Men's Ice Hockey poised for big year
Zach Frank
Issue date: 10/9/08 Section: Sports
"We have a great group of elected leaders on the team this year," said Gordon. "Grimson was an assistant captain last year, so he has the experience of being in charge and leading the team. He is a well respected guy in the locker room and everyone listens to what he has to say. The same goes for Trapp. He's been a coach to most guys in the past because he knows the game so well."
The Pioneers bring a powerful presence to the ice this year especially on the defensive side of the puck.
"As a team we are very close and have great players starting from our goaltending out," said Laurysen. "We work hard to try to limit the goals against. Individually, we have great seniors returning, including our goalie Stefan Drew and defenseman Dave Grimson and Paul Ferraro."
While defense is a crucial part of the Pioneers' game, they also boast a talented offensive core.
This season, the team will turn to juniors Dave Jarman and Nick Johnson, and seniors Eric Giosa, Bear Trapp and Kyle Tyll, to take control on offense.
"There hasn't been too many changes in the line-up, so we still have a lot of chemistry within the lines," said Jarman. "We've been working out on a consistent basis to make sure we stay injury free and still perform in March."
The Pioneers are aware that there are areas that they need to improve on if they want to go farther into the post-season and make a bigger name for themselves in the AHA.
"We need to improve mainly with our consistency," said forward Nick Johnson. "Last year, some games we looked like a championship caliber team, but other games we just didn't bring it. This year, only losing a few guys and everyone getting another year of experience in them, we will play with more consistency and confidence."
This upcoming season will prove to be a test for the Pioneers.
They have a tough schedule, as they will travel to Colorado twice to play conference champions Air Force and Colorado College, and also to South Bend, Ind., where the team will face off against the University of Notre Dame, who played in the NCAA Division I National Championship game last year.
The '08-'09 season will kick off tomorrow, as the Pioneers go head-to-head against Air Force at 7:05 p.m. at the Milford Ice Pavilion.
The Pioneers are excited about their season and won't accept anything less than success.
"As a team we have all the right pieces this year to win the Atlantic Hockey Association championship and go to the NCAA's," said Johnson.
The Pioneers bring a powerful presence to the ice this year especially on the defensive side of the puck.
"As a team we are very close and have great players starting from our goaltending out," said Laurysen. "We work hard to try to limit the goals against. Individually, we have great seniors returning, including our goalie Stefan Drew and defenseman Dave Grimson and Paul Ferraro."
While defense is a crucial part of the Pioneers' game, they also boast a talented offensive core.
This season, the team will turn to juniors Dave Jarman and Nick Johnson, and seniors Eric Giosa, Bear Trapp and Kyle Tyll, to take control on offense.
"There hasn't been too many changes in the line-up, so we still have a lot of chemistry within the lines," said Jarman. "We've been working out on a consistent basis to make sure we stay injury free and still perform in March."
The Pioneers are aware that there are areas that they need to improve on if they want to go farther into the post-season and make a bigger name for themselves in the AHA.
"We need to improve mainly with our consistency," said forward Nick Johnson. "Last year, some games we looked like a championship caliber team, but other games we just didn't bring it. This year, only losing a few guys and everyone getting another year of experience in them, we will play with more consistency and confidence."
This upcoming season will prove to be a test for the Pioneers.
They have a tough schedule, as they will travel to Colorado twice to play conference champions Air Force and Colorado College, and also to South Bend, Ind., where the team will face off against the University of Notre Dame, who played in the NCAA Division I National Championship game last year.
The '08-'09 season will kick off tomorrow, as the Pioneers go head-to-head against Air Force at 7:05 p.m. at the Milford Ice Pavilion.
The Pioneers are excited about their season and won't accept anything less than success.
"As a team we have all the right pieces this year to win the Atlantic Hockey Association championship and go to the NCAA's," said Johnson.
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