The Continentals host Curry College at historic Clinton Arena on Dec. 31. Hamilton plays 11 games at Russell Sage Rink, including the opener against Amherst College on Nov. 16. The Continentals welcome Middlebury (Feb. 15) and Williams College (Feb. 16) to The Hill on the final weekend of the regular season. Sage Rink -- with a seating capacity of 600 -- was last renovated in 1993 and is believed to be the oldest indoor college ice arena in the nation. Sage Rink was built in 1921.
After he led the NESCAC in freshman scoring two years ago, DiMare roared back with an even better season as a sophomore. He ranked second in the conference with 33 points, third with 16 goals and tied for fifth place with 17 assists. DiMare also tied for the top spot with 15 power-play points and seven power-play goals. He has already racked up 60 points in 50 games with the Continentals. Pat Curtis '15 tied for fifth place in the NESCAC in freshman scoring with 16 points. Ruberto added six goals and Haney posted eight points after missing several games due to injury.
On defense, White was credited with 12 assists last season -- third-most on the team -- and has 34 points for his career at Hamilton. DiDonato, Infante and Bennett Schneider '14 also return on the blue line. Joe Quattrocchi '14, who ranked seventh in the NESCAC with a save percentage of .905, posted a 3.23 goals against average with two shutouts in 19 starts last year. Gibbar ended up with a .902 save percentage and 185 saves in six starts as Quattrocchi's backup in goal.
In 2010-11, the Continentals enjoyed their best season since they won the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III East championship at the end of the 1997-98 campaign. Hamilton finished with an overall record of 14-7-4 for its fewest losses in any season since 1996-97. The Continentals captured first place in the NESCAC with a record of 11-4-4, and earned the No. 1 seed in the conference championship for the first time. Hamilton owned a record of 11-3-1 away from home, including at then-No. 1 SUNY Oswego on Dec. 30. The Lakers hadn't lost at home in their last 25 games. The Continentals went 6-0-2 in their last eight games of the regular season, and finished second in the NESCAC in scoring offense with 3.72 goals per game.
In 2009-10, Hamilton won 15 games and advanced to the NESCAC championship semifinals after a thrilling 2-1 overtime quarterfinal victory at Williams College. The Continentals advanced to the postseason 14 straight years in either the ECAC or the NESCAC from 1993 to 2006. The Continentals captured the ECAC East title in 1998, and played in the championship game in 1968, 1975 and 1996. Hamilton won a team-record 19 games en route to a 19-6-1 mark in 1996-97.
The program has a rich tradition that dates back to 1918. More than 700 wins have been recorded and more than 1,500 games have been played. Many of those contests have been held in venerable Sage Rink. Seven All-Americans, twenty-five 100-point scorers and a player that went on to star in the National Hockey League have laced up their skates for Hamilton.
Guy Hebert '89 received All-America honors after 1988-89. Hebert went on to enjoy a successful NHL career as a goalie for the St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and New York Rangers from 1991 to 2001. Other All-Americans include: C. Michael Thomas '71 (1970), Kurt Ziemendorf '77 (1976), Harry McCabe '89 (1989), Joe Baudo '97 (1997), Gus Katsuras '06 (2005, 2006) and Joe Houk (2011). Katsuras is the only two-time selection in program history. Houk received first team honors as a defenseman. Katsuras, Ricky Reichenbach '06, Tom Ditzer '04, Kyle Roulston '09 and Anthony Scarpino '12 are all recent graduates who have played in professional hockey leagues in the U.S. and in Europe. Mike Marta '84 is ranked 20th on the career goals list for NCAA Division III with 119. Marta is the program's all-time leader with 209 points.
Rob Haberbusch is the sixth man to hold the title of Hamilton head men's ice hockey coach. Phil Grady won 304 games from 1984 to 2008. Greg Batt won 263 contests from 1948 to 1984. Albert Prettyman won 135 games from 1918 to 1943, and was the U.S. men's ice hockey coach for the 1936 Winter Olympic Games. Francis F. Baker '36 was a goalie for Prettyman on that team.
Hamilton has played in 11 of the 13 NESCAC championships, and reached the semifinals six times. Eleven players have received 15 all-conference honors since 2000-01. Katsuras was a four-time member of the all-conference team and was selected player of the year by the coaches in 2005 and 2006. Houk was voted 2010-11 NESCAC Player of the Year. Norm Bazin was the NESCAC coach of the year two of the three seasons he guided the Continentals.
The men's hockey program is as solid in the classroom as it is on the ice. Gibbar and BJ Lalonde '12 earned spots on the 2011-12 NESCAC Winter All-Academic Team. Ian Stearns '10 and Nate Miller '08 were elected to the Epsilon chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in recent years. Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious honor society in the country.
Rob Haberbusch - Head Coach
rhaberbu@hamilton.edu
315-859-4438
315-859-4117 (fax)
