Eight years ago, men's ice hockey Head Coach Roger Grillo inherited a squad picked to finish last in what is now the ECACHL. After a shaky start, the team finished in fourth place in the league. Since then, Brown has been able to recruit some of the most highly sought-after players in the nation, making Brown a perennial contender for the league title.
The Class of 2008 has been a great example of this improved recruiting, as several first-years have been outstanding with significant ice time - to the tune of 84 points and 14 wins in net. Forwards Jeff Prough and Brian McNary and defensemen Sean Hurley and Paul Baier, all '08, have double-digit point totals, while goalie Adam D'Alba '08 has posted a 2.16 goals against average and a .927 save percentage since winning the starting job early in the season.
The first-year corps has helped advance the Bears to the ECACHL quarterfinals this season. Brown begins a best-of-three series against Colgate tonight in Hamilton, N.Y.
"Recruiting is a critical piece of this whole puzzle. We're watching high school players as early as their freshman and sophomore years to track them, in terms of development," Grillo said. He added, "Recruiting and bringing in key players isn't just something that happens in a given year. That's something you build for years for. You can't just run around and watch games and say, 'Oh! I found this one guy who is really interested.' That foundation is set well ahead of time."
Grillo pointed to this year's rookies as a group that benefited from a unique opportunity to play right away. Last year, the team graduated eight seniors, including ECAC Defenseman of the Year Scott Ford '04 and Hobey Baker Finalist Yann Danis '04, who also won ECAC Player and Goaltender of the Year.
"(The first-years) were pretty much forced into a situation where they had to play - and play a lot. ... They've done a fantastic job, really stepping up to the challenge," Grillo said.
This opportunity to come in and play right away helped the coaching staff recruit such a strong class.
"The assistant coach here, Danny Brooks, really influenced my decision. ... I was told by Coach Brooks, in his words, that I could either go somewhere and ride the bus, or I could come to Brown and drive it," said forward Chris Poli '08.
Poli came to Brown as a highly desirable prospect, having been recruited out of Nobles and Greenough School by Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern University, Harvard University, Yale University and the University of Maine. After a solid year in which he was outshined by other first-years, he notched four points in Brown's first-round victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Insitute in the ECACHL playoffs, including the series-clinching goal in overtime in Game Two.
The opportunity to study at an Ivy League institution also helps Brown in recruiting. Baier, who was the second selection of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2004 NHL draft, looked only at Princeton, Dartmouth and Brown when choosing a school, despite offers from numerous others.
"My decision to get an Ivy League education is comforting, because even if I don't go on with hockey, I can still do something with my life and have a good career," Baier said. "Really though, (getting drafted) doesn't give you any guarantee (to play in the NHL). It's still a long shot. Nobody really knows who will play professionally and who won't, so it's wise to have something to fall back on."
D'Alba, who had a spectacular season in net after beginning the season third on the depth chart, also chose Brown partially because of its academic reputation.
"I really liked that Brown was in the Ivy League. I've always wanted to go to an Ivy League school. Basically, as far as the school goes, it was nice to go to a place where I could choose my own education without having one enforced upon me," he said. "I'd love to go on with hockey and plan to do so if the opportunity presents itself, but it's good knowing I have something else going for me if hockey doesn't work out."
Key to the success of the first-years have been the efforts of the team's upperclassmen to help them acclimate to the rigors of college hockey. When teams recruit particularly talented classes, older players often feel some jealousy, but not among the Bears this season.
"I'm sure I can speak for all the underclassmen when I say that we've felt nothing but welcome by the upperclassmen. The seniors are a great group of guys, and we're all very close - I mean, they're pretty much the only guys we (first-years) hang out with because we only have time to spend with each other. It'd be really discouraging if we didn't all get along so well," D'Alba said.
While the team will lose leading scorers Les Haggett '05 and Mike Meech '05, as well as reliable forward Chris Swon '05 and defenseman Gerry Burke '05, the future looks bright if Grillo, Brooks and the rest of the coaching staff can stay hot on the recruiting front.
"If we can continue to bring in good recruiting classes the way we have been, and if the upperclassmen stay focused on the job at hand - including providing a good example to the younger guys - well, maybe next year or the year after we'll be hanging some banners up in Meehan. It's definitely not unlikely," Poli said.
