Mustang hockey looks forward to weekend games
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Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: Sports
The men's ice hockey team has faced tough competition so far this season; making their record 1-10-1 in the SUNYAC and 5-15-1 overall.
"We have gained a ton of respect as to how tough we have battled," said head coach Brian Grady. "We have nothing to lose, and everything to gain coming into the SUNYAC."
"We had very high expectations coming into the season," said Grady.
The team has worked on defense and offense to improve their level of competition. The Mustangs are set out to prove that they belong in the SUNYAC league.
"All good teams work as one, their team is a family," said junior captain Andrew Alarie. "We are a young team, still working on becoming a family."
The team faced SUNY Geneseo, who is ranked fourth in the SUNYAC league, but Mustangs lost 2-1 in overtime. Later in the season the Mustangs beat the Blue Knights 7-5 in regulation time.
"I think just coming into the toughest competition in the nation was a challenge enough," said junior forward Dana Calderone. "In a couple of years we will be really competitive."
The team has faced many ranked teams, and all the games were tough, whether or not the opponent was part of SUNYAC.
"Our team is improving every day and we are very hard working," said Alarie.
"The kids have been here since January first," said Grady. "We travelled a lot more before MSC was back in session."
The men finish off their season with four consecutive home games against SUNY Oswego, SUNY Cortland, Fredonia State, and Buffalo State.
"The toughest part of the season was coming together as a team," said senior Tim Dorak. "A great turning point in the season was tying Oswego."
The team looks forward to hosting Oswego again on Feb. 6, hoping to improve on the previous game that ended in a 5-5 tie. "That game gave us a lot of confidence," said Calderone. "We always play them well in this rink."
SUNY Oswego won the NCAA Division III championship in 2006.
The Mustangs face back-to-back home games this weekend, competing against SUNY Oswego on Friday and SUNY Cortland on Saturday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. both nights.
"We are absolutely looking forward to closing in front of our fans," said Calderone. "We want to end on a good note and to give everything we've got."
"We have gained a ton of respect as to how tough we have battled," said head coach Brian Grady. "We have nothing to lose, and everything to gain coming into the SUNYAC."
"We had very high expectations coming into the season," said Grady.
The team has worked on defense and offense to improve their level of competition. The Mustangs are set out to prove that they belong in the SUNYAC league.
"All good teams work as one, their team is a family," said junior captain Andrew Alarie. "We are a young team, still working on becoming a family."
The team faced SUNY Geneseo, who is ranked fourth in the SUNYAC league, but Mustangs lost 2-1 in overtime. Later in the season the Mustangs beat the Blue Knights 7-5 in regulation time.
"I think just coming into the toughest competition in the nation was a challenge enough," said junior forward Dana Calderone. "In a couple of years we will be really competitive."
The team has faced many ranked teams, and all the games were tough, whether or not the opponent was part of SUNYAC.
"Our team is improving every day and we are very hard working," said Alarie.
"The kids have been here since January first," said Grady. "We travelled a lot more before MSC was back in session."
The men finish off their season with four consecutive home games against SUNY Oswego, SUNY Cortland, Fredonia State, and Buffalo State.
"The toughest part of the season was coming together as a team," said senior Tim Dorak. "A great turning point in the season was tying Oswego."
The team looks forward to hosting Oswego again on Feb. 6, hoping to improve on the previous game that ended in a 5-5 tie. "That game gave us a lot of confidence," said Calderone. "We always play them well in this rink."
SUNY Oswego won the NCAA Division III championship in 2006.
The Mustangs face back-to-back home games this weekend, competing against SUNY Oswego on Friday and SUNY Cortland on Saturday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. both nights.
"We are absolutely looking forward to closing in front of our fans," said Calderone. "We want to end on a good note and to give everything we've got."