Worst Seasons in the Past 25 Years Part 15: Clarkson
Welcome to the Worst Season in the Past 25 Years, a series in which r/CollegeHockey reviews the worst season for all 60 Division I teams over the summer to alleviate the crushing boredom known as the off-season and take a horrific tour down memory lane.
If you are interested in writing an entry for your team, please let me know via PM. I’ll be posting entries on weekdays at approximately at 6 pm Eastern time and will be going in alphabetical order. If an entry is not posted at that time, assume that “real life” has gotten in the way and that I am not able to post. If I am aware in advance that I will not post at 6 pm on a particular day, I will announce it in prior posts as a heads up.
And now.../r/CollegeHockey presents the Clarkson Golden Knights! The North Country side have spent the majority of their time in the NCAA era as part of the ECAC. Before then, the Golden Knights were a part of the Tri-State League. For the most part, Clarkson were a team that were feared by a majority of teams. A part of this was due to the infamous bell that rung whenever the Golden Knights scored at home. There would be dips in form, but Clarkson would usually have a winning season.
One of these dips in form for the Golden Knights occurred in…
2009-2010* Record: 9-4-24 (W-D-L); ECAC: 4-3-15 (W-D-L; 12th/12th)
Wins: Niagara, RIT, St. Lawrence, @Dartmouth, Alabama Huntsville, Princeton, Quinnipiac, Harvard, @St. Lawrence*
Ties: @Harvard, @St. Lawrence, Alabama Huntsville, Dartmouth
Losses: @Michigan State (x2), @Minnesota Duluth (x2), @Quinnipiac, @Princeton, RPI, Union, @Boston College, St. Lawrence, Northern Michigan^, Bowling Green^, Cornell, Colgate, Yale, Brown, @Colgate, @Cornell, @Union, @RPI, @Brown, @Yale, @St. Lawrence (x2)*
*ECAC tournament, first round
^ Dodge Holiday Classic
Biggest Beatdown: Union 11 - Clarkson 2
Head Coach: George Roll This was Roll’s seventh season in charge of the Golden Knights, and two seasons removed from their last appearance in the Ice Dance. Matt Beca led the team in scoring, with 20 goals, and in assists, with 18. In goal, Paul Karpowich had a save percentage of .898 and a GAA of 3.48.
Clarkson started their season with an exhibition game against Toronto, which was a victory. A trip to Michigan State was a sweep in favor of the Spartans. The Golden Knights managed to string together 3 wins in a row at home, defeating Niagara, RIT and rivals St. Lawrence. A trip to Minnesota Duluth was fruitless, losing both matches.
November began with a trip to Quinnipiac, losing 4-2 before traveling to Princeton and losing 4-1. Home matches with RPI and Union were successful for the Capital Region teams. A trip to New England ended in victory against Dartmouth and a tie against Harvard. The month ended with another trip to Boston, playing BC.
December was not busy, only playing St. Lawrence in a home-and-home; only a tie was garnered. Participation in the Dodge Holiday Classic began the new year, losing both games to Northern Michigan and Bowling Green. A home series with Alabama Huntsville led to the Golden Knights’ first win of the new year. The homestand continued with teams from Central New York (Cornell, Colgate) and lower New England (Yale, Brown); all four games were losses. A trip to the Raiders and Big Red were similar in results from two weeks prior.
A trip to the Capital Region led to the largest loss of the season, with the Dutchmen thumping the Golden Knights 11-2. The match with RPI also ended in a loss. Home games against Princeton and Quinnipiac were victories. A trip to Brown and Yale were both losses. Home games against Harvard and Dartmouth were a win and a tie, respectively. The Golden Knights were drawn against the eternal enemy in the ECAC first round. Saint Lawrence wins in three.
After that season, Roll would coach Clarkson another one until he was fired and replaced by Casey Jones. Under Jones, the Golden Knights’ seasonal form would vary between a winning one and a losing one. As of now, it appears that their golden days are behind them.
For Week 4 of this series, we will look at the worst seasons in recent memory for the following schools: Colgate, Colorado College, UConn, Cornell and Dartmouth. Once again, if you are interested in doing the entry for your favorite school, shoot me a PM. Your school, name, and date will be added at the end of each post to serve as a reminder. So far, the following people have inquired about a spot:
| School | Username | Tentative Date |
|---|---|---|
| Cornell | u/ABigRedWallaby | 6/29 |
| LSSU | u/binkelman | 7/10 |
| UML | u/LantisEscudo | 7/13 |
| Northeastern | u/therevengeance | 8/2 |
| Penn State | u/saucysalesman | 8/8 |
| RPI | u/Nicholas1227 | 8/16 |
| Union | u/azureamor | 8/22 |
| Vermont | u/LocksTheFox | 8/23 |
Finally, a shoutout to u/saucysalesman who inspired the idea of this series for doing one for football over at r/cfb. Additionally, thanks to r/CollegeBasketball for the idea of the sub-par MS Paint logos for each school.
Previous Entries in the Worst Seasons Series:
Posted Jun 23, 2017, 11:10 PM UTC