GUILDERLAND — Guilderland hockey coach John DeRubertis was not thankful for the outcome of his team’s trip to Buffalo over Thanksgiving Weekend. But he also knows that his team is better than the results show.

The Skating Dutchmen opened the season with Buffalo area powers Kenmore East and Kenmore West and dropped both games by wide margins.
"We took a good thumping in the second game," said DeRubertis. "The first game, we were a little better. In Friday’s game, we were moving up and down the ice. But we were down three goals at the end of the first period but re-grouped and were down just 3-1 at the end of the second period.
"In the third period, they scored a couple of more goals and just finished us. I then made the move to put in my fourth-line players and number-six and seven defensemen into the mix and we gave up a couple more."

The Dutchmen ended up losing to Kenmore East, 7-1, on Friday.

It was much worse on Saturday.
"We were just outplayed and outclassed by a team that is really solid," DeRubertis said.

Guilderland lost to Kenmore West, 11-1, in the second game of the weekend.
"It’s a good tournament to open the season," DeRubertis said. "There are some positives we’ll take from the weekend. The first game, that is the team that we have. We’ll be more competitive. I really believe that. We weren’t ready for the intense level at the start of the season. We didn’t know what to expect. But it’s a lesson learned and, hopefully, these games will help us down the road."

One at a time

The Dutchmen struggled for the first part of the season last year, before they got on a roll at the mid-point of the year.
"We took our beatings last year but then we got rolling," DeRubertis said. "I’m looking for that to start a little earlier than last season. The kids thought they were too good last year and they were taken by surprise. This year, we’re taking it one day at a time."

The Dutchmen have six seniors on the team this year. Five will see extensive playing time, while the sixth is the back-up goaltender.

The defense is young, as it is comprised of juniors, sophomores, and a freshman.
"They are working hard," DeRubertis said. "They’re doing well and the juniors are doing a solid job."

The seniors anchor two of the lines up front.
"The five seniors are forwards and we also have a couple of sophomores and a freshman," DeRubertis said. "But, with the first and second lines, we are expecting big things."

Sophomore Dan Dickinson, and seniors Greg Warnken, and John Potts will be on the first line. The second line will be led by senior Ben Fogel and will also feature sophomores Colin Burg and Joe Romano.

Potts and Fogel are the senior captains for the Dutchmen.
"We expect a lot of leadership from them," DeRubertis said.
He added about Burg, "He is tenacious. He was with us last year and he scored some good goals for us."

Romano is moving from defense to play up front this winter.

Seniors Lee Murphy, Nick Stefani, and Luke Diamente comprise the third line for the Skating Dutchmen.
"They are working hard and killing penalties," DeRubertis said. "They are going all out and have done a nice job early on."

Heading up the defense is Junior Jon Fogel and freshman Sean Buzzard.
"On his shifts, he’s looked comfortable," DeRubertis said of Buzzard. "He hasn’t made any mistakes."

Junior Nick Koss is on the varsity for the third straight year and will play major minutes on the blue line.
"He has improved each year," DeRubertis said.

Jeff Geisendorfer, also a junior, will be paired with Koss in the back.
"He’s a determined player and he wins his battles," DeRubertis said.

In goal for the Dutchmen will be junior Brendon Glennon. He was the number-three last year but is getting his shot this season.
"He moved up to number-one," DeRubertis said. "He’s going to continue to develop and improve. We’re looking for big things from him."

Senior John Laviano will be the back-up goalie for the Dutchmen.

What has DeRubertis optimistic, is that the Dutch won their two scrimmages against Section II teams in the pre-season.
"We beat Bethlehem and Shaker," DeRubertis said. "We played some hard-nosed hockey. I had high hopes heading out west. But it was a different level of intensity. Going in, we didn’t understand it."

Tough games

But the Dutchmen will travel out of Section II again this weekend. They will play up north against Canton and Potsdam in the Potsdam Tournament.
"It’s a tough tournament every year to start the season," DeRubertis said. "But we play tough section games by design. These games make us better for our sectional contests."

The Dutchmen are then scheduled to take on Saratoga on Dec. 8 at their home rink at Union College.

Guilderland will then host its tournament on Dec. 15 and 16. The Friday-night games will be held at the Albany County Hockey Facility near the airport. The Dutchmen will host Lake Placid while Glens Falls and Mammaroneck will play each other. The Saturday games will return to Union College as the Dutchmen will play Mammarroneck with a 1:30 p.m. face-off.