Lancer icers hope that speed kills

by Eric Keppeler
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 2, 2006

You can’t hit what you can’t catch.

At least, that’s what Lewiston-Porter varsity club hockey coach Ken Browning hopes for his Lancers in the 2006-07 season.

The Lancers have a bit of size, but they’re constructed much more along the lines of emphasizing speed and skill. Browning hopes that translates into success and a playoff run that will end with a state title.

“We’re small, but we’re a very fast team,” Browning said. “We have a few big guys on defense, but we have many more players who are just exceptionally fast. We’ve actually tried to build this team along the lines of the new NHL, where speed is increasingly important. The kids aren’t big, but they have big hearts.”

Browning coached the Lew-Port junior varsity squad last season and was an assistant coach in the program during the three previous years. He inherits a team that finished 9-8-1 in 2005-06 and wound up fifth in the Western New York Small School Club Hockey League. The Lancers then entered the league’s playoff tournament with an opportunity to move on to states, but they were unable to advance.

The Lancers have a nice problem in net with two solid starters. Junior Richie Brosius returns, while sophomore Carmen Crapsi moves up from the junior varsity team. Crapsi got the nod in the team’s first game of the season and responded with a 4-0 victory.

Browning says that both deserve an opportunity to play.

“I wasn’t sure if Carmen was ready to play at the varsity level, but he’s doing really well,” Browning said. “In his first game, he made 18 saves and had a shutout. So now I’m planning on rotating them, and we’ll see how that goes.”

The defense will be anchored by senior captain Hagop Otabachian, who returns along with junior blueliners Matt Andrews and Dan Peters. The rest of the defense is a young group that includes sophomore Frank Fracassi and junior Josh Hayes up from the junior varsity. Rounding out the unit are senior Andrew Nearhoof and sophomore Danny McGovern, neither of whom played hockey last year.

The forwards are a bit more experienced, especially up the middle. Senior Scott Beseth and junior Marc DeGiulio are both assistant captains and returning centermen. Junior Colton Crossley, who didn’t play last year, also is a center.

On the wings, seniors Phil Ventry and Marco Santiago, junior Tommy Mooradian and sophomore Ryan Clayton all return. Junior Anthony Fuller and sophomores Matt Browning and Konor Krueger move up from the junior varsity.

Browning is pleased with his depth, and he thinks the Lancers have a nice blend of youth and experience, as well as a good mix of speed and size.

Now the team just needs to fulfill its potential.

“If we play the way we’re capable of playing, I think we can make a run all the way to the state tournament,” Browning said. “Really, anything less would be disappointing to us.”