By Katherine May

The Holy Cross men's ice hockey team reached new heights in the 2003-04 season, earning the program's first-ever NCAA tournament berth after capturing the league tournament title.

Under the direction of Head Coach Paul Pearl '89 and led by forwards Greg Kealey '04 and Jeff Dams '04, the Crusaders rolled through the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) regular season on their way to the regular season conference crown. The team remained in first place throughout the course of the year, becoming the first team in league history to accomplish that feat. Pearl earned AHA "Coach of the Year" accolades for his leadership of the Crusaders.

The top seed in the AHA tournament, Holy Cross defeated American Inter­national, 5-0, and Canisius, 4-1, en route to the championship game, where it battled Sacred Heart. In that contest - which would decide who would represent Atlantic Hockey in the NCAA Tournament - the Crusaders throttled the Pioneers, 4-0, to earn a bid into the round of 16.

In the NCAA tournament, the College battled the top seed in the tournament, North Dakota, at the World Springs Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo. Although the Crusaders fought valiantly, the Fighting Sioux knocked off Holy Cross, 3-0, to put an end to its magical ride. The performance earned the Crusaders and Holy Cross national recognition in the hockey community.

Kealey and Dams led the way offensively. Named to the Atlantic Hockey First Team All-Conference, Dams racked up 39 points, including scoring 14 goals. Kealey, who earned Atlantic Hockey Defensive Forward of the Year honors, scored 34 points. Led by these two players, the senior class accounted for 39.4 percent of the team's total points this season.

In addition to Kealey and Dams, one of the keys to the team's success was the play of the defense, led by goaltender Tony Quesada '06. Quesada stopped 80 of 81 shots he faced in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament and then recorded 30 saves - several of the spectacular variety in the NCAA Tournament game.

Aside from Kealey and Dams, Holy Cross will lose six other fourth-year
students from this year's squad, including defensemen R.J. Irving and J.R. Walker, and forwards Tim Coskren, Matt Conway, Scott Rissmiller and Steve Sullivan. Although these players will be tough to replace, the team is optimistic about its chances coming into next season. The Crusaders had five first-year, six second-year and four third-year students play in at least 20 games this year. Pierre Napert-Frenette '06 and Andrew McKay '05 helped lead the Crusaders with 33 points this season.

With the success that the team has enjoyed, the bar has been set high for future Holy Cross teams. The Crusaders matched the school record for wins in a season (22) and showed that the College could be a contender on a national stage. Led by Pearl, the future is extremely bright for Holy Cross men's ice hockey.