BRUNSWICK — The 2018/19 Bowdoin College men’s ice hockey team may have one of its younger rosters in recent years, but coach Jamie Dumont is encouraged by the potential of his well-balanced squad.
“We have some young players this year that bring a lot to the table,” Dumont said. “They are young, energetic and bring a lot of enthusiasm to the team.”
Finishing 8-16 in 2017/18, the Polar Bears return their top two scorers — Cody Todesco (senior) and Bradley Ingersoll (sophomore). The pair paced the team offensively, tallying 11 goals and 21 assists between the two. Junior Ronnie Lestan had a breakout season last year, scoring five goals, and classmate Thomas Dunleavy, the leading scorer as a freshman, registered six tallies a year ago.
“These guys have offensive experience in their D.N.A,” Dumont noted. “Our upperclassmen have some mileage on them and we’re excited for the season.”
First-year forwards Al Wascho and Kyle Jadatz add youthful depth to the roster.
“Wascho brings a lot of skill and high energy to the team, while Kyle is a two-way guy that should help us on the ice,” Dumont said. “A lot of first-year players attend junior college for many reasons. These two are making the jump right to college. We’re excited they picked Bowdoin.”
In net, Dumont split time between Peter Cronin, Alex Zafonte and Erik Wurman last year. Cronin graduated, and Zafonte, who took the cage for 11 games, appears set to take control again during his sophomore year. Transfer from Rochester Polytech Institute, sophomore Kyle St. Dennis looks to garner some time in net as well, while Wurman and senior Nathan Colannino will also see time, providing depth at the goalie position for Dumont.
“I like where we’re at at goalie,” the coach said. “We have a lot guys I can go to.”
As they prepare for Friday’s opener against Williams (7 p.m.), followed by Saturday’s NESCAC match against Middlebury (4 p.m.), Dumont notes that everyone is “getting on board” as the last few spots in the lineup are being filled.
After finishing the month at the University of New England (Nov. 20), Wentworth (Nov. 24) and in Waterville against Potsdam of New York (Nov. 25), the team hits the road in December, playing four games at Colby (Dec. 1), University of Southern Maine (Dec. 4), Tufts (Dec. 7) and Connecticut College (Dec. 8) before winter break.
After a pair of road games to begin January, the Polar Bears return home on the weekend of Jan. 11-12 to face Wesleyan (7 p.m.) and Trinity (4 p.m.) at Sidney J. Watson Arena.
A change from years past is the annual home tussle with Colby, which instead of being played prior to the holiday break will occur on Jan. 26 at Watson Arena.
The Polar Bears also host Amherst (Feb. 1) and Tufts (Feb. 15) before the final regular season NESCAC contest against Connecticut College on Feb. 16.
While the team did not qualify for the NESCAC tournament last season, Dumont believes the Polar Bears will compete with the rest of the league this upcoming season.
“We’ve been finishing near the bottom the last few years,” Dumont said. “I think we’re a team that can fly in under the radar within the conference. Our team chemistry is good and a little underdog mindset is a good thing.”
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
