2008 Woodie Awards
Hockey: Marcou leads UMass offense
Melissa Turtinen, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: Sports
Standing at 5-foot-8-inches, James Marcou may be one of the smaller men on the ice, but his presence does not fall short.
Marcou leads the No. 16 Massachusetts hockey team (5-3-1, 3-2-1 Hockey East) in points and goals this season, and without his natural ability to play the game the Minutemen would be lacking offensively and defensively.
He has the knack for reading the ice and anticipating plays. He sees where he should go and where to make passes with little or no hesitation.
"James sees the ice better than anybody," UMass coach Don Cahoon said. "There is no one out here that has a command for where everybody is on the ice while he's playing at a high speed and then has the ability to get the puck. He shares the puck with everyone, makes great plays and he's very creative."
Marcou makes up for what he lacks in height with his strength and speed. He is an aggressive forward who forchecks deep into the offensive zone. He puts a lot of pressure on the opposing defenders and such aggression has resulted in goals for the Minutemen.
Last Friday, in UMass' 5-1 win over then-No. 1 Boston University, Marcou challenged BU defensemen Colby Cohen and picked up the puck to make a pass to line-mate Cory Quirk. The senior was streaking into the slot and backhanded Marcou's pass into the top netting for the first goal of the game.
Marcou has tallied five goals and seven assists for 12 points so far this season. He and his line-mates Quirk and senior Alex Berry led the Minutemen. The top line has earned 33 points so far this season, contributing 11 goals and 22 assists between the three forwards.
Marcou plays a significant role on UMass' first power-play unit. He, with Quirk and senior Chris Davis play key offense while typical line-mate Berry and junior Justin Braun man the points. Marcou's aggressiveness benefits the team even more during man advantages.
He has scored two power-play goals this season, the second most on the team behind Michael Lecomte. His playmaking ability is also present on the power play. He has earned two assists while a man up.
Marcou, led the team in scoring (eight goals, 24 assists), has improved his game, benefiting the Minutemen even more.
"He's that much stronger [compared to last year]," Cahoon said. "He shoots it a little bit better. He's much stronger on his feet. He certainly has the advantage from all that game experience, so he's a little bit more developed."
Marcou's strength, speed and playmaking ability will contribute to the success of the Minutemen throughout the season, especially this weekend when UMass challenges defending national champion No. 4 Boston College in a home-and-home series starting Friday night at Conte Forum (7 p.m.).
Melissa Turtinen can be reached at mturtinen@dailycollegian.com.
Marcou leads the No. 16 Massachusetts hockey team (5-3-1, 3-2-1 Hockey East) in points and goals this season, and without his natural ability to play the game the Minutemen would be lacking offensively and defensively.
He has the knack for reading the ice and anticipating plays. He sees where he should go and where to make passes with little or no hesitation.
"James sees the ice better than anybody," UMass coach Don Cahoon said. "There is no one out here that has a command for where everybody is on the ice while he's playing at a high speed and then has the ability to get the puck. He shares the puck with everyone, makes great plays and he's very creative."
Marcou makes up for what he lacks in height with his strength and speed. He is an aggressive forward who forchecks deep into the offensive zone. He puts a lot of pressure on the opposing defenders and such aggression has resulted in goals for the Minutemen.
Last Friday, in UMass' 5-1 win over then-No. 1 Boston University, Marcou challenged BU defensemen Colby Cohen and picked up the puck to make a pass to line-mate Cory Quirk. The senior was streaking into the slot and backhanded Marcou's pass into the top netting for the first goal of the game.
Marcou has tallied five goals and seven assists for 12 points so far this season. He and his line-mates Quirk and senior Alex Berry led the Minutemen. The top line has earned 33 points so far this season, contributing 11 goals and 22 assists between the three forwards.
Marcou plays a significant role on UMass' first power-play unit. He, with Quirk and senior Chris Davis play key offense while typical line-mate Berry and junior Justin Braun man the points. Marcou's aggressiveness benefits the team even more during man advantages.
He has scored two power-play goals this season, the second most on the team behind Michael Lecomte. His playmaking ability is also present on the power play. He has earned two assists while a man up.
Marcou, led the team in scoring (eight goals, 24 assists), has improved his game, benefiting the Minutemen even more.
"He's that much stronger [compared to last year]," Cahoon said. "He shoots it a little bit better. He's much stronger on his feet. He certainly has the advantage from all that game experience, so he's a little bit more developed."
Marcou's strength, speed and playmaking ability will contribute to the success of the Minutemen throughout the season, especially this weekend when UMass challenges defending national champion No. 4 Boston College in a home-and-home series starting Friday night at Conte Forum (7 p.m.).
Melissa Turtinen can be reached at mturtinen@dailycollegian.com.
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