Jed Zeppelin said:
Before watching the game today I didn't realize that UVM coach Kevin Sneddon was the sacrificial lamb who dragged Union's program from absolutely nothing to something at least resembling a D-1 sport in the face of an administration that didn't give a shit. Mat Bodie graciously thanked him for his efforts in the handshake line even though he was just a kid at the time. Good stuff. Tomorrow he'll get the chance to say the same to Nate Leaman, who probably recruited him (and the other older guys on the team) and gave Union 8 good years paving the way for what Bennett has done in his short tenure.
This is yet another reason I am very excited for tomorrow's game between Union and Providence. It should be pretty cool on many levels. Current Union coach Rick Bennett played four years at Providence and began his coaching career for the Friars as an assistant. Bennett, of course, then jumped ship to Union to join then-Union coach and current Providence coach Nate Leaman. Bennett was eventually promoted to Associate under Leaman and then full on Head Coach when Leaman left for PC.
Leaman coached five active Union players during their freshman seasons (Carr, Bodie, Ikkala, Hatch, and Sullivan). Seven more (Gostisbehere, Stevens, Novak, Ciampini, Coatta, Vasaturo, and Bennett) were all freshmen the season after Leaman left, so he almost certainly recruited them as well. It's possible Leaman had his hands on a few of the '12-'13 freshmen as well, but he should be responsible for at least 12 of the guys on Union that he'll face tomorrow. That list of players that Leaman is responsible for includes Union's captain (Bodie), both alternate captains who happen to have been ECAC co-player of the year (Gostisbehere) and Union's leading scorer (Carr), the starting goalie (Stevens), and the second leading scorer (Ciampini). Leaman should know them well. Hoping for a great match up.
