Wentworth Institute of Technology: Athletics > Varsity Sports

The Program at a Glance

Having been elevated from club to intercollegiate status for the 1992-93 season and languishing in the lower echelon of Division III teams for five seasons, the hockey team made a turnaround in 1997-98. Teams from around New England learned that year, many firsthand, that the Leopards could no longer be taken lightly. The team set new Institute standards as they posted a 17-10 record, captured the ECAC South title, and advanced for the first time to postseason play.

Since the formation of the ECAC Northeast conference in 1998, the Leopards have shown they are one of the league’s most dominant teams, advancing to six of the last eight conference championship games, and winning the 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004 ECAC Northeast titles. By virtue of winning the four tournament crowns, the Leopards earned their first four trips to the NCAA Division III Ice Hockey Tournament.

Wentworth’s three-year run as ECAC Northeast Champions ended in the semifinals in 2005 and in 2006 the Leopards miraculous comeback against Nichols fell short in overtime, breaking a streak of six straight seasons of advancing to the semifinal round. However, a youthful (22 freshmen and sophomores and a new coaching staff) team took the ice during the 2006-07 campaign and, in addition to finishing with a 16-9-3 record, advanced to its first league title game since 2004, where the Leopards lost to UMass Dartmouth in a game that came down to the closing seconds. Two years later the program made another late-season run, winning a school record 10 games, and advanced to its seventh championship game in 10 seasons before losing to Nichols.

Continuing its tradition of excellence, the 2008-09 Leopard hockey team jumped out to a fast, 5-1 start before suffering three consecutive losses by a combined four goals to close out the semester. Two of those losses came at the hands of Hobart and New England College, two teams that would eventually play in the NCAA Tournament. After opening the second semester with a pair of wins over Fredonia State, losing to Fitchburg State, and defeating Assumption, the Leopards held a 5-3 lead over 15th ranked Curry going into the final period. The Colonels scored three times in a span of 3:30 to take a 6-5 lead, but the Leopards tied the game with just 26 seconds left and the game ended in a 6-all tie.

Back-to-back losses to Nichols and Stonehill slipped Wentworth's record to 8-7-1 with eight games to play. The Leopards responded by winning their final eight games and entered the ECAC Northeast Tournament as the number three seed. An opening round win over sixth seeded Becker set the stage for a semifinal matchup at 15th ranked Curry and with a 4-3 win, Wentworth advanced to its seventh ECAC Northeast title game this decade. Thirteenth ranked Nichols, a team that had already defeated the Leopards twice, awaited. Wentworth saw a 2-1 lead evaporate when the Bison scored three times to take a 4-2 lead, but pulled within one with 30 seconds left. Wentworth could not get the equalizer, falling, 4-2, and ending the season at 18-8-1.

Freshman Skylur Jameson (Long Beach, Calif.) led the offensive attack, scoring 19 goals and assisting on 29 others for 48 points - the second highest point ouput by a freshman in school history. He was named the ECAC Northeast Rookie of the Year and was both a First Team All-ECAC Northeast selection, as well as earning a spot on the all-rookie team. Joining Jameson on the first team was junior Jeff Olitch (Calgary, Alberta), who scored 24 goals and 20 assists for 44 points. Junior goalie Justin Marriott (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) posted a 2.62 goals against average and .915 save percentage, en route to being named Second Team All-ECAC Northeast, while senior forward Joey Sides (Sun Valley, Idaho) scored 29 points and was an honorable mention selection. Freshman defenseman Alan Dionne (North Scituate, R.I.) led all Wentworth defensemen with 25 points and was named to the league's all-rookie team.

Five players graduate from the 2008-09 squad, but the Leopards return four of their top five scorers, five of their sox top defensemen, and their top goalie. Combining this strong group of returning players with a talented recruiting class and Wentworth should be among the favorites to win the ECAC Northeast crown.

Distinguished Players

Players who have earned notable individual accolades include: Jeff Reid, named the 1998 ECAC South Player of the Year, and teammate Ivan Filippov, named the 1998 ECAC South Rookie of the Year; Jamie Weiss, a two-time Academic All-America, named the 2000 ECAC Northeast Rookie of the Year; Jamie Vanek named the 2003 ECAC Northeast Goaltender of the Year; and Raj Bhangoo named the school’s first All-American in 2004. This past season Skylur Jameson was named the ECAC Northeast Rookie of the Year.

Matt Mead ’93, a member of Wentworth’s first varsity hockey team and a standout while the Leopards played at the club level, was one of the charter members of Wentworth’s Athletics Hall of Fame (2001). Reid was a member of the class of 2005, while Filippov was enshrined in 2006, and Tim Yakimowsky ’02 became a member of the Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008 and 2009 three former Leopards - Vanek (2008), Weiss, and Bhangoo (2009) - earned their place among Wentworth's hall of famers.

Schedule

The Leopards play a 25-game schedule, including 14 games within the framework of the ECAC Northeast against such teams as Curry, Nichols, Suffolk, and Becker. The non-league schedule is highlighted with games against Hobart, Babson, and Plymouth Stat

Wentworth holds all of its practices and plays all of its home games at the oldest arena in the country, Matthews Arena.

R.J. Tolan is entering his fourth season as the Leopards' head ice hockey coach. Tolan, the 2007 ECAC Northeast Co-Coach of the Year, served on the Leopard coaching staff during the 2005-06 season as the associate head coach and has been an assistant coach at both Northeastern and Bentley. He was a four-year defenseman at UMass Lowell, graduating in 2002.