Lake Forest College Sports Information
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID 2003-04 Preview: Ready for the Next Step
Two reasons Fritz feels his team can continue to climb the conference standings are goaltenders Cody Brown and Joel Cameron, who combined for the 15th-lowest goals against average in the nation and anchored the country's sixth-best penalty-killing defense. Brown, who earned All-Northern Collegiate Hockey Association honors, also ranked second in NCAA Division III with a stellar .932 save percentage. Although the team graduated a pair of career 100-point scorers, Fritz will welcome back plenty of offensive firepower. Nine players who recorded at least 10 points in 2002-03 return, including junior Andrew Francone, who reached double figures in both goals (13) and assists (10). Fellow junior Robin Charest and senior Adrian Wong each dished out 13 assists while sophomore Cory Wilson scored a dozen goals during his freshman campaign. In addition to the statistics, a number of games in 2002-03 served notice that the Foresters are an up-and-coming force. The team defeated perennial NCHA contender UW-Stevens Point in December and tied the Pointers in the league playoffs. Lake Forest also knocked off a pair of nationally ranked programs in #15 Concordia College and #9 St. John's University on consecutive nights in early January. Two weeks later, the Foresters tied St. Norbert College, who spent nine weeks atop the national rankings. "We had a very successful and memorable season, one that we never wanted
to end," comments Fritz. "We have to replace three captains who were great
players and fantastic leaders, but we also have guys who are ready to take
charge and lead us to another level. I'm looking forward to being a part
of that."
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