Delbuono avoiding sophomore slump
Westborough's D.J. Delbuono, who was the ECAC's East Division Rookie of the Year as goaltender for Skidmore College's hockey squad last season, has continued his strong play as a sophomore.
Delbuono shut out Wentworth Institute of Technology on Dec. 7, making 23 saves in the 4-0 victory in Boston.
He was supported by classmate Cris Webb of Holliston, who chipped in with a shorthanded goal for his first tally of the season. They were junior hockey teammates with the New England Huskies.
Skidmore, 2-3-2 after topping Wentworth in its last game before the holiday break, was to play Lake Forest in the Middlebury Holiday Classic on Friday.
Last season, Delbuono posted a 13-7-2 record with three shutouts, earning ECAC All-East Second Team and the All-East Rookie Team honors, and one citation as the ECAC East Goalie of the Week.
"D.J. is a butterfly-style goaltender who is very aggressive and very athletic," said Skidmore coach Neil Sinclair. "Chris is one of those players you can't have too many of. He does all the little things, he's incredibly unselfish and he makes the players around him that much better."
Williams was 14th at the NCAA Division 3 national championships, held at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and runner-up at the New England Small College Athletic Conference and New England NCAA regional championships. Williams also won the East Coast Athletic Conference meet.
A cocaptain, Gleason placed 25th at the regionals to help Williams advance to the national finals.
"Liz has been a training leader of our team, and a strong competitor who holds a steady, hard pace all race and kicks with the best," said Williams head coach Peter Farwell. "Her calm spirit and true love of running have set a wonderful example for her teammates, and we'll miss her tremendously next year."
Philbrook, a top five Williams finisher in almost every meet, will be a cocaptain next season.
"Lauren is a great competitor and the friendliest member of the team. She sets a great example for the team and will be a super leader," said Farwell. "She ran a personal best of 22:39 for 6,000 meters at the regional meet, placed 19th in conference, and came through big time as our third finisher at the NCAA finals."
His scoring spree took place on the final day of the Cactus Jam Hoop Classic in Arizona. Wheaton finished fourth in the eight-team tourney despite going undefeated, after travel woes forced the team to miss its first game.
Coppola, who missed just one shot from beyond the 3-point arc against Pacific Lutheran, was 12-of-20 overall from the field and hit three free throws.
A fourth-team pick, Cooley returned to the New Hampshire state college's lineup this fall after missing the 2006 season with a knee injury. He was second on the team in scoring with 8 goals, 3 assists, and 19 points. Keene finished with a 12-5-5 record and qualified for the NCAA tournament.
Cooley was a four-year standout at Algonquin Regional High, where he earned All-America honors as a senior, and netted 12 goals and 6 assists for Keene State as a freshman during the 2005 season.
Poli knotted the score midway through the third period last Sunday when the senior forward collected the puck after a face-off and beat Army's goalie on a wraparound from the right side.
Ginand was third in team scoring with 4 goals and 6 assists while NU improved to 9-4-2 overall and extended its unbeaten streak to a nation-leading 10 games (8-0-2), the program's longest since a 12-game winning streak in the 1980-81 season.
Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or by e-mail at marvin.pave@rcn.com. 