October 6, 2022
by way of Mike McMahon/Staff Writer (@MikeMcMahonCHN)
The school hockey global used to be dealt a blow this week when Merrimack assistant trainer Josh Ciocco, 38, died at his domestic close to the Merrimack campus.
Ciocco used to be a former captain at New Hampshire and in addition had training stops alongside the best way at Alaska Anchorage and Brown.
My dating with Josh targeted solely round hockey. We exchanged texts a couple of occasions when he used to be at Brown, however we clearly spoke extra as soon as he used to be employed at Merrimack. As lots of you realize, in addition to my tasks right here at CHN, I’ve coated Merrimack College for The Eagle Tribune since 2006.
It used to be all the time amusing to speak hockey with Josh. We’re the similar age, so it used to be simple to narrate. If he idea I used to be incorrect about one thing, he wasn’t shy about capturing over a textual content to inform me about it. In reality, the final time we texted he used to be ribbing me for one thing I wrote on Twitter. After a short lived backward and forward, he ended the dialog with, “Well, I’ll talk to you soon. Headed out tomorrow morning to hunt for more players!”
Ciocco used to be relentless at the recruiting path for Merrimack. Merrimack head trainer Scott Borek wasn’t shy about deflecting credit score to Ciocco and his spouse at the path, Dan Jewell.
This previous summer time, he even began his personal trade. He ran his first hockey camp together with Jewell and so they had greater than 160 gamers.
He hustled.
He additionally sought after to do proper by way of the gamers who have been dedicated to coming to the camp. He is aware of I’ve youngsters in formative years hockey, so our conversations incessantly veered in that path. He did not need their camp to be a “money grab.” He kicked round concepts and sought after to make it an enjoy for the gamers who signed up, now not only a ensure of a few abilities and video games.
The similar went for the gamers at Merrimack. When we would communicate in regards to the switch portal, and the way it might have an effect on a program like Merrimack, it wasn’t anything else that anxious him.
I went again and located the textual content these days as a result of I take note pondering it used to be the correct philosophy:
“If we take care of our players, if we treat them the right way and develop them and we’re there for them, they aren’t going to want to transfer,” he wrote. “Some guys might try to jump somewhere else, but if we take care of our guys and treat them right, then they’ll want to be a part of our program. We will still lose guys like everyone does but I can sleep at night knowing we are doing all we can to help our guys.”
Borek and Ciocco were shut for years. Borek recruited Ciocco to UNH as a participant. They labored at other faculties — Ciocco at Brown and Borek at Providence — however they labored in the similar town for a couple of years as coaches ahead of Borek introduced Ciocco to Merrimack with him in 2018.
Everyone in the Merrimack program is reeling this week.
But, the Warriors did make the verdict to play this weekend’s video games at St. Lawrence and Clarkson. Getting again at the ice may well be probably the most cathartic factor the gamers and coaches may just do.
Ciocco’s funeral will probably be held in Altco, N.J. subsequent week. There will probably be a memorial provider Oct. 18 in Massachusetts, held in conjunction with that night time’s Hockey East sport between Merrimack and UNH.
Games of the Week
Notre Dame vs. Denver (Ice Breaker)
This is without doubt one of the maximum attention-grabbing matchups of the weekend, with each Notre Dame and Denver projected by way of maximum to be amongst NCAA Tournament groups come March.
“I think we ramped it up this weekend,” mentioned Denver head trainer David Carle. “You make the schedules and you don’t know how teams are going to be slotted two, three years out. And when you plan the Ice Breaker, you’re looking for a consistent program in Notre Dame and team that’s really on the rise in Maine. So I think it’s a good thing. It will show us where we are early and things we’re good at and things we really need to work at. So it’s an opportunity to take a test and evaluate ourselves and ultimately get better.”
Notre Dame is in the Ice Breaker as a result of they owed Air Force two video games, in keeping with Notre Dame trainer Jeff Jackson. Frank Serratore made the be offering of popping out for the Ice Breaker reasonably than simply two video games with Air Force.
“At the time a couple of years ago, when I made that agreement with them when they came in here for two, I did not realize we’d be playing Denver the first night, nor did I realize that Denver would be the reigning national champs,” Jackson mentioned.
Air Force and Maine additionally open the Ice Breaker on Friday.
Minnesota State vs. Minnesota
I do not put numerous inventory into exhibition video games, however the Mavericks have been crushed soundly by way of Omaha (7-2) final week. Now, the video games rely for actual and they will get a possibility to peer the place they stand towards a Minnesota group that many imagine may well be headed again to the Frozen Four.
“I talked to (Minnesota coach) Bobby (Motzko) today and just caught up with him a little bit,” said Mankato coach Mike Hastings. “He talked about his club, I talked about us. We agreed on one thing: as old guys, we don’t like the beginning of new years, because there are so many question marks.”
This weekend’s sequence is a home-and-home. The groups will play at Minnesota on Friday night time after which head over to Mankato on Saturday.
Bowling Green vs. Michigan State
This weekend’s home-and-home between Michigan State and Bowling Green may well be a chain that includes two of probably the most stepped forward groups in the country.
Michigan State helped itself out in the switch portal with new head trainer Adam Nightingale going to paintings so as to add some key contributors to the roster, together with new goaltender Dylan St. Cyr. He additionally did a very good process construction his personnel with Jared DeMichiel and Mike Towns.
Bowling Green returned nearly all of its best scorers from final season — lots of whom are the use of their 5th season — and added Chase Gresock (Miami) and Zach Vinnell (Merrimack) in the switch portal.
“It’s going to be a difficult weekend,” BGSU head trainer Ty Eigner mentioned. “With a coaching change and new staff, we have to anticipate it being a difficult environment.”
Also see …
— Our first episode of the CHN’Siders Podcast aired previous this week. You can pay attention to the episode by way of clicking right here and you’ll want to subscribe to get all of our long term episodes delivered immediately on your favourite units.
— Could UNLV be the following D-I hockey program? We discover the likelihood.
— In a Q&A with CHN, Bob DeGregorio mentioned the opportunity of forming a brand new D-I league with D-II faculties.
“We need a minimum of six to do that and we’re dealing with 10 or 11 right now that have expressed interest. We’re going to be making a decision no later than November 1st.”
— Plus, all of our convention preview content material used to be posted this week. Make certain you head again to the house web page to seek out hyperlinks to all of the ones tales.