Men's Ice Hockey
The men's hockey club was founded in 1998 as a member of the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Hockey League (WPCHL). In 2001, the team joined the Eastern Collegiate Hockey League. That year, the team won the Milan Mountaineer Invitational Hockey Tournament at West Virginia University. The club currently competes in the College Hockey Mid America Conference, a Division I regional league of the American Collegiate Hockey Association The club made appearances in the ACHA National Tournament in 2004, 2005, and 2007. The team plays at the IceoPlex at Southpointe. The club plays home games at the Iceoplex at Southpointe, the practice facility for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The team defeated West Virginia University by the score of 5-3 at the Ice Zone in Boardman, OH to win the 2008 College Hockey Mid America Conference championship, avenging a loss to Duquesne University in the finals in 2007. Senior Craig Frey was named the 2008 CHMA Tournament MVP.
W&J won back to back Eastern Collegiate Hockey League (ECHL) titles, including a double overtime victory over Niagara University in 2003. In 2000-2001, Washington & Jefferson won the WPCHA Championship as Brian Grinnik was named the Jack McKinnon MVP. The program has had three ACHA Division I All-Stars: Mario Panucci (2008, 2009), Ryne Savisky (2010), Dave Crockett (2011).
The team's current head coach is Lou Biancaniello, assistant coach Brian Pajack, and goaltending coach Sean Moloney. The team general manager is Jessica Cooper. The team was previously coached by Jim Driscoll and Dean Ferarri. Prior to Driscoll, the team was coached by John Harford, USA Hockey since 1967 with 40 years of hockey experience. Harford coached the Presidents during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 seasons. Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman and two-time Stanley Cup champion Peter Taglianetti preceded Harford as head coach. Taglianetti coached the Presidents during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons, helping lead the Presidents to the 2007 CHMA regular season championship and to the 2007 ACHA Division I National Tournament. Prior to Taglianetti, W&J was coached by Dave Hornack who led the Presidents to ACHA National Tournaments in 2004 and 2005.
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Famous quotes containing the words men and/or ice:
“Shoals of corpses shall witness, mute, even to generations to come, before the eyes of men that we ought never, being mortal, to cast our sights too high.”
—Aeschylus (525–456 B.C.)
“When the ice is covered with snow, I do not suspect the wealth under my feet; that there is as good as a mine under me wherever I go. How many pickerel are poised on easy fin fathoms below the loaded wain! The revolution of the seasons must be a curious phenomenon to them. At length the sun and wind brush aside their curtain, and they see the heavens again.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)