The men’s hockey team announced the signing of six players for the 2006-07 season, adding more depth to the defensive and offensive zones on the ice.
The incoming freshmen appear especially talented in scoring, with three of them collecting 70 points or more in their previous seasons. The group includes three blue liners and three forwards, an even group that should strengthen the Husky lines.
The new crop includes forward Greg Costa from Crownsville, Md., who last played for the Boston Bulldogs of the American Junior Hockey League (AJHL). Costa was a force on the ice last season. He was second in league scoring with 29 goals and 71 assists for 100 points in just 41 games, earning him the AJHL co-MVP. Along with Costa, coach Greg Cronin signed foward Joe Cucci, from Melrose Park, Ill., who last played for the Valley Jr. Wolves of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL). Cucci led the EJHL in scoring with 75 points on 25 goals and 50 assists. Despite a modest frame, (5 foot 11 inches, 160 pounds) Cucci was able to lead his team in almost every offensive category, including goals, assists and game-winnings goals with seven. The final forward of the mix is southerner Chris Donovan from Fairfax Station, Va., who last played for the Boston Jr. Bruins. Donovan collected 69 points on 35 goals and 34 assists for the Bruins.
The defensive players signed have posted impressive offensive numbers to combine with solid size. David Stratham from Tempe, Ariz., last played for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders. The 6 foot 2 inch, 190-pound player collected 31 points on 12 goals and 19 assists in 58 games in the United States Hockey League. Local boy Jim Driscoll, a Dedham native, also comes from the Junior Bruins, where he posted respectable numbers. The two-time All-EJHL first-teamer scored 58 points in 60 games, leading all defensemen in points for the 2005-06 season. Husky fans will have to wait for Rory Farrell, a 6 foot 3 inch, 212-pound defender who at one point was enrolled at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., and will be red shirting his freshman year.
