TELEGRAM: Hounds new ice hockey coach aiming high

November 6, 2008

Putting bite in Hounds

By Steve Kendall

WORCESTER TELEGRAM

CORRESPONDENT

WORCESTER- Lance Brady has been a success at just about whatever he has done, especially when it comes to hockey. Assumption College is hoping that continues.

Brady was named the Greyhounds' coach in September, replacing Kevin Zifcak, who stepped down after three years. Though Brady hadn't yet been a head coach, he brings a wealth of hockey knowledge and experience to an Assumption program that has struggled the last decade.

A Sandwich native, Brady played at Holy Cross from 1990-1993 and professionally in the East Coast Hockey League, the International Hockey League, and briefly in the American Hockey League with the Worcester IceCats and Baltimore Bandits. He also played in professional roller hockey and won a world inline hockey championship as part of Team USA in 1999.

Brady served as a player/coach with Birmingham in the ECHL in 1998 before retiring from playing that year. He got back into coaching in 2005 as an assistant at Marlboro High under John Butler, then spent last season as an associate coach at Becker under Steve Hoar.

"I learned a lot about what it takes to coach at the collegiate level (from Hoar)," Brady said. "There's so much more to it than stepping on the ice, planning practices, running drills and getting the players ready for a game. There's a behind-the-scenes element with administration that is so incredibly important. Steve knows so much about the college game and what to do, that year was invaluable to me."

Assumption hopes Brady can combine his knowledge of the game and what it takes to be a successful player with what he learned from Hoar about building a successful college program, and help bring the Greyhounds back to prominence as a hockey power. Assumption hasn't had a winning season since 1996-97.

While the Hounds have struggled, Nichols, Becker, Fitchburg State, UMass-Dartmouth and others have flourished. Brady said one of his primary goals is to develop a recruiting plan that demonstrates all the wonderful things Assumption has to offer.

"I see no reason why Assumption cannot bring in outstanding student-athletes," Brady said. "We offer a great campus, great academics, and a wonderful city here. There's so much to offer a student. We just need to find the best way to promote all the great things Assumption has."

Brady feels the team he and his staff have put together this winter is more than capable of competing in the ECAC Northeast as well as the Northeast-10 Conference, which includes Stonehill, Franklin Pierce, Saint Anselm, St. Michael's and Southern New Hampshire.

"Our No. 1 goal is to win a championship - I don't think you should be coaching at this level if that isn't the top goal every season," Brady said. "But the first step to that is to have a winning season and to win the Northeast-10. I think we have a team that is capable of doing those things."

Assumption returns some talented players at all positions, including junior goalie Jamie DiGiulio, who has a 4.61 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage in 38 games. He will be pushed by freshmen Stephen Didomenico and Nick Blanchette (Worcester Academy). The goalies will have some help defensively from senior captain Chris Genovese, sophomore Marc Labb, and juniors Derek Whitney, Jon Retelle and Pat Keenan, all of whom return.

The Greyhounds return some offensive firepower as well. Sophomore Patrick Fitzgibbons (St. John's) had 8-11-19 totals last season, while senior Frank Bova (Wachusett Regional) has 16 goals and 20 assists in three years. Transfers Adam Gaudreau (Norwich) and Ben Kirtland (Tufts) will be good additions, as will the freshman line of Taylor Larsen (Blackstone-Millville Regional, Worcester Academy), Dennis Silvio and Patrick O'Kane.

"We have a great mix of veterans, transfers and freshmen," Brady said. "You can pick a few in each category that we feel are going to help us."

The Greyhounds will host the season-opening UBS Faceoff Classic Friday and Saturday at the Buffone Rink. Assumption plays Worcester State at 2:30 p.m. Friday, while Fitchburg State and Salve Regina collide at 5:30 p.m. The winners will face off for the championship at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

|