University of Delaware Ice Arena

The University of Delaware Blue Hen Hockey Team finished outstanding 1997-98 season with a 22-10-3 record. Despite losing nine seniors from the 1996-97 squad, including its top three scorers, the team went on to win their third consecutive Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association Playoff Championship. Delaware defeated Rhode Island 2-1 in overtime in the semi-finals on a goal by Brett Huston. They then went on to trounce West Virginia 10-2 in the championship game.

The team also made another excellent showing on the national level, making its third consecutive appearance in the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championships held in Ames, IA. The team skated to a 7th place finish - its fifth top ten finish in a row.

A number of individuals were honored for their accomplishments: senior captain Mike Shindle was named an ACHA 1st Team Academic All- American and was a finalist for the Bob Johnson Award given to the ACHA¹s outstanding student-athlete. Brett Huston was named an ACHA 3rd Team All-American and was named a 2nd team ECHA All-Star. Greg Barber and Cliff Demmer were also named to the ECHA 2nd team All-Star squad.

With the graduation of only three seniors, the Blue Hens have a terrific opportunity to build on the success of the 1997-98 season. Among the veterans, the team retains top scorers Brett Huston, Greg Barber, Jeff Milota, Ryan Sklar, and ECHA Playoff leading scorer Brooks Barber. Also returning is a solid goaltending trio of seniors Ryan Brown and Alex Elkorek, and sophomore Bjorn Christiano. On defense, the Blue Hens are led by top penalty killers Erv Terwilliger and Tom Weyermann, and the defensive corps is a veteran group led by seniors Dave Morgan and Eric Herrmann, and sophomores Cliff Demmer and Brian Reavell.

New comers expected to make an early impact are Nick Dellaquila, Gary Kane, and Ryan Falvey.

The 1998-99 season brings the Blue Hens their toughest schedule in program history. The team will play 16 games versus ACHA Top Ten competition. On campus the team will play host to 15 regular season games including the third annual Blue Hen Thanksgiving Classic.

This veteran team is excited to have the opportunity to host the 1999 ACHA National Tournament to be held March 3-6, 1999 in the Fred Rust Ice Arena. The team will also host the 1999 ECHA Playoffs February 19-21, 1999 as they go for an unprecedented fourth consecutive league title.