Out of the Woods

Bears Hope Tournament Win Signals Better Things Ahead

by Joshua Seguin/Staff Writer (@JoshSeguin24)

Brown entered the season with many more questions than answers. Much like the past half decade, since an appearance in the 2013 ECAC championship game, the Bears seemed poised for another rough season and more struggle.

Although its defense looked much improved, the Bears entered the year sans a talented group of forwards, which underwhelmed in their time in Providence and never hit their stride, but still had the ability to put the puck in the net. Without that group of forwards, there were serious questions on whether Brown would score enough and whether the defense would be good enough to make up for it.

Fast forward to January, however, and it seems many of these questions are being answered. Over the weekend, Brown won the Three Rivers Classic in Pittsburgh, defeating Union in the championship game and Robert Morris the night before. For Brown it was its first in-season tournament win since 2004.

"Getting a chance to compete for championships, whether it be league titles or in-season championships is something that only comes along every now and then," Brown coach Brendan Whittet said. "So our guys wanted to embrace the opportunity. We played really responsible, energized, good hockey this weekend."

The Dutchmen, who had beaten a tough St. Cloud State the night prior, were totally befuddled by the Bears, who were up 4-0 in the blink of an eye. Brown got behind, 2-0, after the first period against Robert Morris, but dominated the last two periods, taking a 7-4 win Friday night.

"The guys are starting to put together the high compete level, with speed and pace," Whittet said. "I believe when you do those things consistently the pucks will start going in for you. On the mental side of it, the guys are starting to see they are getting they are rewarded for it, which is nice to see. Against Union, we were just relentless in what we were doing."

The biggest positive of the weekend was that Bruno scored 13 goals in two games, which was the first time a Brown team had done that in a weekend since February 1993. A member of that 1993 team was its current coach, Whittet.

Also, in all three games, the Bears allowed their opponents little opportunity to get back in the games once they got ahead.

"What I learned about our team that was most encouraging was that we were able to play with a lead," said Whittet. "There was a calmness on the bench. I think this was a big step for us; learning how to win and how to play with lead."

The rare success should bring confidence and push it forward in a tough ECAC schedule going forward. The Bears begin the second half of the league schedule in seventh place and they should be able to push for home ice.

The Bears had an up and down first half, but a sense of improvement was written all over the ice. They have a talented, experienced corps of defensemen, which includes the likes of Max Gottlieb and Zach Giuttari, that have the ability to move the puck and keep opposing chances to the outside.

Another defender, Tony Stillwell, has missed the last two weekends and should return at some point. He is Whittet's best puck-moving defenseman and is a key piece to the power play.

The Bears allow just under three goals a game, which is a marked difference from the two years prior (3.35 and 4.26, respectively).

"This team has a very high level of compete and these guys have a fairly high motor, where they can constantly provide pressure," said Whittet. "The back-end is much different than it has been in the past because they are able get us out of trouble better and they defend really hard. There is a lot of things I like but the consistency we have to improve, whether it be from period-to-period or game-to-game. Learning to play with leads is also a big thing."

Along with the issues keeping the puck out of its own net, one of the biggest problems that Brown had in recent years was the ability of its defensemen to move the puck. This year that is much improved. Although it does struggle to gain possession against good teams, this helps mitigate it by getting a good transition the other way.

"We are all good skaters," said Brown defenseman Zach Giuttari. "This year we changed up our systems a little bit. Instead of entering, finding the perfect breakout pass, and passing back and forth, we are hitting the forwards or chipping it out. It makes it a lot easier on us. We are all good players, but it just helps use our skills better.

"Last year we had a different coach, who ran most of our stuff on defense. We changed our neutral zone a bit and how we kind of fall back in the defensive zone. It gives us more structure and it forces one forward to back us up, which allows us to shift over. The goal is to contain them on one side, which we have been a lot better at this year."

Against Providence two weeks ago, Brown showed off this improvement and led much of the gam until a third-period goal by the Friars switched the momentum. The Bears held its strong rival at bay for 50 minutes by limiting chances, but were unable to hang on once the momentum changed, losing 3-1.

While Brown has watched its intercity rival become a national power in recent years, the Bears have struggled to gain traction and build off a 2013 appearance in the ECAC Championship game. While no one expects Brown to be one of the best teams in the nation, its location is prime and they have a natural rival. The two will faceoff in the Mayors Cup on the 15th.

"We have Providence College coming in here next Tuesday and that is a big challenge for us, but we are looking forward to it," Whittet said. "That is a big game within the state of Rhode Island and we will go out and try to win it. Then we will get back to our league games; we want points, we want to hang championship banners. I think we are on a positive track, but we can't deviate from it."

The news on the ice isn't the only good news, as the Bears recently received a large, $3 million dollar endowment for its coaching position, which is the largest ever received at the University. Considering there has always been questions of the level of funding of the program, this could be a big deal and help them be more competitive going forward. There has also been a recent uptick in the recruiting pipeline.

"There is a lot of postivity in what we are doing," Whittet said. "On the recruiting front we have some real quality coming and have made some big inroads. In regards to the endowment, it is a wonderful gesture, but it also points to the viability of the program,the strength of the alumni base and the investment they have in our program is a big deal for us.

"There are a lot good things happening for us. I like this team, I like our approach and I like the energy surrounding the program. We work extremely hard as a staff to ultimately get results and win hockey games; it is nice to get rewarded for that work. We are 4-1-2 in our last seven, which is a positive step for us."

