Without Carceo, offense must push on

Twenty-seven points last season, good enough for second on the team. A whopping 142 points over his four year career, placing him sixth on Tufts' all-time points list.

Such is the imprint left by last year's hockey captain Mike Carceo, one of only three graduation losses from a team that went 7-11-4. While Carceo's skates will be hard to fill, the Jumbos are returning essentially everyone else from an offensive unit which took great strides after finishing last in the NESCAC in 2001-2002.

"Carceo was a great player here and it's tough to make up for his loss," sophomore forward Matt McCarthy said. "But one player is not more important than the team. Everyone is maturing on this team, so if we come together, I think we should be fine."

Leading the charge will be junior co-captain Shawn Sullivan, whose 32 points last year (12 goals, 20 assists) were tops for the Jumbos and eighth in the NESCAC. Team members were hard pressed to find a player more capable of taking this team to a possible NESCAC title.

"Sully is a great captain and a great player because he plays to win," McCarthy said. "He brings a lot of intensity, day in and day out."

McCarthy can't sell himself short, though, as he adds to this team's depth as well as anyone. His 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) last season led Jumbo freshmen and were good for fifth on the team. He will be joined on a line by John Hurd, last year's fourth leading scorer with 20 points (12 goals, eight assists) as well as freshman John Murphy. Other freshmen forwards this year are Matt Dalton, Brian Bailey and Chris Connelly.

Also not to be overlooked is senior forward and co-captain Pat Byrne, who's 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) were good for third on the team last year. Sophomore Ken Cleary (16 points -- six goals, 10 assists), junior Gino Rotondi (15 points -- 5 goals, 10 assists) and sophomore Remy Bickoff (12 points -- eight goals, four assists) will also have to pull their weight in order for LAC (Life After Carceo) to be a pleasant experience.

McCarthy certainly thinks this team has what it takes to work wonders on the offensive side of the ice.

"We have experienced forwards coming back," he said. "So with a little hard work, we have a chance to win the NESCAC this year if we can put the puck in the net."

For coach Brian Murphy's troops, it doesn't look like that will be as much of a problem as it has been in years past.