the North American Hockey Academy. She's in the same mold as Amanda Boulier, and while expecting her to make the same level of impact is a bit unfair, her style of play while certainly help the Saints on the power play and on offense in general.
Add in the fact that Grace Harrison, owner of 14 shutouts and 30 wins in two seasons, is back between the pipes for SLU, and the Saints are in good position to challenge the Golden Knights for the top spot in the ECAC.
Over the past few years, the ECAC has gotten much stronger, on the backs of two Clarkson national championships and multiple teams in the NCAA tournament. That's good for recruiting and parity throughout the league and it will make this season as interesting as any. Here's how I see the ECAC panning out in 2017-18:
1. Clarkson
2. St. Lawrence
3. Quinnipiac
4. Cornell
5. Princeton
6. Yale
7. Harvard
8. Yale
9. Dartmouth
10. RPI
11. Brown
12. Union
I hope I'm wrong on who finishes first, and I also hope I'm wrong about where Dartmouth finishes, because it would be great to see Joe Marsh take the Big Green to the playoffs in his year behind the bench in Hanover. But regardless of where Dartmouth finishes, its just great to see Joe coaching again.
The puck drops on September 30th in an exhibition game against McGill before the Saints travel to Mercyhurst to open the season on October 6th. At long last, hockey season is here. Go Saints.
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