Men's Hockey | 10/25/2017 1:48:00 PM

PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College men's hockey team will begin a new era in a pair of new conferences in 2017-18, as the Valiants look to compete for conference titles in both the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) and the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC).
 
Manhattanville finished the 2016-17 season with a 14-11-1 overall record, taking second place in its final year with the ECAC West Conference with a 10-4-0 conference mark as head coach Arlen Marshall was tabbed as ECAC West Conference Coach of the Year. The Valiants went 4-2-0 against nationally ranked opponents last year, including a victory over then-#1 St. Norbert College, and finished the year strong by losing only twice in its last nine regular-season contests.
 
New Conference, (Mostly) Same Teams: For the first time since starting the program in 1999, the Valiants will not be competing in the ECAC West, but will still be facing off with many of the same teams. Elmira College, Lebanon Valley College, Nazareth College, Neumann University, Stevenson University and Utica College all will join Manhattanville in the UCHC, and will be joined by first-year programs Chatham University and King's (Pa.) College. The UCHC will be eligible for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in two years, so the Valiants will still be fighting for an at-large bid as with the ECAC West.

The Valiants will also compete with King's, Lebanon Valley and Stevenson under the MAC banner, with the MAC championship going to the school with the best regular-season record among the four teams.

Preseason Polls: Just as the Valiants finished last season in the ECAC West, Manhattanville was picked to finish second in the UCHC preseason poll behind Utica, as the Valiants' 73 points (and one first-place vote) trailed only Utica's 80. Stevenson finished far back in third place with 52 points. Manhattanville also was picked to finish first in the inaugural MAC preseason poll, garnering all three first-place votes to beat out second-place Stevenson.

New Kids on the Block: In addition to six holdovers from the ECAC West Conference, Manhattanville will also face off against a pair of first-year programs in the UCHC. King's is a MAC school guided by former Manhattanville assistant coach Stephen Mallaro, while Chatham is starting up a men's program this year after having women's hockey since 2002.
 
Oh Captains, My Captains: There will be five Valiants wearing letters for Manhattanville this season. Senior Stephen Gaul (Downers Grove, Ill./Springfield Pics (USPHL)) and junior Eric Berglund (Sollentuna, Sweden/Islanders Hockey Club (USPHL)) will serve as co-captains in 2017-18, while senior Thimmy Garbenius (Nykvarn, Sweden/Sodertalje SK (SWE)) will wear an "A" for the second straight year and will be joined by juniors Bryan Platt (Trumbull, Conn./Springfield Pics (USPHL)) and Casper Dyrssen (Stockholm, Sweden/Northern Cyclones (EHL)).
 
Key Returners:  Manhattanville returns 21 of 26 players from last year's team, as the team brings back over 75 percent of its goal scoring and eight of its top-10 goal scorers from 2016-17. Junior Matt Lippa (Richmond Hill, Ont./Oakville Blades (OJHL)) earned All-ECAC West second-team honors last year after leading the Valiants in scoring with 15 goals and 10 assists for 25 points, potting the most goals by a Valiant underclassman since 2005-06. Platt also had a breakout sophomore season for the Valiants, ranking third on the team with 10 goals.
 
Gaul, Berglund and junior Cory Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif./Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)) all netted seven goals apiece for the Valiants as well last year and will be key pieces of the offense again this season. Anderson added 11 assists for 18 points, and also tied for the team lead with four power-play tallies. Berglund brings physicality to the ice with a team-high 44 penalty minutes last year, but also tied for the team lead with a plus-12 rating.
 
The Valiants return seven players on defense from last season, as the team looks to remain strong on the blue line. Garbenius and junior Marco Ferraro (Toronto, Ont./St. Michael's Buzzers (OJHL)) recorded 12 and 11 points in 2016-17, respectively, and will continue to be key players from the point. Junior Axel Walltott (Stockholm, Sweden/Varmdo HC J20 (SWE)) had seven points and a plus-12 rating in just 10 games played last year and will look for more production with more ice time, while senior Fabian Andark (Stockholm, Sweden/Vaxjo Lakers VHL (SWE)) was a plus-11 in 19 appearances last season as well.
 
Manhattanville also looks to remain consistent between the pipes with the return of junior Tyler Feaver (Whitby, Ont./Whitby Fury (OJHL)) and senior Kyle Redmond (Toronto, Ont./Northfield Mount Hermon). Feaver earned All-ECAC West second-team laurels last year after going 12-9-1 with a 3.12 goals against average and .891 save percentage in 23 appearances, while Redmond posted a 2.88 goals against average in five starts. The pair will be joined by junior Scott Nicolich (Glen Cove, N.Y./Bradford Rattlers (GMHL)) and freshman Mac Vail (East Elmhurst, N.Y./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (EHL)) in the battle for playing time.
 
Newcomers:  Marshall welcomes eight newcomers to the men's hockey program this season, all of whom will be looking to make an immediate impact between the pipes, on the blue line and in the offensive zone:
 

Taylor Bommarito (Sterling Heights, Mich./Charlotte Rush (USPHL))	Forward
Braeden Cross (Sechelt, B.C./Cochrane Crunch (CJHL))	Forward
Keegan Davis (Boulder, Colo./Connecticut Oilers (EHL))	Forward
Andrew Frojelin (San Jose, Calif./Charlotte Rush (USPHL))	Defense
Tristan Ramage (Pittsburgh, Pa./Philadelphia Flyers (USPHL))	Defense
Shane Selan (Pickerington, Ohio/Charlotte Rush (USPHL))	Forward
Jan Senkerik (Zlin, Czech Republic/Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings (USPHL))	Defense
Mac Vail (East Elmhurst, N.Y./Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (EHL))	Goalie

Season Opener:  The Valiants will kick off the 2017-18 winter season on Friday, when Manhattanville hosts Morrisville State College at Playland Ice Casino beginning at 7 p.m. The first 100 students inside the building will receive free Valiant shirts, while the Department of Athletics will also recognize the 2017 MAC Freedom champion softball and men's golf teams before the game as well.